House Museums

THE UK IS FAMOUS FOR MUSEUMS SUCH AS THE TATE MODERN, THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND THE BRITISH MUSEUM. BUT THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OTHER LESSER-KNOWN MUSEUMS THAT ARE EQUALLY FASCINATING. AND MANY MUSEUMS ARE ACTUALLY IN THE HOUSES WHERE THE FAMOUS PERSON ONCE LIVED. HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST HOUSE MUSEUMS IN THE UK.

House museums are in a special category of their own. For a start, they give you a fascinating insight into the life of the famous person. You can see where they lived, how they lived and where
they created some of their fi nest works. Sir John Soane’s Museum in London is a great example of a house museum. Sir John lived in London during the 18th century (1753-1837) and his house is exactly as he left it. In fact, visiting the house is just like stepping back in time. It’s full of thousands weird and wonderful objects from around the world, including valuable paintings, beautiful sculptures and an Egyptian mummy.

The Dickens House Museum is in honour of the famous English writer, Charles Dickens. It is in the town of Broadstairs, Kent, which Dickens regularly visited. There are numerous personal artefacts and documents (including many letters) in exhibit rooms. The town also has an annual Dickens Festival, which takes place in June. During the festival, townspeople dress up in Victorian clothing. There are exhibitions, parades, theatre plays and musicians.

Some contemporary artists open their homes as house museums, too. Ted Coney has created an art gallery at his home in Ely, England. He’s been painting for over forty years. His collection consists of a group of forty paintings on the theme of family life and relationships. Some of the topics include a daughter’s marriage, the birth of a fi rst grandchild, family anniversaries, marriages, bicycle tours by the artist, and dark family secrets. Most of the paintings are oil on canvas, although there are some examples of painting on glass, wood and Ivorene.

So, the next time you go to England, why not visit a house museum?