Dating back to medieval times, Valence House is the only surviving of the five manor houses that existed in what is now the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Standing in the delightful setting of Valence Park, the timber framed building, which is still partially surrounded by a moat dug over 700 years ago, now hosts the local history museum for Barking & Dagenham.
Once the most important house in the area, Valence House now displays an impressive collection of more than 20,000 objects that tell the story of the borough through the ages. Ranging from whalebones to more than 70 portraits of various members of the Fanshawe family, who resided there in the 17th and 18th centuries, the artefacts shown span a wide period of time, from the Prehistoric to the modern day. The museum also holds an impressive collection of archaeological material and archives from sites across Barking and Dagenham.
As well as exploring the museum and learning the fascinating history of the house, visitors can enjoy the tranquil gardens surrounding the building, which have achieved the prestigious Green Flag and London in Bloom awards and boast a Herb Garden with beds of roses and herbs, and a World War Two 'Victory garden'.
![Othello De'Souza-Hartley, from Absence (triptych) [detail]. From the commission Blind, but I can See, 2020. Commissioned by Autograph.](https://bigbangartfund-assets.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/whats-on/events/2021/care-contagion-community-self-and-other/db59eb6834a0d0422e4c249be54b7980-landscape.jpg)
