Ten Facts about Gilwell Park

1. Gilwell Park was bought for The Scout Association in 1919, by Mr. de Bois Maclaren for £10,000
2. The land was previously owned by King Henry VIII, who built a hunting lodge for his son Edward. A later owner of the land built around the lodge, which eventually became the White House
3. The Greenwich Meridian (the line of zero longitude) runs through the campsite
4. Behind the White House is the stone ballustrade from the London Bridge which was pulled down in 1923
5. The campsite is believed to be haunted. For more than 60 years no one would live in the house. Those ghostly noises were later traced to a hidden well. The ghost of Margaret Chinnery has been seen along the Lime Walk that she planted
6. At the 1929 Jamboree at Arrowe Park, Scouts from 69 countries saw B-P created Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell
7. A 2nd World War air-raid created the "Bomb Hole" which was enlarged and is used for canoeing
8. On the Buffalo Lawn is a bronze Buffalo, given by the Boy Scouts of America in memory of the unknown Scout who led to the creation of the Boy Scouts in America
9. The Barnacle which is now used as the Service Team Den, was previously a hospital. Meals are eaten in what was an operating theatre!
10. The Chief Scout of the UK, George Purdy, was invested at Gilwell in 1996

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Source: http://www.gilwellpark.demon.co.uk/