The house is owned by the National Trust but has been managed since the 1930s by the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and its predecessors.

The house was built in the 1570s by Clement Sisley, a wealthy merchant, who purchased the land after the dissolution of Barking Abbey.

[1] It was probably the first brick built building in the area at that time; it had glass windows and very high chimneys, indicating the wealth of the owner.

Daniel Lysons in his "Environs of London" commented: "There is a tradition relating to this house, either, as some say, that the conspirators who concerted the Gunpowder Plot held their meetings there, or as others, that it was the residence of Lord Monteagle when he received the letter that led to its discovery"; both, perhaps, equally devoid of foundation.

[3] In recent years it has benefitted from a major restoration programme, financed through several successful Heritage Lottery Fund bids.