Emerson Park

Emerson Park is named after Emerson, the eldest son of William Carter of Parkstone, Dorset who bought land in the area for property development in 1895.{{cite book | surname=Mills | first=D. | title=Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names | year=2000 | publisher=Oxford}} Prior to suburban housebuilding, it was the manor of Nelmes which was recorded as Elmes in 1333.{{cite web |title=(Great) Nelmes |url=http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/Essex/Hornchurch/532858b8b47fc40a9800054b-%28Great%29+Nelmes |website=Survey of English Place-Names |access-date=21 August 2023}}

The railway came to the parish of Hornchurch with the Great Eastern Railway opening a station at Harold Wood in 1868 and the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway at Hornchurch in 1885. Both were some distance from the village of Hornchurch. The London, Tilbury and Southend built a branch line from Upminster to Romford in 1893 which skirted the southern boundary of Nelmes manor. A station, initially called Emerson Park and Great Nelmes Halt, was opened on 1 October 1909. The London, Tilbury and Southend became part of the Midland Railway in 1912.

In 1899 the Emerson Park Stores opened and the Chequers Inn was rebuilt.{{cite web |title=Emerson Park, Havering |url=https://hidden-london.com/gazetteer/emerson-park/ |website=Hidden London |access-date=22 August 2023}} The Emerson Park Stores was converted to a club for the Hornchurch Liberal association, with an official opening on 16 June 1910.{{cite news |title=Hornchurch Liberal Club |work=Essex Chronicle |date=17 June 1910 |page=8}}

In 1894 the Nelmes estate, in the parish of Hornchurch, is listed as comprising two houses, three farms, market gardens and other land, totalling {{convert|550|acre|sqkm}}.{{cite news |title=Failure of an Essex Landed Proprietor |work=Essex Chronicle |date=29 June 1894 |page=3}}

In 1895 the southern part of Nelmes manor, comprising {{convert|200|acres|sqkm}}, was sold by Benjamin H Newman to William Carter.{{cite web |title=Hornchurch: Manors |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol7/pp31-39 |website=British History Online |access-date=21 August 2023 |date=1978}} In the next ten years 200 homes of the Emerson Park Estate were constructed by Homesteads Limited. The houses were large, detached and typically situated on plots of an acre. There was some variety in the houses and the original sales prices ranged from £300 to £1,000.{{cite web |title=Hornchurch: Introduction |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/essex/vol7/pp25-31 |website=British History Online |access-date=21 August 2023 |date=1978}}

In 1901 the northern portion of Nelmes manor, comprising {{convert|241|acres|sqkm}}, was sold for the Great Nelmes Estate. Louis Sinclair, the local MP, was listed as tenant of the mansion.{{cite news |title=Sale This Day |work=Essex Chronicle |date=3 May 1901 |page=4}}

The estates were subject to restrictive covenants which prevented an increased density of housing. In 1930 a development of 76 homes on the Wych Elm Farm was proposed which would have a density of nine semi-detached homes per acre and would be sold at £1,000 per pair. This was opposed by residents of the Emerson Park and Great Nelmes estates. The arbitration of the case resulted in detached properties of six per acre sold at £650 facing the Emerson Park estate to the west and semi-detached properties at the higher density to the east.{{cite news |title=Hornchurch Arbitration Result |work=Essex Chronicle |date=22 August 1930 |page=8}}{{cite book |title=The Estates Gazette Digest of Land and Property Cases |date=1931 |publisher=Estate Gazette, Limited}}

Nelmes manor house was built by in 1540 by William Roche, who was Lord Mayor of London.{{cite book |editor1-last=Pevsner |editor1-first=Nikolaus |title=London: East |date=2005 |publisher=Yale University Press |page=20}} Roche had purchased two manors in Havering that had been held separately,{{cite book | title= The Manor and Liberty of Havering-atte-Bower 1500-1620 | first=Marjorie | last=McIntosh | year= 2002 }} Gobions in Romford and Nelmes in Hornchurch. Nelmes was held by the Roche family and then sold to the politician Robert Naunton in the 1620s. The manor was held by the Naunton family and then sold to the postal administrator Thomas Witherings around 1646.

The Nelmes mansion and about three acres of grounds, sandwiched between the two housing estates, were sold in 1903 to Alfred Barber. He sold it in 1925 to John H. Platford and it was inherited by Roy Platford in 1966. The house was demolished by Platford in 1967 to avoid a preservation order by the Greater London Council as part of the incoming Civic Amenities Act 1967.{{cite news |title=Owner Destroys Ancient Essex Manor |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=28 August 1967}} The land was used for The Witherings neo-Georgian style housing development.{{cite news |title=How Nelmes' glory days ended with wrecking ball |url=https://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/lifestyle/21522359.nelmes-glory-days-ended-wrecking-ball/ |access-date=21 August 2023 |work=Romford Recorder |date=14 October 2017}} Part of the moat appears to have been retained.{{cite web |last1=Cherry |first1=Bridget |title=The Thames Gateway: An introduction to the historical landscapes of the northern riverside |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/thames-gateway-introduction-historical-landscapes-northern-riverside/bcherry2/ |website=Historic England |access-date=21 August 2023}} Capel Nelmes, a 16th century outbuilding, survived and was grade II listed in 1972.{{cite web |title=Capel Nelmes |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1079883?section=official-list-entry |website=Historic England |access-date=21 August 2023}} The 17th century conduit house which provided water to Nelmes also survives and was grade II listed in 1974.{{cite web |title=Well Tower at Tower Lodge |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1358526?section=official-list-entry |website=Historic England |access-date=21 August 2023}}

Emerson Park is a ward for elections to Havering London Borough Council. The wards were redrawn for the 2022 election and since then two councillors are elected.{{cite web |title=The London Borough of Havering (Electoral Changes) Order 2021 |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/1053/made |website=legislation.gov.uk |access-date=21 August 2023 |date=16 September 2021}}{{cite web |title=Map referred to in the London Borough of Havering (Electoral Changes) Order 2021 |url=https://www.lgbce.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-04/er-havering-2021-order-map.pdf |website=Local Government Boundary Commission for England |access-date=21 August 2023}}

Emerson Park is part of the Hornchurch and Upminster Parliamentary constituency and the Havering and Redbridge London Assembly constituency.

Emerson Park is located approximately {{convert|0.6|mi|km|1}} northeast of Hornchurch town centre and {{convert|15|mi|km|1}} northeast of Charing Cross in Central London. It is part of the RM11 postcode district in the Hornchurch post town. The Emerson Park electoral ward revision in 2022 more closely approximates the neighbourhood, by removing land north of the A127 Southend Arterial Road and west of The Ravensbourne.{{cite web |title=Emerson Park ID 8206 |url=https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/8206.html |website=MapIt: UK |access-date=21 August 2023}}{{cite web |title=Emerson Park ID 165390 |url=https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/165390.html |website=MapIt: UK |access-date=21 August 2023}}

Emerson Park railway station is on Romford–Upminster line with a half-hourly London Overground service.{{cite web |title=Romford to Upminster route |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/romford-to-upminster-london-overground-timetable-may-dec-2023.pdf |website=Transport for London |access-date=21 August 2023 |date=21 May 2023}} The short branch line provides links to {{rws|Romford}} for connection to the Elizabeth line and Great Eastern Main Line and to {{stn|Upminster}} for connection to the District line of the London Underground and the London, Tilbury and Southend line. Emerson Park is served by London Buses routes 193, 256 and 370.{{cite web |title=Buses from Emerson Park |url=https://content.tfl.gov.uk/bus-route-maps/emerson-park-a4.pdf |website=Transport for London |access-date=21 August 2023 |date=1 June 2015}}

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Category:Districts of the London Borough of Havering