Historical Drama

• Share

London harbors many secrets, but 18 Folgate Street is one of its best. Tucked away on a side street in Spitalfields — the formerly tatty but now buzzing heart of the city's rag trade — the exterior of this five-story Georgian townhouse[an error occurred while processing this directive] is conspicuous only for its rust red shutters. But inside, it's a time capsule that re-creates life in London as it might have been lived between 1724 and 1919. Each room captures a different era, but the attention to detail never wavers: a discarded wig on a chair; a quill resting in an inkwell; crumpets toasting on a crackling fire; a half-filled chamber pot hidden under a chaise longue. Unlike most museums there are no cordoned-off areas — visitors are encouraged to roam freely. Hidden tape recordings of a chiming grandfather clock, a muffled conversation in another room and the clip-clop of horses' hooves on the street evoke the historic atmosphere, as do the smells of pipe smoke and candied fruits.

If the house has a genuinely lived-in feel, that's because its mastermind, the eccentric American artist Dennis Severs, resided here from 1979 until his death in 1999 as its historic inhabitants would have — without heat, electricity or running water. The California-born Severs shunned the 20th century, but by turning a dilapidated house into an artistic project he managed to bring the past back to life. His dream, he said, was for visitors to feel as though they had stepped into a painting. Fellow artists believe he succeeded; David Hockney called 18 Folgate Street "stunning," and actors regularly visit to prepare for period dramas. Dennis Severs' House is open for candlelit tours every Monday evening, perhaps the best way to savor this slightly spooky experience, and on alternate Sundays. www.dennissevershouse.co.uk