Master’s Visit to Copped Hall

Summer Outing to Copped Hall

In rare sunshine, on 10 August Michel and Maureen Saminaden provided members of the Company with a fascinating Charter Day and Consort’s visit to Copped Hall near Epping.

Copped Hall has a long history dating right back to the 12th century when Henry II allocated two acres of Epping Forest for the establishment of a hunting lodge. By 1303 the Copped Hall Estate had already grown to 180 acres of parkland. In 1564 Elizabeth granted Copped Hall to her close friend Sir Thomas Heneage and he set about extensively rebuilding the existing mansion. This was completed by 1568 when Elizabeth I came to stay, but by 1748 after some years of neglect the Elizabethan Copped Hall was demolished. This was superceded with the construction of a new Georgian mansion on a slightly different site and life at Copped Hall thereby continued until 1917 when the central block of the mansion was largely burnt out in a devastating fire. The owner, a Mr Wythes, never rebuilt Copped Hall and the main building remained as a shell until the estate was sold in 1952 following the deaths of Wythes and his wife. Expecting demolition, the house and garden were unceremoniously stripped of anything remaining considered of value.

Aggressively targetted by developers, Copped Hall has only been saved by a small but vocal number of people determined to maintain the historic building at all costs. The mansion shell had remained in good condition although in need of some stabilisation and the surroundings were still an attractive feature despite some intrusion by the M25. The parkland was eventually saved by the Corporation of London who purchased it in 1992 and the now much vandalised mansion, stables and garden were rescued by a specially formed Copped Hall Trust three years later.

Since then, with a strong team of volunteers, the Trust has been intent on restoring the building and its gardens close to its original 1750’s state. It has also established educational, cultural and community uses for the building alongside the extensive work still going on inside. In 1999 the Trust managed to also acquire the completely derelict walled kitchen garden.

Our visit was led by architect Alan Cox, the enthusiastic and visionary Chair of the Trustees. We were able to see the reinstated floors and roof and the work slowly progressing around the many rooms of the building as funds permit. Seeing much bare original brickwork, the tour provided a rare glimpse into how such large country houses were originally constructed. Clearly it is a long term project of restoration.

Our extensive tour of the mansion was followed by a buffet lunch in the Racquets Court before a further tour led by Alan around the gardens, including the beautifully restored walled garden.

The visit was kindly facilitated by Liveryman Richard (Dick) Speller, one of the Trustees.

David Williams

Editor