Medieval Manors: 1200s – 1500s

Medieval Manors: 1200s – 1500s

During the medieval period (1200-1500), the land either side of Ilford Lane belonged to two manor houses which later became farms.

Up Hall (probably meaning ‘Upper Hall’) occupied the land to the west of Ilford Lane. The area was later called Uphall.

Loxford Hall occupied the land to the east of Ilford Lane.

Map showing Up Hall and Loxford Hall, 1777
Map of the County of Essex 1777 by John Chapman & Peter André

Up Hall was farmed by nearby Barking Abbey, an important site of wealth and power. In 1539, Barking Abbey was closed by King Henry VIII. Uphall was sold and became a private farm. Uphall farmhouse survived until 1952 when it was demolished after being damaged in the Second World War.

Uphall farmhouse, 1935 Redbridge Heritage Centre p988

Loxford Hall, 1929. The foreground is now Loxford Park Redbridge Heritage Centre p1422

The area to the east of Ilford Lane was part of the medieval manor of Loxford.

Loxford means ‘On the land of Locca’. It is thought Locca was a local Anglo-Saxon ruler. A ‘ford’ is a crossing point, in this case over the Loxford stream which runs into the nearby River Roding.

The original Loxford Hall dated to around the 1400s. It was demolished in 1830 when a new Loxford Hall was built. Much of Loxford’s farmland was sold for housing in 1901.

Loxford Hall itself remained as a small farm until 1923 when it was sold to Ilford Council who turned the land into allotments (1926) and Loxford Park (1932). Until this time, Loxford Lane was a narrow country lane but was then made up as a modern road.

After the Second World War, temporary prefabricated housing, known as ‘prefabs’, were built behind Loxford Hall. These were later replaced by permanent flats and houses. Loxford Hall was used a health clinic until 2019, after which it was turned into private flats.