Mid 19th century farmhouse and later town museum, 'Spurrier's House', Harlow Town Park (EHER 82865)

Spurrier’s House was constructed in the early 1860s for William Cox, from yellow stock brick laid in Flemish bond. This small estate was purchased by Harlow District Council in 1965 and formed the nucleus of an area intended for civic entertainment, later known as Spurrier’s Core, in Harlow Town Park.

July 2015. Building recording. Spurrier’s House is located at the north-west end of Spurrier’s Core and was constructed in the early 1860s for William Cox, from yellow stock brick laid in Flemish bond. The building comprises a main two-storey rectangular range with a hipped slate roof and a smaller two-storey range to the south, also with a hipped slate roof. On the south side of this there is a single-storey service wing with a hipped slate roof. On the north elevation is a blue plaque commemorating the work of Dame Sylvia Crowe, principal designer of Harlow Town Park, where the building is situated. Harlow Town Park, unlike earlier Victorian parks, incorporated private dwellings within its boundaries. One of these was Spurrier’s House, a large dwelling with two stable blocks (EHER 82866), a lodge and eight acres of grounds, including a walled garden. This small estate was purchased by Harlow District Council in 1965 and formed the nucleus of an area intended for civic entertainment, later known as Spurrier’s Core. The stable blocks (EHER 82866) were incorporated into Pets Corner, which opened in 1966. A single-storey toilet block was constructed on the west side of Spurrier’s House, probably for the convenience of visitors to the petting zoo. In 1971 a single-storey extension was constructed on the south-east corner of the House, providing additional space for the Town Museum and a drinks dispensary. In 1973 the Museum was moved and a further extension constructed against the east stable block, creating a much larger café. <1>