History

The earliest reference to the estate subsequently known as Stubbers was in 1334. The name comes from William Stubber who owned the house in the 15th century. In the early 17th century it was the home of William Coys, a well known botanist, who established a walled garden that subsequently provided plants for the establishment of Kew Gardens. The garden contained 342 plant species and in 1604 a yucca plant bloomed there, for the first time in England. In 1689, the estate was bought by Sir William Russell and remained in the family for nearly 300 years. Humphry Repton

Humphry Repton

Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...

was commissioned to suggest how the gardens could be landscaped and produced a "Red Book". On Repton's advice, the Coys garden was removed. Writing in 1951, before the house was demolished, Glynn Morgan described the southern facade as "attractive". To the east of the house was a dovecot with 662 nesting boxes.

Current usage

The house was demolished in 1955 and the grounds are now the site of an activity centre. In August 2011, it was announced that Havering Council had agreed to sell the land to the activity centre.