Copford Place fire pictures show damages in aftermath

Four crews from Colchester, Coggeshall and Tiptree were called to Copford Place, in London Road, Copford, on Monday evening. 

The building, which was covered with scaffolding, is on the buildings at risk register.

The timber-framed house was built in the 18th century and previously a home for distressed women in the 1950s.

The fire service has since recorded the fire as "deliberate".

Now new pictures of the site show how the fire has damaged the building. 

Corrugated roofing can be seen hanging down and sheeting on scaffolding burnt away.  

The building and grounds have a rich history and has been used for many things including a prisoner of war camp and was also the final home of Essex painter Tirzah Garwood who died of cancer in 1951.

Stanway historian Christina Edwards’ article on the History of Copford, showed the building was a rented property belonging to the Manor of Copford.

Gardens - Copford place (Image: Andrew Waters) This means through investigating the extensive Manor Court Roll, in 1381 it can be shown that the land of the building belonged to the Fordes, who held land on both sides of London Road.

The tenement, or dwelling, varied in size over the centuries, and some sources suggest that by the 19th century, or earlier, it had become red-brick two storey house.

Artist - A painting by Tirzah Garwood who died of cancer in Copford Place in 1951 (Image: Andrew Waters) During World War Two, the Copford Women’s Institute ran a jam and preserve initiative at Copford Place with the tenant’s Mrs Law’s permission and Italian prisoners of war were kept in a makeshift camp in the field – with dinners being made for the prisoners.

In 1947, Susannah Sharp purchased the house and made it a retirement home for ‘gentlefolk”, and after her death in 1977, in 1980 Copford Place came into the possession of Help the Aged.

Postcord - Copford Hall seen in what is estimated to be 1910 (Image: Andrew Waters) In 1998, the house was converted into self-contained flats, but regulation changes made them impossible to use.

Copford resident Nigel Sagar said: “Historian Andrew Water’s photos of the gardens with the ponds from the 1950s and 1960s shows you how beautiful the garden was there, that time it would have been a described as a home for gentle folk.

“This is where the artist Tizar did her painting, included is a painted sketch of hers from an old lady who is a resident there

 “It was a local landmark”.

It was more lately used as a care home before it was shut and the site fell into disrepair.

The building was subject to a planning bid with developers wanting to turn it into eight flats.

The bid, which was due to be decided on by Colchester Council by the end of the month, also proposed turning the stables into a house and creating 28 homes in the grounds.