Dennis Severs’ House is a unique museum in London’s Spitalfield area. Each of the ten rooms is decorated in a different historic style, and the house is designed to look like people still live in it. Visitors must remain silent and use all five senses to experience the house.
Dennis Severs’ House is a quirky museum located in the Spitalfield area of London. The house is located at 18 Folgate Street in London’s East End, an area with a bohemian vibe that has long been favored by the artsy crowd. It was inhabited by the artist Dennis Severs from 1979 to 1999 and is now owned and managed by the Spitalfield Trust. Dennis Severs’ House is a unique attraction for London tourists because it is part historical site, a work of art of the park. The house is primarily known for its décor, as each of the ten rooms is decorated in a different historic style.
California artist Dennis Severs moved into the house at 18 Folgate Street in 1979. He soon began transforming the property into a living work of art or play. Severs remodeled each room in the house using a different historic style, with decor ranging from 1724 to 1914. He also came up with a story to go with the decor. According to the stories told by Severs, the house is owned and inhabited by the Jervis clan, a fictional family of French weavers.
Throughout his life, Severs allowed guests to visit his home and enjoy his artistic masterpiece. The tours started in the basement before moving on to the kitchen, dining room and smoking room. Afterwards, guests went upstairs to some of the five-story home’s bedrooms.
Since his death, the Spitalfield Trust continue to run tours of Dennis Severs’ home. All visitors are led by a guide through the property. The Dennis Severs home has a strict policy that visitors may not speak inside the home and should remain completely silent. This policy of silence was implemented because Severs wanted visitors to use all five senses to experience the house, instead of just relying on the place. The no-talking rule generally means that children are not allowed to visit.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Dennis Severs’ House is that it was designed using a Marie Celeste approach. In accordance with this artistic design style, the house is made to look like people still live in it and have left the house a few minutes ago. Dennis Severs’ home achieves this look by leaving half-eaten food on the table, a fire burning in the hearth, and recorded sounds in every room. Guests must make their way by candlelight, as the house has no electricity to light the way.
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