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Exhibitions

Photograph of men on either side of the platform looking towards the camera at Chadwell Heath Railway Station. Also shows the steps and bridge. Circa. 1900

Transport on the Becontree Estate

If you have read our article about education on the Becontree Estate, you may get the idea that the London County Council was not always…

Conservation in Action

A film documenting the conservation of the portrait of Sarah, Viscountess Fanshawe. Conservation was undertaken by Plowden & Smith Ltd.  Film was made by The…

Photographic negative showing Cherry Gardens, viewed from south-east corner of cul-de-sac, 1955.

Building the Becontree Estate

If you have read the introductory article to our Building Becontree project, you will know we have been using architectural and building plans to look…

A black and white photograph of the main entrance of Dorothy Barley Junior School, 1934.

Education on the Becontree Estate

Without checking any maps or having a quick internet search, could you count how many schools there are in and around the Becontree Estate area?…

2021: The Centenary of the Becontree Estate

2021 marks the centenary of the Becontree Estate. It is of great significance to the residents of Barking and Dagenham – once the world’s largest…

An image from the 3D model of Barking Abbey

An Exploration of Barking Abbey

Barking Abbey was founded in c.666 AD as a double house of both monks and nuns led by an abbess. A Viking attack in 871…

Page from book of remembrance and photo

Remembrance 2020

This year the covid-19 pandemic has meant that many Remembrance Sunday events will not take place and those that do will be much smaller and…

Title screen from film of Festival of Britain celebrations in Dagenham in 1951

Dagenham Festival, 1951 – Part 1

This week’s film shows part of the celebrations held for the 1951 Festival of Britain in Dagenham. Celebrations were held up and down the country…

Dagenham Road Safety – Where’s Johnny?

It’s Film Fridays again and we’re returning to the Dagenham Road Safety films this week with a short film that was filmed on Oxlow Lane.…

Colour Scenes – Dagenham Village

For the latest instalment of Film Fridays we’re going over to Dagenham Village. This film focuses on the redevelopment of the area in the late…

Happy 10th Birthday Valence House

24th June 2020 marks 10 years since the re-opening of Valence House following a multi-million pound redevelopment of the site. Let’s raise a cake or…

Our Year – The Queen Mother Visits Dagenham

For our latest Film Fridays we’ve got a clip from the film Our Year, which was produced by the Dagenham Co-operative Film Society. The clip…

Road sign for Oban Road, Barking

Colour Scenes of the Council – Barking

For this week’s Film Fridays we’re going to Barking in the later1960s/early 1970s with a film created by the council and showing some of the…

presentation of called Close Encounters: A Cabinet of Curiosities in which the curator explores some of the more unusual objects in the museum collections

Close Encounters: A cabinet of curiosities

a 1945 victory party in Dagenham

Memories of War and VE Day

8th May 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day when peace was announced in Europe after nearly six years of war. In this exhibition…

street parties in Bonham Gardens, Dagenham

‘Dearest Mickey’ – VE Day Letters

A former Dagenham resident has kindly shared the letters sent to her father on VE Day by her mother and grandparents (her father’s in laws). …

Opening title of the film The Seeds of Time

‘Seeds of Time’ Part 1

The first film to be produced by the Dagenham Cooperative Film Society, ‘Seeds of Time’ focuses on young people in the area in 1947-8. It’s…

Opening title from the film The Mother Who Wouldn't Listen

Dagenham Road Safety – ‘The Mother who Wouldn’t Listen’

Today is our fourth Film Fridays and we’re sticking with the road safety films again. There are some great shots from across Dagenham in this…

Woman crossing the road on the Heathway with shops in the background

Dagenham Road Safety – ‘Suicide? or Murder?’

It’s time for Film Fridays take 3. We’re back on the Dagenham Road Safety films again this week – the second half of the film…

Sign outside the Ship and Anchor pub

‘Colour Scenes 1968’ – Beacontree Heath

For our second edition of Film Fridays we’ve got some council footage mainly filmed on and around Beacontree Heath c.1968. There are some familiar sites…

Opening title from the film Last Testament

Dagenham Road Safety – ‘Last Testament’

We’re beginning Film Fridays with one of our Dagenham Road Safety videos. Filmed in the 1950s they were part of a campaign run by Dagenham…

Close Encounters: Wedding clothes

In place of our regular Close Encounters event, which was due to take place on 2 April 2020, we have created a presentation to give…

Members of the Dagenham Co-operative Film Society around a projector, 1950s

Dagenham Co-operative Film Society

Egbert Smart’s roles in the local community included those of librarian, borough photographer, and film society secretary.  As part of the HLF funded Our Everyday…

Dagenham Parish Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 1950s

Our Everyday Futures

EVERYDAY FUTURES is an HLF funded project celebrating the work of borough photographer, Egbert Smart & the local area, connecting his archive to the contemporary…

Valence House circa 1918

Happy birthday Valence House: 1937-2017

2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of a museum at Valence House. When the Dagenham Urban District took over Valence House in 1926…

Sir Richard Fanshawe Badges

A 350 year old facelift!

2016 marks the 350th anniversary of the death of Sir Richard Fanshawe (1608-1666).  To commemorate this occasion the Valence House Volunteer Group began the ‘Be part…

camp of the Thirty Third Regiment photographed by Roger Fenton

Sebastopol to Dagenham

The Crimean War (1853-1856) began due to religious differences. Fought between Russia and the allied powers, including Great Britain, France and the Ottoman Empire, hostilities…

Group of men in army uniform in World War One

Battle of the Somme at 100

An exhibition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of World War I's greatest battle.

Model of Barking Abbey in the museum

History of Barking Abbey

This exhibition explores the history of Barking Abbey, which was founded in 666AD by a priest named Erkenwald for his sister Ethelburga. The founding of…

Valence House circa 1918

Tracing the History of Valence House

In medieval times all of the land in Barking, Dagenham and Ilford was part of the Manor of Barking, owned and administered by Barking Abbey.…

Barking Town Hall in 1979

Fifty Years a Borough

Fifty years ago Barking and Dagenham became one of the 32 Greater London Boroughs. Before 1965, there had been two separate boroughs, both within the…

Workers at Sherwoods Paints around 1910

Made in Barking and Dagenham

Made in Barking and Dagenham is a project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Collecting Cultures Programme. This exhibition explores how industry played a major…

Midwife Minnie Goodbun with the car given to her by the local authority

Women’s Empowerment

This exhibition explores the ordinary and extraordinary lives of women with connections to Barking and Dagenham from the nuns at Barking Abbey to the Ford…

Tents at the Dagenham Town Show in 1952

History of Dagenham Town Show

From horticultural exhibitions, flower arranging, bee keeping and handicrafts to, parachutists, escapologists, motorcycle displays and camel racing, the Dagenham Town Show has become an iconic…

Hainault Forest painted by Edward Pond

Edward Pond Retrospective

Edward Charles Pond was an artist who lived in Romford and studied in Dagenham for seven years. He made many famous paintings of various local…

Ante-natal Class in Dagenham in 1959

Call the Midwife

This exhibition explores the history midwifery from the sixteenth century to the sixties, illustrated with the birth stories of women with connections to Barking and…

Valence House Museum
Becontree Avenue
Dagenham
RM8 3HT

tel: 020 8227 2034opens phone dialer
valencehousemuseum@lbbd.gov.ukcreate new email

Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday (10am-4pm)

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