Dennis Severs lived in this house in Spitalfields which dates from 1724 in much the same way as its original occupants would have lived in the 18th century.
After more than a year of closure, the Spitalfields Trust has announced the reopening and renewal of Dennis Severs’ House
I arrive outside the black wooden door of Dennis Severs’ House, knock gently on the door, and wait under the gas lantern which hangs outside. I had been told that visiting the red brick Georgian house at 18 Folgate was an experience like no other, that it was constructed in pieces over decades until it...
After more than a year of closure, the Spitalfields Trust has announced the reopening and renewal of Dennis Severs’ House
Tucked away in the heart of Spitalfields is a Georgian Grade II listed building, Dennis Severs’ House. It’s now home to a fascinating artistic rendering of a particular strand of East End history – you may have seen glimpses of the house’s interior in Dr Lucy Worsley’s BBC documentary,At Home With the Georgians. Dennis Severs was […]
Do the Dennis Severs' House Spitalfields Tour, 18 Folgate Street London E1 if you love historic London houses or you want unusual things to do in East London.
Tactfully revived, Dennis Severs’ House defies categorisation, finds Jeremy Musson.
What a beautiful preserved 18th-century home in London (Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields) decorated festively and open for tours!
In 2017, Dilara was accused of hosting a "satanic orgy" in a London church by an alt-right gobshite. This year, she moved her conceptual show to Halloween.
Continuing our new series, we take a tour of the very best houses to visit around Britain. This week: Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields, London
What a beautiful preserved 18th-century home in London (Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields) decorated festively and open for tours!
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In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera. After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was recently permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images. And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it. If you live in London or will be there during the holidays, you have a chance to see the Christmas Installation in person through the 4th of January 2019. Even though appointment tickets are nearly sold out, the house can be visited on Sunday afternoons without booking in advance. Check the website for more details. https://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/
What a beautiful preserved 18th-century home in London (Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields) decorated festively and open for tours!
Dennis Severs’ House - 18 Folgate Street
Ranked #229 of 4,669 attractions in London. Been here too? Add it to your map!
When Dennis was still alive we used to eat here often. We still do when we're open to the public at night.
After more than a year of closure, the Spitalfields Trust has announced the reopening and renewal of Dennis Severs’ House
A historic house left in "dramatic still life."
Explore Dennis Severs' House's 29 photos on Flickr!
What a beautiful preserved 18th-century home in London (Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields) decorated festively and open for tours!
Tucked away in the heart of Spitalfields is a Georgian Grade II listed building, Dennis Severs’ House. It’s now home to a fascinating artistic rendering of a particular strand of East End history – you may have seen glimpses of the house’s interior in Dr Lucy Worsley’s BBC documentary,At Home With the Georgians. Dennis Severs was […]
Spitalfields property is staged each year as ‘a living painting’ of how a family celebrated through the ages
They may not draw in giant crowds, but these under-the-radar attractions are every bit as intriguing as the big-hitters
The house shows life in the 1700s and honors its founder's quirks.
Photography at Dennis Severs House at Christmas
In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera. After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was recently permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images. And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it. If you live in London or will be there during the holidays, you have a chance to see the Christmas Installation in person through the 4th of January 2019. Even though appointment tickets are nearly sold out, the house can be visited on Sunday afternoons without booking in advance. Check the website for more details. https://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/
California-born artist and history fanatic Dennis Severs became fascinated with England at an early age; he moved to London in the late sixties, where he s
Probably the most spellbinding way there is to experience old London.
The home of an eccentric collector takes guests on an immersive tour of London history.
This picture has kindly been provided by the Museum for the purpose of press publication.
dennis severs: what have you done there on folgate street? your sublime, unsettling creation now survives you by some sixteen years. dennis severs: you built a haunted house, peopled it with fictio…
Spitalfields property is staged each year as ‘a living painting’ of how a family celebrated through the ages
