5/5 Savio L. 3 years ago on Google
A
TRUE
IMMERSIVE
JOURNEY
INTO
THE
PAST!
Dennis
Severs'
House
is
a
"still-life
drama"
created
by
the
previous
owner
Dennis
Severs
as
a
"historical
imagination"
of
what
life
would
have
been
like
inside
for
a
family
of
Huguenot
silk
weavers.
It
is
a
Grade
II
listed
Georgian
terraced
house.
From
1979
to
1999
it
was
lived
in
by
Dennis
Severs,
who
gradually
recreated
the
rooms
as
a
time
capsule
in
the
style
of
former
centuries.
The
motto
of
the
house
is:
Aut
Visum
Aut
Non!
-
"You
either
see
it
or
you
don't."
The
house
dates
from
approximately
1724.
It
is
one
of
a
terrace
of
houses
built
of
brown
brick
with
red
brick
dressings,
over
4
storeys
and
with
a
basement.
Dennis
Severs
(1948,
Escondido,
California
–
1999,
London)
was
drawn
to
London
by
what
he
called
"English
light",
and
made
his
home
in
the
dilapidated
property
in
Folgate
Street
in
1979.
This
area
of
the
East
End
of
London,
next
to
Spitalfields
Market,
had
become
very
run-down,
and
artists
had
started
to
move
in.
Severs
started
on
a
programme
to
refurbish
the
ten
rooms
of
the
house,
each
in
a
different
historic
style,
mainly
from
the
18th
and
19th
centuries.
The
rooms
are
arranged
as
if
they
are
in
use
and
the
occupants
have
only
just
left.
There
are
therefore
displays
of
items
such
as
half-eaten
bread,
and
different
smells
and
background
sounds
for
each
room.
Severs
called
this
"still
life
drama"
and
wrote:
“I
worked
inside
out
to
create
what
turned
out
to
be
a
collection
of
atmospheres:
moods
that
harbour
the
light
and
the
spirit
of
various
ages.”
Woven
through
the
house
is
the
story
of
the
fictional
Jervis
family
(a
name
anglicised
from
Gervais),
originally
Huguenot
(French
Protestant
immigrants)
silk
weavers
who
lived
at
the
house
from
1725
to
1919.
Each
room
evokes
incidental
moments
in
the
lives
of
these
imaginary
inhabitants.
“The
journey
through
the
house
becomes
a
journey
through
time;
with
its
small
rooms
and
hidden
corridors,
its
whispered
asides
and
sudden
revelations,
it
resembles
a
pilgrimage
through
life
itself.”
Severs
bequeathed
the
house
to
the
Spitalfields
Historic
Buildings
Trust,
an
architectural
preservation
charity,
shortly
before
his
death.
It
is
now
open
to
the
public,
who
are
asked
during
their
visit
to
respect
the
intent
of
the
creator
and
participate
in
an
imaginary
journey
to
another
time.
This
House
Museum
is
really
unique
and
Unexpected
and
also
helps
you
understand
more
about
the
history
and
culture
of
this
stunning
neighborhood!