The Museum of the Home in London will reopen next summer after an £18.1 million development, doubling in size. 

Museum of the Home to reopen in Summer 2020

Source: Chris Ridley

A living room in 1965 - one of the ‘Rooms Through Time’ at the Museum of the Home.

The museum’s unique collection will present previously unseen and iconic objects, which ‘bring to life the extraordinary and everyday experiences of home from 1600 to the present day’.

It will celebrate the heritage and beauty of the 300-year-old Geffrye Almshouses and gardens (where it’s based), with visitors able to learn more about their own history and the stories of the people who once lived them.

Sonia Solicari, director at the Museum of the Home (formerly the Geffrye Museum of the Home), said: “I can’t wait to welcome visitors, old and new, next summer to explore the Museum of the Home and to celebrate this new chapter in the Museum’s history.

“Our new displays, spaces and stories will be a starting point for ideas and conversation about what home means. I hope every visitor will feel at home here and be able to relate their own experiences and ideas of home to the stories we share.”

What’s new?

The renovation of the original Grade I listed Geffyre Almshouses and the development of new spaces will double the area for exhibitions, events and collections. This includes:

  • A new entrance directly opposite Hoxton Station, a street-facing café with terrace and improved visitor reception and facilities. 
  • A Learning Pavilion and Studio which will allow more people of all ages and abilities to take part in the museum’s award-winning learning programme and activities.
  • Direct, all-year-round access to the Gardens Through Time and a brand new eco-friendly roof garden.
  • A new Collections Library overlooking the front gardens which will open up public access to the museum’s extensive archive and collections for the first time.

Museum of the Home development

Source: Secchi Smith / Wright & Wright Architects

An artist’s impression of how the new and improved site will look.

The Home Galleries

New exhibition spaces will be created in the lower ground floor of the Almshouses, named the Home Galleries.

The permanent galleries will run the full length of the building, weaving together historical and contemporary narratives about the home and diverse, thought-provoking, personal stories.

Photographs, textiles, furniture, hand-crafted objects, mass-produced artefacts, prints, film and audio recordings are some of the things in the displays which bring together everyday experiences of home life over the past 400 years.

Further details

Staff at the new-look museum will also partner with a range of artists, designers and performers to create new and unique works that reflect the theme of home.

The first commission of summer 2020 will be an immersive sound installation by writer Maria Fusco, which will respond to objects in the new Home Galleries and explore ideas of materiality and absence.

For a full breakdown of what’s coming up at the museum in summer 2020 and more information, visit www.museumofthehome.org.uk