Adviser - Spring 2017

The Marks Hall Estate in Coggeshall extends to over 2,200 acres of some of Essex’s most beautiful countryside and comprises a historic and picturesque collection of farm holdings, residential and commercial property, semi-natural ancient woodland, coniferous woodlands, and parkland. Marks Hall is perhaps one of the county’s hidden treasures. At its heart is a world class arboretum: a stunning collection of trees from all over the temperate world. T he name Marks Hall refers not to the ‘hall’, but instead to the Saxon name of Mercheshalle, which was listed in the Doomsday Book. Marks Hall After the war the scars of military activity at Marks Hall were compounded by the demise of the mansion house and dereliction of the gardens. Left empty after the troops departed, the fitments of the house were put on sale and the great oaks, which had been so cherished by Thomas Phillips Price, were felled, presumably for the value of the timber. The deer park was overgrown, the walled garden was a tangle of weeds and the lakes were silted up.

was occupied as a private estate over many centuries with many changes to the dwellings on site. Archaeological digs have unearthed evidence of a medieval hall that was later replaced with a more substantial brick building during the Tudor period. By the Jacobean era the mansion had a three- storied front elevation and later additions included the crenellations, which gave the house a distinctive appearance. Thomas Phillips Price, an MP from Wales, purchased the property at auction in 1897. Phillips Price had an immense passion for the place and in particular for the majestic oak trees. He noted the exceptional size and beauty of this timber, which he acknowledged had been preserved with great care for centuries. In his 1927 will, Thomas Phillips Price bequeathed the estate ‘upon trust’ for the nation, to be used ‘for the advancement of Agriculture, Arboriculture and Forestry for ever’. He died in 1932, leaving a life interest for his widow, and on the death of Mrs Phillips Price in 1966 the estate reverted to the nation. The intervening years had not been kind to the estate as both the house and the grounds were used as a base for 3000 personnel from the RAF and the US Air Force during the Second World War. By 1945 the estate had become peppered with prefabricated military units and a network of concrete roads, some of which are still visible today.

2 2 | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | S E C T O R arboretum in the heart of Essex Marks Hall – an international Sarah Edwards of Marks Hall explains the background to the estate, and how a trust set up by the former owner in 1927 has protected the land for the nation

In 1966 work began to preserve the future of this once great estate. ‘It is a long time since I saw so much dereliction and destitution on one estate’ was one comment by an agent for the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. However, despite the alarming level of dilapidation, real potential could be seen in the landscape. Marks Hall began to be talked about as a potential arboretum. This perhaps, could be a way to fulfil the wishes laid out in the trust of Sir Thomas Phillips Price.

Photograph by Bryan Shaw, scuplture by Lucy Kinsella from Marks Hall Sculpture 2015

Mr and Mrs Phillips Price

C O R P O R A T E | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | 2 3

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