Copped Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Copped Hall aka Copthall is a ruined mansion close to Epping in Essex, England, dating to the 12th century.
The main house was gutted in an accidental fire one Sunday morning in 1917. The fire is thought to have started on the roof due to a carelessly discarded cigarette end. Members of the staff were on the roof to view the destruction of a German Zeppelin over Grays in Essex. The Wythes family had kindly allowed the Army to use Copped Hall as a WW1 hospital.
The Wythes family, who were the then occupiers, moved in to Wood House on the estate to await Copped Hall's rebuilding. This never happened and Ernest Wythes died in 1949. His wife died in 1951. After their deaths in 1952 the estate was sold, and then followed a period of total neglect. The main 18th century house was first stripped of its more desirable building materials then left to moulder. The italianate conservatory was blown up using dynamite to demolish it, though some of the statues and stonework were removed to other large estate houses. The stone gazebo from the garden was set up in the grounds of St Paul's Waldenbury, a neighbouring estate. Some of the statues in the gardens were removed to Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire.
The estate is thankfully now owned by the Corporation of London. The Copped Hall Trust acquired the freehold of the main house, stables, house gardens and other houses on the estate. The estate will thus be safe from the attentions of developers and the house is being slowly rebuilt by the Trust.
Copped Hall is visible from the M25 motorway between junctions 26 and 27. It is an imposing structure set in a very beautiful yet stylised estate parkland. It was described at one time as 'the Premier house of Essex'. The estate is landscaped to conform to the English ideas of the 18th century - the taming of nature and the inclusion of uplifting vistas. The main house had a ha-ha ditch which allowed animals to approach the house yet prevent them from entering. It was a perfect example of the '18th century house in landscape'. The mansion was intelligently placed overlooking two valleys with a third valley to the north and the building was very well proportioned. The chimneys were successfully arranged in tight geometric arrangement. It can thus be described as a triumph of architectural styling.
The English publication Country Life ran a full article on the charms of Copped Hall with many photographs published before the devastating fire. This perhaps remains as the only record of the house in its heyday.
 Copped Hall from the South(December 2006) |
 View from the West(May 2004) |
 Close Up of the chimneys(December 2006) |
 A view of the estate(December 2006) |
 Close up of West elevation(May 2004) |
 South Eastern corner(December 2006) |
 Copped Hall East elevation(May 2004) |
 Remains of the conservatory(April 2006) |
