“Aut Visum Aut
Non: You either see it, or you don’t”
Just around the
corner from one of London’s busiest modern day transport hubs sits a quiet
house in a stately street. The old
lantern outside the door hints at what lies inside: an historical time capsule
that is worlds away from Liverpool Street’s hustle and bustle. Behind its
doors, 18 Folgate Street holds an imaginative still life drama without any
visible actors – except for the resident black cat.
Dennis Severs, a
Californian obsessed with English history, moved into the property in 1979 and
set about restoring each of the ten rooms to represent a different historical
period, from the 1700s to the early 20th century. Three generations
of the fictitious Jervis family are woven through the portraits and armchairs,
bedspreads and knick-knacks that litter the place. But this is not a museum,
and its contents aren’t preserved with glass cases or placards. This is a lived
in house, whose inhabitants have supposedly just left the room, and their
presence can be felt throughout a visit there.
Payment is taken
on the doorstep, along with a finger to the lips and a heartfelt request to be
as quiet as possible. Once inside, the candlelight reveals steaming teapots,
freshly sliced boiled eggs, half eaten bread on the kitchen table and soapy
water in the sink. Tiptoeing past rumpled sheets in the bedrooms and ducking
under wet washing hung across the stairwell gives the strong impression you’re
trespassing in someone else’s home, but frankly its too fascinating to feel
guilty. As the family’s wealth rises and falls through the centuries, the
quality of their lifestyle changes too; moving further into the house introduces
peeling wallpaper, thinner carpets and an accumulation of dust and cobwebs.
The scent of
cloves and oranges, the flickering candlelight and an array of background
sounds guide your senses in building an image of the unseen inhabitants’ lives,
from the clothes they wear to the letters they’ve written. If you’ve ever
imagined yourself stepping into a painting, this is the place to experience it
for real.
The museum opens
every Sunday afternoon & Monday lunchtime and costs £10. For more info,
visit www.dennissevershouse.co.uk
