Description
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.
Practical Information
| Site location | Snaresbrook Road, South Woodford |
|---|---|
| Postcode | E18 2EL |
| What3Words | ///guess.took.loans |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Partially |
| Opening Times | Memorial Garden only |
| Public Transport | Tube: Snaresbrook (Central). Bus: W12, W14 |
| Research Updated | 1 December 2006 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The Memorial Garden is pleasant, particularly due to its proximity to Eagle Pond and view of Snaresbrook Crown Court (q.v.). Snaresbrook House and grounds are now privately owned and not publicly accessible, although part of the garden can be viewed from the Memorial Garden through the iron railings that separate the public garden from the main garden beyond.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ399891 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | LB Redbridge, leased to Weston Homes plc |
| Site Management | Weston Homes plc |
| Dates | late C18th; C20th |
| Listed Structures | LBII: White Lodge, Snaresbrook 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 | Redbridge |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Snaresbrook |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| 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
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.
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.
Wanstead Hospital was built as the Merchant Seamen's Orphan Asylum in 1861 in an elaborate pseudo-Venetian style. The Asylum buildings were extended over the years and by 1883 housed 270 orphans but in 1920 it moved to Bearwood. It was purchased for a hospital in 1938 by Essex County Council and in 1948 became Wanstead Hospital when it joined the new NHS. The hospital eventually closed in 1986 and in c.2000 the gothic buildings were largely converted into flats, a scheme named Clock Court after the hospital's prominent tower. The hospital once had well laid out flowerbeds but there is little evidence of the gardens as part was lost when the hospital site was developed. The old Asylum fronts onto Hermon Hill between Makepiece Road and Victory Road, and the site is surrounded by a red brick wall.