Copped Hall

2025-05-09T22:12:42Z

84.67.74.32: /* Foundation */

{{Short description|Grade II listed historic house in Epping Upland, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox museum
|name = Copped Hall
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| logo =
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|image= Copped Hall eastern elevation.jpg
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = Centre of east front
| map_type = United Kingdom Essex
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| coordinates = 
| former_name = 
|established= {{Start date and age|1995|df=y}} (purchase by a trust and opened to the public)
| dissolved = 
|location = [[Epping, Essex]]<br />[[Essex]]<br />[[United Kingdom]]
| type = General interest museum.<br />Restoration of historic building.
| accreditation =
| key_holdings =
| collections = [[Georgian era|Georgian]]
| collection_size =
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| deputy_director =
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| ceo =
| chairperson = Alan Cox
| curator =
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| historian =
| owner = The Copped Hall Trust
| employees =
||publictransit = {{rint|london|underground}} [[Epping tube station|Epping]] +40 minute walk
| car_park = On site
|website = {{official website|http://coppedhalltrust.org.uk/}}
| network =
| embedded = 
}}

{{Infobox historic site
| built = {{Start date and age|1751}}
| architect =
| architecture =
| owner =
| original_use = House
| current_use =
| designation1 = Grade II
| designation1_date = 1984
| designation1_number = {{NHLE|num=1337306|short=yes}}
}}

[[File:Copped Hall-geograph-4846507.jpg|thumb|Copped Hall west front]]
'''Copped Hall''', also known as '''Copt Hall''' or '''Copthall''', is a mid-18th-century [[English country house]] close to [[Waltham Abbey, Essex]], which has been undergoing restoration since 1999. Today, '''Copped Hall''' refers to the upstanding house, while '''Copt Hall''' or '''Copthall''' refer to the older [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] and earlier houses. Copped Hall is visible from the [[M25 motorway]] between junctions 26 and 27.

There was a separate [[Manor of Copped Hall|Copped Hall]] (or Coppeed Hall) in [[Totteridge]], which is not to be confused with this building.

== History ==
===Foundation===
King [[Richard I of England|Richard I]] bestowed the lands on Richard Fitz Aucher to hold them [[fee simple|in fee]], and hereditarily of the Abbey.<ref>''The Journey from Chester to London'' by Thomas Pennant - 1811</ref> During the reign of [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] Copthall continued in the possession of the Fitz Aucher family<ref>''The History of Essex, From the Earliest Period to the Present Time'' by [[Elizabeth Ogborne]] - 1817</ref> until it came into the hands of the Abbot until the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] by [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]].

===Heyday===
[[File:Copped Hall, nr Epping, Essex, England. early 1830's print.jpg|thumb|In the early 19th century]]
[[Sir Thomas Heneage]] received the estate of Copthall on 13 August 1564 from Queen [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], where he subsequently built an elaborate mansion. The Queen was a frequent visitor to Essex and she is recorded as having visited Heneage at Copthall in 1575.<ref>''An Elizabethan Progress: The Queen's Journey to East Anglia, 1578'' by Zillah M. Dovey</ref> His daughter, afterwards [[Elizabeth Finch, 1st Countess of Winchilsea|Countess of Winchelsea]], sold it to the [[Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex|Earl of Middlesex]] in the reign of [[James I of England|James I]]. From him it passed to [[Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset|Charles Sackville, Earl of Dorset]], who sold it in 1701 to [[Sir Thomas Webster, 1st Baronet|Sir Thomas Webster, Bt]].

[[Edward Conyers]] purchased the estate in 1739, but he only owned the house for three years before dying in 1742. Conyers' son [[John Conyers (MP born 1717)|John (1717-1775)]] inherited the property and considered repairing the original Hall as it had become dilapidated. However, in the end he decided to build a new house on a different site. This was built between 1751 and 1758 after demolishing the old one around 1748.

The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian house]], a large structure set in [[English landscape garden|landscaped parkland]], "has long been celebrated as one of the principal ornament of the country".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cromwell |first1=Thomas |title=Excursions in the County of Essex |publisher=Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown |date=1819 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I_sGAAAAQAAJ |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|26}} The gardens of the main house have a [[ha-ha]] (a disguised ditch), which allows animals to approach yet prevents them from entering. It was a good example of the '18th-century house in landscape'. The mansion was placed overlooking two valleys with a third valley to the north. The building was well proportioned, with the chimneys built in a tight geometric arrangement.

The next member of the family to inherit Copped Hall was his son John Conyers (1748-1818), who extensively altered the house.

===Decline===
[[File:Copped Hall, nr Epping, Essex, England. late 1880's print.jpg|thumb|In the 1880s]]
His son, Henry John Conyers (1782–1853), was said{{by whom|date=June 2015}} to be so obsessed with hunting that he neglected the house. He was survived by three daughters. The house was finally sold by the family in 1869. It was bought by George Wythes (1811-1883), who had made his fortune in civil engineering, building railways around the world.

''[[Country Life (magazine)|Country Life]]'' magazine ran two articles on Copped Hall in 1910, illustrated with many photographs.

The main house was gutted in an accidental fire one Sunday morning in 1917 which was caused by an electrical fault.

The Wythes family, who were the then occupiers, moved into Wood House on the estate. Ernest Wythes died in 1949 and his wife died in 1951. Around 1950 the estate was sold, after which followed a period of total neglect, see [[Destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain]]. The main 18th-century house was first stripped of its more desirable building materials then left to deteriorate. The orangery was blown up as an army training exercise in the 1960s. All the statues in the gardens were sold and removed to other large estate houses; some ended up in [[Anglesey Abbey]] in [[Cambridgeshire]]. Nineteen stone obelisks were purchased by the renowned diarist [[Henry Channon|Sir Henry ‘Chips’ Channon]] and moved to [[Kelvedon Hall]] near, [[Brentwood, Essex|Brentwood]], [[Essex]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Channon |first=Chips |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ebdTEAAAQBAJ&q=Obelisks |title=Henry 'Chips' Channon: The Diaries (Volume 3): 1943-57 |date=2022-09-08 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-1-5291-5174-9 |language=en}}</ref> A gazebo from the garden was set up in the grounds of [[St Paul's Walden Bury]].

In 1995, the derelict shell of the main house was used as a location for the music video for [[I Can't Be with You]] by [[The Cranberries]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIlg0yM0XKg |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211218/JIlg0yM0XKg |archive-date=2021-12-18 |url-status=live|title=The Cranberries - I Can't Be With You (Official Music Video)|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Restoration===

In 1995 the Copped Hall Trust acquired the freehold of the house, ancillary buildings and gardens, all of which they are slowly restoring. The house can be visited on certain days, with progress being made to replicate its Georgian décor. The surrounding parkland is now owned by the Conservators of [[Epping Forest]], the [[City of London]].

On 27 April 2004 [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], accompanied by the [[Lord Lieutenant of Essex]], [[John Petre, 18th Baron Petre|Lord Petre]], visited Copped Hall and inspected the restoration work. The Prince opened an exhibition of 18th-century botanical water-colours in the new temporary gallery. These water-colours were painted by Matilda Conyers, the daughter of John Conyers, who built Copped Hall.

The West Essex Archaeology Group (WEAG) hold annual excavations at a site in the Copped Hall grounds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.weag.org.uk/research_main.html|title=Research|website=www.weag.org.uk|access-date=2019-07-11}}</ref> These largely focus on the earthwork remains of the Tudor house, which predates the standing Georgian house. The digs comprise archaeology weekends for those with little experience, and a five-day field school for the more experienced.

=== Wood House ===
Wood House is a 19th-century home on the Copped Hall estate, built in 1895 by Ernest James Wythes. He moved here from the main Copped Hall house when much of the Palladian mansion was destroyed by fire in 1917 and during its rebuilding, though subsequently remaining at Wood House. Singer [[Rod Stewart]] lived in the property for a number of years before selling it in March 2019 for just over £4 million.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Search Results|url=https://landregistry.data.gov.uk/data/ppi/transaction/85866A64-AE6A-143F-E053-6B04A8C06A15/current.html|access-date=2021-12-31|website=landregistry.data.gov.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Wathen|first=Tommy|date=2018-10-28|title=Inside Rod Stewart's former Essex mansion being sold for almost £5 million|url=https://www.essexlive.news/news/property/inside-rod-stewarts-former-essex-2156235|access-date=2021-12-31|website=EssexLive|language=en}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=160px>
File:Copped Hall south.jpg|Copped Hall from the south (December 2006)
File:Copped Hall west.jpg|View from the west (May 2004)
File:Copped Hall chimneys.jpg|Closeup of the chimneys (December 2006)
File:Copped Hall estate.jpg|A view of the estate (December 2006)
File:Copped Hall west elevation.jpg|Closeup of west elevation (May 2004)
File:Copped Hall east west corner.jpg|South-eastern corner (December 2006)
File:Copped Hall conservatory.jpg|Remains of the orangery (April 2006)
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
;Books
*Brimble, James A. ''St. Thomas's Quarters''. In: ''London's Epping Forest''. London. Country Life, 1950. Chapter 10.
*Cassidy, R. ''Copped Hall: a Short History''. Waltham Abbey Historical Society, 2001.
*Farmer, M.J. ''The history of the ancient Town and once famous Abbey of Waltham''. London. 1735.
*Newman, J. ''Copthall, Essex''. In: H. Colvin and J. Harris (eds) ''The Country Seat. Studies in the history of the British country house presented to Sir John Summerson''. London. Penguin, Press, 1970. 18–29.

;Reports (by year)
*West Essex Archaeological Group. ''An archaeological evaluation carried out at Copped Hall by West Essex Archaeological Group in 2002''. West Essex Archaeological Group, 2003.
*Holloway, C. ''Archaeological excavation at Copped Hall, Essex, in 2003''. Copped Hall Trust Archaeological Project, 2005.
*Holloway, C. ''Archaeological excavation at Copped Hall, Essex, 2004-5''. Copped Hall Trust Archaeological Project, 2007.
*West Essex Archaeological Group. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053957/http://87.74.42.250/reports/WEAG_dig_Copped_Hall_2002_to_2009.pdf ''Archaeology at Copped Hall 2002-2009'']. West Essex Archaeological Group. Accessed 5 April 2012
*Madeley, Andrew & Holloway, Christina (West Essex Archaeological Group). [https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053957/http://87.74.42.250/reports/WEAG_dig_Copped_Hall_2002_to_2009.pdf ''The 2010 season at Copped Hall'']. West Essex Archaeological Group. Accessed 5 April 2012

;Articles
*{{cite journal |journal=Essex Archaeology and History |year=1986 |issue=17 |pages=96–106 |title=Old Copped Hall: The Site of the Tudor Mansion |author=Andrews, D. }}
*{{cite journal |journal=Essex Archaeology and History |year=1998 |issue=29 |pages=226–228 |title=Epping, Copped Hall. Observations and discoveries 1996-97 |author=Andrews, D. }}
*{{cite journal |journal=West Essex Life |date=December 2006 |pages=12–13 |title=The Grand Estate of Epping }}
*{{cite journal |journal=Current Archaeology |date=May 2008 |volume=19, No.2 |issue=218 |pages=36–43 |title=Copped Hall. Excavating an Elizabethan building boom }}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.coppedhalltrust.org.uk Copped Hall Trust]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150402111410/http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/Houses_detail.asp?ID=513 Copped Hall entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090304205004/http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/community/history/Copped_Hall_Part_I.asp Epping Forest District Council]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120119034421/http://www.weag.org.uk/ West Essex Archaeological Group]
* {{UK National Archives ID |id=F21370 |name= Conyers family}}
* {{UK National Archives ID |id=F21279 |name= Wythes family}}
* [http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/Search.aspx?s=Copped%20Hall Images of Copped Hall] at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20141022114922/http://www.countrylifeimages.co.uk/ Country Life Picture Library]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120301065234/http://viewfinder.english-heritage.org.uk/search/results.aspx?index=0 Image of Copped Hall] at the [[English Heritage Archive]]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lambert-hayman-view-of-copped-hall-in-essex-from-the-park-t07555 ''View of Copped Hall in Essex, from the Park'', 1746] by [[George Lambert (English painter)|George Lambert]] and [[Francis Hayman]]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lambert-hayman-view-of-copped-hall-in-essex-from-across-the-lake-t07556 ''View of Copped Hall in Essex, from across the Lake'', 1746] by [[George Lambert (English painter)|George Lambert]] and [[Francis Hayman]]

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[[Category:Country houses in Essex]]
[[Category:Ruins in Essex]]
[[Category:Grade II listed buildings in Essex]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Essex]]
[[Category:Grade II listed houses]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed parks and gardens in Essex]]

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Copped Hall