I like to think I was ‘fashionably late’ for my appointment at the Dennis Severs house. Michael, apron-wearing curator (for want of a more appropriate word – which it certainly needs) seemed to regard it as a sensible move, pointedly informing me that I would have the best of the house by touring alone. It’s an art thing.

Since acquiring the house in Folgate Street in the 1970s, Dennis Severs did the exact opposite of all those who surrounded him; scorning modern amenities, he took the house backwards to the time of its construction. Along the way, he invented a family of Huguenot weavers to share the property with him and created a unique piece of living art that he shared with visitors. Michael invited me to wander through the house in silence, exploring the late-18th-century home that the fictitious Jervises shared with their creator.

If you have ever stood before a painting and asked yourself what was happening just off the canvas or what series of events led to what you see (or, indeed, what followed), then this house will intrigue you. The stated desire is to create the sense of sharing the house with the Jervis family, inconsiderately interrupting their mealtime and causing them to flee to another room, where they whisper darkly about the intruder. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but if you suffer from any form of mild paranoia, this experience won’t help.

The rooms are loaded with worn and loved ephemera of 18th- and 19th-century living. This is not a well preserved heritage museum and, while common decency stops me touching the crockery that crams the kitchen dresser or sifting for clues through the papers on the table, the point is that you could. History put in reach - and up your nose, through the profligate use of pomanders, open fires, and damp. There are also clues that tie the house back to the 20th century: knowing incidentals, such as a Royal Wedding mug (Charles and Di – doesn’t look like it has been washed since), a baseball jacket, and cap. Despite the Gothic atmosphere created by candlelight and Michael’s manner, the house is not without humour. There is a need to indulge in a little belief suspension; as in Peter Pan, if you want the fairies (and the Jervises) to exist, they will.

As I explored, I found lots of its. Whether any of them were the it I was supposed to get, I don’t know. I verged on the over-analytical at one stage, favouring some sort of Dickensian social commentary. I tried staring intensively at the paintings, but this just gave me a headache (that might have been the pomanders). But then I decided that, like with any artistic experience, it's your it that really matters, and if it coincides with the artist’s intended it, then, well, happy coincidence.

Dennis Severs House
Article by Jeannette Winterson

The best thing about going with IgoUgo are the surprises. Some things are planned by the staff, and you allow someone else to take the steering wheel. This was the case with the Dennis Sever's House. I had no idea what to expect, and even looking at the webpage, I was not 100% sure what was in store for our group.

I arrived by cab down a small, old street in Spitsfield. Even my cab driver was in awe of the old gas light that was still working on the front of the house. Our group gathered, and we were greeted by one of the docents. He explained a few rules, like not touching anything and to just let yourself be part of the experience. He described the house as an art installation, and that, to me, was the best description I heard of it.

There is no tour, as such, but you wander on your own from room to room. I had the same feeling I have when I go on real estate tour and am wandering around a stranger's home. This is what you are doing--snooping around in the fictional Jervis's family home. I started in the basement, where you can still see the ruins of the St Mary's Spital, which dates to 1197 AD. This is the beginning of one of the themes of the house--that generations and eras overlap and share this space. You are reminded a place outlives our short lives and is shared by many.

From here, I moved into the kitchen, with a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace, tea in the cups on the table, and a delightful smell of cooking. A live cat sat lazily on a chair. This was the warmest room in the house. Every corner was like a living still life. As a photographer, I wanted to make 100 pictures, but the house does not allow photography.

In one of the upstairs rooms was a Hogarth print of a wild party. You realize you are in this room and the party has just ended. Above the print is the saying, "Would you know art if it jumped out of the frame at you?" This was exactly what was happening around me. The art was jumping out of the frames, and you were now a part of the picture.

The group gathered again outside. Some of us where chattering about what we saw, while others pondered in silence. This is exactly the response a piece of good artwork should inspire!

I hesitate to classify this experience as a museum. In Mr. Severs' words, it is a "still-life drama" designed to transport visitors into the past through sights, sounds, and smells. The late Mr. Severs lived in this house for several years and gradually created an evocative experience based upon the premise that a family lives in the house and that you are merely a nosy guest observing the family's life. As you roam through the house, you hear footsteps, laughter, and conversations, just down the hall it seems. You feel the presence of the family, although they are seen only through portraits and their belongings lying about.

When we visited, the Christmas Installation had been completed. One roams through the house in silence, observing the rooms and their contents. You begin by entering the house and being given a short explanation of what's going on and how to behave. The house is lit only by fire and candlelight and no pictures (or talking) are allowed.

You begin the tour by visiting the kitchen in the basement. The era is the early 18th century, and there is food in various stages of preparation everywhere, dirty dishes in the sink, the sounds of carts and horses going by on the street outside, and the feeling that you have walked in on the last preparations for the Christmas meal.

On the upper floors, you roam through lovely parlours and bedrooms decorated for Christmas in the style of the early 18th century and then the Victorian age. Bountiful tables of food and drink, gift-wrapped packages, and delightful smells surround you.

Finally, on the top floor, you find yourself in Dickens' London, in the squalid attic flat of a poor family. I almost ran out of there because it was so realistic and bleak.

My description of this experience is unable to convey how interesting and fun this is. The cost is £12 for the Christmas Installation, and reservations are necessary. At other times of the year, the hours and prices vary greatly. Please visit the website for full details, pictures, and information on making reservations.

Dennis Severs, an American from California, who died in 1999 lived at 18 Folgate Street. At local markets he bought period pieces, original objects and furniture.

This old house inspired him to write the life story of a family who could have lived here. He invented a Huguenot family, the Jervis family, who fled from France in 1688. They bought the house in 1724 and here his tale begins.

Sounds and scents bring their world to life, floorboards creak, fires crackle, a kettle hisses on the hob, it is all very real. As if you step back in time.

The tour starts in the cellar from where you move on to the kitchen. Then to the eating parlour, where you can hear the ticking of a clock. You then move upstairs to the ‘better’ rooms and now you are in the Georgian era. Then on to the smoking room where the men retired after dinner. The tour ends in the withdrawing room, where men and women partook in social talk.

During the tour you are asked not to speak so that you can absorb the atmosphere more intensely.

Opening Times:
Every Monday evening, by candlelight: "Silent Night". The contribution is for the house's upkeep, and is £10. Times vary with the light of seasons and booking is necessary.
The first Sunday of each month between 2 - 5 pm. (£7 contribution). No booking required.
Then, at lunch time (12 - 2 pm) on the Monday following the first Sunday (£5 contribution). No booking required.
For information and bookings: Tel: 020-7247 4013