Debden House is a conference centre and campsite located in Loughton, Essex, England. The house is owned and operated by Newham London Borough Council.
The house is used as a conference centre with residential facilities during the week, and is available for hire. Newham Borough Council use the house extensively for staff training, team-building exercises and conferences. Residential accommodation is available for students.
The campsite at Debden House is open from May to September every year. Facilities include a shop, cafe, washing and drying machines, electric points, toilets and showers.
The house was built in the early 19th century and extended in both the 19th and 20th centuries. It is constructed in two storeys of painted brick with a slate roof to a rectangular floor plan and was probably a former coach house. It is now a grade II listed building [1]
Formerly known as Debden Green House, it was once part of the Debden Hall estate, which in 1851 was owned by local magistrate John Williams. It was bought in 1883 by Joseph Thomas Palmer, a printing ink manufacturer, who lived there until his death in 1898, followed by his son-in-law until 1917. Debden Green House was bought at auction by Edward Green in 1920, who lived there until it was purchased by the Borough of East Ham in 1946. It was opened as the Debden House Residential Adult Education Centre in 1949. [2]
In the map of 1777, Alexander Hamilton (1693–1781) is shown to be the owner of Debden Hall and Debden House, Debden Green. He owned Debden Green House for many years before this as a newspaper advertisement of 1748 mentions that he can be contacted at his house on Debden Green. [3] It seems that these houses existed before the Hall was built because in 1769 he unsuccessfully advertised them for sale. [4] The sale notice is shown.
Alexander Hamilton was born in 1693. His father was William Hamilton, Lord of the Manor of Wishaw in Scotland. [5] He became a lawyer and went to live at Lincoln's Inn in London. He married three times. His first wife was Frances Dalzell whom he married in 1720 [6] but she died shortly afterwards. His second wife was Barbara Lilley [7] whom he married in 1729 and by her he had two sons William and Anthony Hamilton. She also died and in 1745 [8] he married Charlotte Stiles whose father Robert Stiles (1663–1739) was a landowner in Loughton.
He lived much of his life at Lincoln's Inn and died there in 1781 at the age of 88. It seems that he used Debden Hall and House as his country estate. When he died his eldest son William Hamilton (1730–1811) inherited his property. [9] William was also a lawyer who lived at Lincoln's Inn. He married Sarah Allan [10] and they had two daughters Sarah and Mary Hamilton.
William died in 1811 and as he had no sons his property was left to his nephew William Richard Hamilton. [11] It seems that sometime after this both Debden House and the Hall were sold to Nicholas Pearse who was the husband of Sarah Hamilton, William's daughter. This is evident from a sale notice [12] in 1846 for the 212-acre Debden Green Estate which describes the Hall and the House. This notice, which is shown, mentions that Nicholas Pearse was the owner.
Nicholas Pearse (1758–1825) [13] was the son of a wealthy landowner and clothier also called Nicholas Pearse (1720–1793) from Heddington and he had inherited property when his father died in 1793. A portrait of his father was painted by Thomas Gainsborough in about 1760. [14] In 1797 he married Sarah Hamilton who at this time would have been living at Debden Hall as her father William owned it. The couple had no children and when Nicholas died in 1825 he left Sarah a life interest in his estate and after that his will stated that it was to be sold and the proceeds should be put in a Trust to be distributed amongst distant relatives. [15] After Nicholas died Sarah lived at Debden Hall until her death. The 1841 Census shows that she is living there with eight servants. She died in 1845 [16] and the property was sold. It was bought by John Williams.
John Williams (1792–1883) purchased the whole Debden Estate in about 1850. He was a Member of the London Stock Exchange and had retired to live the life of a Country Gentleman. It seems that he lived in the Hall and rented Debden House to various tenants. His obituary described him in the following terms.
He died in 1883 and his property was left to distant relatives. [18] It was put on the market for sale. The sale notice lists the various properties in the Estate. As well as the Hall there was The Mount, The Beeches, Elm Cottage and Debden Green House which was described as a detached residence with stabling, gardens and paddock containing altogether about two acres. [19]
The sale notice also states that he owned the Birch Hall Estate. The Debden Estate was bought by Joseph Thomas Palmer.
Joseph Thomas Palmer (1841–1895) was born in London. His father was Joseph Randall Palmer who manufactured printing ink. Joseph also became an ink manufacturer and was a partner in the firm Slater and Palmer which had a factory in London. He married twice his first wife died in 1863 and in 1867 he married Mary Ann Lellyett but she died in 1872 in a carriage accident in Walthamstow. [20] His sister in law Ellen Lellyett was a spinster and as she had little money he employed her as his housekeeper. She is shown to be living at Debden Hall with the family in 1891. When Joseph died in 1895 he made provision for her in his will. She had an independent income and she was allowed to live at Debden Hall for the next three years after which it was left to his daughter Gertrude Lellyett Palmer. [21]
Gertrude Lellyett Palmer (1868–1912) was born in 1868. In 1890 she married William Richard Clarke (1856-1917). The couple lived at Clare Hall in Chigwell for some years. Several years Gertrude inherited the property she put the whole Estate on the market for sale. In the advertisement Debden House is described as “a well-built freehold residence in a pleasant situation facing the Green containing eight bed and dressing rooms, bathroom, five reception rooms and domestic offices with stabling for three horses and pleasure and kitchen gardens.” [22]
It seems that they decided not to sell the estate because the 1911 Census shows them both to be at Debden Hall with their daughter Dorothy, three visitors and eight servants. Gertrude died at the Hall in 1912 and William died in 1917. They are both buried at St John's Cemetery, Loughton. [23]
In 1920 the estate was advertised for sale. The advertisement that appeared in “The Times” contained a picture of Debden Hall and this is shown. [24] At this stage the estate was split and Debden House was sold separately to Edward Green. In 1947 the house was sold to the County Borough of East Ham whose successors Newham) still own it today.
Loughton is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the metropolitan and urban area of London, England, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of Charing Cross. The town borders Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell, Chingford, and Buckhurst Hill.
Frederic Thesiger, 1st Baron Chelmsford, PC, FRS was a British jurist and Conservative politician. He was twice Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain.
Springhill is a 17th-century plantation house in the townland of Ballindrum near Moneymore, County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It has been the property of the National Trust since 1957 and, in addition to the house, gardens and park, there is a costume collection. It is open from March to June, and September on weekends, and is open to the public seven days a week during July and August.
Stuyvesant Fish was an American businessman and member of the Fish family who served as president of the Illinois Central Railroad. He owned grand residences in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, entertained lavishly and, along with his wife "Mamie", became prominent in American high society during the Gilded Age.
Ightham Mote, at Ightham, is a medieval moated manor house in Kent, England. The architectural writer John Newman describes it as "the most complete small medieval manor house in the county".
Sir Nicolas Conyngham Tindal, PC was a celebrated English lawyer who successfully defended the then Queen of the United Kingdom, Caroline of Brunswick, at her trial for adultery in 1820. As Chief Justice of Common Pleas, an office he held with distinction from 1829 to 1846, he was responsible for the inception of the special verdict "Not Guilty by reason of insanity" at the trial of Daniel M'Naghten.
Hamilton Fish II was an American lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the New York State Assembly and a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Charles Anthony Palmer-Tomkinson is an English landowner and philanthropist, a former Olympic skier, and a close friend of King Charles III.
Henry Cecil, 1st Marquess of Exeter, known as Henry Cecil from 1754 to 1793 and as The Earl of Exeter from 1793 to 1801, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1790 and succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Exeter in 1793.
Loughton is a town in the county of Essex in England. The first settlement can be traced back to 2,500 years ago, but the earliest records of the modern-day site of Loughton are from the Anglo-Saxon era of English history, when it was known as Lukintone. After the Norman conquest it became part of the estate of Waltham Abbey and is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Lochintuna. It was during the 17th century, however, when Loughton began to grow significantly as a coaching stop on the newly created main route to Cambridge and East Anglia. With good transport links and proximity to both London and also Epping Forest and the countryside, it became a popular location for aristocratic and wealthy Londoners to have a home.
Latham of Bradwall is a family whose seat was at Bradwall Hall, in the township of Bradwall, near Sandbach, England, with several notable members. The line is "a junior branch of the ancient Cheshire house of Lathom, of Lathom and Knowsley, which terminated in the heiress, Isabella Latham, who married Sir John Stanley, Knt., ancestor of the Earls of Derby".
Thomas Owen was an English judge and politician in the reign of Elizabeth I.
Narborough Hall is a Grade II* listed building in Narborough in Leicestershire. Believed to date from 1596 this Elizabethan manor house was built by James Meade, a local landowner. However, it was only after it was extensively remodelled in the mid-19th century that it became known as Narborough Hall. It is notable because of its construction from local pink granite.
Worplesdon Place Hotel near Guildford, Surrey is a house of historical significance. It appears to have been built in about 1845 by Sir William Bovill. It was a private residence for the next 100 years and was owned by several notable people. In the 1950s it became a hotel and still operates in this manner today. The hotel provides accommodation and restaurant facilities and caters for special events particularly weddings.
Anthony Hamilton (1739–1812) was an Anglican priest, Archdeacon of Colchester from 1775.
The Manor of Groves Hotel in High Wych, near Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire is a building of historical significance and is listed as Grade II on the English Heritage Register. It was remodelled over an existing older building in 1823 by a prominent London lawyer. The house was a private residence for many distinguished people over the next 150 years and in 1988 was converted to a hotel. It still serves this function and provides accommodation, dining facilities and caters for events such as conferences and weddings. There is also a golf course.
Green Street House, usually known as Boleyn Castle, was a stately home in Upton Park in the modern London Borough of Newham, East London.
Loughton Hall is a large house in Rectory Lane, Loughton, Essex. The architect was William Eden Nesfield, and it is grade II listed with Historic England. It is now a 33-bedroom residential care home for elderly people.
Northaw Place is a Grade II* listed former mansion house, later a school and children's home, in Northaw and Cuffley, Hertfordshire, England. Northaw Place was built circa 1690 by Sir George Hutchins, King's Serjeant and one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal. Cussans describes the Northaw estate as having once formed part of the manorial estate but it became detached from it in circa 1690 when Sir William Leman, second Baronet, and Lord of the Manor of Northaw, gave it to his daughter Sarah, on her marriage to Sir George Hutchins. It remained in private hands until the late 19th century, when it was converted into a school. It reverted to private ownership again in 1927, only to be purchased by Middlesex County Council after World War II and converted into a children's home. With the 1974 re-organisation of UK local government it passed to the London Borough of Haringey who used it as a Children's Assessment Centre until late 1979. In 1980 a planning application was made to convert Northaw Place to 10 dwellings. Permission was granted but the scheme was not implemented due to outstanding conditions of consent. A subsequent application to convert Northaw Place to offices was refused in 1982 (S6/0120/82). Another application was submitted in 1985 to convert Northaw Place to six dwellings (S6/0368/LB), and permission was granted. In 1986 Northaw Place was bought by Hitchins (Hatfield) Ltd, and a new planning application was submitted. This contained minor amendments from the previous application. As part of the conversion work the main house was divided from the stables / coach house to the west by the demolition of a link building. It has since been converted to residential accommodation.