Belhus, Essex

Belhus is a golf course, country park and former stately home in Aveley, Essex, England, and an integral part of the new Thames Chase woodland planned for the area.

Belhus, Essex

Belhus c. 1818
Belhus, Essex
Location within Essex
OS grid referenceTQ575815
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
PoliceEssex
FireEssex
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

Origin and history
A fallen tree in Belhus Wood

The name is derived from Belhus mansion which was the home of the Barrett-Lennard family (named after the 14th century owner, Nicholas de Belhus).[1]

The house was visited by Queen Elizabeth I in 1578.[2] Belhus was among the properties owned by Dorothy, Lady Dacre, after the death of her husband.[3] After her own death, an inventory was taken of her possessions at Belhus.[4]

A 17th-century curtain from Belhus was donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum by Mrs John Pollock, daughter of Sir Richard Barrett-Lennard, 5th Baronet.[5]

In the middle of the 18th century, the mansion was substantially altered to conform to the fashionable "gothic" style.[6] Thurrock Museum has a 19th-century copy of an earlier original painting showing how the mansion looked around 1710.[7]

The portrait of Mary Neville, Baroness Dacre, that once hung at Belhus

Among the family portraits at Belhus was a work by Hans Eyworth - Mary Neville, Baroness Dacre - now in the National Gallery of Canada.[8] This was seen at Belhus in 1761 by the art historian, Horace Walpole.[9]

The Barrett-Lennard family auctioned the contents of Belhus in 1923 and the house was demolished after World War II, due to suffering bomb damage as well as vandalism from the military personnel who were stationed there. The mansion gave its name to the manor of Belhus.

Belhus today

The grounds around the mansion were landscaped by Capability Brown in the 1740s and 1750s.[10] Some of the features including earthen mounds can be seen in the original parkland which is currently used for part of the golf course operated by Impulse Leisure. The remains of the mansion can still be seen on the 10th hole of the golf course.

The 'long pond' is another feature designed by Capability Brown although it was actually built by Richard Woods.[11] It can still be seen, although the construction of the M25 motorway has robbed it of its original rural setting. A wooded country park has been developed using other parts of the grounds of the house.

Some parts of the original interior are in the Thurrock Museum, including a magnificent fireplace. Other parts of the interior were rescued when the house was demolished and are displayed at Valence House Museum, Dagenham.

Notes
  1. Reaney, Placenames of Essex
  2. John Nichols, The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth
  3. "the Wrest Park Portrait". Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  4. Essex Record Office
  5. Victoria and Albert Museum
  6. Lost Heritage Archived July 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Art UK
  8. National Gallery of Canada
  9. Strong, Roy (1995). The Tudor and Stuart Monarchy :Pageantry, Painting, Iconography. Vol. 1, Tudor. The Boydell Press. p. 118.
  10. Cap. Brown "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 September 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Retrieved 23/10/07
  11. "Belhus". The Capability Brown Festival. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
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