298
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
In the Entrance Hall, where hung, appropriately enough, an excellent
copy of Ralph Peacock's well-known painting of "The Two Sisters,"
now in the Tate Gallery, Mr. Barns read a detailed account of the history
of the building and its former owners, of which address the following
is an abstract :—
Higham Hills, or Highams, is really the manor house of the Waltham-
stow manor of Higham Benstead, and it stands wholly in Walthamstow.
The old manor house at Higham Hill, which I had the pleasure of
describing to you when the Essex Field Club visited it just over twelve
years ago, latterly known as Essex Hall, has only recently been
demolished, and the panelling and fireplace removed to the Walthamstow
Museum. It was anciently the seat of the Rowe family, and it was
purchased from them, together with the manor, by Richard Newman
in 1762, in which year he was high sheriff of Essex. He retained it for
two years, selling it in 1764 to Anthony Bacon, M.P. for Aylesbury.
When the estate came into Bacon's hands the manor house built in 1596
by Sir William Rowe, after having been considerably reduced in size
in 1683, had suffered such further reduction that in 1756 only the western
portion of the building remained, and that "so strangely deformed by an
"artless contriver as to retain little or no resemblance of what it formerly
"was." Still more ill-treatment was meted out to this ancient house, so
that in 17,86 it is related by Edward Rowe Mores, the last descendant
of the Rowe family, that "this amiable seat, falling into bad hands, has
"so deplorably suffered under the merciless clutches of a bungling
"carpenter, whose endeavours were to make the most of the materials
"which composed it, that scarcely any traces of its ancient grandeur
"are now remaining." Naturally Anthony Bacon was dissatisfied with
the decayed remains of a once fine house, probably regarding it as un-
worthy of the dignity of a manorial hall and perhaps considering the site,
overlooking the Lea valley, as unsuitable ; he decided not to attempt
reconditioning or rebuilding, but determined to erect a new house, on a
new site, on high ground, on the extreme edge of his domain, within a
few yards of the Woodford boundary ; so in 1768 he built for himself
this house, so long known as "Highams." The description given of it
by a contemporary writer in Brayley and Britton's "Beauties of England
and Wales" is :—"The house, a square brick building with wings, is seated
"on a high ridge of ground, which slopes to the east and to the west ;
"in both these directions the prospects are extensive, diversified and
"beautiful. On the north-west the eye is directed over a finely wooded
"country into Hertfordshire, to the west and south-west are the hills
"of Highgate and the spires of the metropolis. The east front commands
"a rich woodland prospect over parts of Hainault Forest, the Vale of
"the Thames, etc., which are shut in by a ridge of the Kent Hills. On
"the western side of the house is a fine park, bounded by parts of Epping
''Forest to the north and south, and by a piece of water at the bottom.
The whole is encompassed by a winding walk, which, contiguous to
"the house, is ornamented with numerous indigenous and exotic trees
"and shrubs and is afterwards conducted through the Forest."
In 1763 Anthony Bacon was Chief Forester and Ranger of Waltham
Forest.