Bedfords Park

The land that makes up Bedfords Park originates in the two adjoining estates of Bedfords, believed to be named after the family of Robert de Bedford mentioned in 1285 and John Bedford who held the land in 1362, and Earls which later became known as Upper Bedfords. The latter was taken from John Derewin in 1212 by King John as forfeiture for homicide The manor, which is one of the olderst in Havering and was one of four held in serjeanty, remained in the family at least until the time of the 5th Earl. After being sold out of Gobions Manor, the ownership was in the hands of various London merchants until 1771 when it was sold by Nathaniel Houlton to a Mr John Heaton. During this time there is…

John Heaton rebuilt the house at Bedfords as a two-storey brick mansion rendered with cement, and resided there until his death in 1818. Upper Bedfords (previously Earls) was also rebuilt during this time in a crenelated style, including a tower which has often caused it to be mistaken for a church. It was also around this time that a captive herd of red deer were introduced. During World War II Bedfords House was used by the Auxiliary Fire Service and afterwards was used as the council archive but was gradually allowed to fall into disrepair until it was demolished in 1959. In the 1960s a cafe was built on the site of the house until this also fell out of use in the 1980s. Today the route…