Eastbury Manor House is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

situated in the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames G ...

Greater London Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality *Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record *Greater (song), "Greate ...

, England. It dates to the

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...

period, although the land on which it was built was formerly part of the

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

Barking Abbey Barking Abbey is a former royal monastery located in Barking, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It has been described as having been "one of the most important nunneries in the country". Originally established in the 7th century, fr ...

. The house is owned by the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

but has been managed since the 1930s by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and its predecessors. It is open to public for 10 months of every year.

History

The land on which Eastbury House now stands was once part of the

. The house was built in the 1570s by Clement Sisley, a wealthy merchant, who purchased the land after the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

of Barking Abbey. It was probably the first brick built building in the area at that time; it had glass windows and very high chimneys, indicating the wealth of the owner. Glass was probably imported from Italy as at that time English glass was relatively poor in quality. A

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, the study of climate and atmos ...

survey dates the timber roof to 1566 and there is documentary evidence which describes the dates 1572 carved in the brickwork and 1573 on a

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

water spout indicating finishing touches to the building. Daniel Lysons in his "Environs of London" commented: "There is a tradition relating to this house, either, as some say, that the conspirators who concerted the Gunpowder Plot held their meetings there, or as others, that it was the residence of Lord Monteagle when he received the letter that led to its discovery"; both, perhaps, equally devoid of foundation. The house fell into increasing dilapidation from the late 18th century. The Great Tower Staircase was demolished by 1814. Wooden flooring and original fireplaces were removed in the 1830s. By the late 19th century only the west wing of the house was habitable. In 1918 the house was bought by the

and was restored. In 1931 it opened as the Museum of Barking. The house is managed by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The building was given Grade I listed status in 1954. In recent years it has benefitted from a major restoration programme, financed through several successful Heritage Lottery Fund bids. The latest phase completed in 2010 includes a major permanent exhibition on the history of the building and its various owners.

References

External links

National Trust
– Eastbury Manor House
Barking and Dagenham, Heritage and History: Eastbury Manor House
–
The Gunpowder Plot Society
Eastbury Manor's possible links with the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...

. {{Authority control Houses completed in 1573 Grade I listed buildings in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Grade I listed houses in London National Trust properties in London Houses in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Historic house museums in London Museums in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Local museums in London Manor houses in England Country houses in London 1573 establishments in England

History

References

Further reading

External links