Theydon Garnon

Theydon Garnon
All Saints Church
Theydon Garnon Location within Essex
Interactive map of Theydon Garnon
Population	172 (Parish, 2021) [1]
Civil parish	Theydon Garnon
District	Epping Forest
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EPPING
Postcode district	CM16
Dialling code	01992
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
List of places UK England Essex 51°40′20″N0°07′34″E / 51.6722°N 0.1261°E / 51.6722; 0.1261

Theydon Garnon is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England, lying east and south of Epping parish. The parish includes the hamlet of Hobbs Cross. At the 2021 census the parish had a population of 172.

History

Also recorded as Thoydon Garnon and Coopersale, ^[2] "Theydon" is thought to mean 'valley where thatch (material) grows' ^[3] and "Garnon" derives from the Gernon family. ^[4] A weekly market and annual fair was granted to Theydon Garnon in 1305. ^[4] A workhouse operated in the parish from around 1704. ^[5]

By 1851 the parish's population had reached 1,237. Epping Union Workhouse was in Theydon Garnon; it and Epping station opened within the parish in 1865. This part of Theydon Garnon parish was transferred to the newly formed Epping Urban District in 1896, along with the village of Coopersale and the hamlets of Coopersale Street and Fiddler's Hamlet. ^{[6] [4] [7]} The reduction in the parish's size led to a reduction in population, down to 317 in 1901. ^[4]

Amenities

The village has an Anglican parish church, dating back to the 13th century and dedicated to All Saints. ^[8] A primary school part-bears the village's name, but is located in the village of Coopersale in the neighbouring Epping parish. ^[9]

Gernon Bushes, a nature reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, is in the north of the parish near Coopersale. ^[10]

Transport

Theydon Garnon is close to the M25/M11 interchange, but there is no access to either motorway. The parish has no railway station, the nearest being Epping tube station.

Nearby settlements

Nearby settlements include the town of Epping, the large village of Theydon Bois, the small village of Theydon Mount and the hamlets of Hobbs Cross and Fiddlers Hamlet.

References

1. "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 March 2025. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
2. "History of Theydon Garnon, in Epping Forest and Essex | Map and description". www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
3. "Theydon Bois: Introduction". British History Online. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
4. "Theydon Garnon: Introduction | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
5. Higginbotham, Peter. "The Workhouse in Epping, Essex". www.workhouses.org.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
6. Annual Report of the Local Government Board. London. 1896. p. 373. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
7. "Epping: Economic history and local government | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
8. "Theydon Garnon: Church | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
9. "Coopersale and Theydon Garnon Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School - Borehamwood Times". www.borehamwoodtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
10. "Gernon Bushes Nature Reserve". Essex Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 4 January 2026.