I SPY LONDON (3) the definitive DG guide to London's sights-worth-seeing somewhere historic: Geffrye Museum Location: Kingsland Road, Shoreditch E2 8EA [map] Open: 10am - 5pm (opens noon Sundays, closed Mondays) Admission: free 5-word summary: middle class interior style cavalcade Website:www.geffrye-museum.org.uk Time to set aside: a couple of hours
One of London's most delightful museums is hidden off the tourist trail up the Kingsland Road, just round the corner from Hoxton Street. Think of it as a 400-year version of IKEA, showcasing period designer style in a series of exquisitely laid-out rooms tracking from late Elizabethan oak panelling to present day loft living. The museum is housed in a row of converted almshouses and so is long and thin, allowing you to walk through history on your journey to the shop and restaurant at the other end. It's fascinating watching tastes change, from simple to ornate to puritan to gaudy to austere to smart, but always functional. The mid 1800s reminded me how flamboyant Victorian design could be, while the 1930s living room evoked deep-seated memories of my grandparents' crockery and glassware. Over Christmas all the rooms are draped with appropriate Christmas decorations, which gives the exhibits a fine festive touch and helps explain how the importance of celebrating the season has fluctuated over the centuries. During the summer months a complementary series of historical gardens is open to the rear of the museum - not especially well looked after but the intention is good. And on the first Saturday of the month (which was perfect timing yesterday) one of the original almshouses is opened to the public as part of a special £2 tour. I was able to see how Shoreditch's more fortunate pensioners would have lived out their final years in dignified independence and dimly lit respectability. All in far better than spending the weekend enduring the IKEA experience. Geffrye - historical solutions for better living. by tube: Hoxton (opening 2010) by bus: 67, 149, 242, 243
I SPY LONDON (3)
One of London's most delightful museums is hidden off the tourist trail up the Kingsland Road, just round the corner from Hoxton Street. Think of it as a 400-year version of IKEA, showcasing period designer style in a series of exquisitely laid-out rooms tracking from late Elizabethan oak panelling to present day loft living. The museum is housed in a row of converted almshouses and so is long and thin, allowing you to walk through history on your journey to the shop and restaurant at the other end. It's fascinating watching tastes change, from simple to ornate to puritan to gaudy to austere to smart, but always functional. The mid 1800s reminded me how flamboyant Victorian design could be, while the 1930s living room evoked deep-seated memories of my grandparents' crockery and glassware. Over Christmas all the rooms are draped with appropriate Christmas decorations, which gives the exhibits a fine festive touch and helps explain how the importance of celebrating the season has fluctuated over the centuries. During the summer months a complementary series of historical gardens is open to the rear of the museum - not especially well looked after but the intention is good. And on the first Saturday of the month (which was perfect timing yesterday) one of the original almshouses is opened to the public as part of a special £2 tour. I was able to see how Shoreditch's more fortunate pensioners would have lived out their final years in dignified independence and dimly lit respectability. All in far better than spending the weekend enduring the IKEA experience. Geffrye - historical solutions for better living.
I SPY LONDON (3)
One of London's most delightful museums is hidden off the tourist trail up the Kingsland Road, just round the corner from Hoxton Street. Think of it as a 400-year version of IKEA, showcasing period designer style in a series of exquisitely laid-out rooms tracking from 