Copped Hall
Encyclopedia
Copped Hall or Copthall is a ruined country house close to Epping
in Essex
, England
, parts of which date from the 16th century. Copped Hall is visible from the M25 motorway
between junctions 26 and 27.
bestowed the lands on Richard Fitz Aucher to hold them in fee, and hereditarily of the Abbey. During the reign of Edward I
Copthall continued in the possession of the Fitz Aucher family till it came into the hands of the Abbot until the dissolution
.
Sir Thomas Heneage received the reversion of the estate of Copthall on 13 August 1564 from Queen Elizabeth I
, where he subsequently built an elaborate mansion from the designs of John Thorpe
. The Queen was a frequent visitor to Essex and she is recorded as having visited Heneage at Copthall in 1575. His daughter, afterwards Countess of Winchelsea, sold it to the Earl of Middlesex in the reign of James I
. From him it passed to Charles Sackville, Earl of Dorset
, who sold it in 1701 to
Sir Thomas Webster.
Edward Conyers purchased it in 1739, but he only enjoyed the house for three years before dying in 1742. Conyers' son John (d.1818) inherited the property and considered repairing the original Hall as it had become dilapidated, however he rebuilt it between 1751-58 after demolishing the old one c.1748. The next member of the family to inherit Copped Hall was his son Henry John Conyers (1782–1853) who was said to be so obsessed with hunting that he neglected the house badly. Survived by three daughters, the house was finally sold by the family in 1869.
It is an imposing structure set in a beautiful yet stylised estate parkland, described at one time as the Premier house of Essex'. The estate is landscaped to conform to the English ideas of the 18th century - the taming of nature and the inclusion of uplifting vistas. The main house has a ha-ha ditch which allowed animals to approach the house yet prevent them from entering. It was a good example of the '18th century house in landscape'. The mansion was placed overlooking two valleys with a third valley to the north and the building was well proportioned, with the chimneys built in a tight geometric arrangement.
. Members of the hospital staff were on the roof to view the destruction of a German Zeppelin
over Grays in Essex, and the fire is thought to have started there due to a carelessly discarded cigarette.
The Wythes family, who were the then occupiers, moved in to Wood House on the estate to await Copped Hall's rebuilding. This never happened and Ernest Wythes died in 1949. His wife died in 1951. In 1952 the estate was sold, after which followed a period of total neglect. The main 18th century house was first stripped of its more desirable building materials then left to deteriorate. The Italianate conservatory was blown up using dynamite to demolish it, though some of the statues and stonework were removed to other large estate houses. The stone gazebo from the garden was set up in the grounds of St Paul's Waldenbury, a neighbouring estate. Some of the statues in the gardens were removed to Anglesey Abbey
in Cambridgeshire
.
The house and surrounding estate is now owned by the City of London Corporation. The Copped Hall Trust acquired the freehold of the main house, stables, house gardens and some other houses on the estate. The house is now being slowly rebuilt by the Trust, and includes a semi-restored Racquets Court.
The English publication Country Life
ran a full article on the charms of Copped Hall with many photographs published before the devastating fire. This perhaps remains as the only record of the house in its heyday.
On the 27th of April 2004 Charles, Prince of Wales
, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex - Lord Petre
, visited Copped Hall and inspected the restoration work of the Copped Hall Trust. The Prince opened an exhibition of 18th century botanical water-colours in the new temporary gallery. These water-colours were painted by Matilda Conyers, a descendant of John Conyers.
As a result of the 1952 sale, parts of the estate lands were sold into private ownership. Originally used as farmland, being so close to London, parts of these have been developed, including a private gated development which includes the UK home of singer Rod Stewart
.
Epping
Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located north-east of Loughton, south of Harlow and north-west of Brentwood....
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, parts of which date from the 16th century. Copped Hall is visible from the M25 motorway
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
between junctions 26 and 27.
History
King Richard IRichard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
bestowed the lands on Richard Fitz Aucher to hold them in fee, and hereditarily of the Abbey. During the reign of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
Copthall continued in the possession of the Fitz Aucher family till it came into the hands of the Abbot until the dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
Sir Thomas Heneage received the reversion of the estate of Copthall on 13 August 1564 from Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, where he subsequently built an elaborate mansion from the designs of John Thorpe
John Thorpe
John Thorpe or Thorp was an English architect. Little is known of his life, and his work is dubiously inferred, rather than accurately known, from a folio of drawings in the Sir John Soane's Museum, to which Horace Walpole called attention, in 1780, in his Anecdotes of Painting; but how far these...
. The Queen was a frequent visitor to Essex and she is recorded as having visited Heneage at Copthall in 1575. His daughter, afterwards Countess of Winchelsea, sold it to the Earl of Middlesex in the reign of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. From him it passed to Charles Sackville, Earl of Dorset
Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset
Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex was an English poet and courtier.-Early Life:He was son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset...
, who sold it in 1701 to
Sir Thomas Webster.
Edward Conyers purchased it in 1739, but he only enjoyed the house for three years before dying in 1742. Conyers' son John (d.1818) inherited the property and considered repairing the original Hall as it had become dilapidated, however he rebuilt it between 1751-58 after demolishing the old one c.1748. The next member of the family to inherit Copped Hall was his son Henry John Conyers (1782–1853) who was said to be so obsessed with hunting that he neglected the house badly. Survived by three daughters, the house was finally sold by the family in 1869.
It is an imposing structure set in a beautiful yet stylised estate parkland, described at one time as the Premier house of Essex'. The estate is landscaped to conform to the English ideas of the 18th century - the taming of nature and the inclusion of uplifting vistas. The main house has a ha-ha ditch which allowed animals to approach the house yet prevent them from entering. It was a good example of the '18th century house in landscape'. The mansion was placed overlooking two valleys with a third valley to the north and the building was well proportioned, with the chimneys built in a tight geometric arrangement.
Fire
The main house was gutted in an accidental fire one Sunday morning in 1917 after the owners had allowed the Army to use Copped Hall as a hospital during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Members of the hospital staff were on the roof to view the destruction of a German Zeppelin
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
over Grays in Essex, and the fire is thought to have started there due to a carelessly discarded cigarette.
The Wythes family, who were the then occupiers, moved in to Wood House on the estate to await Copped Hall's rebuilding. This never happened and Ernest Wythes died in 1949. His wife died in 1951. In 1952 the estate was sold, after which followed a period of total neglect. The main 18th century house was first stripped of its more desirable building materials then left to deteriorate. The Italianate conservatory was blown up using dynamite to demolish it, though some of the statues and stonework were removed to other large estate houses. The stone gazebo from the garden was set up in the grounds of St Paul's Waldenbury, a neighbouring estate. Some of the statues in the gardens were removed to Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey
Anglesey Abbey is a country house, formerly a priory, in the village of Lode, 5 ½ miles northeast of Cambridge, England. The house and its grounds are owned by the National Trust and are open to the public as part of the Anglesey Abbey, Garden & Lode Mill property, although some parts remain...
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
The house and surrounding estate is now owned by the City of London Corporation. The Copped Hall Trust acquired the freehold of the main house, stables, house gardens and some other houses on the estate. The house is now being slowly rebuilt by the Trust, and includes a semi-restored Racquets Court.
The English publication Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
ran a full article on the charms of Copped Hall with many photographs published before the devastating fire. This perhaps remains as the only record of the house in its heyday.
On the 27th of April 2004 Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Essex - Lord Petre
John Petre, 18th Baron Petre
John Patrick Lionel Petre, 18th Baron Petre of Ingatestone, Essex, England, is the currently appointed Lord Lieutenant of Essex and took up his duties upon the retirement of Robin Henry Charles Neville, 10th Baron Braybrooke in October 2002. He is also the 18th Baron of the Catholic Petre...
, visited Copped Hall and inspected the restoration work of the Copped Hall Trust. The Prince opened an exhibition of 18th century botanical water-colours in the new temporary gallery. These water-colours were painted by Matilda Conyers, a descendant of John Conyers.
As a result of the 1952 sale, parts of the estate lands were sold into private ownership. Originally used as farmland, being so close to London, parts of these have been developed, including a private gated development which includes the UK home of singer Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
.