This once derelict house was bought by the Late American artist, Dennis Severs. Severs had been inspired by ‘Olde England’, so he renovated the house to reflect the 18th and 19th centuries. Eager to share his passionate creation with the public, Severs opened his house up to visitors.

With no signage outside, the house looks like any other Victorian townhouse. Although once inside, it’s quite a different story, as I felt I had entered a time capsule and had been ejected out somewhere between the 18th and 19th centuries.

Spread out on four floors, each of the ten rooms tells a different story. Props such as the remains of half eaten toast and cups of tea make the visitor feel as if someone just left the room. While the more permanent structures, such as the uneven floors, low beamed ceilings, antique furnishings and the smell of gas from the fire places lingering through the air allows the visitor to visualize and smell yester-year. The flickering of candles leave you feeling as if your presence is being observed by the occupants of the house, which of course are only as vivid as your imagination will allow.

Since Severs death in 1999, funding to keep the house open has been limited, therefore Severs intricate interpretation of centuries gone by can only be kept alive for as long as people continue to visit this special little place.

The Geffrye Museum specialises in the history of the home. The collection of furniture, textiles, paintings and objects are displayed chronologically from 1600 to the present day. It is full of the everyday, common objects rather than of the precious exquisite examples of the landed gentry. Clearly some of the displays are now worth a small fortune, but the Geffrye ‘find the relatively ordinary things of the past, owned and used by ordinary people, and to show these in their appropriate domestic context’.

If you like interior design this is a fascinating and little-known museum. It kind of reminds of the fantastic Design Museum Danmark in Copenhagen. Historical and social context are all important to both so when you venture through the eleven Period Rooms depicting the style of English middle-class living room and get to the 20th Century rooms and see the furniture and designs of the 50s and 60s (which I love) and compare them to ‘loft living’ of the 90s you can see the differences but also understand the similarities and see where the latter designers were taking inspiration from. Oh, and it is nowhere near as dull as I make it sound, honest.  

The museum is set in a beautiful set of 18th-century almshouse buildings, has attractive gardens including a walled herb garden and there is a newly built extension which houses a tasty cafe. 

Entrance to the museum if free, but there is a charge for the special exhibitions.

Kemistry Gallery is a small, independent gallery ‘dedicated to exhibiting the work of outstanding graphic designers both past, present and upcoming’. What this actually means is you get up and personal with some outstanding graphics – design that is good enough to be exhibited and cross the divide into the art world.

Last year, for example, I went to the excellent exhibition ‘Bass Notes: The film posters of Saul Bass’. A subject so large in the design world that the exhibition would not have been out of place at the Design Museum or Tate Modern. I have also seen exhibitions on the information graphics of South Korea courtesy of the agency Zero Per Zero and the now famous Homework agency of Poland and their fantastic poster designs.

The gallery obviously caters to those interested in graphic design (perhaps a niche market) and with that in mind you can buy work from current and past exhibitions or from the Kemistry Gallery Commissions series. 

The exhibitions change every couple of months, so it is worth joining the mailing list, especially as you will then know about the opening night and the free beer and wine that invariably flows on those occasions. Be careful though as a lot of work on display is for sale and you can easily get carried away.

The Counter Cafe recently moved. Only three doors down the road, but the difference it has made to the place is truly Olympian. The award-winning cafe is now part of Stour Space and is on two floors, both of which has expansive windows overlooking the River Lea, the Olympic Park and the main stadium.

This change from the original venue has meant extra space which has also meant extra people and on the weekends it can get very busy. So there are potential queues and/or poor service. Not much they can do about being too popular but they can – and hopefully will – sort out the service issues as they really are the only negative about this place.

The homemade relish that comes with the bacon baguette (and which can be bought separately) is truly fantastic. Undoubted star of the show for me. But all the food is good. The vegetarian breakfasts are enormous while the coffees, cakes and home-made pies are all excellent.

The gallery the cafe is now part of – Stour Space – holds regular exhibitions and a monthly Designers Market. There is also the annual Hackney Wick Festival and Hackney Wicked festival to encourage the visitor to E3 but I should mention that Hackney Wick isn’t exactly the most picturesque part of London…

The Counter Cafe likes to claim it is ‘London’s best kept secret’, well the secret is well and truly out now. Sorry. 

The area around Liverpool Street Station in East London was once associated with poor slums and the scene of the crime for the Jack the Ripper murders. While the pub Jack’s victims use to drink at still stands, The Ten Bells, the area itself is now very popular with London’s artistic and unusual.

After a short walk from Liverpool Street Station, you’ll come across the Old Spitalfields Markets (105a Commercial Street) which is open every Sunday. Whilst these markets are definitely worth a peak, keep wandering towards Bricklane where you’ll find the Old Truman Brewery (91 Bricklane).

Inside the old brewery, you’ll discover up-and-coming designers selling a unique variety of handbags, clothes and jewellery. There’s also a few vintage clothing stores and chic boutiques dotted around the area, which is a refreshing change from the usual high street entourage of clothing stores.

After a spot of shopping, and a curry at one of Bricklane’s many Bangladeshi restaurants, keep your eye out for warehouse art exhibitions which seem to be popping up all over the place. And last but certainly not least, ensure you have a drink in the beer garden of Vibe Bar, before stumbling across the road to 93 Feet East (150 Bricklane). Whilst this place is sweaty and jammed, it has become an East End institution well known for its eclectic mix of live music and its intimate atmosphere.