In 1879 Burnham Beeches came on the market, advertised as land suitable for building 'superior residences'.
A prominent naturalist, Francis George Heath, tried to enlist support for saving the area with its magnificent trees and persuaded the Corporation of the City of London to act.
A new law, the Open Spaces Act of 1878, allowed the Corporation to buy unenclosed and common land on the edge of London.
However, there was a complication: there were two enclosed areas in the middle of the common land.
This was solved by the local MP, Sir Henry Peek, who bought the entire lot and then sold the unenclosed parts on to the Corporation.
One condition Sir Henry did insist upon as part of the agreement was that the Corporation pay for roads to be built to allow him access to the land he retained and these roads are named after people involved with the Corporation at that time.
They were closed during the foot and mouth crisis. Since then, the enclosed areas have been either given to or bought by the Corporation so it now owns the whole of Burnham Beeches.
The wood to the right of the lane is Dorney Wood. In the time of Henry VIII it was a notorious haunt of thieves and vagabonds who preyed on travellers from Burnham to Beaconsfield.
Though he knew many of the world's most notable forests, E. H. Wilson, director of Arnold Arboretum in Harvard, USA, cherished his visit to Burnham Beeches as one of the highlights of his life.
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