Take a step back in time with a step forward into
Dennis Severs' House. This is not your everyday museum, this is much more. In fact, this is not really a museum at all. This is a genuine experience, a house with a pulse. Located at 18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields, your presence will interrupt the lives of the Jervis family, the house's fictitious inhabitants through the period of 1724 to 1914.
The Jervis family are wealthy silk weavers, but your intrusion into their home appears to have startled them as they are suddenly nowhere to be seen and yet their possessions, such as Mr Jervis' wig are strewn across the house as if they were present only moments before your arrival. An impressive portrait of Mr Jervis sits above the fireplace in his parlor and his meal is still on the table as though he rushed out of the room midway through. Perhaps it is you that has startled him!
Dennis Severs was an artist whose goal was to use your imagination as his canvas. He lived in the house until his death in 1999 in much the same way as its inhabitants may have lived in the 18th century. His desire was to turn the Georgian Terrace into 'a time capsule - sometimes opened up'. The house wants you to get an impression and understanding for the past by essentially assaulting your senses. It certainly achieves it's objective.
Dennis Severs created this 'time capsule' in such a way as to make you feel like you have somehow jumped through the frame of a painting and are now walking within the picture. Your tour is conducted by candlelight and in silence so that your senses can feel their way through the experience. Smell the food being prepared in the kitchen and hear what sounds like the family talking throughout the house - though they always remain just out of sight. It is eerie, compelling and a totally unique method of touring the past.
Your visit enables you to experience first hand what previously had only been background in old paintings. The use of candle and firelight sets the tone and that's before the creaking of the floorboards and the whispering voices come into play... Be advised, this is not an experience you should embark upon without understanding that it requires concentration and a willingness to meet the house halfway. The motto of the house is 'You either see it or you don't'. You will soon become aware that this is not something easily pigeonholed as being 'heritage' or merely a 'museum' and the house warns that it is 'absurd' to assume it might be either 'amusing or appropriate for children'!
Dennis Severs created this house to act as a form of 'Still Life Drama' and allows the past to come to life and exist within our present. There are ten rooms and they are designed to cast 'ten spells' upon all those who enter. As you wander the corridors you will become aware of the passage of time. The fortunes of the Jervis family progress along with the 18th Century. As the silk trade prospers so does the family noticeable through the elegance of their home. However, the Victorian era brought a collapse in the silk trade and as you move through the house the mood changes to reflect this. The cruel poverty of Victorian London is evident as the once luxurious rooms are now damp and musty. Clothes are drying on the line, chamber pots lie unattended on the floor and ceiling may just cave in on top of you.
