Valance House Becontree

Introduction

The photograph on this page of Valance House Becontree by Glyn Baker as part of the Geograph project.

The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk

Valance House Becontree

Image: © Glyn Baker Taken: 7 Sep 2005

This is Valance House Becontree. It is the last survivor of Dagenham’s five manor houses. It was preserved as the estate management offices during the construction of the huge Becontree Council Housing Estate before WW2. Valance House was named after Agnes De Valance who lived and was murdered on the site in the 13th Century. Some say her ghost still haunts the grounds. Parts of the current house date from the 15th Century although from its outward appearance one would be hard pushed to guess which. In 1938 one room of the building was opened as a museum, a function the whole building fulfils today. The picture was taken looking across the moat towards the house.

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