Eastbury Manor House

About the museum

Eastbury Manor House in Barking is a rare, largely complete Elizabethan gentry house. The estate was bought by Clement Sisley in 1557, and the house was built between 1560 and 1573. Before that, the land had been part of a busy farming community under the Abbesses of Barking Abbey. Over more than 450 years the house saw many owners, tenants and farming families.

By the twentieth century the building was derelict and faced demolition. After a chance encounter, members of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings made a determined effort to save it for future generations. A local tradition, recorded by Daniel Defoe in 1726, even linked the house to the planning of the Gunpowder Plot.

Today Eastbury is owned by the National Trust and managed by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, with support from the Friends of Eastbury Manor House. Visitors can explore the historic rooms, the Grade I listed walled garden, which is being restored, and a kitchen garden that shows plants grown in the sixteenth century.

The house also runs a permanent exhibition about the people who lived and worked there around 1900, an award-winning learning programme for schools and an accredited dementia-friendly visitor offer.

Highlights

• Elizabethan gentry house built between 1560 and 1573
• Grade I listed walled garden and Tudor-style kitchen garden
• Permanent exhibition “Eastbury Makers”
• Free guided tours on every open day and curator tours on selected Sundays
• Free digital guide with audio tours
• Award-winning school learning programme

Permanent exhibition

• Eastbury Makers – This exhibition explores the lives of the people who lived and worked at the house around the turn of the twentieth century.

Operated by

National Trust, managed by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Admission & discounts

Entry is free for residents of Barking and Dagenham (proof of address required) and for National Trust and Art Pass members (valid card required). The ticket covers the whole house and grounds, all exhibitions, a visitor map and the digital guide.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The house is fully wheelchair accessible apart from the top of the West Tower. There is a ramped main entrance, a sloped entrance to the café and a platform lift to the upper floors; the number of wheelchair users on the upper floors may occasionally be limited for evacuation safety. The accessible toilet is on the first floor. The best drop-off point is the main driveway gate on Eastbury Square, where a few Blue Badge spaces are on the pavement. Assistance dogs are welcome, other dogs are not allowed in the house. Large print guides are available on request, rooms use large text on information panels, and the house is an accredited dementia-friendly venue.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Free Eye-Spy and Eastbury Explorer trails are included in admission, and seasonal trails and events run during the year. Pushchairs can be left in the uncovered buggy park in the inner courtyard. Baby changing is available in the accessible toilet on the first floor. A single-parent family ticket is offered.

Getting there & parking

The house is just off the A13 and A406. There are no bicycle racks; visitors may lock bikes to the perimeter railings. Cycling on site is not allowed.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

Eastbury Kitchen is a café that is open whenever the house is open and serves lunches, pastries and cakes; entry to the café is free. Free guest wifi (network “LBBD Guest”, registration required) is available throughout the house. Toilets and baby changing are on the first floor.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

The house and gardens can be hired for civil weddings, private events, meetings, away days and conferences, with catering from Eastbury Kitchen.

Plan your visit