Bedfords Park - Havering atte Bower

The earliest record of Bedfords Park is in 1212 when King John took the land from John Derewin, giving it to William d’Aubigny for an annual rent of one sparrowhawk. In 1245 the land was given to the Abbey of Stratford Langthorne. It remained under the ownership of the Abbey for 200 years when the land became known as Bedfords, named after a local. In 1771 Upper Bedfords Mansion was built and in 1865 the estate was purchased by Charles Barber who made many improvements to both the manor house and gardens,the land remained in private ownership till 1932 when it was sold to Romford Urban District Council (RUDC) for £9,000. Bedfords Park opened to the public in 1934 and the mansion house was converted into a museum and art gallery and was in use up to the outbreak of WWII. In 1959 RUDC demolished the mansion and replaced it with a cafeteria in 1964. Some of the features of the Georgian mansion remain to this day; the front steps, specimen tree and Walled Kitchen Gardens. In August 2002 construction of the Essex Wildlife Trust visitor Centre began and it opened to the public in June 2003.