Dare to tread the haunted halls of 13th century Valence House, where the ghost of Agnes de Valence roams, and history’s chilling echoes await. Book now, if you dare!
Event Cost: £49 per person
Event Time: 8:00 PM – 2 AM
Address: Becontree Ave, Dagenham RM8 3HT
Welcome to Valence House – a 13th century manor house with stories of murder, death, and poltergeist activity!
Valence House, the sole remaining beacon of Dagenham’s five ancient manor houses, beckons you into its shadowy embrace. With a chilling legacy spanning over seven centuries, filled with untimely deaths and whispered accounts of murder, this location promises an experience that will haunt your very soul.
Can you hear the cries of a 14th-century tenant, a tragic figure who met her end within these walls and whose spirit is said to wander the lawns, restless and yearning for contact? Will you dare to reach out to her on your ghostly quest at Valence House?
Now standing as a museum, this house has worn many faces over the ages, each one etching a new tale into its dark history. The echoes of its past reverberate through the halls, where countless ghostly apparitions and inexplicable phenomena have been witnessed by those who dare to tread there.
The question is not merely if you will encounter the unknown at Valence House, but whether you will ever be the same again after you do. Join us, if you dare, and uncover the secrets that lie waiting in the shadows.
In the year 1961, a chilling article penned by the granddaughter of Thomas May, the last private dweller of Valence House, unveiled a haunting tale that still lingers in the air.
Agnes de Valence, a name whispered with reverence and fear, is said to have met a tragic end, her life taken by cold steel. Her restless spirit has been glimpsed wandering the lawns, once even by a gardener who mistook her ghostly visage for a living daughter of the house.
A dagger, unearthed from the murky depths of the moat, is believed to be the very instrument of her demise. Could it be the key to her eternal unrest?
But Agnes is not alone in her spectral existence at Valence House. The well-documented apparition of Eliza Luxmore, the mother-in-law of Thomas May who breathed her last within these walls in 1913, continues to make her presence known. A diminutive figure, clad in mourning black, she appears so lifelike that many have mistaken her for flesh and blood.
The house itself seems to breathe with the echoes of its haunted past. Reports of paranormal disturbances are numerous and varied, from thunderous noises that shake the very foundation to objects that move of their own accord.
Unseen hands reach out to touch the living, and shadowy figures linger in doorways, watching and waiting. Will you be the next to witness these eerie occurrences? Join us at Valence House, where the veil between the living and the dead is thin, and the past refuses to rest.
Join us for a true ghost hunting experience as we employ a range of methods and tools to communicate with the spirits that may linger here. Your thrilling venture includes:
Valence House, a relic of the 13th century, stands as the last sentinel of Dagenham’s five ancient manor houses. Earning its Grade II listing in 1954, this house whispers the name of its 14th-century tenants, Agnes de Valence and her brother Aylmer, Earl of Pembroke.
Hailing from the opulent French province of Valence, Agnes was a noblewoman with royal bloodlines, her grandmother being none other than Isabella of Angouleme, the consort of King John of England.
Though the estate changed hands, passing to the Dean and Chapter of Windsor in 1475 and later to the Church Commissioners in 1867, the wealthy tenants who graced its halls never truly owned it. Yet, they shaped its destiny, expanding its grandeur and wealth.
In 1921, the London County Council acquired Valence House, transforming it into the heart of the Becontree estate. It served as council headquarters, and under the stewardship of the Dagenham Urban District Council, it grew further, becoming a hub for offices and the council chamber between 1928 and 1929.
Its role as a town hall lasted until 1937, when it evolved into the library headquarters of the district, its council chamber a showcase of local history.
But Valence House’s history is not merely one of governance and grandeur. During the dark days of the Second World War, it became a fortress of safety, an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) and fire-watching post. Here, staff handed out gas masks and ration books, a beacon of hope in a time of despair.
The Dagenham Women’s Voluntary Service made it their base, providing solace and essentials to those whose lives were shattered by the bombings. Though the house itself suffered a scar in an air raid in April 1941, it stood resilient.
After the war, Valence House blossomed into a museum, its exhibits growing to fill room after room with the rich tapestry of local history. When the Library Service departed in 1974, the doors were flung wide open to the public, inviting all to explore the local history museum for Barking and Dagenham.
Event Location: Becontree Ave, Dagenham RM8 3HT
Time: 8:00 PM – 2:00 AM (Arrive from earliest 7:30 PM)
Parking: There is plenty of onsite car parking at the front of the property.
Accessibility: Due to the historic nature of the venue, the location is unfortunately not suitable for wheelchair users or for those with mobility issues.
Please Note: All guests must be 18 years or older. Not suitable for those who are heavily pregnant. Guests are strongly advised to wear comfortable shoes and warm layered clothing on colder nights.