Geffrye Museum (London)

I think the Geffrye museum is probably my favourite museum in London. Situated at the city end of Kingsland Road amongst the Vietnamese restaurants and folks wearing ill-fitting trousers with funny hair, lies this small, quiet and intriguing museum. The museum is housed in an 18th Century almshouse with accompanying modern wing tastefully designed to fit with it's surroundings. All are surrounded by beautiful gardens, which are a wonderful urban oasis in the summer to get away from the bustle of east end life. The museum itself and permanent exhibit is essentially focused on the history of the changing nature of our homes from the 17th Century to present day. ...  Read the complete review

Surrounded by the urban sprawl of Shoreditch in the East End of London the Geffrye Museum of Domestic Interiors seems incongruous with its surroundings. It’s a collection of period rooms housed in some delightful Georgian Almshouses that surround a pleasant lawn. It really is a little unexpected oasis and worth a look if you would like to head off London’s beaten track. The handsome Almshouses were bequeathed by Robert Geffrye to the Ironmakers Company in 1714 and were used to house the old and the poor of the trade. By the 20th century Shoreditch became more urbanised and the occupants were moved out to buildings further from the inner city. The buildings ...  Read the complete review

The Geffrye Museum seems to be one of London's less well-known museums/galleries, but it is one of the best. Situated near the Shoreditch end of Kingsland Road, it is a beautiful 18th century building - a former almshouse - which houses a fascinating collection of English furniture and other objects. The collection is arranged in chronological order with a series of small rooms furnished in the typical styles of each era beginning with the 16th century and continuing up to the present day. For anybody at all interested in interior design/decor and art history the collection is a must, but quite small children will like it as well (though it's ...  Read the complete review