Description
Originally part of the same estate as Langtons, Fairkytes was built in the late C17th, with additional work carried out in the C18th and C19th. The first occupant was Job Alibone, whose son Sir Richard Alibone (d.1688) was the first Catholic to be a Justice of the King's Bench. Occupants in the C19th included Joseph Fry, son of prison reformer and Quaker Elizabeth Fry. A mound still found in the garden was built in Victorian times, apparently to enable the children of the house to see what was happening in the next door Langtons gardens. Hornchurch UDC, having acquired Langtons in 1929, then purchased Fairkytes in 1951 although its garden was not fully incorporated into Langtons pleasure garden. The Council used Fairkytes as a library from 1953 and since 1972 it has been the home of Havering Art Centre.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Havering Art Centre |
|---|---|
| Site location | 51 Billet Lane, Hornchurch |
| Postcode | RM11 1AX |
| What3Words | ///melt.shade.cook |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Havering |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Open to users of the art centre, 10am-10.30pm weekdays, daytime at weekends. Open for Open House |
| Facilities | Numerous arts and community facilities |
| Events | Open for Open House |
| Public Transport | Tube: Hornchurch (District). Rail: Emerson Park. Bus: 193, 248, 252, 256, 324, 348, 370, 373 |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2007 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Originally part of the same estate as Langtons (q.v.), references to which date back to 1520, Fairkytes house was built in the late C17th as a private residence. The house had additional work carried out to it in the C18th and C19th. The first occupant was Job Alibone, an officer of the London Post Office, whose son Sir Richard Alibone was the first Catholic to be a Justice of the King's Bench. He died in 1688 and is commemorated by a monument in Dagenham Parish Church of St Peter's and St Paul's (q.v.). Occupants in the C19th included Joseph Fry, son of prison reformer and Quaker Elizabeth Fry who had strong connections in this area of London. He lived here from 1870 until his death in 1896. Joseph, his wife and their children undertook much philanthropic work, particularly daughter Augusta who worked for the Elizabeth Fry Refugee Fund in Hackney on behalf of women prisoners and then in the 1870s worked towards mitigating the hardship of people in France during the Franco-Prussian War. A mound that still exists in the garden at Fairkytes was built in Victorian times, apparently to enable the children of the house to see what was happening in the next door Langtons gardens.
Hornchurch Urban District Council, having acquired the adjacent Langtons in 1929, then purchased Fairkytes in 1951 although the garden was not fully incorporated into Langtons pleasure garden. The Council has used Fairkytes as a library from 1953 and since 1972 it has been the home of Havering Arts Centre.
Hornchurch Urban District Council, having acquired the adjacent Langtons in 1929, then purchased Fairkytes in 1951 although the garden was not fully incorporated into Langtons pleasure garden. The Council has used Fairkytes as a library from 1953 and since 1972 it has been the home of Havering Arts Centre.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ538874 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Havering |
| Site Management | Leisure & Cultural Services |
| Dates | C18th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Fairkytes House |
| 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 | Langtons |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
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
Langtons Gardens is the remains of a landscape garden of an C18th mansion built on the site of a C15th house. Parts of the C18th house and its garden walls, stable-block, orangery and gazebo survive. In the early C19th the gardens were remodelled by Humphry Repton for the Massu family who owned the property until 1850. From 1899 Mr Varco Williams, a prominent local citizen, lived here. In 1929 his daughter Elizabeth Parks gave it to Hornchurch UDC on condition that house and gardens were maintained and unaltered. The grounds opened as a public park and the house was used as Council offices until 1965, becoming the Registry Office for Havering Council in 1976. The walled kitchen garden was used for wartime allotments and underground shelters, but in 1947 became an extension of the park. From the late C18th Hornchurch Cricket Club played on a pitch in Langtons parkland, now known as Fielders Sports Ground.
St Andrew's Park is named after the Hornchurch parish church of St Andrew, located to the south across the High Street. The site of the park was once part of lands held by Hornchurch Priory, later owned by St Mary College (New College), Oxford from whom 2 parcels of land were acquired by Hornchurch UDC in May 1928. Main development of the park took place after WWII and by the early 1960s it was a popular park with numerous recreational facilities including tennis courts, putting green and playground. The park was substantially restored in 2010 including construction of new paths, recreational facilities as well as new planting, with nature conservation in mind.
St Andrew's Church still retains elements of a C13th building and is on a site where there has probably been a church since Anglo-Saxon times. Hornchurch was one of the three parishes within the Royal Manor and Liberty of Havering. In 1158 Henry II granted the church and land to the monks of St Bernard in Montjoux who built Hornchurch Priory, which survived until 1390/91. The monks' seal, a bull's head, may be why a horned bull's head can still be seen on the east exterior wall of the church, and is possibly the origin of ‘Hornchurch'. St Andrew's churchyard was for a long time the only place authorised for burial in this area and monks from Hornchurch Priory are purportedly buried here. The churchyard contains C18th headstones and its lych gate and war memorial were erected after WWI. It has been managed as a nature reserve since 1986. Beside the churchyard is The Dell, since 1965 an electricity substation but which was previously a site popular for fairs and other recreational events including prize fights.