surrounded by three large parks: the dense woodlands of Havering Country Park (site of one of only two redwood plantations in England, imported from California); Bedfords Park; and Pyrgo Park. The most notable residence in the village now is Bower House, built in 1729 by John Baynes, using some of the materials of the former Havering Palace. The area is on the route of the London Loop long-distance footpath. A village sign, funded by the East London Community Foundation and Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society, was unveiled by Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, on 3 September 2010. Churches and Schools Dame Tipping School in the village was founded by Dame Anne Tipping who was daughter of Thomas Chief, a governor of the Tower of London. The school opened in 1891 and is still operating today with the same main building that was used when the school was founded, although the school has had various changes and extensions through the years . Immanuel School, on the site of the old Havering Grange at the bottom of Orange Tree Hill, is a Christian school operated by Immanuel Ministries for children ages 3 to 16. St John the Evangelist is a Church of England church which is located facing the green. It was built in 1878 to replace an older chapel dedicated to St Mary that had its origins as part of Havering Palace. The palace also had a private chapel dedicated to St Edward. Transport Transport is quite limited in this area, with only one main bus route, route 375. Route 575 also passes through the area, but this only has one return journey. Also see London Bus Routes. The nearest railway station is at Romford. There are frequent services from Romford Station to London and East Anglia. Both routes 375 and 575 can be used to reach here. Notable people Joseph Pemberton, rosarian. Will Ospreay, professional wrestler. References Past, Present and Future of Havering DVD External links Havering-Atte-Bower Football Club Havering-Atte-Bower Cricket Club Havering-atte-Bower Conservation Society Populated places established in the 11th century Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Havering Villages in London