Coordinates: 51°38′44″N 0°05′02″E / 51.6455°N 0.0838°E / 51.6455; 0.0838

Debden
Debden  Debden shown within Essex
OS grid reference	TQ442962
Parish	Loughton
District	Epping Forest
Shire county	Essex
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LOUGHTON
Postcode district	IG10
Dialling code	020
Police	Essex
Fire	Essex
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Epping Forest
List of places: UK • England • Essex

Debden is a suburb of the town of Loughton, in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. The area is predominantly residential, but is also the location of Epping Forest College, East 15 Acting School and the De La Rue printing works.^[1] It forms part of the Greater London Urban Area and is one of a limited number of places outside Greater London to be served by the London Underground.

Contents 1 History 2 Economy 3 Transport 4 Sports and culture 5 References

[edit] History

Debden originated as a manor of 40 acres in the Ongar hundred of Essex.^[2] The manor became the property of Waltham Abbey in 1086. By about 1254 the manor of Loughton had absorbed Debden. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540 the manor passed to the king and later to private owners. In 1944 John Maitland sold 644 acres (261 ha) of land to the London County Council for the building of a housing estate.^[2] The Debden Estate was constructed between 1947 and 1952.^[1] A station on the London Underground was opened at Debden in 1949,^[3] replacing the Chigwell Lane railway station that had originally opened on the Eastern Counties Railway in 1865. Because of post-war restrictions on building, a supermarket could not be opened until 1952.^[4]

[edit] Economy

There is considerable light industry, including the De La Rue print works which prints Bank of England banknotes. The headquarters of Higgins Group PLC moved to Debden in 2005.^[5] and in 2008, Amstrad announced their intention to move the group HQ to Debden from Brentwood. The Broadway comprises one of Loughton's two main shopping centres, and forms an architecturally-important parade consisting mainly of family-run shops together with a small weekly market.^[1]

[edit] Transport

Despite its location outside Greater London, the area is served by Debden tube station on the London Underground. Debden is located next to the M11 motorway, about 2 miles (3.2 km) from its junction with the M25 motorway.^[1] There are Transport for London bus services connecting with Walthamstow, Ilford and Chingford in London; whilst other operators provide bus services to destinations in Essex such as Waltham Abbey, Lakeside, Epping and Chigwell.

Route Number	Route	Operator	Notes
20	Debden Broadway to Walthamstow Central via Woodford Green	Arriva London	Daily. TfL service
43 School	Chigwell Row to Debden Debden Park High School via Chigwell	TWH Bus & Coach	Mon-Fri schooldays.
55	Loughton Station to Harlow Bus Station via Epping	TWH Bus & Coach	Monday to Friday. Also see route H1
167	Debden Broadway to Ilford via Barkingside	Docklands Buses	Daily. TfL service
240/250	Debden Broadway to Waltham Cross via Waltham Abbey	Arriva Shires & Essex	Daily. Operated by Regal Busways on Sundays. Route 240 only runs on Sundays.
397	Debden Broadway to South Chingford via Chingford	Arriva London	Daily. TfL service.
541	Loughton Station to Epping Hospital (daily) / Harlow (Evenings and Sundays) via Abridge	Arriva Shires & Essex	Daily. Extended from Epping Hospital to Harlow on Sundays and evenings
542/543 Circulars	Loughton Station to Debden Broadway via Loughton Estates	Arriva Shires & Essex	Mondays to Saturdays
575	Epping High Street to Romford and Lakeside via Abridge	Blue Triangle	Mondays to Fridays.
804	Debden Broadway to Loughton Station / Buckhurst Hill Monkhams Inn / Chigwell West Hatch School	Blue Triangle	Mon-Fri schooldays. For normal passengers during the day.
H1	Loughton Station to Harlow Bus Station via Epping and North Weald	Regal Busways	Saturday only. Also see route 55
X55	Debden Broadway to Harlow Town Station via Epping	TWH Bus & Coach	Limited stop service. School and College days only

[edit] Sports and culture

The local Debden Sports Club, founded in 1948, includes a football team that competes in local leagues.Debden. ^[6] There is an annual Debden Day celebration. ^[7]. Debden is the location of the The British Postal Museum Store.^[8]. Debden Community Association was founded c.1950 and formerly had premises at Loughton Hall and on land owned by Epping Forest College.

[edit] References