History
#90
Dennis Severs' House
Part time machine, part theatre. Artist Dennis Severs (1948–1999) staged a Huguenot silk-weavers’ home as if its family has just stepped out—candles guttering, tea steaming, a chair still warm. Visits are silent and self-guided; you ‘read’ each room like a page in a novel.
Opening Hours
Sunday: 12:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Friday: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Saturday: 12:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Admissions
Adult
£11.00
Child
£8.00
Concession
£9.50
Student
£8.00
Family
£29.00
Group
£10% discount on groups of 8 or more
What's not to miss inside?
The Parlour (c. 1720s)
The story’s overturePerfume, crumbs and half-played cards set character without a single label.
📍 Ground floor, front room
The Kitchen
Life below stairsHiss of the kettle, orange peel on the board—sound and smell are props as sharp as any painting.
📍 Lower level
The Smoking Room
Taste and fashion evolveAs the family rises, objects multiply—prints, pipes, porcelain—status displayed by clutter.
📍 Upper floor
The Garret
From prosperity to austerityBare boards and thin light close the arc; history is not a straight line up.
📍 Top floor
Inspire your Friends
- Severs called the experience a ‘still-life drama’—you’re meant to solve the story from clues, not labels.
- The fictional family are Huguenot silk-weavers—reflecting the real 18th-century French Protestant community of Spitalfields.
- Candlelit ‘Silent Night’ visits heighten scent and sound—crackling wicks, carriage noises—so the house plays like theatre.
