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By Alf Morley WANSTEAD HOUSE, the former home of earls and lords, has an interesting and chequered history.
Reporter Doreen Friend spoke to Guardian reader Christine Howse who is carrying out research on the historic landmark and together they found out some fascinating facts.
The great mansion was demolished many years ago but its 'ghost' still enthrals residents and visitors to the area.
Records dating back to 1271 refer to a large manor house 300 yards south-east of the parish church. By 1499 the house had been extended and was considered large enough for use as a royal hunting lodge. At one point the house, known as Wanstead Hall, was host to royal visitors King Henry II and Henry III. But by 1549 it had fallen into ruin and its owner Lord Rich spent a number of years having it rebuilt.
The house changed hands and by 1567 it was owned by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Dudley, a firm favourite of Queen Elizabeth 1, had the house greatly enlarged, and it is said that she stayed there for a number of days in May 1578.
Dudley's marriage to the Countess of Essex was solemnised at the house, and it became her property after he died in 1588. The Countess married Sir Chrisopher Blount, and some years later the house became the property of George, Marquis of Buckingham who sold it to Sir Henry Mildmay.
By the early 18th century it has passed into the hands of Sir Richard Child, who ordered the house to be demolished to make way for a new, more luxurious residence.
Sir Richard commissioned Colen Campbell to design a new house in 1715 and he drew up plans for a Palladian style mansion which, had it been built to his exact specifications, would have been larger than Blenheim Palace. As it was, Wanstead House covered an area of 260 feet by 70 feet and the front of the house contained a portico with six Corinthian columns. The house consisted of a central block with lateral wings and huge twin stairways on either side. The west wing housed the great hall and the east the saloon. Suites of apartments ran from each side of the block, linked at either end by a ballroom and chapel.
A magnificent double flight of steps flanked by the columns led to the house giving visitors a commanding view over the nearby Wanstead park land.
The ballroom was hung with tapestries said to have been saved from the old house. Paintings by Raphel, Rembrandt and Holbein were hung in the ballroom which was the setting for William Hogarth's 1729 painting 'Assembly at Wanstead House,' now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Sir Richard, who was created Viscount Castlemaine in 1718 and Earl Tynley in 1732, was a lover of water features and the grounds were designed to reflect this.
Visitors entering by the main gates had to walk around a large expanse of water called 'The Basin,' so they could take in the breathtaking view of Wanstead House as they made their way to the front door.
The earl asked French gardener J. Rocque to draw up a plan which included formally planted sheets of water on a scale that would have converted Wanstead Park into an English version of Versailles. This scheme was not completed, but changes were made to the gardens at a later date, the bowling green and banqueting house were gone, and the spiral mazes and radiating alleys were replaced by serpentine walks which opened unexpectedly into glades and ampitheatres. The orangery, which contained 15 bays and six statues on top of the parapet, was replaced by a terrace and a lawn.
The River Roding flowed through the lake in the grounds and the final change to the garden took place when a new course was cut to divert it so the level of water in the lake was raised.
Wanstead House eventually passed to Catherine, daughter of Sir James Tylney Long of Draycott in 1794. Catherine married William Pole Wellesley, a man steeped in debt and within 10 years he had squandered her fortune. The house was demolished in 1822 and the contents put up for auction.
All that remains now are the 300-year-old Grade II listed Gate Piers at the junction of Blake Hall Road and Overton Drive.
Christine Howse, of Langley Road, Wanstead, has carried out a great deal of research into Wanstead House.
Mrs Howse said: "The house is a gem on our doorstep. When more people appreciate how special and grand Wanstead House was, they will be sad that such a treasure has been lost to the local area.
"However I am sure lovers of public spaces and dog owners are delighted to be able to enjoy the use of the former formal gardens of the house."
Extracts from Epping Forest, Then and Now, an anthology compiled by Winston G Ramsey with Reginald Fowkes. Also Wanstead Park, published by the Corporation of London.
12:25pm Thursday 14th August 2003
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