Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 15 and Version 11 of Museum Of The Home

Version 15 Version 11
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Museum on Kingsland Road in [[Locale Hoxton|Hoxton]]/[[Locale Shoreditch|Shoreditch]].
Museum on Kingsland Road in [[Locale Hoxton|Hoxton]]/[[Locale Shoreditch|Shoreditch]]. It was previously known as the Geffrye Museum, but rebranded to Museum Of The Home in 2019-2020.
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It was previously known as the Geffrye Museum, but rebranded to Museum Of The Home in 2019-2020 during an extended closure for refurbishment. It [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jun/12/museum-of-the-home-reopens-to-protests-over-statue-of-slave-ship-owner reopened under its new name] in June 2021.
<b>Note:</b> The museum is [https://www.museumofthehome.org.uk/what-we-do/our-development/ temporarily closed for refurbishment] until late 2020, when it is due to reopen under its new name.
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The information below pre-dates the refurbishment, and so some of the details may be out of date.

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* [http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-past.html diamond geezer article on the old version]
* [https://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-museum-of-home.html diamond geezer article on the new version
]
* [http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-past.html diamond geezer article]
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* [https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2021/06/15/the-museum-of-the-home-twice-as-big-twice-as-good/ Ian Visits article on the refurbished version]
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category='Bookshops,Cafes,Museums'
category='Bookshops,Cafes,Museums,Temporarily Closed'
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host='2001:8b0:ca94:869f:5c86:8e1d:75fb:9e3c'
hours_text=''
host='81.187.166.218'
hours_text='Temporarily closed'
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opening_hours_text=''
opening_hours_text='Temporarily closed'
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phone=''
phone='020 7739 9893'
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summary='Museum on Kingsland Road in Hoxton/Shoreditch, covering the history of English middle-class living rooms. Previously known as the Geffrye Museum.'
summary='Temporarily-closed museum on Kingsland Road in Hoxton/Shoreditch, covering the history of English middle-class living rooms.'

Museum on Kingsland Road in Hoxton/Shoreditch. It was previously known as the Geffrye Museum, but rebranded to Museum Of The Home in 2019-2020.

Note: The museum is temporarily closed for refurbishment until late 2020, when it is due to reopen under its new name.

The museum covers the history of English middle-class living rooms. Although this might sound like a ridiculously specific topic, there's a good deal of depth to the exhibits here, and while it's possible to enjoy the exhibitions simply as attractive curiosities, there are plenty of jumping-off points for more in-depth investigations.

The main part of the museum is arranged around eleven period-decorated rooms which trace the evolution of the "living room" concept from a 1630 "hall" to a 1998 loft-conversion studio flat. Handheld storyboards in each period room give details of the furniture, decor, and other items, while supplementary displays in the smaller rooms to the side highlight various themes associated with the collection and give a short overview of relevant contemporary occurrences. The social relevance of the rooms is described, as well as internal and external influences on their design and layout.

Partway along the long straight corridor which links the rooms is a small chapel — a remnant of the 18th century almshouses that were originally on the site — and a reading room with books for adults ("Medieval London Houses", "Pictorial Dictionary of British 19th Century Furniture Design") and children.

As well as the period rooms, the museum site includes a fully restored almshouse (timed entry only, on certain Wednesdays and Saturdays) and a number of period gardens (open April to October only).

Children are generally well catered for; a children's trail runs through the museum, with each room including a couple of questions to answer, such as "Can you see any birds and flowers in this room?" School trips are welcomed — on our visit, we ended up missing one of the rooms because the viewing area was filled with a flock of primary school children all sitting crosslegged in a line in front of a staff member who was explaining various bits and pieces to them. Theevents aimed at children.

Photography is permitted for personal use (no tripods though). There's a cafe and a shop, the latter including a decent collection of local history books. The (free-of-charge) cloakroom has bag lockers and a rather cunningly-designed coat security system involving a lockable cable that runs through one sleeve. Entry to the museum is also free.

Accessibility: Ramp up to get in, and level access to the main floor including shop and cafe once you're in. The corridor running alongside the main exhibits is not overly wide, but there are plenty of passing places. The museum offers sign-interpreted talks, tours, and workshops, as well as talks and handling sessions for blind and partially sighted visitors.

See also:

Last visited by Kake and Eliza, March 2010.

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