Hawkwood House, Chingford, c1921 (Image: Gary Stonee: (Image: Gary Stone)
Built in 1854 for banker and keen astronomer Richard Hodgson, the Hawkwood House estate covered 300 acres including parts of Epping Forest.
Bomb damage during WWII and generral neglect led to the house being demolished in 1951.
OrganicLea, a workers’ co-operative for locally grown food leased the the site in 2010.
A successful campaign by local groups to open a nature reserve around the Hawkwood pond was also established.
- Follow Gary Stone on Twitter @eppinghistory
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