Ingress Abbey

Ingress Abbey is a house dating from 1833, built in the Tudor Gothic style by the architect Charles Moreing for Alderman James Harmer. The site has a long history, previously belonging to Dartford Priory and several notable families, and it is believed the house was partly constructed using stone from the Old London Bridge. The Victorian poet and journalist Eliza Cook resided here regularly, composing many of her poems, including "The Old Armchair" and "O, the green banks may fade". Cook was a supporter of women’s rights and published a journal aimed at women and working-class readers. From 1845 to 1849, she was the partner of the American actress Charlotte Cushman.

The house is built of ashlar with a slate roof. It is two storeys high plus attic space within the gables, with clustered chimney stacks. The layout forms three sides of a square, with five windows facing each front. The principal, north-facing elevation overlooks the river and is flanked by projecting octagonal buttresses topped with ogee caps. A three-story projecting square tower occupies the center, again flanked by buttresses and featuring a three-light oriel window on the first floor. Gable ends are located at either side of the north elevation; the eastern gable projects and has a two-storey bay window of four lights with decorative elements between the floors, topped with a castellated parapet and finials. A similar parapet extends between the gables and the tower. The elevation features casement windows. The west elevation has three gables, with the central one boasting an unusually tall finial culminating in a heraldic beast. This gable and the buttresses are topped with finials, mirroring the north elevation. The central window bay, which projects, is also flanked by buttresses. A two-storey bay window of six lights, similar to those on the north elevation, is incorporated into the bay. The central doorway has a portcullis and rose in the spandrels. Wooden window shutters are present on the top windows of the west elevation. A Victorian conservatory has been added to the rear of the property.

The interior includes a dining room with plastered ceilings and walls and a marble fireplace. A north entrance wall dating from 1835 is also present, featuring fretted woodwork and a fireplace adorned with Atlantes sculptures.