The history of homes

Reopening after a huge refurbishment, with new displays, room sets and fascinating artefacts to discover – there’s no place like the Museum of the Home

There can be few places in the world where you’d find Ikea’s Billy bookcase rubbing shoulders with a finely crafted 17th-century Parisian cabinet, or 18thcentury custard pots given gallery space alongside Soft and Hard Brexit egg cups from 2016. One such place is the recently refurbished Museum of the Home in London. Formerly the Geffrye Museum, and renamed to reflect its very broad focus on all things home related through the ages, the revamped and enlarged exhibition spaces reopen to the public on 12 June 2021. The intricate cabinet, pictured above, is just one of many items on display. The ebony, fruitwood and ivory cabinet was made in Paris and bought by Mary in 1652 for her husband John Evelyn, the writer, diarist, and contemporary and friend of Samuel Pepys. Evelyn was also a prolific writer on gardens and would have been captivated by the outdoor spaces at the Museum of the Home. Here, visitors can admire the bang-up-to-date living green roof on part of the building and can stroll round Gardens Through Time. Indoors you can also discover Rooms Through Time, which includes a Victorian parlour set up for a séance, and a 1976 front room, that looks at the African-caribbean experience of setting up home in the UK. There are also themed exhibitions relating to homes and homelessness.

It’s hoped that these glimpses will help us understand what home means across society and through history. Entry is free, but booking is essential visit museumofthehome.org.uk