London has many museums dedicated to its famous residents where you can find more information about these iconic figures.
Charles Dickens Museum
This is the only surviving Charles Dickens house in London. He lived there between 1837 and 1839 while writing The Pickwick Papers , Oliver Twist , Nicholas Nickleby, and Barnaby Rudge . He moved in with his wife Catherine, his eldest son Charley, his brother Fred, and his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth. During his stay at 48 Doughty Street, his two daughters Mary and Katey were born, and his sister-in-law died at the age of 17. The museum hosts special exhibitions, workshops and talks and has a cafeteria with an outdoor patio.
Benjamin Franklin House
Benjamin Franklin House in London was his home between 1757 and 1775 and is the only previous surviving home of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
The rooms have been restored but are mostly empty, so how can this be brought to life so that visitors can imagine what it was like when Benjamin Franklin lived there? There is a unique idea of the Historical Experience tour with an actress interacting with audio and video projections.
Handel and Hendrix in London
Handel House Museum was transformed into Handel & Hendrix in London in 2016 when a new permanent museum was opened to celebrate the lives of both the Baroque composer and the rock legend. Why? Because they both lived in the Georgian houses that now house the museum (23 and 25 Brook Street).
You can now enter the third floor where Hendrix lived with his girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham.
Leighton House Museum
Leighton House was the home and studio of prominent Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton and underwent a £ 1.6 million refurbishment to bring it closer than ever to its original appearance when Lord Leighton died in 1896.
The whole building is wonderful, but the room that most people have heard of is the Arab Room; One of the many extensions that the building received for more than 30 years turning it into a ‘Palace of Art’.
Dr.’s house Johnson
The Dr. Johnson home was built in 1700 and has retained many original features. It was the home and workplace of Samuel Johnson from 1748 to 1759 and it was where he compiled the first comprehensive dictionary of English. Don’t miss the dormer workshop where Johnson compiled the first English dictionary.
Museo Sherlock Holmes
Well, we know that Sherlock Holmes was not real, but there is a museum dedicated to this fictional Victorian detective, and his partner Doctor Watson, characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The building is now protected and must be preserved, making it a fascinating temple for Victoriana and fans of detective stories.
Freud museum
The Freud Museum in Hampstead was Sigmund Freud’s family home after his family fled the Nazis in Austria in 1938. It remained the family home until Anna Freud, the youngest daughter, died in 1982. The centerpiece of the museum is Freud’s study, preserved as it was during his lifetime.
Keats House
Keats House is where the poet John Keats lived from 1818 to 1820 and is the setting that inspired some of Keats’s most memorable poetry. Here, Keats wrote ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, and fell in love with Fanny Brawne, the girl next door. It was from this house that he traveled to Rome, where he died of tuberculosis at the age of 25. Don’t leave without reading Keats’s handwritten letters.
Fitzroy House by L. Ronald Hubbard
In the 1950s, Fitzroy House in Bloomsbury was the London home and office of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Dianetics and Scientology. The restored 1791 building has four floors of exhibits of his life and work, and while tours are only available by appointment, they are completely free. The first floor was the home of George Bernard Shaw and his mother in 1881-82.
Museo Florence Nightingale
Following a £ 1.4 million remodel, the Florence Nightingale Museum reopened on 12 May 2010, the birthday of this iconic Briton known as the ‘Lady with the Lamp’. The museum tells the true story of the woman behind the legend and how modern nursing began. Don’t miss out on the stethoscope audio guides!
Thomas Carlyle’s house
This charming Chelsea home, just off King’s Road, was the home of Thomas and Jane Carlyle in Victorian times. The couple moved from Scotland in 1834 to an area of London that was popular with writers and artists, so they often had visitors. Thomas Carlyle, a prolific writer and philosopher, studied in the attic and made modifications to bring in more natural light and reduce street noise so he wouldn’t interrupt his writing. Guests can visit all floors of the house and the walled garden.
