Who lived in a house like this? (Geffrye Museum (London))

Member Name: duskmaiden

Product:	Geffrye Museum (London)
Date:	17/12/06 (789 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lovely buildings and gardens, intersting rooms, good interpreation, family friendly, free

Disadvantages: bit off the beaten track, narrow corridors

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 were saved due to the green surrounding the Almshouses and the Geffrey Museum was opened in 1914 to exhibit a collection of historic furniture. The aim of the museum now is to portray the changing lives of the urban middle classes over a period of 500 years.

I found the museum quite easy to get to but it is a little bit away from the main tourist sights of London. It is located on Kinsgsland Road Shorerditch and is 20-minute walk from Liverpool Street and Old Street underground stations. If you do not fancy a walk or if it is a bit wet a number of buses stop outside the museum.


I have visited the museum twice. The first time was in June 2006. I was a little disappointed by that first visit as most of the period rooms were closed due to a major refurbishment. Only the 20th century rooms were open and I was not as interested in these as the older ones. This was rectified by my second visit in December 2006 when I saw a range of rooms spanning from the Jacobean period to a 1990s loft. My purpose for the second visit was to see what I had missed the first time around and also see their special “Christmas Past and Present” exhibition they hold annually where they decorate the rooms with appropriate Christmas decorations.

The museum is set out in a logical chronological order I starts with an exhibition of chairs from the heavy uncomfy Jacobean ones to more ornate Georgian and Victorian ones right down to the present with our bland mass produced ones. I then came to the main exhibition of 11 period rooms. I was a little disappointed as when they said period rooms they actually meant living rooms. It would have been nice to have a variety of different rooms such as bedrooms and kitchens.

I enjoyed the period rooms. It was interesting to see how furniture evolved as did people’s tastes. I am not sure if I had a favourite room. The earlier ones (1630and 1695) seemed quite cold and sombre due to the heavy oak furniture whilst the Georgian and Regency rooms (1745 and 1795) seemed more elegant whilst the 19th century ones seemed a little fussy although I did like the arts and craft feel of the 1890s one. The Museum does say it is unique as it is looking specifically at the urban middle classes but as a museum buff I felt that I had seen it all before (though it was nice not to have the pit cottages an, privy and mangles of most reconstructed period rooms).

The Christmas aspect of the exhibition was quite fascinating. It seemed that in the Jacobean period there were still echoes if the medieval feast with all the slightly pagan decorations such as mistletoe and other evergreens. After the Restoration Christmas fell out of favour with the urban middle classes and the 1695, 1745 and 1790s rooms have only slight traces of Christmas. It is only in the Victorian era when the decorations such as the Christmas tree became established. I found it interesting to look at the original way Christmas trees were decorated with little musical instruments and also patriotic flags.

I thought the interpretation in the museum was excellent. Before each room there was a little exhibition that put the period in context with displays of different times from that era, a description of a typical house and a pictorial cross section. There were hands on exhibits in these sections such as an exploration of wood or fabric used in the house. I particularly liked the replica of the Great chair from the Jacobean room as you could sit in it and feel how uncomfortable it was. Each of these little exhibitions had audio devices to listen to contemporary sources such as books letters, and diaries along with pieces of music from the period. I found most of the interoperation clear and easy to read. The actual rooms were also nicely interpreted. They each had a board in the room and also hand held boards, which were great for me as I often, find a fixed board difficult to read. There was also a separate board for the Christmas exhibition. I liked the boards for children as they asked a question about the room such as how was the house heated or lit, or what did they play in this room. It then gave the answer and asks the children about their own home so they can think about the past and comport with the present.

The passages in between the period rooms are narrow and bottle necks can easily form when trying to read interpretation. I think a wheelchair or a pushchair might be a hindrance in particularly busy periods.

I transferred seamlessly from the Victorian rooms to the 20th century ones that are in a new extension to the almshouses that blend in nicely. The four rooms (Edwardian, 1930s, 1950s and a 1990s loft would be good for nostalgia purposes. I think the older generation might like these ones. There were nice touches such as a radio playing period pieces in some of the rooms. I particularly liked the Edwardian room with the letter box with mail coning through it and the 1950s room with its paper chains and heaps of newly unwrapped presents with the wrappings strewn across the floor.



There is a floor downstairs in the new extension that houses the craft rooms, the design studio and temporary exhibitions. The one that was on during my first visit was “Domestic Archaeology. I was expecting an exhibition to do with finds in old houses. Instead I found an installation with lots of projections and screens (tv, computer) etc exploring people’s houses. Audio interactive involved dial telephone, which I could not get to work as I had forgotten how to use it and a key handset did not work. I was not that interested or impressed with this temporary exhibiting as it reminded me of Urbis in Manchester with its technology and conflicting noises.

The museum has a number of facilities such as a small shop selling appropriate high quality gifts, books and postcards. I had a quick look but did not buy anything and did not notice the pieces. This was the same with the restaurant, which sells traditional and modern British home cooked food. The museum does have a very pleasant reading room with a selection of relevant reading materials and a lovely view onto the gardens.


The highlight of my first visit was a wander round the gardens. These are only open from April to October. The Museum sees them as being outdoor rooms to compliment the period rooms inside. These consist of a Tudor knot garden with its geometric designs, a Georgian garden and a formal Victorian garden with its fancy flowerbeds. I really liked the arts and crafts influenced Edwardian garden. I liked it as it had the lovely pergolas, strewn with climbing plants and a lovely slightly wild cottage garden. The interpretation is similar in format to inside with an overview then a list of plants so keen gardeners can recreate the specific garden.

My favourite part of the gardens was the walled herb garden. It was just such a peaceful place to sit and watch the world go by whilst smelling the aromatic scents of the herbs. Like the entire museum this garden is interpreted very well. The garden illustrates the different ways herbs were used in the past such as in dyes, medicines and cooking. I found this extremely informative. My mum would really love this garden.

The Geffrye is a great little museum. London is really full of them. It is one for all the family as there are plenty of hands on activities for the children (there were feeling boxes with Christmas decoration during my second visit to the museum) and they often have craft events. Older people will enjoy the nostalgia of the 20th century gallery. I will be going back as I would like to explore the preserved part of the Almshouses. These are open the first Saturday of the month and every second Wednesday. There is a small charge of £2.00. The rest of the museum is free. I would recommend about an hour to an hour and a half depending on the weather. It would be a nice place to sit and have a picnic on the lawn or sit and enjoy the period gardens. It really is a little peace of tranquillity in the hustle and bustle of London’s urban jungle.

# Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
# Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays 12 - 5pm

Kingsland Road,
London,
E2 8EA;
Tel: 020 7739 9893
http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/




Join me next time in another instalment of my search for “London’s Hidden Treasures” soon.

Summary: delightful little museum of period rooms