About

August Copped Hall Open Gardens Day

Sunday 21st August

The Thirds Sundays of the Month, excepting July and December

Sundays: 18 September, 16 October, 20 November  2022

Cost

£10.00 per person. Friends of Copped Hall and Children Under 16 – Free. Tickets are required for entry.

Location

Mansion – Cellars, Stables, Ground and First Floor
Gardens – inc Site of Earlier Houses and Walled Garden

Access

Access to Cellars and 1st Floor of the Mansion is currently via staircase only. Gardens are undulating/uneven lawn surfaces with some paths on a sloping site. The Walled Garden is also on a sloping site. Very limited access currently for wheelchair users.

Description

Guided Tours last about 2.5 to 3 hours. The first tours start at 10.00am and the last entry is at 11.00 am.

Visitors are accompanied by an experienced guide throughout who will explain the rich history of Copped Hall, covering the whole of the Gardens, including the sites of the earlier houses, the Walled Garden and a large part of the existing Mansion.

Tour days also give our Friends the opportunity to catch up on all the changes that have occured since lock-down.

Tea, Coffee and home made cakes are available approximately mid way through the tour. There is also our shop selling books about Copped Hall and a range of other items. In addition, there are exhibitions on site and a second hand book shop. At most times of the year we sell plants, seasonal fruit and vegetables from the Walled Garden.

Event Queries?

Please contact the Box office on Tel No. 07749 3979 32 or email: tickets@coppedhalltrust.org.uk

Buy Tickets

Visitors are strongly advised to buy their tickets in advance as spaces on tours may be limited. Tickets can be purchased on line: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/coppedhallevents or by clicking the logo below. View the event, pay and print your tickets. Both debit and credit cards may be used.

If you are having problems with buying tickets via Ticketsource, please contact our Box Office on 07749 397932. Alternatively you may email the Box Office on tickets@coppedhalltrust.org.uk.

 

About Copped Hall

The saving of Copped Hall has been described a number times as a miracle. In reality, it was achieved by a great deal of hard work against overwhelming odds.

Historic country houses in their parkland are one of the great cultural achievements of previous centuries. Very sadly by the 1950s, historic mansions like Copped Hall were being demolished at a rate of one every two and a half days. With their loss the centrepiece and purpose of the gardens, ancillary buildings and parkland was removed. Often all of these parts were destroyed. In the 1980s the planning authorities acted to preserve the excellent established qualities of Copped Hall and its surroundings by making them into a conservation area in 1984. English Heritage followed by listing the older parkland as Grade II*. After much campaigning the Conservators of Epping Forest (The City of London) purchased the freehold of the parkland in order to preserve and restore it. The specially formed Copped Hall Trust eventually purchased the mansion, stables and gardens in 1995.

The Conservators are committed to the restoration of the parkland, the reintroduction of animals and to the preservation of this important wildlife habitat.

In 1999 the Trust acquired the completely derelict Walled Kitchen Garden, one of the largest in Essex. After 13 years, all the undergrowth has been cleared from the garden and the glasshouses. This work has been largely carried out by volunteers. The garden is now mainly planted with produce sold locally and to visitors. One glasshouse has been restored with two others under way.

The Copped Hall Trust has made substantial progress in the last 17 years. The Racquets Court and the stables have been largely restored, together with other service buildings. Much work has been carried out clearing the gardens of non-original vegetation. Replacement trees have been planted and lawns re-seeded. Internally, the mansion is to be restored to its 1750s’ form, and since 2001 some of the roof and floor structures have been reinstated and essential structural repairs carried out. Since 1998 the Trust has been supported in its work by a Friends organisation which now has more than 1,000 members. From these members a very committed band of volunteers assists with all aspects of the project.