Dennis Severs' House facts for kids
Dennis Severs' House
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| Location | 18 Folgate Street London, United Kingdom |
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Dennis Severs' House is a special museum in London, England. It's not like a regular museum with objects in glass cases. Instead, it's set up to look like a family just stepped out. The house shows what life might have been like for a family of Huguenot silk weavers.
Dennis Severs, who owned and lived in the house, created this "still-life drama." He wanted to imagine how people lived in past centuries. The house is a beautiful old Georgian building in Spitalfields, a historic part of East End, London.
Dennis Severs lived here from 1979 until he passed away in 1999. He slowly turned the rooms into a kind of time capsule. His friend, Dan Cruickshank, said it was like a "theatre set." It wasn't meant to be perfectly accurate, but to make you feel like you've gone back in time.
The house closed for a while during the Covid pandemic. It reopened on July 29, 2021. Now, you can even hear a special audio tour. The house has a Latin motto: Aut Visum Aut Non!, which means "You either see it or you don't." This means you need to use your imagination when you visit!
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Exploring Dennis Severs' House
This unique house is located on Folgate Street. It was built around 1724. It's part of a row of similar houses, all made of brown brick. The house has four floors and a basement.
By 1979, the house was quite old and needed a lot of repair. A group called the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust helped save it. They work to protect old buildings.
The Creator: Dennis Severs
Dennis Severs was born in California, USA, in 1948. He loved the special light in London. In 1979, he bought this old house from the Spitalfields Trust. The area around Spitalfields Market was a bit run-down then. Many artists started moving there, including Dennis.
Dennis began fixing up the ten rooms in his house. Each room is decorated in a different style, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He made the rooms look as if people were still living there. You might see half-eaten food or clothes left behind.
He used his creativity to make things look old and real. For example, a fancy decoration over a fireplace was made from varnished walnuts! His own four-poster bed was built from simple pallets and polystyrene. Each room even has its own special smells and sounds. This helps you feel like you're really there.
The Jervis Family Story
As you walk through the house, you follow the story of a made-up family called the Jervis. They were Huguenot silk weavers who lived in the house from 1725 to 1919. Each room shows a small moment from their imaginary lives.
Peter Ackroyd, a famous writer, described visiting the house. He said it feels like a journey through time. He felt it was like a "pilgrimage through life itself."
A Unique Kind of Art
Experts say Dennis Severs' House is hard to put into a single category. It's a mix of theatre design and art. Some have called it a "three-dimensional historical novel." Dennis Severs himself called it a "still-life drama."
He wanted to create "a collection of atmospheres." These were moods that captured the feeling and light of different time periods.
The house has inspired others too. The writer and illustrator Brian Selznick used it as an idea for his 2015 book, The Marvels. The book even includes pictures and a short history of Dennis Severs' House.
Even famous artist David Hockney said the house is like one of the world's greatest works of opera.
Dennis Severs passed away in 1999. Before he died, he wrote that he knew the house's special feeling might not last forever. But luckily, the house was saved. It is still open to visitors today. When you visit, you are asked to be quiet and use your imagination. This helps you join in the imaginary journey to another time.
Television Appearances
Dennis Severs and his house were featured on TV shows. He appeared on a British game show called Tell The Truth in 1984. The house and Dennis also appeared in a BBC documentary called Ours to Keep: Incomers in 1985.
Images for kids
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One of the bedrooms, showing the "still-life drama" style
