Valence House Museum, archives and local studies library closed on Saturday 22 December 2007 for a 2 year refurbishment programme. It will re-open in May 2010.

It is the only surviving of the 5 manor houses of Dagenham. It is sited in park land and is partially surrounded by a moat.

Home of the borough's local history museum and art gallery, it houses an impressive collection of artifacts and archives that tell the story of the lives of the people of Barking and Dagenham.