Our Barking - Digital Heritage Exhibition

Welcome to the digital version of Our Barking - a local heritage exhibition curated by the Heritage Volunteers and engagement officer of the Abbey and Barking Town Centre Heritage Project. Over the past three years we have been researching, restoring, and celebrating Barking's Heritage! These activities have been funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and managed by Be First Regeneration on behalf of Barking and Dagenham Council.

We have been supported by LBBD Archives and Local Studies Library – who provided access to their archives, including the maps and historic photographs used in this exhibition. We have worked closely with Barking and Dagenham College who produced the sustainable exhibition boards and a Barking Heritage documentary. Whilst local schools have taken part in history workshops and tours and responded with creative writing, role plays, artwork and model making. We are also grateful to St Margaret’s Parish Church, The Barking Learning Centre, and Eastbury Manor House for displaying our ‘pop-up’ exhibition: April-November 2022. We hope that our on-line version of the exhibition will be enjoyed by anyone who has been unable to visit these locations or who wanted to revisit the digital version of the exhibition.

A 'virtual' advent calendar of heritage treats from the exhibition - 24 'Advent Delights' - was created by Evoo Productions and can be viewed on this webpage. A complete version of the 24 clips is also available. On this webpage you can also read the text of each or any of the exhibition boards and see photographs of the exhibition in situ at the three venues it visited.

Find out more by visiting a specific webpage - these are available for many of the exhibition topics on the Be First heritage hub - some links are included on this page or click on the hub page for all of our heritage topics.

Heritage Volunteers at LBBD's Local Studies Library, Valence House