Chelmsford & District National Trust Supporter Group

Report by Shirley Deering.

Weatherwise the last outing of our summer programme got off to a damp and dismal start, though we were rewarded with weak sunshine later. Delighted to see our driver was our old friend Marc, we were soon on our way to our first destination of the day, Eastbury Manor, in Barking.

Arriving early, we were warmly welcomed by the Elliot sisters, Barbara and Pat, whom we had met when they came to talk to us about Eastbury Manor on the 6th April, 2022. We started with a tour of the outside, then we went indoors, where our party was divided into two groups for a tour of the house, one led by Barbara, the other by Pat. However, there was plenty of swapping about and lively interaction.

Built in 1560, Eastbury Manor is a perfect example of a Tudor gentleman’s country retreat. Little is known about the first owner, Clement Sysley, but it is thought he was something in the legal profession. Whatever it may have been it must have provided Clement with a handsome salary, enabling him to erect a brick-built manor, with the latest design in windows and chimneys.

Over the years Eastbury Manor underwent manychanges, both of ownership and use. In the nineteenth century it was rented out to tenant farmers, part being used as a residence, the rest as workshops and storage. By 1900 it was almost derelict and surrounded by urban housing. Amid increasing demands for its demolition Eastbury was saved by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Buildings, then purchased by the National Trust in 1918.

Eastbury Manor is not a house which offers collections of antique furniture, famous paintings or rare ceramics, it has no association with any famous person or historic events, but is valued for its architecture and a surviving example of what would have been the perfect country seat for a gentleman of means.

Leaving Barking at 1pm, we made good time to Bexley Heath and our second destination of the day, The Red House. The house is a “must visit” destination for lovers of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Built in 1859. It is the only property that William Morris ever actually owned, otherwise living in rented accommodation. William dreamed of making The Red House a centre for the Arts and Crafts Movement, a place where he and his friends in the world of art could live and work together. Sadly, for William Morris, things did not work out as he had hoped and he lived at The Red House for only five years, before returning to Walthamstow, in London. The property is not large - William Morris’ hopes and dreams had included extending it, and does not include much Morris memorabilia. There is some painted glass in the windows, a few items of furniture and two rooms are papered with reproductions of Morris designs.

Like Eastbury Manor, The Red House was built in what was then a remote, attractive rural location, sadly both are now hemmed in by urban sprawl and quite difficult to access.

Thanks again to Paul, ably assisted by Chris, for all the hard work of planning, organising and recceing these excursions.