Valence House Museum

Collection highlights

The borough museum collections are particularly rich in a number of areas.

Archaeology

Much excavated material from archaeological excavations is kept at Valence House and a number of fine prehistoric flint tools are exhibited.

Maritime and fishing

In the sphere of local history much material and information is available relating to the heyday of the maritime and fishing industry in Barking.

Archive photographs

There is an extensive archive collection which includes many thousands of historic photographs illustrating life in Barking and Dagenham in the 19th and 20th centuries.

A collection of the best of these images is available online in themed Archive Photograph Galleries|

The art collection

Covers 400 years from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I to the German occupation of Paris in World War II.

Portraits by famous Tudor and Stuart court painters such as Dobson, Gheeraedts, Lely and Kneller are displayed in period rooms.

Other notable artists represented include the topographical draughtsman A.B. Bamford and the creator of dynamic historical scenes Henry Gillard Glindoni|

The Fanshawe Family

The jewel in the crown of the museum's collection is undoubtedly the Fanshawe Family Portraits and Archive.

These were presented to the borough in a most generous act by Captain Aubrey Basil Fanshawe, RN in 1963. His family had local connections which began in Tudor times and continued until the mid-1920s.

They owned the Manor of Barking from 1630-1714. A Gallery of Fanshawe Family portraits is available online.

The extensive archive includes the internationally important diplomatic papers of Sir Richard Fanshawe.

A model of the Saucy Jack, A Barking Well Smack

Model of 'The Saucy Jack', a Barking Well Smack

Contact

Leeanne Westwood

Acting Curator

Valence House Museum

Becontree Avenue

Dagenham

RM8 3HT

Tel: 020 8270 6745

Fax: 020 8595 8631

Email: valencehousemuseum@lbbd.gov.uk|