Most of it is still rural, but during the past 40 years there has been a considerable development of market gardening, light industry, holiday fishing, and boating.

The land gradually rises from the river to a small hill and bowl-shaped plateau, about 270 ft. above sea level, in the east.

Nazeingwood Common[4] covers much of the eastern plateau and was originally part of Waltham Forest, but in the 13th century was deforested for pasture.

The position of this village, now called Upper Park Town, may have given Nazeing its name, which means 'settlers on a spur of land'.

The Saxons first established compact settlements called hams; more scattered communities with names ending in ing followed a generation or two later.

Waltham, the place in the wood, was probably settled by 600 A.D, which would suggest a date some time in the seventh century for its neighbour Nazeing.

John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Nazeing in 1870–72 like this: 'NAZEING, a village and a parish in Epping district, Essex.

The village stands 2¼ miles E of the river Lea at the boundary with Herts, 3 E of Broxbourne r. station, and 4¼ N W of Epping; and has a post-office under Waltham Cross.

[14] Such dummy airfields were in operation from June 1940, but it is thought the Germans had detected Nazeing as a decoy site by the end of December.

The village has a number of pubs: the King Harolds Head,[18] Sun Inn,[19] Black Swan [20] and the Crooked Billet.

[28] The building has had a number of uses during its long history, including family estate and "Boarding Special School for Maladjusted Pupils".

The site probably closed by the end of July 1941 as land was needed for increased agriculture and this was put to the plough in August 1941.

During WWII Nazeing as part of the Lea Valley became increasingly important providing the country with much of its fresh salad produce.

The Lea Valley also had numerous factories geared to aircraft repairs, furniture manufacture, agro-fertilisers, as well as power stations and breweries some of which were located in and around Nazeing.

Nazeing is home to Hillgrove Business Park, a medium size industrial estate which holds over 30 companies.

Nazeing is home to a golf course,[44] a Gym [45] and has a number of youth football teams [46] which play at Bumbles Green Leisure Centre.

For example, the Broxbourne Sailing Club is actually located at Meadgate Road in Nazeing [51] on the lakes formed by previous gravel extraction works.