Strolling through Wanstead Park today, the casual observer may be completely oblivious to the fact that the ground they are walking on was once one of the grandest estates in England, and at it’s centre stood a house so impressive it was even compared to Versailles.

The reason that they may be oblivious to this? Well, simply because in 1822, the house was demolished, wiped almost completely from the face of the Earth. The story of how that came to pass reads like a Hollywood blockbuster. If ever there was a case of fact being stranger than fiction, this is it…
 
While there had been a settlement at Wanstead for hundreds of years (dating back to Roman times), things started getting really interesting when Sir Josiah Child, who made his fortune as govenor of the East India Company, purchased the estate in 1667. At that time, the estate was looking tired, but Josiah ploughed in large amounts of money and no little effort, formalising the gardens, planting large numbers of trees and diverting the nearby River Roding through canals to create a series of ornamental ponds (which can still be seen today).
 
Sir Josiah died in 1699 and the estate passed to his son, also Sir Josiah Child who leased the estate to his half brother, Sir Richard Child. When Sir Josiah passed away in 1704, Sir Richard inhereted his title and estates.
 
Italy, and in particular it’s architecture and gardens were a particular passion of Sir Richard and now that he held the estate and the fortune that went with it, he set about exploring this passion in the grandest possible way. In 1715, Richard commissioned leading Scottish architect Colen Campbell to design a house in the neo-classical “Palladian” style. The designs for the house were indeed impressive with the planned building measuring 260x 70 feet. The existing house was demolished and work began on it’s replacement in earnest.
 
The house took seven years to complete at a cost of £360,000. The facade was built from portland stone, with a centerpiece of six Corinthian columns supporting a 60 foot wide pediment. No expense had been spared inside the house either, the finest craftsmen had been employed to creating a lavish decor with murals and painted ceilings.
 
Once the house was completed, Richard set about enjoying the fruit of his work in fine style. Hogarth’s ’An Assembly at Wanstead House’ depicts a scene which goes some way toward showing the opulence of the interior.
 

Richard later took the name First Earl of Tylney, and on his death in 1750 was succeeded by his son, John. The second Earl continued to add to the fine works of art in the house and develop the lavish gardens. But the one thing John didn’t have was a child, so when he died the estate passed (via the female line) to  Sir James Long of Draycot, who adopted the name Tylney-Long. Sir James had a son, also James, and an older daughter, Catherine. When Sir James died in 1794 the estate passed to his son, but the youngster tragically died when he was only 10 or 11. Catherine inhereted everything and overnight became the richest woman in England outside of the Royal Family.

Naturally, finding herself in this enviable position, Catherine had many suitors. She had the pick of the country’s eligible young batchelors. Unfortunately for Catherine, she chose badly. In 1812, she married William Wellesly-Pole, nephew of the Duke of Wellington and well known scoundrel. After the marriage, the couple moved into Wanstead and Wellesly set about spending poor Catherine’s fortune. His extravegant lifestyle was such that by 1822 he had spent the lot. Wellesley, Catherine and their three children moved to Italy and the contents of the house were sold off to raise funds. Sadly, the funds raised were not enough to meet the Wellesley’s debts and the house itself was sold to a group of builders for the paltry sum of £10,000. Tragically, the house was broken up and sold off piecemeal, even down to the bricks until absolutely nothing remained.
 
Not surprisingly, Wellesley started an affair with a married woman and Catherine returned to England with her children. With here estate gone and her life in tatters, the poor woman died a year later, some say of a broken heart.
 
As for Wellesley, he married again. Not surprisingly, he left his second wife finanially ruined as well and ended his days alone, living in poverty.
 
Today in Wanstead Park, there are still clues to the past that remain. The gateposts in Overton Drive, ”The Temple” and “The Grotto” are perhaps the most evident. But the ornamental lakes also remain largely intact. Some evidence of the formality of the gardens can also been seen in the remains of avenues of trees.