Description
Now a nature reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, Cranham Marsh is all that remains of a much larger area of marshland in Essex. The site today has woodland, ponds, marshland and old pastures, with remains of old hedgerows. A river, a tributary of the Mardyke in Thurrock, runs through Cranham Marsh. Some of the largest ash trees in Essex are found in Spring Wood, and to the east is a smaller woodland with oak and ash, Middle Wood. Parts of the woods are coppiced on a 12-year cycle.
Practical Information
| Site location | off Ockendon Road/Meadowside Road/Park Drive/Argyle Gardens/The Chase, Cranham |
|---|---|
| Postcode | RM14 |
| What3Words | ///spots.behind.grain |
| Type of Site | Public Open Land |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Upminster (District) then bus. Bus: 248 |
| Research Updated | 1 July 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Now a nature reserve managed by Essex Wildlife Trust, Cranham Marsh is all that remains of a much larger area of marshland in Essex. It contains a variety of habitats including marsh, sedge fen that is one of the best surviving in Essex and ancient woodland. The area east of Upminster is part of Thames Chase. The site today has woodland, ponds, marshland and old pastures, with remains of old hedgerows. A river, a tributary of the Mardyke in Thurrock, runs through Cranham Marsh, and through Corbets Tey. Some of the largest ash trees in Essex are found in Spring Wood, and to the east is a smaller woodland with oak and ash, Middle Wood. Spring Wood is marked on OS (date?) as 'The Preserves' with a footpath nearby running to All Saints Church and Cranham Hall (q.q.v.). South Marsh used to be used for cattle grazing, since cut for hay, and has four drainage ditches bisecting it that are over 100 years old, formerly used to enclose grazing animals ('wet fences') and as beds for watercress beds, grown commercially here. Parts of the woods are coppiced on a 12-year cycle.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ567856 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 13 |
| Site Ownership | LB Havering leased to Essex Wildlife Trust |
| Site Management | LB Havering Countryside Management Service/Essex Wildlife Trust |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Havering |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Cranham |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | Yes - Metropolitan Importance / SSSI |
| Special Policy Area | Local Nature Reserve |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Upminster Cemetery dates from 1902 to provide for the growing population of Upminster parish. Built on a rectangular piece of land to the east of Corbets Tey hamlet, the cemetery was simply laid out with a central roadway leading to a small mortuary chapel towards the back of the plot. At that time the cemetery was surrounded by open land, and this is not much changed even today. The South Essex Crematorium was built on adjacent land in 1956/7, and the original cemetery land was itself extended to the north, with further expansion by 1989 to the east.
South Essex Crematorium was opened in 1957 by Hornchurch UDC, laid out on open land to the west of Upminster Cemetery, established here in 1902. The first cremation took place on 4 July of that year. The site was expanded along its western boundary by 1971. Enclosed by red brick walls, the grounds and memorial gardens were from the first laid out formally and well-planted, subdivided into separate areas. A drive from the entrance led to the main red brick crematorium buildings, fronted by an ornamental pond.
There was a house on this site in c.1600 but the manor of Cranham dates back at least to the C11th when it was held by the Bishop of London; an earlier manor house may have been located in the north of the parish. From 1765 until his death the estate was the home and farm of General James Oglethorpe (1696-1785), famous as the colonist of Georgia, USA. Cranham Hall today is an early C19th house built on the site of the C16th house, demolished in 1789. The estate remained intact until 1867 when 812 acres of farmland were sold to Richard Benyon, and it was largely built over. C16th garden walls survive almost intact, on the south side of which is a gateway, and many mature trees remain although the private gardens are now much reduced in size. The main entrance was formerly by the church, overlooking the fields and not The Chase, which was the back entrance.