Blue Heritage Plaque - Percy Thompson
Published: 20 February 2026
PRESS RELEASE
BLUE HERITAGE PLAQUE
PERCY
THOMPSON
(1866-1953)
Historian of Loughton
Lived here
A dedication ceremony was held on 19 February 2026, marking the 51st Loughton Town Council heritage plaque, installed in December last year at 62 The Uplands, IG10 1NH, commemorating Percy Thompson, a Loughton historian.
Our thanks to homeowner, Sue Fox, for holding this event. She was joined by her daughter Emily, friends
and other residents from The Uplands, Loughton Town Mayor, Cllr David Wixley
and fellow Town Councillors, alongside members from the Loughton & District
Historical Society (LDHS) and Essex Field Club (EFC), two of the organisations
that Percy Thompson was a member of. In
the absence of Cllr Pond, Chair of the Environment & Heritage Committee,
and President of the LDHS, Bill George from the EFC, Paul Webster secretary of
the LDHS and Richard Morris, local historian gave short talks on Percy
Thompson, with a few words from former resident of the house, Alan Cox. Town
Mayor, Cllr David Wixley finished the ceremony with a brief talk about
Loughton’s Blue Heritage Plaque Scheme and its importance in the local
community.
Percival George Thompson was born in Rotherhithe in 1866. He trained originally as a draughtsman then as an architect and later became a Town Planner. He moved to Loughton in 1893, becoming an enthusiastic local historian and naturalist, and serving as Chairman of Loughton Urban District Council, 1918-1920. Thompson's publications included The Story of the Parish Church of Loughton, Essex (1946) and contributions to nature journals. He was Curator of Queen Elizabeth's Lodge Museum, Chingford from 1917-1948.
Research by Percy Thompson focused on the history of the parish and topography of Loughton, including the churches, chapels, schools, local government, cricket club and notable buildings; maps; plans; transcripts of records and monumental inscriptions; copies of souvenir programmes; and photographs.
Thompson became a member of the EFC, a voluntary organisation founded in 1880, (with Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace among its founder members). It is the leading society for wildlife and geology enthusiasts in Essex, promoting the Study of Natural History, Geology and Pre-historic Archaeology in the County of Essex and its borderlands. He served as curator and secretary of the society, taking over as curator just after the war. Living through both World Wars, he continued to look after the EFC during those periods, with some of the meetings actually being held at this residence. He was a prolific curator of records, a polymath, a great man. His collection is still held at the headquarters at Wat Tyler Country Park in Pitsea, Basildon.
It is believed that Thompson actually designed 62 The Uplands, built between 1904 and 1908, where he lived until his health began to deteriorate, moving to Buckinghamshire in 1951 to be looked after by his daughter. The Cox family who lived at the house following Thompson, sold off part of the garden to the side of the house to build the existing neighbouring property. During their residence they found many artefacts, believed to have been buried by Thompson for safe keeping in the garden, including a marble bowl, sundials, flints and axe heads, some of which remain with the Cox family today.
Thompson died in 1953 and is buried in Loughton Cemetery.
End
Note to Editor:
Photo attached:
Blue heritage plaque and inscription + a photo from the dedication ceremony
The plaque inscription reads:
PERCY
THOMPSON
(1866-1953)
Historian of Loughton
Lived here
Gathering outside 62 The Uplands, at the dedication ceremony for the heritage plaque commemorating Percy Thompson, Loughton Historian.
This
latest plaque brings the total installed by the Town Council to 51 (with one
further plaque having been installed prior to our scheme commencing).
More information can be found on the town council’s website at
Blue Heritage Plaques - Loughton Town Council (loughton-tc.gov.uk)
Contact:
Mark Squire or Debra Paris
020 8508 4200
19 February 2026