A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



of the Ilford loop a coach ran every morning and even- 

 ing to Woodford station, the Ilford coach being dis- 

 continued.*^ Coaches owned by Nelson of the 'Bull', 

 Aldgate, ran to Chigwell Row until i868.*3 In 1848 

 Henry Chipperfield ran a wagon three times a week 

 from Chigwell to London and John Wilton ran one 

 daily from Chigwell Row.*^ In 1878 William Claydon 

 ran a wagon to London four times a week.*5 



Before the building of the railways Buckhurst Hill 

 had many coaches passing through every day, to 

 London, Cambridge, Norwich, Bury St. Edmunds, 

 Dunmow, and elsewhere. 



The Eastern Counties Railway extended its line 

 from Woodford to Loughton in 1856, with a station 

 at Buckhurst Hill. In 1903 the Ilford loop was 

 opened, with stations at Chigwell and Grange Hill.** 

 In 1937 a new station was opened at Roding Valley, on 

 this loop, to serve the southern part of Buckhurst Hill. 



In 1839 there were postal receiving houses at Chig- 

 well and Chigwell Row.*' By 1863 there were two 

 post-offices at Chigwell, and sub-post-offices at Chigwell 

 Row and Buckhurst Hill.** By 1874 there was a tele- 

 graph office at Chigwell.*' In 1886 there were two 

 post-offices at Buckhurst Hill, one of them having the 

 telegraph, and the Chigwell Row office also had the 

 telegraph.'" The telephone was in use at Buckhurst 

 Hill by about 1906." By 1922 there was a telephone 

 exchange in Chigwell village.'^ 



The first serious attempt to improve sanitation was 

 in 1854, when the Epping 

 P UBLIC SERFICES Guardians appointed a paro- 

 chial committee to remove 

 nuisances.'3 Such committees were again appointed in 

 1857 and 1859.'* In 1868 the vestry decided to ap- 

 point a Sewer Authority under the Sewage Utilization 

 Acts, 1865 and 1867, and the Sanitary Acts, 1866 and 

 i868.'5 Two months later it resolved to appoint mem- 

 bers of this authority, but another resolution to form a 

 Special Drainage District for Buckhurst Hill was with- 

 drawn after strong opposition.'* A sewage-disposal 

 plant was installed at Buckhurst Hill, but the growth of 

 this part of the parish soon overtaxed the plant. In 1 876 

 a local doctor complained to the vestry of the filthy state 

 of the roads, ponds, and cesspools in lower Buckhurst 

 Hill." This protest was largely instrumental in obtain- 

 ing an improved plant.'* From 1870 the local com- 

 mittee was controlled by the Epping Rural Sanitary 

 Authority." In 1895 the Buckhurst Hill Urban Dis- 

 trict Council became responsible for sewage disposal 

 within its area, and the Epping Rural District in the 

 restof the ancient parish.*" In 1933 the whole area was 

 taken over by Chigwell Urban District Council. 



In 1874 water was being supplied to Buckhurst Hill 



by the East London Waterworks Co. In that year the 

 parish vestry tried unsuccessfully to arrange for supplies 

 to be extended to Chigwell and Chigwell Row.*' It 

 made another attempt in 1879.*^ The date at which 

 the extension took place is not known, but by 1907 

 Chigwell and Chigwell Row were being supplied by 

 the Metropolitan Water Board, successor to the East 

 London company. *3 The company had opened a 

 reservoir at Buckhurst Hill about 1895, to replace the 

 previous water tower.** A mineral spring at Chigwell 

 Row which existed in the i8th century had fallen out 

 of use by about i8oo.*5 



The Chigwell and Woodford Bridge Gas Co. was 

 formed in 1 863 and gradually extended its area. By 

 1867 it was supplying gas to Buckhurst Hill. In 1873 

 it was reincorporated as the Chigwell, Loughton and 

 Woodford Gas Co. Its works were in Snakes Lane, 

 Woodford.** In 191 2 it was taken over by the Gas 

 Light and Coke Co.*' 



Electricity was brought to Chigwell soon after the 

 First World War by the County of London Electric 

 Supply Co.** 



An unsuccessful attempt in 1792 to build a pest- 

 house in Chigwell is described below (see Parish 

 Government and Poor Relief). A Village Hospital, 

 supported by subscription, was opened at Buckhurst 

 Hill about 1875, on the initiative of Dr. C. H. Living- 

 stone.*' The Medical Provident Home, Buckhurst 

 Hill, was opened about 1890.''" These hospitals were 

 closed in 191 2 when the Forest Hospital was opened at 

 Buckhurst Hill." This was extended in 1920 and 

 1930.9^ It is now administered by the Forest Hospital 

 Management Committee. '3 



Great West Hatch was formerly a branch home 

 of the Royal Eastern Counties Institution for Mental 

 Defectives. '■• It was taken over by the London County 

 Council about 1938 and is now under the South 

 Ockendon Hospital Management Committee's The 

 neighbouring Little West Hatch is under the same 

 management.'* The Epping Hospital Management 

 Committee has recently opened a Chest Clinic at Buck- 

 hurst Hill." 



The Female Refuge Home, Buckhurst Hill, opened 

 about 1875 and later known as the Preventive Training 

 Homes, under the Rescue Society for Girls, continued 

 until 1914.'* 



A Female Benefit Society meeting at Chigwell Row 

 was registered in 1808, and the Anchor and Hope 

 Benefit Society meeting at Buckhurst Hill in 1832." 



In 1884 the vestry resolved to maintain a fire engine 

 which was to be purchased by public subscription.' 

 This was later taken over by the Buckhurst HiU Urban 

 District Council, which built a new fire station.^ This 



«> Kelly's Dir. Essex (1874 f-)- 



" Dkkensian,xv, 14.7. 



<•* IVhite's Dir. Essex (1848). 



's Kelly's Dir. Essex {i%7i). 



" E.R. xii, 165-70. 



" Figot's Dir. Essex (1839). 



'8 IVhite's Dir. Essex (1863). 



<"> Kelly's Dir. Essex (1874). 



'» Ibid. 1886. 



" The National Telephone Co. opened 

 services in Loughton (q.v.), which adjoins 

 Buckhurst Hill, in 1906. 



'» Kelly's Dir. Essex (1922). 



" E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 



'♦ Ibid. 



" Ibid. The Acts were 28 & 29 Vict. 

 (1865) C.75; 30& 31 Vict. (1867) c. 113; 

 29 & 30 Vict. (1866) C.41 ; 31 & 32 Vict. 



(1868) ciis. 

 '« E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 

 " Ibid. 



'8 E.R.O., D/P 166/24/20-22. 

 " Ibid. 1 66/24/ 1. 

 80 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899). 

 »■ E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 



82 Ibid. 



83 E.R. xvi, 57. 



8* Buckhurst Hill, pub. J. W. Phelp 

 {c. 1897: a local handbook). 



8s Miller Christy and M. Thresh, 

 Mineral Waters of Essex, p. 43. 



8* Chigwell, Loughton and Woodford 

 Gas Act, 36-37 Vict, c.xxi (1873); 

 E.R.O., D/P 166/11/31-33 (Rate-books). 



87 S. Everard, Hist. Gas Light & Coke Co. 

 299. 



88 Personal knowledge. 



89 Buckhurst Hill, ed. J. W. Phelp. 



90 Ibid. The booklet contains photos of 

 the Village Hospital and the Provident 

 Home. 



9' E.R. xxi, 224. 

 «2 E.R. xxxix. 156. 



93 HospitalsDir. Eng. and ff'ales (1952), 

 p. 70. 



94 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1933). 



95 Hospitals Dir. (1952), p. 77. 



96 Ibid, i personal knowledge. 

 9' Hospitals Dir. (1952), p. 73. 



98 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1878, 1914). 



99 E.R.O., g/SO 20/225, 33/'97. 2'°- 



1 E.R.O., D/P 166/8/11. 



2 Kelly's Dir. Essex (1899); Buckhurst 

 Hill, ed. J. W. Phelp. 



22 



