Our Little Ship of Dunkirk » Steering wheel from a Samuel Williams tug, 'The Duke'. The tug was one of the Dunkirk Little Ships, and was taken to Dunkirk from Ramsgate…
It’s a small world! » A scale model depicting Dagenham Village in c1940. Dagenham is first mentioned in a charter of Barking Abbey from the year 687. It was then…
Barking bands together » A Tudor costume, worn in scene 8 of the Barking Pageant, 1931. In 1931 Barking Town Urban District Council celebrated gaining its charter (an official…
Dagenham’s civic heart » A watercolour of the Civic Centre painted by the architect E.Berry Webber, 1936. The Civic Centre, Dagenham, is a Grade II listed building. It is…
‘Here’s to the happy couple!’ » This is one of four wedding gifts that were given to Frederick Walter Wren (1876-1944) and Harriet Kemp (1877-1954) to mark their wedding in 1898.…
First World War Pocket Book » Barking and Dagenham Archives and Local Studies Centre, recently acquired the pocket diary of Henry Sidney Williams. The diary records his training in Winchester and then…
Too Cool for School… » Our school log books are a name rich resource perfect for anyone doing research into their family tree who knows their relatives either attended or…
This Used to be Fields Mural » We constantly strive to develop the collections to ensure that they remain relevant and engaging for our current, as well as future visitors. In turn,…
My Memories of the Great War » We hold a absolutely fascinating manuscript memoir, written by Walter Perren, who served with the 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment during the First World War. The…
Half Human Beasts » There is a fabulous sixteenth century wall painting on the first floor of the museum, which was rediscovered behind a false wall during renovations that were…
Frogley Manuscript » William Holmes Frogley’s manuscript is more than just an unpublished history, it is an illustrated guidebook, providing a very personal insight into the buildings, streets…
The history of the Fanshawe family, by H. C. Fanshawe » This definitive work on the influential Fanshawe family was published in 1927. Over 500 pages long, it includes pedigrees of many different branches of the…
‘Everybody out!’ » The Ford women's strike was one of the most important since the Matchgirls' Strike of 1888. Their struggle, commemorated by this souvenir plate, remains an…
‘Are you being saucy, Jack?’ » Salt-water fishing from Barking was mentioned as early as 1320, when its fishermen were prosecuted for using nets with too small a mesh. The industry…
‘A case of extreme hardship’ » John Robert Widman - a portrait, historical, landscape and animal artist - was born in Lambeth on 22 August 1788 to John Wildman (also and…
‘This strange craft with mast and rigging all complete’ » Taken from one of the last Fairlop Frigates (small scale ships on wheels) used in the Fairlop Fair parade, this mast head is believed to…
Workers Rights » The minute books of the Dagenham Branch of the Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers are a goldmine for researchers wanting to delve into the…
Dagenham Bomb Map » Barking and Dagenham suffered terribly from bombing incidents throughout the six years that Britain was at war with Germany. This bomb map was produced by…
‘Make do and mend’ » Madge Carter kept a diary throughout most of her life. Sixty-five diaries survive at the Barking and Dagenham Archives and Local Studies Centre. These diaries…
‘Wig powder, shuttlecocks and a holiday to Southend’ » This account book lists the household expenses and income earned through the selling of straw, hay and livestock on the estate at Parlsoes Manor from…
The changing landscape of Barking and Dagenham » This substantial and important collection comprises over sixteen thousand photographic negatives, together with related negative registers and contact print albums, created by Egbert E. Smart,…
