Description
The Shrubberies, a terrace of six identical pairs of houses with a detached house at the east end, was built in the late C19th and remain fronted by the original strip of landscaping, laid out as a setting to the terrace. Built as a speculative residential development when the area was becoming built up following arrival of the railway, these simple Edwardian-style houses retain most of their original features. The garden strip is laid out with grass, some flower and shrub beds and a few trees, including a row of limes.
Practical Information
| Site location | The Shrubberies, George Lane, South Woodford |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E18 1BL |
| What3Words | ///washed.frozen.puns |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: South Woodford (Central). Bus: 179, W12, W13, W14 |
| Research Updated | 28 October 2021 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The area had been largely woodland before it was enclosed in the C18th, and even when the Eastern Counties Railway was constructed here, with George Lane Station opening in 1856, development in this area of South Woodford took place only gradually from the 1860s. Where The Shrubberies is located was still largely woodland or fields until the end of the 1890s when suburban development accelerated. Prior to the building of The Shrubberies, there were a few small buildings to the north of George Lane, and opposite a Congressional Chapel.
The detached house at the east end of The Shrubberies was built for Dr A W Dowding of Wanstead as his home and doctor's surgery, the architect being Herbert Riches, and there are plans for the house dated 1897. Plans for the other houses in the terrace date from 1899 and 1901, and these were built speculatively as residential dwellings, although they are now occupied by offices. These Edwardian-style houses retain most of their original features intact, such as cast iron verandas, while much of the surrounding area has lost its original character, with new buildings replacing those of the early suburb.
The strip of landscaping that was laid out as a setting to the terrace is presently planted with flower and shrub beds and a few trees, including a row of limes. Maintenance is undertaken by South Woodford Community Gardeners. A path runs through part of the site, and there is some seating. At one time the landscaped strip was bordered by wooden bollards.
The detached house at the east end of The Shrubberies was built for Dr A W Dowding of Wanstead as his home and doctor's surgery, the architect being Herbert Riches, and there are plans for the house dated 1897. Plans for the other houses in the terrace date from 1899 and 1901, and these were built speculatively as residential dwellings, although they are now occupied by offices. These Edwardian-style houses retain most of their original features intact, such as cast iron verandas, while much of the surrounding area has lost its original character, with new buildings replacing those of the early suburb.
The strip of landscaping that was laid out as a setting to the terrace is presently planted with flower and shrub beds and a few trees, including a row of limes. Maintenance is undertaken by South Woodford Community Gardeners. A path runs through part of the site, and there is some seating. At one time the landscaped strip was bordered by wooden bollards.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ403903 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Redbridge |
| Site Management | Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure Ltd |
| Dates | 1897-1905 |
| 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 | Redbridge |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | George Lane |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeological Priority Area |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
Elmhurst, an C18th house with an area of garden to the front, is a fragment of a gentleman's estate. It was originally known as Grove House, having been built to the designs of Joel Johnson of Walthamstow in 1771 by Sylvanus Grove who came to Woodford in 1770. It was later owned by a Quaker tea merchant, Smith Harrison, whose wife Jane was a sister of Lord Lister. Part of the estate was separated from the house when the railway came through the area and was later laid out as a public park, Elmhurst Gardens. The large front garden had two stone urns and was largely lawn with some shrubs and notable trees, including cedar and horse chestnuts; a C20th red brick wall divided the property from High Road. A photograph of c.1900 shows the house front with the cedar tree relatively unchanged. By 1939 it was in use as a hostel, and tennis courts had been built behind the house, and it later became a conference centre connected to Queen Mary College. Elmhurst was sold for residential development with the house converted as part restaurant and part offices.
Rectory Court is on the former site of the old vicarage of St Mary the Virgin Woodford. The C18th building became the offices for the new borough of Wanstead and Woodford in 1937 and was subsequently used as Woodford Crown Court, a Magistrates Court from 1968-88. The site has now been developed as private housing. In the C19th its garden off Woodford High Road had a circular carriage sweep, mature cedar, and other trees. Within the curtilege was a garden designed by Humphry Repton in c.1801 for John Maitland of Woodford Hall, most of which was destroyed with the construction of the neighbouring court house. As a boy, William Morris lived at Woodford Hall with his parents who have a memorial in the adjacent churchyard.
Elmhurst Gardens is an oblong municipal park laid out on land once part of Elmhurst Estate, acquired by Woodford UDC in 1921. The gardens were opened in July 1927 as Woodford Recreation Ground. The land was purchased from Mr Lister Harrison of Elmhurst, having been separated from the house and remainder of the estate by the railway in 1856. The gardens have notable beech, oak and lime, and retain much of the original layout as well as a picturesque brick sundial and small pavilion, and an area of formal planting with seats.
