UPNEY District Line, A LONDON TUBE RAMBLES WALK
An Elizabethan manor in the middle of a housing estate, ten minutes walk from the station.
Believe it or not, Eastbury Manor was originally set in marshland . You can see from the photo taken through the old window embrasure that the view is somewhat different now as the house is completely surrounded by a housing estate. . . Inside, the frescoes of fishing scenes to be found in the Painted Room evoke a bygone age and the exposed roof beams in the attic provide an insight into how such houses were constructed. The house is now used for educational purposes so that, inevitably, much of the 'atmosphere' has been lost, but there are still a couple of areas where you can imagine you are back in a distant age. One is the east tower. There were originally two towers and the one that remains still has spiral wooden steps which creak in a somewhat alarming fashion. These would have been used by servants. The more elaborate east tower had been demolished by 1814 following a period of neglect in the late eighteenth century, but has now been replaced by a wooden structure. The courtyard (accessible near the foot of the west tower stairs) is another part that has retained a feeling of history. The garden on the east side has some 'bee boles' on the back wall. These were small alcoves where 'skeps' were placed before the invention of free-standing beehives. A small period garden has been laid out on one side - once Eastbury was a large estate which ran right down to the Thames, but now it is reduced to only 1.5acres.
DIRECTIONS
The manor is about ten minutes' walk from the station. Turn right down Upney lane towards Barking, right again at Dawson Avenue then left opposite a school into Stuart Road. Cross over the A123 at the lights, then go left to find the appropriately named Tudor Road. You will see Eastbury House straight ahead across Sisley Road. It is a National Trust property managed by the Borough of Barking and Dagenham. I don't usually direct people to places where there is an entrance fee, but this is well worth the comparatively small amount (currently [2018] £4) payable if you are not a member of the N.T.
MAP
Photos (click on image to enlarge)
East elevation/View from window looking West onto 'Tudor' garden
View from window showing housing estate.
Courtyard side, with remaining west tower.
Upney is just one walk from the many at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and quirky buildings to be found in the area covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR
MAP
Photos (click on image to enlarge)
East elevation/View from window looking West onto 'Tudor' garden
View from window showing housing estate.
Courtyard side, with remaining west tower.
Upney is just one walk from the many at London Tube Rambles. There are architectural gems, beautiful country views, historic places and quirky buildings to be found in the area covered by the outer London Underground stations. Usually the places listed are within a mile of the Tube - often only five minutes walk away. If you reached this as an individual page via a search engine, you might like to go to www.londontuberambles.co.uk to see the other destinations explored. You'll be amazed at what's out there!
© DR
