Eastbury Manor House
Eastbury Manor House is a Grade I listed building situated in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It dates to the Elizabethan period, although the land on which it was built was formerly part of the demesne of Barking Abbey. The house is owned by the National Trust but has been managed since the 1930s by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and its predecessors. It is open to public for 10 months of every year.
The land on which Eastbury House now stands was once part of the demesne of Barking Abbey. The house was built in the 1570s by Clement Sisley, a wealthy merchant, who purchased the land after the dissolution of Barking Abbey. It was probably the first brick built building in the area at that time; it had glass windows and very high chimneys, indicating the wealth of the owner. Glass was probably imported from Italy as at that time English glass was relatively poor in quality.
Daniel Lysons in his "Environs of London" commented: "There is a tradition relating to this house, either, as some say, that the conspirators who concerted the Gunpowder Plot held their meetings there, or as others, that it was the residence of Lord Monteagle when he received the letter that led to its discovery"; both, perhaps, equally devoid of foundation.
