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.

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The Dennis Severs House | Art & culture | Entry from £ 7
18 Folgate Street | East | +442072474013
1st & 3rd Sun 12:00 – 16:00, following Mon 12:00 – 14:00

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.

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The Geffrye Museum | Art & culture | Free
Kingsland Rd,E2 8EA | East | +442077399893
Tue – Sat 10:00 – 17:00, Sun 12:00 – 17:00

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.

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Kemistry Gallery | Art & culture | Free
43 Charlotte Road,EC2A 3PD | East | +442077293636
10:00 – 18:00 daily

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. 

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The Counter Cafe | Art & culture, Coffee & tea | Bacon baguette £ 3.50
7 Roach Road, E3 2PA | East | +447834275920
Mon – Fri 07:45 – 17:00, Sat – Sun 09:00 – 17:00

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.

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Bricklane | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Shopping, Snacks, Restaurants
Bricklane | East
Markets open Sun, most clothing stores daily.

When I began making friends in London, a big revelation for me was the difference in toys and games everyone played with as children. In one conversation I mentioned playing “Hungry, Hungry Hippos” as a child. My British friends informed me that in the UK, the game is called “Hungry Hippos”. Perhaps in America the hippos are hungrier?

A visit to the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green reveals not only how different cultures today experience childhood, but explains how people throughout history experienced play through toys and games. A walk around the galleries explains key themes surrounding these toys and asks questions you might not necessarily think of with playtime – what did it mean to be a child in Tudor England? How do toys differ across a number of cultures?

The displays are not all serious though. There are many interactive exhibits that bring history to life. The newest exhibition ‘Playing In or Out’ reminds visitors of the games they played outdoors.  British Bulldog anyone?

The exhibits I found most engaging were the dollhouses – a grand collection of intricate houses from Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian periods reflecting tastes in fashion and interior decoration. What fascinated me most was the level of detail in each of these dollhouses – even their kitchens were well equipped with tiny copper pots and pans. All of the houses are enclosed in glass displays, so no playing with these houses is allowed.

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V&A Museum of Childhood | Art & culture | Free
Cambridge Heath Road,E2 9PA | East | +442089835200
10:00 – 17:45 daily

You’d be forgiven for thinking the Whitechapel Gallery sits in a slightly unusual spot amongst the curry eateries of Brick Lane and the border of the City at Aldgate. It has, in fact, occupied this site for over a hundred years. It is the only gallery in Britain to ever show Picasso’s Guernica, and has developed a reputation for introducing artists to the UK – the first major shows of Pollock, Rothko, Hockney, Kahlo and Freud were all at the Whitechapel.

Recently the gallery’s had a bit of a revamp but retains its ethos of showcasing new artists alongside established acts. I recently saw the Gillian Wearing exhibition (running until 17 June) which was more than marvellous – an interesting mix of video and photography. The gallery hosts one paying exhibition each year to keep it open, so check before you visit if you’re on a budget.

Aside from art there’s also a glorious café serving teas and snacks and a branch of Koenig Books (see the article)- one of my favourite London bookstores – where you can pick up beautiful tomes at reduced prices.

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Whitechapel Gallery | Art & culture, Coffee & tea
77-82 Whitechapel High Street, E1 7QX | East | +442075227888
Tue – Sun 11:00 – 18:00

Visitors to Berlin will have probably seen the Photoautomat phenomenon for themselves, and on a recent trip there I couldn’t wait to have a go in one of these little pieces of history.

I was delighted when I discovered Cargo in Shoreditch was the proud home of London’s first and only Photoautomat booth. I just love these things – as a child, the anticipation and excitement of it all often proved too much, and even now I still find the thrill of joking around in these booths just as exciting. I also think that no technological advancements can compete with the analogue photo booth, from the vintage quality of the prints to the clunks that the booth makes.

As a local I obviously don’t frequent the booth that much, unless I find myself in Cargo after a few drinks with £3 to spare. It’s situated in the garden of this live music venue, so it totally depends on what is happening inside as to whether you’re able to get outside to use the photo booth. Some of the gigs at Cargo are pricey and I wouldn’t recommend you pay the entry fee just to use the booth. But if you do go in, it’s definitely worth it.

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Photoautomat Booth at Cargo | Art & culture | One strip £ 3
83 Rivington Street EC2A 3AY | East
Opening times vary

SCP is a recent addition to East London’s burgeoning selection of art and design gift shops. Yeah, there’s always been a good selection of crafty type stores that sell unusual items, but SCP is one of my favourites for hot products of a well-designed nature.

There are two stores: one in Notting Hill and this, the flagship shop, on Curtain Road. If I’m not in there salivating over an Eames chair or a Russell Pinch sofa, I’m usually there to pick up an original gift. Stock includes design from around the world, including soft furnishings, kitchenware, decorative items, clocks, prints and so much more.

Its spacious, airy store is split over two levels – the first floor is like a design lover’s fantasy with larger items like furniture seductively displayed, whilst downstairs caters more for gift buyers (I tend to stick downstairs, lest I end up leaving with £500 side table I certainly don’t need).

They’re the only London stockist of Kiosk products – some of my favourite things – a collection of interesting items from around the world, like motel keyrings, reproduction 1960s bottle openers and other curiosities. They also stock china with unusual illustrations (many by local London designers) as well as one of the best ranges of modern haute-design in London. Maybe even the world.

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SCP | Art & culture, Shopping
135 Curtain Road, EC2A 3BX | East | +442077391869
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 18:00, Sun 11:00 – 17:00

Rich Mix, like the Barbican, is one of those art centres that caters for pretty much everybody. It’s my local cinema, but at the same time is a gig venue, bar, café and art gallery – it’s a big red cultural hub.

The building has three cinema screens – two large, one intimate. They screen mainstream movies and anticipated Oscar winners alongside independent releases and archival films. It’s much cheaper than those horrid West End cinemas that charge you a fortune and much nicer, too. The walls are adorned with Timorous Beasties wallpaper – an attraction in themselves, and the actual cinema screens have walls decorated with contemporary geometric patterns that create the illusion, when the lights are low, of Rococo architecture.

As a gig venue, Rich Mix has played host to a huge range of international musicians, from UK-based classical pianists to Bollywood bands. There’s always something on (and I really should start going more myself) and some events are even free. The centre also hosts a rolling schedule of performing arts, comedy, spoken word events and and exhibitions. It’s enough to render you breathless.

The cinema screenings sell out quickly at weekends and on Wednesdays (when there’s the Orange deal on) so I tend to pop by in the day to buy tickets, or book online if I’m feeling frivolous (there’s an added booking fee). When you’ve seen your film, why not pop around the corner for a cocktail in LoungeLover? There’s nothing better.

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Rich Mix | Art & culture, Cinemas, Music, Theaters | Cinema £ 9
35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road E1 6LA | East | +442076137498
14:00 – 00:00 (approx) daily