Valence House Museum is the local history museum for the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham. Since its formation in 1937, the Museum has continued to collect works of art by local artists and works which depict the local area and its communities. Set within a fifteenth-century moated manor house, the collection includes portraits dating from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century. It's recognised as one of the best collections of gentry portraits in the country.