| Havering-atte-Bower | |
|---|---|
 St. John the Evangelist, the parish church of Havering-atte-Bower | |
  Havering-atte-Bower Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ515935 |
| • Charing Cross | 15 mi (24 km) SW |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ROMFORD |
| Postcode district | RM4 |
| Dialling code | 01708 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°37′13″N0°11′16″E / 51.6203°N 0.1877°E /51.6203; 0.1877 | |
Havering-atte-Bower (/ˈheɪvərɪŋˈætiˈbaʊər/HAY-vər-ingAT-eeBOW-ər)[1] is a village inGreater London, England, in the far north of theLondon Borough of Havering.[2] The village lies 15 miles (24 km) northeast ofCharing Cross. It was one of three former parishes whose area comprised the historicRoyal Liberty of Havering.
Havering-atte-Bower has been the location of a number of palaces and large houses includingBower House,The Round House,Pyrgo Palace andHavering Palace.
The name is of Saxon origin[3] and is recorded in theDomesday Book of 1086 asHaueringas.[4] The last syllable is the only clear difference in pronunciation asv was written asu inMiddle English and Anglo-Norman orthography. It is an ancient folk name meaningsettlement of the followers of a man called Hæfer.[4] The history of Havering-atte-Bower today is inextricably linked withEdward the Confessor and comparison can be made withOld Windsor inBerkshire, which had a Saxon palace that predatedWindsor Castle as both villages are situated on high ground and have great views intoLondon.
It has been suggested thatEdward the Confessor would have travelled to and from his palaces at both Havering-atte-Bower andOld Windsor.[citation needed] A story relating to the return of a ring toEdward the Confessor and attributing the nameHavering to the words"have ring" was widely recounted in the 17th century, but is now considered to be no earlier than the 15th century, the story of the return of the ring predating this explanation of the place name by several hundred years.[5]
The name is recorded asHauering atte Bower in 1272 and from this timeHavering andHavering-atte-Bower are used interchangeably. Theatte Bower suffix is taken to meanat the royal residence and to refer toHavering Palace which was situated here,[4] although some link the use ofBower to other locations inEssex such asBowers Gifford whereBower means a rural dwelling. Circumstantially it has been suggested that a different meaning of the wordBower relating to a dwelling specifically set aside for a woman could relate to the use of the Palace byEleanor of Provence, mother ofHenry III, when she was Queen Dowager[6] although there is no documentary evidence for this interpretation.
Whichever meaning is correct, it appears that the great house here was known as "The Bower" in the late 13th century.[7]
The history of Havering dates back at least to Saxon times, with the format of the name indicative of an early Saxon settlement[3] while archaeological finds in and around Havering Country Park suggest aRoman villa or similar structure in the area. The village is also steeped in royal history andEdward the Confessor was the first monarch known to take interest in the area when he established a hunting lodge which, over the years would become a palace or 'bower'. It is believed, though disputed, that he may have died in the house that he had loved so much before being buried atWestminster Abbey. It appears that Havering retained this royal connection as theDomesday Book lists it has been in the possession ofKing Harold in 1066 andKing William in 1086. At that time there were 45 households and the land consisted of 100 acres of meadow with additional woodland and amill.[8]
The surrounding areas, including the parishes ofHornchurch andRomford,[9] formed theRoyal Liberty of Havering from 1465 to 1892.[9] Until the 17th century, royalty used the house ofHavering Palace for various reasons, adding the architectural style of the day to the expanding palace.
Another palace, east of the village, calledPyrgo, was purchased byHenry 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 byLord 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.
The village sits on one of thehighest points in London, in the far north of the borough and near theM25 motorway. It is situated 344 feet (105 m) above sea level with striking views of east London,Essex andKent. To the north is open countryside and to the south are the large suburban developments ofHarold Hill andCollier Row.
The village is surrounded by three large parks: the dense woodlands ofHavering Country Park (site of one of only tworedwood plantations in England, imported fromCalifornia);Bedfords Park; andPyrgo Park. The most notable residence in the village now isBower House, built in 1729 by John Baynes, using some of the materials of the former Havering Palace. The area is on the route of theLondon Loop long-distance footpath.
Avillage sign, funded by the East London Community Foundation and Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society, was unveiled byBoris Johnson, theMayor of London, on 3 September 2010.[10]
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 aChurch 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 ofHavering Palace.[11] The palace also had a private chapel dedicated to St Edward.[12]
Transport is limited in this area, with only one bus route, route 375.
| Route Number | Route | Via | Operator | Operation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
375 | Passingford Bridge toRomford station | Stapleford Abbotts,Chase Cross,Collier Row | Arriva London | Mon-Sat every 90 minutes,London Buses serviceTimes |
Also seeList of bus routes in London.
The nearest railway station is atRomford. There are frequent services fromRomford station toLondon andEast Anglia. Route 375 can be used to go there.
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