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Eastbury Manor House is an example of an Elizabethan building situated in the London Borough of
Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. The house is in the ownership of the
National Trust.
The land on which Eastbury House now stands was once part of the
demesne of Barking Abbey. It
was built in the 1570s by a wealthy merchant Clement Sisley, who
purchased the land after the dissolution of Barking
Abbey[1]. 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 survey dates a timber
framework to 1566[2] and
there is documentary evidence which describes the dates 1572 carved
in the brickwork and 1573 on a lead water spout indicating finishing touches to
the building.
Much of the original interior wood paneling and decor was
removed when the house was extensively modernised to accommodate a
conference centre and training facilities. The old doors have been
removed to accommodate new, modern doors and most of the wood
floors have been covered with modern carpets and laminate
flooring.
Eastbury Manor House is now managed by the London Borough of
Barking and Dagenham but is a part of the National Trust. The House
was given Grade I listed status in 1954. It is open
to the public on Mondays, Tuesdays and the first and the second
Saturdays of every month[3]. In
recent years the house has benefitted from a major restoration
programme, financed through several successful Heritage Lottery
Fund bids. The latest phase, scheduled for completion in 2009, will
include a major permanent exhibition on the history of the building
and its various owners, designed by museum consultants Higgins
Gardner & Partners.
The house is said to be very haunted and warranted an
investigation by the Most Haunted team.
Gunpowder, Treason and
Plot
According to a local legend, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was first
conceived at Eastbury.
References
Further
reading
- Eastbury Manor House - A step back in time Gillian
Gillespie (LB B&D: Heritage and History Publications 2002)
- Eastbury Manor House, Barking A Survey of London
(Monograph series) (English Heritage, 1917) out of
print
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