Havering-atte-Bower ( ) is a village in Greater London, England, in the far north of the London Borough of Havering. The village lies northeast of Charing Cross. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historic Royal Liberty of Havering.

Havering-atte-Bower has been the location of a number of palaces and large houses including Bower House, The Round House, Pyrgo Palace and Havering Palace.

Etymology

The name is of Saxon origin and is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Haueringas. The last syllable is the only clear difference in pronunciation as v was written as u in Middle English and Anglo-Norman orthography. It is an ancient folk name meaning settlement of the followers of a man called Hæfer.

The surrounding areas, including the parishes of Hornchurch and Romford, Until the 17th century, royalty used the house of Havering Palace for various reasons, adding the architectural style of the day to the expanding palace.

Another palace, east of the village, called Pyrgo, was purchased by Henry VIII to relieve the now ageing Havering Palace. By the 17th century, the Royal Palace of Havering was in decline, and it was eventually pulled down. Pyrgo was also demolished later, in the 18th century. Only one set of plans exists from the original Havering Palace, courtesy of a survey by Lord Burghley in 1578.

The village green still has on display its original village stocks, while on the opposite side of the road is a pond known as "Ducking Pond", rumoured to have been used for trials of witches. Though the name of the pond suggests such a history, hard evidence is yet to be uncovered. However, there are currently plans to construct a replica ducking stool at the site.

On 1 April 1965 the civil parish was abolished. At the 1951 census (one of the last before the abolition of the parish), Havering atte Bower had a population of 5812.

Geography

The village sits on one of the highest points in London, in the far north of the borough and near the M25 motorway. It is situated 344 feet (105 m) above sea level with striking views of east London, Essex and Kent. To the north is open countryside and to the south are the large suburban developments of Harold Hill and Collier Row.

The village is surrounded by three large parks: the dense woodlands of Havering Country Park (site of one of only two redwood plantations in England, imported from California); Bedfords Park; and Pyrgo Park. The most notable residence in the village now is Bower House, built in 1729 by John Baynes, using some of the materials of the former Havering Palace. The area is on the route of the London Loop long-distance footpath.

A village sign, funded by the East London Community Foundation and Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society, was unveiled by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, on 3 September 2010.

Churches and schools

Dame Tipping School in the village was founded by Dame Anne Tipping who was daughter of Thomas Chief, a governor of the Tower of London. The school opened in 1891 and is still operating today with the same main building that was used when the school was founded, although the school has had various changes and extensions through the years .

St John the Evangelist is a Church of England church which is located facing the green. It was built in 1878 to replace an older chapel dedicated to St Mary that had its origins as part of Havering Palace. The palace also had a private chapel dedicated to St Edward.

Transport

Transport is limited in this area, with only one bus route, route 375.

{| class="wikitable"

! Route Number

! Route

! Via

! Operator

! Operation

|-

|375

|Passingford Bridge to Romford station

|Stapleford Abbotts, Chase Cross, Collier Row

|Arriva London

|Mon-Sat every 90 minutes, London Buses service Times

|-

|}

Also see List of bus routes in London.

The nearest railway station is at Romford. There are frequent services from Romford station to London and East Anglia. Route 375 can be used to go there.

Notable people

  • Joseph Pemberton, rosarian.
  • Will Ospreay, professional wrestler.

References

Sources

  • Past, Present and Future of Havering DVD
  • Havering-Atte-Bower Football Club
  • Havering-Atte-Bower Cricket Club
  • Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society