Buckhurst Hill
| Buckhurst Hill | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 St John the Baptist, Buckhurst Hill | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ415935 |
| Location: | 51°37’55"N, -0°2’10"E |
| Data | |
| Population: | 11,380 (2011) |
| Post town: | Buckhurst Hill |
| Postcode: | IG9 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Epping Forest |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Epping Forest |
Buckhurst Hill is an affluent suburban town in the south-west of Essex, close to the swelling townscape of the metropolitan conurbation. The area developed following the opening of a railway line in 1856, originally part of the Eastern Counties Railway and now on the Central Line of the London Underground.
History
The first known mention of Buckhurst Hill dates back to 1135, referenced as "La Bocherste", which later evolved into "Bucket Hill", originally meaning a hill covered with beech trees.[1] At that time, it lay within the bounds of Epping Forest consisting of only a few scattered houses along the ancient route connecting Woodford to Loughton. Before the building of the railways, Buckhurst Hill was on the stagecoach route between London and Cambridge, Norwich, Bury St Edmunds and Great Dunmow. Originally, Buckhurst Hill was a part of the parish of Chigwell, but with no road linking the two communities and in order to get to church, parishioners had to ford the River Roding at Woodford.[2]
In 1838, the Parish Church of St. John was constructed as a chapel of ease, but Buckhurst Hill did not gain status as a separate ecclesiastical parish until 1867.[3] That same year, St John's National School was also built adjacent to the church on land donated by the lord of the manor with the construction costing £209, largely funded by the church's congregation.[4]
The opening of Buckhurst Hill station in 1856 spurred rapid population growth in the area, and by 1871, almost six hundred new houses had been built near the station. This expansion prompted the establishment Prince's Road school in 1872, with some of the land enclosed from Epping Forest, before this practice was halted by the Epping Forest Act 1878.
This area's transformation was heavily influenced by transportation developments, particularly the railway, which transitioned it from a rural hamlet to a commuter suburb. The preservation efforts within Epping Forest, such as the Epping Forest Act of 1878, also played a role in defining the town's landscape, curbing the widespread enclosure of forest land and protecting the green spaces surrounding Buckhurst Hill.
Sport
- Cricket: Buckhurst Hill Cricket Club
- Football: Buckhurst Hill F.C., whose ground is on Roding Lane
- Rugby: Loughton Rugby Union Football Club has its clubhouse and pitches on Hornbeam Road at the east of the town
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Buckhurst Hill) |
References
- ↑ Reaney, P.H.: 'Place-Names of Essex , Part' (English Place-Names Society, 1935)
- ↑ A History of the County of Essex - Volume 4 pp 18-22: Ongar Hundred (Victoria County History)
- ↑ A History of the County of Essex - Volume 4 pp 32-35: Chigwell: Churches (Victoria County History)
- ↑ A History of the County of Essex - Volume 4 pp 38-41: Chigwell: Schools (Victoria County History)