Description
The Ropers Field Estate was laid out in the post-war period by Chingford Borough Council, a low-density development of 146 homes consisting of semi-detached houses and maisonettes. Its spacious layout and the distinctive design of the houses echo the Garden City /Garden Suburb movement. An intrinsic part of the original layout was the landscaping that remains an attractive feature of the estate: grass verges planted with ornamental street trees, generous gardens at front and rear of the properties with privet hedges along front boundaries and often between gardens, together with two areas of open space: Inks Green bowling green and the amenity green in front of Nos.64-82 Ropers Avenue. Probably conceived to recall a village green, the latter is largely surrounded by hedging with shrub beds at either end.
Practical Information
| Site location | Ropers Avenue, Inks Green |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E4 9EQ |
| What3Words | ///onion.chef.paused |
| Type of Site | Housing/Estate Landscaping |
| Borough | Waltham Forest |
| Open to Public | Partially |
| Opening Times | Ropers Avenue amenity space unrestricted (bowling green in private use by Silverthorn Bowling Club) |
| Research Updated | 26 July 2021 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Ropers Field Estate is the first, and architecturally the most interesting, of Chingford Borough Council's post-war housing developments. The Council had begun to revive its house-building programme early in 1944, and one of the sites identified was Ropers Field, an open field that formed part of a small farm situated near the junction of Larkshall Road and what is now Ropers Avenue. The field was used as a cricket ground and was the home of the Highams Park Cricket Club. The farm itself was known alternatively as Inks Green Farm and later Ropers Farm, after its long time occupiers, names still in use as local street names. Due to considerable local opposition at the loss of the cricket field, the Council had to use its compulsory purchase powers to acquire the site, assisted by Government backing for the scheme. Immediately to the south of the estate, separated by an old hedgerow, is the Rolls Sports Ground, an open area of playing fields, while to the north lies surviving ancient woodland of Larks Wood (q.v.), Immediately to the west is an open playing field and another surviving fragment of ancient woodland, Ainslie Wood (q.v.).
The estate was built by Anglo-Scottish Construction Company at a cost of £235,000, somewhat higher than anticipated, with site preparation and building work carried out by Prisoners of War from the Chingford Plain camp. The design of the estate's houses and maisonettes echoed the early C20th Garden Suburb and Garden City principles of Ebenezer Howard, Parker & Unwin and others: painted-rendered finishes, steeply pitched hipped and gabled roofs with clay Bridgewater pantiles, slim-profile Crittall windows, and bay windows, a popular and desirable feature but rare on Council developments. These architectural features, combined with the spacious semi-detached layout of the estate, contribute significantly to the special interest of the Conservation Area when it was designated in 1990. With the increased pressure for new homes through the late 1940s and '50s, and the inevitable decrease in land available for development, Chingford Borough Council was unable to build at such low density and to such standards again.
In the context of the overall layout of the estate, the amenity green space in front of Nos.64-82 Ropers Avenue was probably conceived in the spirit of a village green, although in reality it only performs this function visually. However, it adds an additional focal point to the estate, counterbalancing the open space of the bowling green at the other end of Ropers Avenue, and reinforcing the low density suburban quality of the estate. The bowling green is currently used by Silverthorn Bowling Club; it has a pavilion, which is the only built element on the estate that was not part of the original masterplan
The estate was built by Anglo-Scottish Construction Company at a cost of £235,000, somewhat higher than anticipated, with site preparation and building work carried out by Prisoners of War from the Chingford Plain camp. The design of the estate's houses and maisonettes echoed the early C20th Garden Suburb and Garden City principles of Ebenezer Howard, Parker & Unwin and others: painted-rendered finishes, steeply pitched hipped and gabled roofs with clay Bridgewater pantiles, slim-profile Crittall windows, and bay windows, a popular and desirable feature but rare on Council developments. These architectural features, combined with the spacious semi-detached layout of the estate, contribute significantly to the special interest of the Conservation Area when it was designated in 1990. With the increased pressure for new homes through the late 1940s and '50s, and the inevitable decrease in land available for development, Chingford Borough Council was unable to build at such low density and to such standards again.
In the context of the overall layout of the estate, the amenity green space in front of Nos.64-82 Ropers Avenue was probably conceived in the spirit of a village green, although in reality it only performs this function visually. However, it adds an additional focal point to the estate, counterbalancing the open space of the bowling green at the other end of Ropers Avenue, and reinforcing the low density suburban quality of the estate. The bowling green is currently used by Silverthorn Bowling Club; it has a pavilion, which is the only built element on the estate that was not part of the original masterplan
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ381922 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | City of London Corporation |
| Site Management | Urbaser Ltd as part of the Street Care and Associated Services contract with LB Waltham Forest |
| Dates | 1944-50 |
| Designers | Architect Reginald W Lone ARIBA, with Chingford Borough Engineer and Surveyor S J Hillier |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Waltham Forest |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Ropers Field |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Article 4 Directions |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Ainslie Wood, together with nearby Larks Wood, is an area of ancient woodland that at one time was part of the Forest of Essex, now surrounded by suburban housing, Ainslie Wood was joined to Larks Wood until early in the C20th, privately owned and not publicly accessible until relatively recently, when its preservation became the responsibility of LB Waltham Forest. Ainslie Wood contains a number of Wild Service Trees, relatively rare in urban woodland, and an indicator of ancient woods.
Larkswood Park comprises Larkswood Playing Fields and Larks Wood, an area of semi-ancient woodland that is a remnant of a much larger tract of woodland that once included Epping Forest. The wood is on hilly ground, with fine oak and hornbeam trees, and known for its bluebells displays, which in the early C20th attracted crowds of visitors. Larkswood Park was created by Chingford Borough Council in 1936, at which time an open air pool 'with accommodation for 2,500 bathers' was provided, built on the site of Larks Farm at a cost of £24,000. Designed for racing and water polo, it was considered one of the finest open-air pools in the country and was opened on 28 July 1936 by Sir Kingsley Wood, Minister of Health. However, in 1987 the pool was finally closed.
Memorial Park was Chingford UDC's first municipal park, laid out on an irregularly shaped site surrounded by early C20th residential streets. The park incorporated an already existing sunken Garden of Remembrance that had been created by public subscription as a memorial to those who lost their lives in WWI. It was taken over by the UDC when they laid out Memorial Park in 1930. Facilities in the new park included tennis courts, a bowling green and pavilion. The park entrance through the original 1930s gates lead directly to the small memorial garden before the park opens out. An area of planting surrounds a pond with a fine willow, a sculpture by Jack Gardner, 'Tao Column 92', sited nearby.
