At the end of the 19th century, St Leonard’s workhouse in Shoreditch decided to adopt a cottage homes scheme to provide accommodation for children in a ‘village’ of small houses away from London. Charles Godfrey of Harrow Lodge Farm sold them an 80acre site for ÂŁ6,300 in 1886 on which
My last visit to the Harrow was in April 2019 when we were celebrating the 15th anniversary of the local charity The Habbit Factory Inclusive Theatre Group. I had not been there for years, and I was impressed with the refurbished interior and charming beer garden. I used to teach
The moment I leave work, I look forward to it – the crunch of the gravel, the stillness of the air and the changing colour of the landscape. As I lace up my trainers, I cannot wait to reach the bridge from Harold Wood Park and enter Pages Wood –
Take a walk around Pages, and you will find different mixes of trees forming parts of some very distinctive habitats. There are areas of broadleaf high forest, where the main species seen will be such as Oak, Ash, and Sweet Chestnut along with a small scattering of conifer, and some
Pages Wood,formerly a working farm, is around 75 Hectares in size (or 183 acres in real money) including the grasslands at Mount Pleasant. It is one of 10 woodlands managed by Forestry England as part of the Thames Chase Community Forest, and has been acquired on a 300 year lease.
Carrots and Blackberries & The Stag on the Hill I can’t help but wonder if in these strange days, when time seems to have stood still, that we have learnt to place a greater value on the old days. I wonder that we aren’t reminded of the charms of a
Head Gardener’s wife and assistant to Cook at Bedfords Mansion Annie was probably born in South Petherton in Somerset. She grew up in a very rural setting in the small village. She married Thomas (b. 1860) and they set up home together, she working as a servant and maid and
CHARLES ARTHUR HILL ELLIS -HEATONÂ Â Â (14.8.1789 –Â 20.1.1865) Charles Ellis Heaton was the grandson of John Heaton Esq. (1738-1818) Lawyer, landowner of Bedfords Mansion. John Heaton bought the estate of Bedfords and Earles in 1771 when he was only 31. He came from a wealthy family, became a lawyer and
Joseph Hardwick Pemberton was born on 5 October 1852 the son of Joseph and Amelia Elizabeth Pemberton, of Havering-atte-Bower, Essex. His life-long companion and sister Florence was born on 1 December 1857. Joseph was raised in a rose atmosphere and loved the rose when he was a child in petticoats.
John Heaton Esq. came from Wyddial Hall in Hertfordshire. He built Bedfords Mansion in the late1770’s in an elevated position set in undulating landscape unchanged since medieval days. To this day much of his estate forms part of only 2% of ‘natural land’ in Havering as defined by the CORINNE
Thames Chase Trust, Pike Lane
Upminster, Essex RM14 3NS
01708 642970
landofthefanns@thameschase.org.uk
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