Description
Snaresbrook Crown Court is the former Infant Orphan Asylum built by Sir Gilbert Scott, set in an informal landscape garden on the south side of Eagle Pond, Epping Forest. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1841 and it was opened on 5 June 1843 by Queen Victoria's uncle, Leopold King of the Belgians. By 1880 3,000 orphans had been 'boarded, clothed, nursed and educated' by the charity. A design of 1841 shows landscaping before the buildings were erected, including island bed and paths. The orphanage was renamed Royal Wanstead School in 1938 and eventually closed in 1971. The grounds have fine cedar, oak, horse chestnut, ash, Scots pine, holly, yew and rhododendron, with sloping lawns to Eagle Pond.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Infant Orphan Asylum; Royal Wanstead School |
|---|---|
| Site location | 75 Hollybush Hill |
| Postcode | E11 1QW |
| What3Words | ///keen.fresh.nation |
| Type of Site | Institutional Grounds |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Pedestrian entrance open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm |
| Special Conditions | No photographs |
| Events | Visits for schools, bar students and other clubs. Visitor events. |
| Public Transport | Tube: Snaresbrook (Central). Bus: W12, W14 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Snaresbrook Crown Court is housed in the former Infant Orphan Asylum built in 1843 to designs of Sir Gilbert Scott and William Moffat in Jacobean style. It is set in an informal landscape garden on the south side of Eagle Pond and adjacent to Epping Forest. Eagle Pond has been a popular place for anglers since the C18th. An 1831 guidebook described Snaresbrook as a 'naturally pleasant and healthy neighbourhood, highly improved by art, which has been selected as a suitable situation for numerous elegant seats and country villas'. The charity was founded by Dr Andrew Reed, a Congregational Minister, and had been instituted at Hackney in 1827 and incorporated in 1843. Its objects were 'to board, clothe, nurse, and educate (in accordance with the principles of the Church of England) poor orphan children, or the children of confirmed lunatics'. It accommodated up to 600 children and between the year it opened and 1880 3,000 orphans had been received from early infancy, an average of 60 a year, staying until they reached 14 or 15. The buildings were of brick with stone pointing and dressing, with a long front and projecting wings in Elizabethan style. A design of 1841 shows landscaping before the buildings, including island bed. The foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1841 and it was opened on 5 June 1843 by Queen Victoria's uncle, Leopold King of the Belgians.
The orphanage was given the royal blessing in 1918 and renamed Royal Wanstead School in 1938. By 1939 OS maps show sports grounds and tennis courts laid out south of the main building and also to the north between Eagle Pond and the main buildings, with a miniature rifle range by Old Birch Well, and a swimming bath just north of the Lodge. It became a grammar school following the 1944 Education Act but, with falling numbers and funds, the school eventually closed in 1971.
The site was then taken over by Her Majesty's Court Service to become Snaresbrook Crown Court, now the largest crown court in England, handling over 7,000 cases each year. Although the buildings were converted for their new use, the old chapel of the Infant Orphan Asylum remains. The main entrance is on Hollybush Hill and the grounds contain a number of fine trees, including cedar, monkey puzzle, oak, horse chestnut, ash, Scots pine, holly, yew and rhododendron, with sloping lawns to Eagle Pond in the north.
The orphanage was given the royal blessing in 1918 and renamed Royal Wanstead School in 1938. By 1939 OS maps show sports grounds and tennis courts laid out south of the main building and also to the north between Eagle Pond and the main buildings, with a miniature rifle range by Old Birch Well, and a swimming bath just north of the Lodge. It became a grammar school following the 1944 Education Act but, with falling numbers and funds, the school eventually closed in 1971.
The site was then taken over by Her Majesty's Court Service to become Snaresbrook Crown Court, now the largest crown court in England, handling over 7,000 cases each year. Although the buildings were converted for their new use, the old chapel of the Infant Orphan Asylum remains. The main entrance is on Hollybush Hill and the grounds contain a number of fine trees, including cedar, monkey puzzle, oak, horse chestnut, ash, Scots pine, holly, yew and rhododendron, with sloping lawns to Eagle Pond in the north.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ398888 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Crown Estates? H M Courts Service? |
| Site Management | Crown Estates? H M Courts Service? |
| Dates | 1841-3 |
| Designers | Sir Gilbert Scott and William Moffat |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Main building. Drinking fountain on corner of Hollybush Hill/High Street near the site. Local list: Entrance Lodge |
| 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 | Snaresbrook |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No (abuts NCA) |
| Green Belt | Yes |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The late C18th Snaresbrook House can be seen beyond its early C19th gate piers on the Woodford Road entrance, and its early C19th White Lodge is visible from Snaresbrook Road. A small rectangular Memorial Garden was created on part of the grounds, and a plaque erected by The Royal British Legion commemorates the opening of the garden by Cllr Richard Hoskins, JP, Mayor of Redbridge on 21 May 1997, sponsored by Weston Homes plc. Within the garden is Snaresbrook War Memorial and planting consists of trees, shrubs and a number of circular flower beds, gravel paths and a birdbath on fluted column, with iron railings and gate to Snaresbrook Road.
Wanstead War Memorial is on a triangular site that is adjacent to Wanstead War Memorial Wood, a small detached fragment of Epping Forest, locally known as Tarzy Wood. The memorial was designed by N A Trent and depicts a bronze winged figure of victory holding a palm. It was unveiled by Sir James Roll c.1930, dedicated to people from Wanstead who died fighting in WWI and a plaque now commemorates the dead of both world wars. In 2007 a plaque was unveiled on Remembrance Day, dedicated to the memory of a Redbridge Marine who died in Afghanistan. Wanstead War Memorial Wood to the north west is a small fragment of woodland of Epping Forest and contains mainly pedunculate oak and hornbeam.
Christ Church Wanstead is a fine large church built by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1861, later enlarged and the ragstone tower and spire were added. It was built as a chapel-of-ease to Wanstead parish church of St Mary the Virgin. Surrounding the church is a wide hard-gravelled path, and the surrounding garden, which has no gravestones, is largely grass with some perimeter shrubs and trees. It is enclosed by wooden picket fencing, which separates it from Christchurch Green Recreation Ground.