Christmas Past (at the Geffrye Museum) For a slightly different twist on the festive season, the Geffrye Museum always comes up trumps. Every Christmas they deck out their museum with appropriate seasonal decorations, and every year I go back to enjoy the presentation. The Geffrye, if you're not familiar, is a museum of historic middle-class interiors. That means eleven living rooms, decked out as they might have appeared in particular years from the 17th century to the end of the 20th. Each is lovingly decked out with period furniture and fittings, with an increasing amount of clutter evident as we move from Jacobean simplicity into the industrial and consumer eras. One rather lovely feature is that the museum is laid out inside a row of 18th centuryalmshouses, with each successive room like stepping forward in time as you walk from one end to the other. The one downside is that the main passageway is very narrow and so it only takes a few lingering visitors to clog the place up. There are plenty of visitors at the moment, as middle-class NE London pops in for a pre-Christmas gander. Watch out for children underfoot, not all of whom have been swallowed up by the organised activities in the foyer by the cafe.
The earlier historical decorations are understated evergreens - a wreath of holly here, a garland there. Only in Victorian times does the first tree appear, coupled with more commercial accessories (and some appropriate sheet music on the piano). By the 20th century we finally see paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, presents scattered across the rug and dining tables laid with crackers - just how you or your grandparents might have celebrated. The Geffrye adds longevity to its displays by spreading its historical tableaux across the period from Christmas Eve to Twelfth Night. A table laid with New Year treats, a post-Christmas musical evening, an iced Twelfth Night cake - all these are remembered and their traditions duly remembered. No problem, then, if you can't get in for a visit this week. The festive theme continues until January 6th, when there'll be a ceremonial burning of the holly and the ivy in the garden, and some carol singing and a glass of mulled wine. Worth a visit any time of the year, but especially over the next two weeks. Kingsland Road, E2 8EA - closed Dec 24, 25, 26, Jan 1
With the summer coming up, you'll no doubt be wanting to go out and do stuff in London. So here's my list of suggested places you could visit, made up from one such place per borough. I've concentrated on proper attractions, not parks and markets and the like. I've tried to avoid the really obvious places, like the Natural History Museum or Tower of London, but hopefully places it's worth crossing London to see. I've aimed for minimal entrance fee or free, not rip-off admission. In some boroughs (like Camden and Hounslow) it's been a really tough choice because there are so many great places to go. But there are a few boroughs (marked with a *) where I'm not convinced there is anywhere worthy of inclusion, so if you've got any better ideas then do let me know.
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
For a slightly different twist on the festive season, the Geffrye Museum always comes up trumps. Every Christmas they deck out their museum with appropriate seasonal decorations, and every year I go back to enjoy the presentation. The Geffrye, if you're not familiar, is a museum of historic middle-class interiors. That means eleven living rooms, decked out as they might have appeared in particular years from the 17th century to the end of the 20th. Each is lovingly decked out with period furniture and fittings, with an increasing amount of clutter evident as we move from Jacobean simplicity into the industrial and consumer eras. One rather lovely feature is that the museum is laid out inside a row of 18th century almshouses, with each successive room like stepping forward in time as you walk from one end to the other. The one downside is that the main passageway is very narrow and so it only takes a few lingering visitors to clog the place up. There are plenty of visitors at the moment, as middle-class NE London pops in for a pre-Christmas gander. Watch out for children underfoot, not all of whom have been swallowed up by the organised activities in the foyer by the cafe.
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 