Cranham is an ancient parish bounded by Upminster on the west, and North Ockendon on the south. In the Middle Ages Cranham was more often known as Bishop's Ockenden since its chief manor was held by the bishop of London, but from the 15th century it was usually called Cranham. Domesday figures show Cranham as small and heavily wooded, but from the 15th century the process of forest clearance was advancing. Mixed farming, with arable predominating, became the economic mainstay of the parish throughout this time and into the 19th century. The population grew in the 19th century and there were 340 people living in farms or cottages in 1851. After the Second World War Cranham became a commuter suburb of London, with livery stables and riding schools largely replacing sheep and dairy farming. North Ockendon is a small country parish whose medieval name, 'Ockenden Setfountayns', derived from the lords of the manor, the Setfountayn family who acquired the manor in the 1200s. Settlement in the area was established in the Middle Ages, with a central village and a few outlying farms. Little has changed in the makeup of the parish over time, with farming remaining the main occupation. A mill once stood in North Ockendon, but was demolished in 1840. Among the many surviving buildings of historic interest are The Old Bakehouse, The Forge, both timber-framed buildings that were built on the Ockendon Road in the 17th century, and a rectory house that was rebuilt in 1750. North Ockendon Hall was destroyed during WWII, but its medieval moat is now part of Hall Farm flower nursery. In the 19th century some agricultural land was turned over to market gardening, and then some to gravel extraction by the middle of the 20th century. The village became part of Hornchurch Urban District in the 1930s, and then the London Borough of Havering in 1965.
General James Oglethorpe was a politician, social reformer and military leader. In 1722 he
successfully ran for Parliament, and in 1729 he campaigned for prison reform in England. He
had a long and varied career, which included founding the North American colony of Georgia in
1731. After many years abroad he met heiress Elizabeth Wright on a return visit to England in
1744. They married and lived at her inherited estate, Cranham Hall, until his death in 1785.
Cranham Hall, The Chase, Cranham. Whilst it is known that there was a house on the site of
Cranham Hall in about 1600, it was demolished in about 1789, and the present house on the
site
dates from around 1800. The nearby All Saints Church, was built in 1873, but an original
church on the site was recorded in 1310. There is a commemorative tablet to General Oglethorpe, one
of the Hall's most notable inhabitants, on its south wall.
The Church of St Mary Magdalene in Church Lane, North Ockendon, was built prior to 1075 on a
site dating back to c630, but after many alterations through the centuries, only the south
doorway of the church now dates from this time. The chancel dates from the 14th century, and
the pulpit from the 17th century. There was further restoration and improvements made in the
19th century.
tubbersS has a documented history dating back to 1334, although only the garden wall remains
from the original mansion. The estate was named after William Stubbers, a yeoman farmer who
had formed it between 1438 and 1463. Humphrey Repton, the great late Georgian landscape designer
provided designs for Stubbers in 1796, detailing them in one of the trademark Red Books (so
named for their red morocco binding) which he presented to his clients. The Red Book for
Stubbers still exists, and is held by the Essex Record Office.
William Coys the famous botanist, lived at Stubbers, North Ockendon, until his death in 1627. He cultivated many unusual species in his walled gardens, and established one of the earliest plant collections recorded in England. A hundred years later many of the plants from Stubbers were used to establish Kew Gardens.