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 unique historical attraction in London, England. It's located at 18 Folgate Street in an area called Spitalfields. This special house was created by Dennis Severs, who lived there until he passed away.
The house is like a "time machine" that lets you imagine what life was like for a family of Huguenot silk weavers. Huguenots were French Protestants who moved to England a long time ago. The house itself is a Georgian terraced house, built around 1724. It's also a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical building.
From 1979 to 1999, Dennis Severs slowly changed the rooms. He made them look like different centuries had passed through them. His friend, Dan Cruickshank, described it as "essentially a theatre set." It wasn't meant to be perfectly accurate. Instead, it was designed to make you feel like you've stepped into another time.
In 2021, many old audio tapes were found. These were used to create a new audio tour for visitors. The house has a Latin motto: Aut Visum Aut Non!, which means "You either see it or you don't." This motto encourages visitors to use their imagination.
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The House's Story
The house at 18 Folgate Street was built around 1724. It's part of a row of similar houses. These homes are made of brown brick with red brick details. They have four floors and a basement.
In 1950, the house was described as having a painted front. Its first-floor windows had a special trellis pattern. By 1979, the house was quite old and needed repairs. The Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, a group that saves old buildings, helped to rescue it.
Who Was Dennis Severs?
Dennis Severs was born in California, USA, in 1948. He moved to London because he loved the "English light." In 1979, he bought the old house on Folgate Street from the Spitalfields Trust. This part of London, near Spitalfields Market, was quite run-down then. Many artists started moving into the area.
Artists like Gilbert & George lived nearby and also fixed up old houses. A historian named Raphael Samuel also lived in the area. Dennis Severs was part of a group of people who began fixing up houses in Spitalfields in the 1980s. They were sometimes called the Neo-Georgians.
Creating a Time Capsule
Dennis Severs worked on the ten rooms in his house. Each room was decorated in a different historical style. Most rooms looked like they were from the 18th or 19th centuries. He arranged the rooms as if people had just been there and left.
The rooms are filled with objects from those times. Some items were even made by Dennis Severs himself. For example, a fancy decoration over a fireplace was made from varnished walnuts. His own four-poster bed was made from simple pallets and polystyrene.
You'll see things like half-eaten bread on tables. Each room also has different smells and sounds. The room showing Victorian poverty even had smells that were described as very strong, but real.
The Jervis Family
The house tells the story of a made-up family called the Jervis family. Their original name was Gervais. They were Huguenot silk weavers who moved to the house. The Jervis family supposedly lived there from 1725 to 1919.
Each room gives you a peek into the imaginary lives of these people. Author Peter Ackroyd wrote that visiting the house is like a "journey through time." He said it feels like a "pilgrimage through life itself."
A Unique Art Form
Experts say Dennis Severs' House is hard to put into one category. It mixes theater design with art. Some have called it a "unique and rare type of theatre." Gavin Stamp, in Severs' obituary, called the house "a three-dimensional historical novel."
Dennis Severs himself called his work "still-life drama." This term is now used in notes that guide visitors through the house. He explained his goal:
I worked inside out to create what turned out to be a collection of atmospheres: moods that harbour the light and the spirit of various ages.
The writer and illustrator Brian Selznick was inspired by the house. He used it for his 2015 novel, The Marvels. The book even includes a short history and photos of Dennis Severs' House. Many characters and stories in the book are similar to what you find in the museum.
The writer Jeanette Winterson also restored a house nearby. She noted that Dennis Severs wanted to share lasting things that are "vulnerable but not forgotten." The famous painter David Hockney called the house one of the world's greatest works of opera.
Dennis Severs passed away in December 1999. Before he died, he wrote that the house's special feeling was temporary. However, the house was saved by the Spitalfields Trust. It remains open to the public today. Visitors are asked to respect Dennis Severs' vision and imagine themselves traveling to another time.
On Television
Dennis Severs appeared on a British game show called Tell The Truth on Channel 4. This episode aired on November 9, 1984. He talked about his house on the show. Dennis Severs and his house were also featured in a 1985 BBC documentary called Ours to Keep: Incomers.
