Whipps Cross
Encyclopedia
Whipps Cross is an area of the London Borough of Waltham Forest
in London
, England. It is most famous for Whipps Cross University Hospital
.
) with Whipps Cross Road (A114) and Wood Street (B160
). It lay on the boundary of the former civil parish
es and Municipal Borough
s of Walthamstow
and Leyton
, which were both incorporated into Waltham Forest in 1965. It is the highest point in Leyton at 63 metres above sea level.
The area to the south and west of Whipps Cross is residential, mainly terraced housing built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the south side of the Whipps Cross junction is a large Victorian house which is used as a Territorial Army
Centre by 68 Signal Squadron
of the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
. Adjacent to this building is a war memorial
in the form of a Celtic cross
, to the 7th Battalion, the Essex Regiment
(Territorial) and other local Territorial Army units of both World Wars. It bears the inscription "WE ARE THE DEAD. TO YOU WITH FAILING HANDS WE THROW THE TORCH; BE YOURS TO HOLD IT HIGH." This memorial was moved from Church Hill, Walthamstow when the TA drill hall there closed in the 1950s.
The area to the south and east of the junction, on the southern side of Whipps Cross Road, was once the site of Forest House but has for the last century been occupied by Whipps Cross Hospital. To the north and east of Whipps Cross is an area of Epping Forest
called Leyton Flats, which features a lake created from old gravel pits called the Hollow Pond.
set up by a member of the family of one John Phyppe. Further versions on maps and deeds are Phyppys Crosse in 1517, Fypps Chrosse 1537, Phippes Cross 1572, and finally Whipps Cross by 1636. The change in the initial consonant
is thought to have been a product of the local Essex dialect
at that time, in which "F" sounds were pronounced as "W". These early examples disprove a local legend, which supposes that the name derives from it being the place where those found guilty of breaking the forest laws were whipped.
in 1492. Forrest House had been built by 1568 and was rebuilt before 1625. In 1658, George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich
acquired the estate by marriage. His second son, Charles, Lord Goring
, enlarged the estate and is buried in Leyton Parish Church. Ownership of Forest House passed to Sir Henry Capell
who sold it to James Houblon in 1682, who immediately started to build a new house on the site in the English Baroque
style with a Doric
porch. Houblon was a wealthy City
merchant of Huguenot
descent, whose sons John
and Abraham were born at Forest House. In 1703, the estate was sold to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, the last Lord Mayor of London
to ride on horeseback at the Lord Mayor's Show
. The estate was sold to the Bosenquet family in 1743, and it remained in their hands until 1889, when it was sold to the West Ham
Board of Guardians
who established a work house there. During World War I
, the work house infirmary was used to treat wounded soldiers and this became Whipps Cross Hospital in 1917. In that year, it was visited by King George V and Queen Mary
. The mansion itself became a ward for male mental patients. It was finally demolished in 1964 and only part of the garden wall (thought to date from 1641) remains.
London Borough of Waltham Forest
The London Borough of Waltham Forest is in northeast London, England. Officially, it forms part of Outer London as it borders Essex. However, it can be seen that the NE London boundary does not extend far compared to elsewhere in the city...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England. It is most famous for Whipps Cross University Hospital
Whipps Cross University Hospital
Whipps Cross University Hospital is an NHS-run University Hospital in Whipps Cross, Waltham Forest, London, United Kingdom which housed London's first Hyperbaric Unit....
.
The environs
The name "Whipps Cross" specifically applies to the junction of Lea Bridge Road (A104A roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
List of A roads in zone 1 in Great Britain beginning north of the Thames, east of the A1 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four-digit roads :-Four-digit roads :...
) with Whipps Cross Road (A114) and Wood Street (B160
B roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme
B roads are numbered routes in Great Britain of lesser importance than A roads. See the article Great Britain road numbering scheme for the rationale behind the numbers allocated.-Zone 1 :-Zone 1 :...
). It lay on the boundary of the former civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
es and Municipal Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
s of Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
and Leyton
Leyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
, which were both incorporated into Waltham Forest in 1965. It is the highest point in Leyton at 63 metres above sea level.
The area to the south and west of Whipps Cross is residential, mainly terraced housing built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On the south side of the Whipps Cross junction is a large Victorian house which is used as a Territorial Army
Territorial Army
The Territorial Army is the part time volunteer force of the British Army. With around 35,500 members, the TA forms about a quarter of the overall manpower strength of the British Army. TA members regularly volunteer to serve overseas on operations, either with TA units, or as individuals...
Centre by 68 Signal Squadron
68 Signal Squadron
68 Signal Squadron is a British Territorial Army unit of the Royal Corps of Signals. It operates out of three locations: a townhouse in Lincoln's Inn, Central London; a more barrack-style premises in Whipps Cross, Leytonstone some 17 kilometers away in East London; and at the TA Centre housing...
of the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
Known by its new title since 2009, the Inns of Court & City and Essex Yeomanry is a Royal Signals squadron in the British Territorial Army with its headquarters in Chancery Lane, London...
. Adjacent to this building is a war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
in the form of a Celtic cross
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
, to the 7th Battalion, the Essex Regiment
Essex Regiment
The Essex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army that saw active service from 1881 to 1958. Members of the regiment were recruited from across Essex county. Its lineage is continued by the Royal Anglian Regiment.-Origins:...
(Territorial) and other local Territorial Army units of both World Wars. It bears the inscription "WE ARE THE DEAD. TO YOU WITH FAILING HANDS WE THROW THE TORCH; BE YOURS TO HOLD IT HIGH." This memorial was moved from Church Hill, Walthamstow when the TA drill hall there closed in the 1950s.
The area to the south and east of the junction, on the southern side of Whipps Cross Road, was once the site of Forest House but has for the last century been occupied by Whipps Cross Hospital. To the north and east of Whipps Cross is an area of Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
called Leyton Flats, which features a lake created from old gravel pits called the Hollow Pond.
Origin of the name
The name is first mentioned in local records of the late fourteenth century as Phip's cross, referring to a wayside crossCalvary (sculpture)
A calvary is a type of monumental public crucifix, sometimes encased in an open shrine, most commonly found across northern France from Brittany east and through Belgium and equally familiar as wayside structures provided with minimal sheltering roofs in Italy and Spain...
set up by a member of the family of one John Phyppe. Further versions on maps and deeds are Phyppys Crosse in 1517, Fypps Chrosse 1537, Phippes Cross 1572, and finally Whipps Cross by 1636. The change in the initial consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
is thought to have been a product of the local Essex dialect
Essex dialect
The Essex dialect is rapidly disappearing variation of East Anglian English and is now mainly confined to the middle, north and the east of Essex. It shares vast similarities with both Suffolk and Norfolk dialects, with its own peculiarities...
at that time, in which "F" sounds were pronounced as "W". These early examples disprove a local legend, which supposes that the name derives from it being the place where those found guilty of breaking the forest laws were whipped.
Forest House
The Forest House estate lay to the south of Whipps Cross Road and west of James Lane. It has its origins in a lease of land granted by the Abbot of Stratford Langthorne AbbeyStratford Langthorne Abbey
Stratford Langthorne Abbey, or the Abbey of St Mary's, Stratford Langthorne was a Cistercian monastery founded in 1135 at Stratford Langthorne — then Essex but now Stratford in the London Borough of Newham...
in 1492. Forrest House had been built by 1568 and was rebuilt before 1625. In 1658, George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich
George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich
George Goring, 1st Earl of Norwich was an English soldier.He was the son of George Goring of Hurstpierpoint and Ovingdean, Sussex, and of Anne Denny, sister of Edward Denny, 1st Earl of Norwich. He matriculated from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1600, and may subsequently have spent some...
acquired the estate by marriage. His second son, Charles, Lord Goring
Charles Goring, 2nd Earl of Norwich
Charles Goring, 2nd Earl of Norwich was an English soldier and aristocrat.The second son of Sir George Goring. Like his father and brother, he fought for the King in the English Civil War, being colonel of a regiment of horse at the Battle of Langport in 1645. After the death of his elder brother,...
, enlarged the estate and is buried in Leyton Parish Church. Ownership of Forest House passed to Sir Henry Capell
Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury
Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC was a seventeenth century English politician.-Background:...
who sold it to James Houblon in 1682, who immediately started to build a new house on the site in the English Baroque
English Baroque
English Baroque is a term sometimes used to refer to the developments in English architecture that were parallel to the evolution of Baroque architecture in continental Europe between the Great Fire of London and the Treaty of Utrecht ....
style with a Doric
Doric
Doric may refer to:* Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians* Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture* Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode* Doric dialect...
porch. Houblon was a wealthy City
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
merchant of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
descent, whose sons John
John Houblon
Sir John Houblon was the first Governor of the Bank of England from 1694 to 1697.-Biography:Sir John was the third son of James Houblon, a London merchant, and his wife, Mary Du Quesne, daughter of Jean Du Quesne, the younger...
and Abraham were born at Forest House. In 1703, the estate was sold to Sir Gilbert Heathcote, the last Lord Mayor of London
Lord Mayor of London
The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...
to ride on horeseback at the Lord Mayor's Show
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
. The estate was sold to the Bosenquet family in 1743, and it remained in their hands until 1889, when it was sold to the West Ham
West Ham
West Ham is in the London Borough of Newham in London, England. In the west it is a post-industrial neighbourhood abutting the site of the London Olympic Park and in the east it is mostly residential, consisting of Victorian terraced housing interspersed with higher density post-War social housing...
Board of Guardians
Board of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
who established a work house there. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the work house infirmary was used to treat wounded soldiers and this became Whipps Cross Hospital in 1917. In that year, it was visited by King George V and Queen Mary
Queen Mary
-Monarchs:* Maria of Montferrat , queen regnant of Jerusalem, daughter of Isabella I of Jerusalem and Conrad of Montferrat and mother of Isabella II of Jerusalem...
. The mansion itself became a ward for male mental patients. It was finally demolished in 1964 and only part of the garden wall (thought to date from 1641) remains.