Hylands House

Hylands House is a Grade II* neo-classical villa situated within Hylands Park a 232-hectare (574 acre) park south-west of Chelmsford in Essex in South East England. It is owned and operated by Chelmsford City Council.

History

The last private owner lived in Hylands House until her death until 1962. It was in 1966, with the House in a desperate state of disrepair, that Chelmsford Borough Council purchased the Park for the people of Chelmsford to enjoy. Hylands Park was opened to the public only 10 days later. It was agreed by Chelmsford Borough Council that Hylands House should be restored to its former glory and having stood empty for 20 years, the first phase of restoration took place in 1986. The final stage was completed in 2005.

Past owners of Hylands House

Sir John Comyns 1730–1740

Around 1726, a local and well respected lawyer, Sir John Comyns, purchased the manor of Shaxstones in Writtle, and commissioned the construction of a new family home on the estate, suitable for a man of his standing. Completed in 1730, Hylands House was an elegant two-storey red brick building in Queen Anne style architecture. The grounds were set out in the formal geometric style fashionable at the time, with a pleasure garden and small kitchen garden to the north of the house.

Hylands Park (London)

Hylands Park is a public park in the London Borough of Havering in northwest Hornchurch, near to Romford. It is owned and managed by Havering London Borough Council and has Green Flag Award status.

History

The land was purchased in 1920 by the owners of the Oak Public House in Victoria Road, Romford. In 1925 a trotting track was laid out on the land and a race meeting was held. Hornchurch Urban District Council was established in 1926 and in 1927 they purchased the land, to be laid out as public park. On October 1940 a Spitfire piloted by John McAdam from RAF Hornchurch narrowly avoided crashing in the crowded park, by crash landing in a gap between two houses.

Features

The former trotting track has been converted to a large oval path, which encircles cricket and football pitches. The entrance to Osborne Road features stone and wrought iron gates that were transferred from nearby Grey Towers, that was demolished in 1931. There is a rose garden.

Management

The park is owned and managed by Havering London Borough Council and has Green Flag Award status.