Gidea Hall
Encyclopedia
Gidea Hall was a manor house
, located in Gidea Park
, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower
, whose former area today forms the north eastern extremity of Greater London
, England
.
The first record of Gidea Hall is in 1250, and in 1466 Sir Thomas Cooke (c.1410-1478), a lord mayor of London, was granted a licence to crenellate, which is a licence for the manor house to be fortified. The manor work started in 1466 with the construction of a moat
and other alterations which were not finished until 1568. The main manor house and two adjacent wings formed three sides of a courtyard with an open colonnade on the fourth side 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 the hall was falling into decay. By the time of the Commonwealth
the buildings were ruinous, but were not finally demolished until 1720 when a mansion
was built on the site.
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
, Romford
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". The later Gidea Hall was of brick.
The Gidea Hall estate was purchased in 1897 by Sir Herbert Henry Raphael
, and in 1902 he gave 20 acres (80,937.2 m²), including a lake, for use as a public park; a further 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) was subsequently purchased and Raphael Park
opened in 1904. In 1910 Sir Herbert and two fellow Liberal
MPs formed Gidea Park Ltd with the aim of building a garden suburb on the Gidea Hall and Balgores estates, and during World War I
they offered both properties to the Artists' Rifles
for use as an Officers' School. The house was demolished in 1930.
The wall, railings and gate from the early 18th century remain here and are now Grade II listed buildings.
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, located in Gidea Park
Gidea Park
Gidea Park is a place in the London Borough of Havering, east London, England. Gidea Park is a part of Romford post town.-History:Gidea Park is the location of the "Romford Garden Suburb" constructed in 1910 to 1911 on the Gidea Hall and Balgores Estates as an exhibition of town planning...
, the historic parish and Royal liberty of Havering-atte-Bower
Royal Liberty of Havering
Havering, also known as Havering-atte-Bower, was a royal manor and ancient liberty whose former area now forms part of, and gives its name to, the London Borough of Havering in Greater London...
, whose former area today forms the north eastern extremity of Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, 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...
.
The first record of Gidea Hall is in 1250, and in 1466 Sir Thomas Cooke (c.1410-1478), a lord mayor of London, was granted a licence to crenellate, which is a licence for the manor house to be fortified. The manor work started in 1466 with the construction of a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
and other alterations which were not finished until 1568. The main manor house and two adjacent wings formed three sides of a courtyard with an open colonnade on the fourth side and various outbuildings. Maria de Medici, the mother-in-law of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
stayed at Gidea Hall in 1638 on her way from Harwich
Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England and one of the Haven ports, located on the coast with the North Sea to the east. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the northeast, Ipswich to the northwest, Colchester to the southwest and Clacton-on-Sea to the south...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, although the hall was falling into decay. By the time of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
the buildings were ruinous, but were not finally demolished until 1720 when a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
was built on the site.
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
Raphael Park
Raphael Park is a public park in Romford, London Borough of Havering. The park is one of a series of parks which stretch northwards from the railway line at Romford....
, Romford
Romford
Romford is a large suburban town in north east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan...
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". The later Gidea Hall was of brick.
The Gidea Hall estate was purchased in 1897 by Sir Herbert Henry Raphael
Sir Herbert Henry Raphael
Major Sir Herbert Henry Raphael, 1st Baronet was Member of Parliament for Derbyshire from 1906 to 1918. He was a barrister, a politician, an art collector and trustee of the National Portrait Gallery....
, and in 1902 he gave 20 acres (80,937.2 m²), including a lake, for use as a public park; a further 55 acres (222,577.3 m²) was subsequently purchased and Raphael Park
Raphael Park
Raphael Park is a public park in Romford, London Borough of Havering. The park is one of a series of parks which stretch northwards from the railway line at Romford....
opened in 1904. In 1910 Sir Herbert and two fellow Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
MPs formed Gidea Park Ltd with the aim of building a garden suburb on the Gidea Hall and Balgores estates, and during World War I
World 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...
they offered both properties to the Artists' Rifles
Artists' Rifles
The Artists Rifles is a volunteer regiment of the British Army. Raised in London in 1859 as a volunteer light infantry unit, the regiment saw active service during the Boer Wars and World War I, earning a number of battle honours; however, it did not serve outside of Britain during World War II, as...
for use as an Officers' School. The house was demolished in 1930.
The wall, railings and gate from the early 18th century remain here and are now Grade II listed buildings.