The Covid Diaries 80 – Handel & Hendrix in London

A review of Handel & Hendrix in London. Musical neighbours, separated only by a wall and a couple of centuries.

Handel And Hendrix – That’s A Strange Mix!

Well yes, it is rather! But it is a self-selecting mix. George Frideric Handel lived in London from 1712 until his death in 1759. He moved into a house on Brook Street (near Oxford Street) in 1723. A couple of centuries later, another musical talent arrived in London. Jimi Hendrix rented a flat in 23 Brook Street with his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham. He lived there from 1968-69. Because of the placement of the blue plaque commemorating Handel, Hendrix thought he was living in the same house the famous composer had lived in (and quite liked this idea). However, the coincidence of the two being (atemporal) next door neighbours is enough of a basis for a museum to have formed: Handel & Hendrix in London.

The idea of such a museum (on the Handel side at least) existed for most of the 20th Century. But it did not come to fruition until early 2001, as the Handel House Museum. The next stage was an expansion to restore Jimi Hendrix’s flat (plus a couple of other spaces); this opened in 2016. A silver lining of the pandemic has been that the retail space on the ground floor is now vacant. So the next stage will be to restore the full house at 25 Brook Street to its original appearance. This will include the frontage and a large basement kitchen.

Under normal circumstances, Handel & Hendrix in London has a programme of events (mainly musical, of course) alongside the museum itself. At the moment these are on hold. But as the museum itself is open this is a good opportunity to have a look before it presumably closes for redevelopment. I would love to see someone trying out one of the many harpsichords, however; I will be signing myself up for news and events and hoping they can stage something before that happens!

What Is It Like To Visit Handel’s House?

I rather enjoyed the set-up at Handel & Hendrix in London. There is no great collection of objects belonging to either Handel or Hendrix. So the museum team have had to get creative. What they do have is a listing of Handel’s possessions from when they went to auction after his death, and numerous photographs of Hendrix in his flat – both personal snapshots and professional photoshoots. So what you experience today is a recreation to give a sense of what it was like when each man was living here.

The Handel rooms give the sense of a nice, light and airy Georgian terrace house. There are few pieces of furniture, but what there is reflects what a visitor in Handel’s time might have seen. I liked the many harpsichords, which came complete with an explanation of how they actually work and are different to pianos. It reminded me of the evening I spent at Southwark Cathedral at a candlelit concert. There is plenty of historic information. What really brought it to life for me was a map of Handel’s London ‘network’. It shows the places where his friends lived, where he and his rivals worked, and where his music was performed. With Brook Street so ensconced in the commercial West End today, this was an effective way to transport myself back to Georgian London.

I enjoyed the fact that the Handel rooms do not assume much prior knowledge. The level of detail is perfect for someone like me who is an interested beginner when it comes to classical music. I was able to learn more about him as a man and composer, listen to some of his music, and understand what his life in London was like. I will carry that new appreciation forward when I next have the opportunity to hear his works performed.

And Hendrix’s House?

Jimi Hendrix rented a little flat in Brook Street when it was a bit more bohemian. An abiding image for me will be Hendrix shopping for home furnishings at John Lewis. It seems so domestic but for him this flat was a refuge from his growing fame. Until photographers and documentary filmmakers started intruding, that is.

The Jimi Hendrix space at Handel & Hendrix in London consists of a one-room recreated space in the bedroom, plus a couple of supplementary displays. There is one which gives an overview of his life story and then focuses in on his time in this flat. The text panels do a really good job; creating a sense of how he lived here rather than just being a sort of Jimi Hendrix shrine. There is information on ‘a day in the life’ while Hendrix was in Brook Street, other people who came here, increasing intrusions by the press, coming back after gigs. It’s a really interesting connection of a famous figure to this specific place and time.

Like Handel, I was not particularly knowledgeable about Hendrix before coming here, so there was a nice level of detail. And with low visitor numbers I was able to take my time chatting to volunteers, watching a video on his early life, and dipping in and out of the information panels.

So I guess the moral is that you don’t need to be an expert on either Handel or Hendrix to enjoy this museum. It’s a good way to explore either of their stories, but also to think about London in different ways. And for museum nerds, to think about creating connections with visitors when you just have a building to work with and no collection.

On its own merits: 3.5/5
Implementing Covid measures: 4.5/5

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