Little Cornwall
Encyclopedia
Little Cornwall is the name given to part of Loughton
, Essex
, England. It is the hilly part of north-west Loughton closest to Epping Forest
and characterised by steep hills, weatherboarded houses, narrow lanes and high holly hedges. There are many architecturally significant properties in this part of Loughton, including 18th-century and Arts & Crafts houses as well as Victorian homes ranging from small terraced cottages to large mansions. Little Cornwall is roughly defined by the three conservation areas which it encompasses; Staples Road, York Hill, and Baldwins Hill, as well as parts of nearby Epping Forest. Electorally, it is mostly part of Loughton St. John’s ward, though the houses in the Staples Rd Conservation area falls into St Mary's Ward.
The name Little Cornwall was given by author Ruth Rendell
, Baroness Rendell of Babergh (1930- ) who was educated at Loughton County High School for Girls and subsequently worked as a journalist in Loughton at the West Essex Gazette. Some of her fiction is set in Epping Forest and Loughton, and the name Little Cornwall, occurs in ‘The Face of Trespass’, first published in 1974.
The area is also known as Loughton Hills, or ‘The Hills’, and occasionally as Little Devon. There are fine views from many points, notably across Epping Forest from Baldwins Hill, and across south-west Essex and north-east Greater London from the top of York Hill.
There is a private (disused) Unitarian burial ground in the back garden of a house in York Hill. York Hill is also the site of medieval pottery kilns; Potters Close was named to reflect that fact.
Loughton
Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England. It is the hilly part of north-west Loughton closest to Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
and characterised by steep hills, weatherboarded houses, narrow lanes and high holly hedges. There are many architecturally significant properties in this part of Loughton, including 18th-century and Arts & Crafts houses as well as Victorian homes ranging from small terraced cottages to large mansions. Little Cornwall is roughly defined by the three conservation areas which it encompasses; Staples Road, York Hill, and Baldwins Hill, as well as parts of nearby Epping Forest. Electorally, it is mostly part of Loughton St. John’s ward, though the houses in the Staples Rd Conservation area falls into St Mary's Ward.
The name Little Cornwall was given by author Ruth Rendell
Ruth Rendell
Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, CBE, , who also writes under the pseudonym Barbara Vine, is an English crime writer, author of psychological thrillers and murder mysteries....
, Baroness Rendell of Babergh (1930- ) who was educated at Loughton County High School for Girls and subsequently worked as a journalist in Loughton at the West Essex Gazette. Some of her fiction is set in Epping Forest and Loughton, and the name Little Cornwall, occurs in ‘The Face of Trespass’, first published in 1974.
The area is also known as Loughton Hills, or ‘The Hills’, and occasionally as Little Devon. There are fine views from many points, notably across Epping Forest from Baldwins Hill, and across south-west Essex and north-east Greater London from the top of York Hill.
There is a private (disused) Unitarian burial ground in the back garden of a house in York Hill. York Hill is also the site of medieval pottery kilns; Potters Close was named to reflect that fact.
Notable people
Famous people associated with the Little Cornwall area of Loughton include:- Dick TurpinDick TurpinRichard "Dick" Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's profession as a butcher early in life, but by the early 1730s he had joined a gang of deer thieves, and later became a poacher,...
(1705-1739), who had a robber’s lair in the forest nearby and who traded in stolen venison, known locally as ‘black mutton’ (a row of houses in York Hill is known as Black Mutton Row); - Mary Anne ClarkeMary Anne ClarkeMary Anne Clarke was the mistress of Frederick, Duke of York. Their relationship began in 1803, while he was Commander-in-Chief of the army. Later in 1809, she wrote her memoirs which were published...
(1776-1852), actress and mistress of Frederick, Duke of York; - Thomas Southwood SmithThomas Southwood SmithThomas Southwood Smith , English physician and sanitary reformer, was born at Martock, Somersetshire.While a medical student in Edinburgh he took charge of a Unitarian congregation. In 1816 he took his M.D...
(1788-1861), medical pioneer and Unitarian minister, lived in Woodbury Hill; - William Bridges Adams (1797-1872), railway pioneer who invented the railway fishplate and credited with the original idea for the Crystal Palace;
- 'Old' Tom Willingale (1798-1870), defender of Epping Forest and loppers' rights, lived in Baldwyns Cottages (now demolished, Wroths Path built on the site);
- Sarah Flower Adams (1805-1848), wife of W B Adams, poet and hymn writer who wrote ‘Nearer My God to Thee’;
- Robert Hunter (1823-1897), lexicographer and philanthropist;
- Millican DaltonMillican DaltonMillican Dalton was a self-styled "Professor of Adventure".Born on 20 April 1867 at Nenthead, Alston, Cumberland, he spent his early life in the northwest of England before his family moved to Essex...
(1867-1947), nicknamed the ‘Professor of Adventure’, pioneering outdoor enthusiast, mountaineer and founder of the Camping Club; - Oswald SilberradOswald SilberradOswald Silberrad was a British chemist who specialised in explosives, the related field of dye stuffs, and metallurgy.- Life and works :...
(1878-1960), the research chemist. Barnes WallisBarnes WallisSir Barnes Neville Wallis, CBE FRS, RDI, FRAeS , was an English scientist, engineer and inventor. He is best known for inventing the bouncing bomb used by the RAF in Operation Chastise to attack the dams of the Ruhr Valley during World War II...
worked at his laboratory at Dryads' Hall; - Una Lucy SilberradUna Lucy SilberradUna Lucy Silberrad was a British writer. As seen on her grave slab and on the brass in St.Mary's Burnham-on-Crouch, she described herself as "authoress", avoiding the gender-neutral term "writer", and probably reflecting her feminist views...
, novelist (sister of Oswald SilberradOswald SilberradOswald Silberrad was a British chemist who specialised in explosives, the related field of dye stuffs, and metallurgy.- Life and works :...
), lived at Buckhurst HillBuckhurst HillBuckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. Located adjacent to the northern boundary of Greater London, it forms part of the Greater London Urban Area.- Overview :...
, but also had a cottage on School Green, Staples Road; - Fred Stoker (1878-1943), horticulturalist of international repute, lived at 'The Summit', Baldiwns Hill
- Sir Jacob Epstein (1880-1959), sculptor and painter, lived in Baldwins Hill and created many of his most famous works there;
- Doris (1886-1965) and Muriel LesterMuriel LesterMuriel Lester was born in Leytonstone in east London and grew up at Loughton, where she was a member of the Union Church. She was a social reformer, pacifist and nonconformist. As a Baptist, she was baptized in 1898, at 15...
(1882-1968), philanthropists and pacifist sisters who founded Kingsley HallKingsley HallKingsley Hall is a community centre in the East End of London. It dates back to the work of Doris Lester and Muriel Lester, who had a nursery school in nearby Bruce Road. Their brother, Kingsley Lester, died aged 26 in 1914, leaving money for work in the local area for "educational, social and...
community centre in London’s East End; - Ken CampbellKen CampbellKen Campbell was an English writer, actor, director and comedian.Ken Campbell may also refer to:* Ken Campbell , Canadian evangelist* Ken Campbell , former Scotland international goalkeeper...
(1941-2008), writer, actor and theatre ditrector, lived in Baldwins Hill in a Victorian wooden chalet locally known as the 'Swiss Cottage'; - Geoffrey Campbell (1969-2001), business consultant, born at No. 35 Wroths Path, died in the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
; he was attending a meeting at the World Trade CenterWorld Trade CenterThe original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
.