Geffrye Museum.

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Museum of the Home

Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields


These beautiful ivy-clad brick almshouses, which are closed until summer 2020 for renovations, were built in 1714 as a home for poor pensioners. Two rooms have been furnished to show how residents lived in the 1770s and 1880s, atmospherically lit by candles and the original gas lamps. The attention to detail is impressive, down to the vintage newspaper left open on the breakfast table.