Benjamin Franklin House, London

A review of Benjamin Franklin House, the only remaining house in the world to have been home to the American statesman and inventor. A real hidden gem, and fascinating insight into London’s history.

Benjamin Franklin

For someone so associated with America and in particular Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin sure spent a lot of time in London. He came as a youth to work as a printer’s apprentice, returning to Philadelphia in 1726. By far the longest time he spent in the city was on a diplomatic mission (with various bolt-on activities); to do with a disagreement between the Penn family (founders of Pennsylvania) and the Pennsylvania Assembly over the former’s political influence and exemption from paying taxes. Franklin spent 16 years in London in this capacity, with a two year trip back home somewhere in the middle.

While in London, Franklin lodged in rooms in Craven Street, which today is just next to Charing Cross Station. He got on so well with his landlady Margaret Stevenson and her daughter that he had the best rooms in the house, walked the daughter down the aisle, and she came to stay with him in America later in life. The house itself is very interesting. It’s part of a row of terraced houses; but is the only one retaining significant original features and is therefore Grade I-listed. While Franklin lived there it was also an anatomy school (thanks to the landlady’s daughter’s husband). And it later became a hotel. In the 1970s-80s it was a derelict squat, before being restored and opened as a visitor attraction in time for Franklin’s 300th birthday in 2006.

There are two options for visiting currently. On Fridays you can do an architectural tour. And on weekends the house becomes a Historical Experience with actors and sound and visual projections. To start with I went for the architectural tour, but am tempted to go back for the full experience! (As an aside, I also wondered whether the Historical Experience addresses some of the more difficult aspects of the house’s history, such as the two enslaved people who travelled to London with Franklin – let me know in the comments).

Benjamin Franklin House: Architectural Tour

I had the great privilege of being the only person on my architectural tour on a chilly December afternoon. This made it a great opportunity to chat to my friendly guide; but also highlights how London’s smaller museums need our support. Please consider buying a ticket/donating yourself, or check out the events page here.

The nature of Franklin’s time in London and the subsequent history of the house means there is not much of a collection; he didn’t own it, and although it was long, it was a temporary period in his life. For an architectural tour this lack of preserved collection is great, as the house speaks for itself. The original features which make it so special are numerous – wooden panels on the walls, original central staircase, and some original fireplaces chief amongst them. Sadly the squatters sold what marble they could so some of the fireplaces you see now are replicas, but in keeping with what was there before.

The architectural tour gives a real sense of what it was like to live here. The paint colours are as close to the original as possible (achieved through analysis of the paint layers). And the lighting is deliberately low, which reminds us what things were like before electricity. My guide was adept at explaining original features and layouts. For example I had never thought of Georgian panelling as an echo of Palladian architecture or classical columns. But it makes perfect sense, right? Show everyone you’ve been on the Grand Tour by rejecting overly decorated interiors and going for clean lines.

Exploring A Hidden Gem Through Its Curiosities

As I mentioned earlier, there isn’t much of a collection in Benjamin Franklin House, it’s more the house itself and how it is interpreted. The few objects they do have, however, add a great deal of interest to the tour. Firstly, you may have noticed the image above of dissected skulls. Remember how I mentioned the anatomy school that existed here in Franklin’s time? Well, during excavations before the house was opened as a tourist attraction the remains of a number of individuals were discovered. There is accompanying information to explain what we can learn about anatomy at the time. Also about grave robbing, which surprisingly was not illegal back then.

And a very fun discovery was a glass armonica in the final room we visited. What on earth is that, you ask? The answer is that it’s a bit like when people play music on glasses with various water levels (my frame of reference for this is Miss Congeniality). Only as a formal instrument. Invented by Benjamin Franklin of course. Marie Antoinette played the glass armonica. Mozart composed for it. And I got to have a go on the one at Benjamin Franklin House! An unexpected delight.

Please do visit Benjamin Franklin House! It stands up well against other small house museums like Handel & Hendrix in London, particularly because its subject matter is quite unique on the London landscape. It’s a charming building with a welcoming and knowledgeable team, and seems a world away from busy Charing Cross nearby.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5