Langtons

Langtons is a grade II listed 18th century house and public gardens situated in Hornchurch in the London Borough of Havering, East London.

The house stands in a picturesque landscaped garden with a lake, orangery, bath house and a gazebo; all dating from the eighteenth century. The house belonged to the Massu family, Huguenot refugees from France, who became wealthy silk merchants in the City of London.

Langtons was given to Hornchurch Urban District Council in 1929 under the condition that the building must be used for council purposes and the six acres (24,000 m²) of grounds remain open to the public. The gardens remain open as one of the parks and open spaces in Havering. Fielders Sports Ground, north of the site, was once also part of the gardens. The building housed the council offices until the council was abolished in 1965 and Havering London Borough Council, based in Romford, was created.

It now houses a registry office with function rooms and has become a popular venues for weddings. Due to an administration error the registry office was found to be unlicenced from October 2004 to March 2005 with around 80 marriages affected. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4406019.stm BBC News] - Office mistake may void marriages. 3 April 2005.] Despite the error, all were later found by the High Court to be legally valid. [ [http://www.havering.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6958 Havering London Borough Council] - "Langtons weddings declared valid". 20 June 2006.]

References

External links

* [http://www.havering.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=554 Havering London Borough Council webpage about Langtons]