Stubbers

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.[1] 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.[2] The garden contained 342 plant species and in 1604 a yucca plant bloomed there, for the first time in England.[3] In the book Early English Botanists Coys is attributed with compiling a list of his plants for John Goodyer of Hampshire, this being described as the oldest known list of plants from an English garden giving their scientific names.[4]

In 1689, the estate was bought by Sir William Russell, a London draper who included King Charles II among his acquaintances.[4] Stubbers remained in the Russel family for nearly 300 years, and Humphry Repton was commissioned to suggest how the gardens could be landscaped for which he produced a "Red Book".[5] On Repton's advice, the Coys garden was removed.[6] Writing in 1951, before the house was demolished, Glynn Morgan described the southern facade as "attractive".[7] To the east of the house was a dovecote with 662 nesting boxes.

Russell's Lake at Stubbers Activity Centre

The house was demolished in 1955 and the grounds are now the site of an activity centre.[8] In August 2011, it was announced that Havering Council had agreed to sell the land to the activity centre.[9]