This fine Maiolica earthenware plate dates from 1575-1625 and will be on show in the 1630 room. © The Geffrye Museum/John Hammond
London’s Geffrye Museum is due to reopen more than half of its galleries in November 2006 after a major renovation scheme.
The museum charts the development of English middle class domestic interiors from 1600 to the present day and the new At Home project will see the creation of four new period rooms, dated 1630, 1695, 1745 and 1790.
The rooms are all based on typical middle class London rooms of their time and will open on November 14 2006, along with a series of interpretive galleries, two new audio guides and a specially devised education and events programme.
They are replacing displays that had been largely unchanged for nearly 50 years. Museum practice, scholarship and society have moved on considerably since their inception and the refurbished galleries will reflect recent ideas and research on this area of social history, say museum staff.
Silver teapot with rococo ornamentation, designed by Benjamin West (1744-5). © The Geffrye Museum/John Hammond
“Opportunities to completely overhaul our permanent displays are relatively rare,” said Geffrye Director, David Dewing. “In 1998, as part of our Branson Coates-designed extension, we had the good fortune to be able to create new 20th century period rooms, and the 19th century period rooms were refreshed in 1995. But a serious rethink of the early displays has not been possible until now.”
All the rooms will include period furniture and furnishings, showing changing tastes, materials and finishes.
The 1630 room features a hall in a timber-framed house in the City of London, with oak floor to ceiling panelling, a brick-lined fireplace, lime-wash ceiling and leaded casement windows.
A post-Great Fire of London parlour from 1695 will have a marble surround and hearth with a basket grate suitable for a coal fire and will be panelled and painted in a single stone colour.
Square piano in mahogany and satinwood from c1790-1801. © The Geffrye Museum/John Hammond
Parlours from the mid and late 18th century also show the significant shifts in middle-class domestic conditions and behaviours over the years.
“The Geffrye’s challenge is to ensure that these displays are not simply evocative and, occasionally, nostalgic; they must accurately represent the changing homes of London’s middle classes,” added David.
“This can only be achieved after years of intensive research. We recognise that history changes as evidence is discovered, knowledge is enhanced and fresh interpretations are reached; the new displays have been conceived for an audience which is diverse, demanding, engaged and questioning.”
