Gidea Hall

Last updated
Gidea Hall in 1908 Gidea Hall.jpg
Gidea Hall in 1908

Gidea Hall was a manor house in Gidea Park, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower, whose former area today is part of the north-eastern extremity of Greater London.

The first record of Gidea Hall is in 1250, and by 1410 it was in the hands on one Robert Chichele. [1] In 1452 Sir Thomas Cooke (c.1410-1478), a Lord Mayor of London, bought the estate [1] and in 1466 was granted a licence to crenellate, which is a licence for the manor house to be fortified. Gidea Hall was forfeit when Cooke was accused of treason, but he was acquitted and the property recovered after payment of a fine. [2] While work on the manor had started in 1466 with the construction of a moat, they were continued by his son Sir Anthony Cooke, one of whose daughters married Sir Nicholas Bacon and came into possession of the Manor of Marks, another large house in the Liberty of Havering. [3] After his return from exile Cooke entertained Queen Elizabeth I at Gidea Hall during her Progress in 1568 when she also visited Copt Hall [4] The final alterations to Gidea Hall were not finished until 1568 at which time the main house and two adjacent wings formed three sides of a courtyard with an open colonnade on the fourth side [5] and various outbuildings. Maria de Medici, the mother-in-law of King Charles I stayed at Gidea Hall in 1638 on her way from Harwich to London, although by then the hall was falling into decay. [6] By the time of the Commonwealth the buildings were ruinous, but were not finally demolished until 1720 when Sir John Eyles had a new mansion built on the site.

Gidea Hall, 1797 from an engraving made by Humphrey Repton.jpg

In 1783 a book entitled An enquiry by experiment into the properties and effects of the medicinal waters in the County of Essex includes an entry for "Gidea Hall water", describing the source as rising on the "bank of the canal in the park of Richard Benyon, Esq". The canal referred to is now the lake in Raphael Park, which was recorded on the 1888 Ordnance Survey map as Black's Canal after the Black family; a map prepared for Alexander Black in 1807 clearly shows the spring. An investigation into the spring in 1910 recorded that it had "been drained, filled up and turfed about 4 years ago". [7] The later Gidea Hall was of brick.

The Gidea Hall estate was purchased in 1897 by Herbert Raphael, and in 1902 he gave 20 acres (81,000 m2), including a lake, for use as a public park; a further 55 acres (220,000 m2) was subsequently purchased and Raphael Park opened in 1904. In 1910 Raphael and two fellow Liberal MPs formed Gidea Park Ltd with the aim of building a garden suburb, including what became Romford Garden Suburb, on the Gidea Hall and Balgores estates, [8] and during the First World War they offered both properties to the Artists Rifles for use as an Officers' School. [9] The house was demolished in 1930. [10]

The wall, railings and gate from the early 18th century remain and are listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

Harold Wood Suburban neighbourhood in Havering, east London

Harold Wood is a suburban neighbourhood of Romford in the London Borough of Havering. It is situated 16.5 miles (26.6 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross close to the Essex boundary.

Hornchurch Human settlement in England

Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 15.2 miles (24.5 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient parish in the county of Essex that became the manor and liberty of Havering. The economic history of Hornchurch is underpinned by a shift away from agriculture to other industries with the growing significance of nearby Romford as a market town and centre of administration. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Hornchurch significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming an urban district in 1926 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965. It is the location of Queen's Theatre, Havering Sixth Form College and Havering College of Further and Higher Education.

Romford Town in northeast London, England

Romford is a large town in East London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located 14.1 miles (22.7 km) northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically Romford was a market town in the county of Essex and formed the administrative centre of the liberty of Havering, until it was dissolved in 1892. Good road links to London and the opening of the railway station in 1839 were key to the development of the town and the economic history of Romford is underpinned by a shift from agriculture to light industry and then to retail and commerce. As part of the suburban growth of London in the 20th century, Romford significantly expanded and increased in population, becoming a municipal borough in 1937 and has formed part of Greater London since 1965 when the area was transferred from Essex. It now forms one of the largest commercial, retail, entertainment and leisure districts in London and has a developed night-time economy. The entire town had a population of 122,854 as of 2011.

London Borough of Havering London borough in United Kingdom

The London Borough of Havering in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. The principal town is Romford. Other communities are Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham. The borough is mainly suburban, with large areas of protected open space. Romford is a major retail and night time entertainment centre, and to the south the borough extends into the London Riverside redevelopment area of the Thames Gateway. The name Havering is a reference to the Royal Liberty of Havering which occupied the area for several centuries. The local authority is Havering London Borough Council.

Ardleigh Green Area of East London, England

Ardleigh Green is an area of outer east London, England in the London Borough of Havering. It is centred 15.5 miles (25 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. As with all parts of its borough, it is in the Historic County of Essex. This part of London is a strongly suburban and predominantly residential.

Gidea Park Human settlement in England

Gidea Park is a neighbourhood in the east of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, south-east England.

Harold Hill Human settlement in England

Harold Hill is a suburban area in the London Borough of Havering, East London. 16.6 miles (26.7 km) northeast of Charing Cross. It is a district centre in the London Plan. The name refers to Harold Godwinson who held the manor of Havering-atte-Bower. It is peripheral to London, forming an eastern edge of the urban sprawl.

Royal Liberty of Havering Medieval jurisdiction in England

Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London. The manor was in the possession of the Crown from the 11th to the 19th centuries and was the location of Havering Palace from the 13th to the late 17th century. It occupied the same area as the ancient parish of Hornchurch which was divided into the three chapelries of Havering, Hornchurch and Romford.

Havering-atte-Bower Human settlement in England

Havering-atte-Bower is a village and outlying settlement of Greater London, England. It is located in the far north of the London Borough of Havering, on the border with Essex, and is 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Charing Cross. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Liberty of Havering.

Havering Palace

Havering Palace was an old royal residence in England. Between its building before 1066 until its abandonment in 1686 it was in the village of Havering-atte-Bower. By 1816 no walls remained above ground.

Romford (UK Parliament constituency)

Romford is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2001 by Andrew Rosindell, a Conservative. It was created in 1885.

Hornchurch Urban District

The Hornchurch urban district was a civil parish of Hornchurch, and a local government district in southwest Essex from 1926 to 1965. It was greatly expanded in 1934 with the addition of Cranham, Great Warley, Rainham, Upminster and Wennington; and in 1935 by gaining North Ockendon. Hornchurch Urban District Council was based at Langtons House in Hornchurch from 1929. The district formed a suburb of London and with a population peaking at 131,014 in 1961, it was one of the largest districts of its type in England. It now forms the greater part of the London Borough of Havering in Greater London.

Bedfords Park

Bedfords Park is public open space of 215 acres or approximately 87½ hectares near Havering-atte-Bower in the London Borough of Havering in England. It is one of three large parklands around Havering-atte-Bower; the others are Havering Country Park and Pyrgo Park.

Herbert Raphael

Major Sir Herbert Henry Raphael, 1st Baronet was a British barrister and Liberal Party politician.

Lodge Farm Park

Lodge Farm Park is a public park in Gidea Park in the London Borough of Havering, United Kingdom.

Raphael Park

Raphael Park is a public park in Gidea Park, Romford, in the London Borough of Havering, United Kingdom. It is one of a series of parks stretching northwards from the railway line between Romford and Gidea Park. The park is commonly known as Raphael's Park by locals.

Romford Garden Suburb Human settlement in England

Romford Garden Suburb is a late-Edwardian housing development in Gidea Park, east of Romford town centre, in the London Borough of Havering, south-east England. The object of the new suburb, which was built on land belonging to Gidea Hall, then occupied by the Liberal politician Herbert Raphael, was, according to his parliamentary colleague John Burns, to "provide families with a well-built, modern home regardless of class or status" and "to bring the towns into the country and the country into the towns".

Marks (manor house)

Marks was a manor house located near Marks Gate at the northern tip of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England, the house standing on what is now Warren Hall Farm. The name Marks is believed to have been derived from the de Merk family who build the original manor in the 14th Century. The manor house was demolished in 1808.

References

  1. 1 2 "Parishes: Havering-atte-Bower". British History Online. University of London. 2015. Retrieved 2016-09-04.
  2. ↑ Neale, Kenneth (1997). Essex in History (2nd ed.). Chichester: Phillimore. p. 74. ISBN   1 86077 051 7.
  3. ↑ Addison, William (1949). Essex Heyday. London: J.M. Dent & Sons. pp. 52–53.
  4. ↑ Neale, Kenneth (1997). Essex in History (2nd ed.). Chichester: Phillimore. pp. 86, 95. ISBN   1 86077 051 7.
  5. ↑ Davis, Philip. "Gatehouse : The comprehensive gazetteer of the medieval fortifications and castles of England and Wales" . Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  6. ↑ "Romford then & now : Manors and Estates : Royalty" . Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  7. ↑ Mason, Dr Stuart A (1975). "Gidea Hall water and its advocate". Romford Record. Romford & District Historical Society. No.7: 40–43.
  8. ↑ "Romford then & now : Herbert Raphael". Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  9. ↑ "Romford then & now : Manors and Estates : Gidea Hall (postcard)" . Retrieved 2008-06-17.
  10. ↑ "Romford then & now : Manors and Estates : Gidea Hall". Archived from the original on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2008-06-12.
  11. ↑ Historic England, "Sections of boundary wall, railings, gates and gate piers to former Gidea Hall (1079895)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 3 March 2020
  12. ↑ Havering London Borough Council Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine - Walking in Gidea Park - North of Main Road.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Gidea Hall at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 51°35′16″N0°11′39″E / 51.58784°N 0.19418°E / 51.58784; 0.19418

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.