Description
Woodford Bridge was so-called for its position near an important crossing point over the Roding River. It was one of four hamlets that made up Old Woodford, which became villages then suburbs in the 1850s after the arrival of the railway. The first subdivision of the old parish took place here and by 1851 services were held in a rented room and St Paul's Church was built in 1854, but later rebuilt in 1886 following a fire. The churchyard is surrounded by hedge from the village green and has C19th monuments and a number of yews, conifers and shrubs. The entrance is through a wrought iron gate at the end of a roadway flanked by an avenue of trees.
Practical Information
| Site location | Manor Road/Chigwell Road, Woodford Bridge Green |
|---|---|
| Postcode | IG8 |
| What3Words | ///bits.simple.park |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Redbridge |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Tube: Woodford , Fairlop (Central) then bus. Bus: 275 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2010 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Woodford Bridge near Claybury Hill was so-called for its position near an important crossing point over the Roding River and was one of four hamlets that made up Old Woodford, along with Woodford Row now Woodford Green, Woodford Wells, and Church End now South Woodford, separated by fields and meadows. The hamlets changed to villages then suburbs following the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. The ford at Woodford Bridge was replaced by a bridge in 1761 that was only demolished in 1962 when the M11 was built. It was maintained by the Middlesex and Essex Turnpike Trust, with a Tollhouse formerly located near the White Hart public house today.
The first subdivision of the old parish of Woodford took place at Woodford Bridge. By 1851 a room was being rented here so that services could be held to save the community from the long walk to St Mary's Woodford (q.v.). The stone church of St Paul's was built on Woodford Bridge Green (q.v.) in 1854, an Early English style building. It was rebuilt in 1886 following a fire in 1880. Five years after the church was built its first vicar, Revd Charles Blackmore Waller, organised the building of the adjacent church school, with a schoolmaster's house modelled on a design of Prince Albert seen at the 1851 Great Exhibition.
The church has a pleasant churchyard with C19th monuments and a number of yews, conifers and shrubs, and is surrounded by hedges from the village green. The entrance to the churchyard is through a wrought iron gate at the end of a roadway flanked by an avenue of trees. Among memorials in the churchyard are that of Revd Charles Blackmore Waller (d.1901) with his wife Florinda (d.1876) and their two daughters who died young; the Watkins family who owned Gales Farm; and the Revd Cecil John Mead-Allen (d.1933), who was vicar here from 1928-33 and also Chaplain of Claybury Hospital. There are three Commonwealth War Graves and a gravestone to the widow of Col Robert Parker Campbell of the 90th Highland Light Infantry (d.1858). In the 1980s Manpower Services Commission undertook a review of the churchyard. The tall spire of the church is a landmark visible from the nearby M11.
The first subdivision of the old parish of Woodford took place at Woodford Bridge. By 1851 a room was being rented here so that services could be held to save the community from the long walk to St Mary's Woodford (q.v.). The stone church of St Paul's was built on Woodford Bridge Green (q.v.) in 1854, an Early English style building. It was rebuilt in 1886 following a fire in 1880. Five years after the church was built its first vicar, Revd Charles Blackmore Waller, organised the building of the adjacent church school, with a schoolmaster's house modelled on a design of Prince Albert seen at the 1851 Great Exhibition.
The church has a pleasant churchyard with C19th monuments and a number of yews, conifers and shrubs, and is surrounded by hedges from the village green. The entrance to the churchyard is through a wrought iron gate at the end of a roadway flanked by an avenue of trees. Among memorials in the churchyard are that of Revd Charles Blackmore Waller (d.1901) with his wife Florinda (d.1876) and their two daughters who died young; the Watkins family who owned Gales Farm; and the Revd Cecil John Mead-Allen (d.1933), who was vicar here from 1928-33 and also Chaplain of Claybury Hospital. There are three Commonwealth War Graves and a gravestone to the widow of Col Robert Parker Campbell of the 90th Highland Light Infantry (d.1858). In the 1980s Manpower Services Commission undertook a review of the churchyard. The tall spire of the church is a landmark visible from the nearby M11.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ426918 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church of England, Diocese of Chelmsford |
| Site Management | Church |
| Dates | 1854 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Paul's Church. Local list: houses in Chigwell Road |
| 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 | Woodford Bridge |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Archaeology Priority Area |
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
Woodford Bridge Green is a large triangular village green surrounded by houses on sloping open land with a large pond, and at its west end abuts St Paul's Church. Another smaller area of green is situated at some distance to the west. Woodford Bridge near Claybury Hill was one of four hamlets that made up Old Woodford, along with Woodford Row now Woodford Green, Woodford Wells and Church End now South Woodford, separated by fields and meadows. It was so-called for its position near an important crossing point over the Roding River, the road was an ancient route from Essex to Suffolk and Norfolk.
Claybury Park was once part of the Claybury estate, held by Barking Abbey from the C12th; it contains Claybury and Hospital Hill Woods, remnants of ancient woodland of Hainault Forest. Claybury was developed into a fine gentleman's estate from 1786 by James Hatch, who built a new mansion, expanded the estate and commissioned Humphry Repton to advise on landscaping the parkland. By 1847 the estate was c.440 acres and included Claybury Woods as well as a number of properties. In 1887 it was sold and Claybury Asylum was built by 1893, the first mental hospital built by the new LCC. In 1997 the Health Authority sold the Hospital estate for an exclusive private housing development, renamed Repton Park, but 18 hectares of ancient woodland and 38 hectares of parkland became part of a new public park, Claybury Park. This also incorporated Redbridge Open Space to the south, itself part of the Claybury estate until the 1880s.
This is a fragment of a large C16th estate that is now divided by the M11 to form two distinctive parks, Ray Park to the west and Ashton Playing Fields to the east. The estate was purchased in 1770 by Sir James Wright, one-time British Resident in Venice, who commissioned a new mansion, Ray Hall, from Robert Adam, together with a number of outbuildings, including the octangular walled garden that still exists in the public park, now being restored as a community garden. Wright set up a an artificial slate factory in the grounds, employing techniques he had seen in Italy to manufacture clay-based products. The public park dates from the mid C20th and has notable cedar, sycamore, horse chestnut, lime and oak, with a number of rose beds in the area of the house. The James Leal Centre, built on the site of the C19th house and stable block, opened in December 2009.
