Where Handel & Hendrix in London is in Brook Street, Mayfair, in the heart of the city’s West End.
What The joint museum combines the previously existing Handel House with Jimi Hendrix’s old flat. It celebrates the fact that two famous musicians lived next door to one another, though separated by more than 200 years. The 18th-century composer George Frideric Handel lived at 25 Brook Street from 1723-59, while the American psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix lived in the top flat at 23 Brook Street in 1968-69.
Opened The Hendrix flat opened on 10 February. Handel House Museum has been open since 2008.
Collection “We have a varied collection of 18th-century portraits, prints, music scores and instruments,” says Claire Davies, the head of learning and participation at Handel & Hendrix in London. “Handel House is dressed with a mixture of loans and items from our collection to recreate its early 18th-century splendour. The Hendrix flat is filled with exact period doubles of Hendrix’s possessions, some especially recreated. We are also lucky enough to have some of the actual items that Hendrix had in the flat.”
Highlights “Hendrix’s Epiphone acoustic guitar is a fantastic highlight,” Davies says. “He owned this guitar for three years – the longest out of all his guitars – and there is footage of him playing it in the flat. The fact that a lot of his songs will have been written on it is such an important feature of its history.”
In Handel’s house, Davies focuses on the rooms: “They hold very sacred history.” Her favourite is the music room, which Handel used for dining as well as for rehearsal and performance – anecdotes suggest that all of this was enjoyed to excess. Now, intimate weekly concerts allow visitors to experience domestic chamber concerts in an 18th-century setting – “They are very special and atmospheric,” Davies says.
Help at hand There are 10 full-time staff members and around 100 front-of-house volunteers. The 300 or so friends and patrons of the museum are invaluable in keeping it in the black, Davies says.
Budget It costs £10 to visit both homes and £7.50 for one of them. Admission income is supplemented by letting out part of 23-25 Brook Street, as well as support from individual donors and charitable trusts.
Sticky moment “In order to run our successful concert series we rely on our exquisite harpsichord collection,” Davies says. “We have a mixture of both original period instruments and modern reproductions, but no matter when they were made they are delicate instruments and can sometimes be temperamental. Some of the stickiest moments I have encountered have been last-minute harpsichord malfunctions before concerts: problems that literally include sticky keys.” Luckily, the museum has some expert harpsichord technicians on hand to provide support.
Survival tip Davies says museum staff have learned to be resourceful: “We all multitask to the max.” This includes conducting tours at a moment’s notice, running the shop, changing light bulbs and looking after box-office bookings and catering. “That’s all on top of our job descriptions,” Davies adds. “We love it, though, and I think that’s where the tip lies: love what you’re doing and enjoy every moment of it even if it gets tough, because it’s always a useful experience.”
Visitor numbers Before Hendrix’s flat was opened, Handel House averaged 20,000 visitors a year. The newly configured museum expects interest in Jimi Hendrix to increase footfall significantly.
Future plans “After nearly three years planning, we are enjoying the novelty of finally opening up the Hendrix flat to the public – and seven days a week, no less,” Davies says. Plans include events focusing on both musicians, welcoming more school groups and, this September, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hendrix’s arrival in London.
http://handelhendrix.org
What The joint museum combines the previously existing Handel House with Jimi Hendrix’s old flat. It celebrates the fact that two famous musicians lived next door to one another, though separated by more than 200 years. The 18th-century composer George Frideric Handel lived at 25 Brook Street from 1723-59, while the American psychedelic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix lived in the top flat at 23 Brook Street in 1968-69.
Opened The Hendrix flat opened on 10 February. Handel House Museum has been open since 2008.
Collection “We have a varied collection of 18th-century portraits, prints, music scores and instruments,” says Claire Davies, the head of learning and participation at Handel & Hendrix in London. “Handel House is dressed with a mixture of loans and items from our collection to recreate its early 18th-century splendour. The Hendrix flat is filled with exact period doubles of Hendrix’s possessions, some especially recreated. We are also lucky enough to have some of the actual items that Hendrix had in the flat.”
Highlights “Hendrix’s Epiphone acoustic guitar is a fantastic highlight,” Davies says. “He owned this guitar for three years – the longest out of all his guitars – and there is footage of him playing it in the flat. The fact that a lot of his songs will have been written on it is such an important feature of its history.”
In Handel’s house, Davies focuses on the rooms: “They hold very sacred history.” Her favourite is the music room, which Handel used for dining as well as for rehearsal and performance – anecdotes suggest that all of this was enjoyed to excess. Now, intimate weekly concerts allow visitors to experience domestic chamber concerts in an 18th-century setting – “They are very special and atmospheric,” Davies says.
Help at hand There are 10 full-time staff members and around 100 front-of-house volunteers. The 300 or so friends and patrons of the museum are invaluable in keeping it in the black, Davies says.
Budget It costs £10 to visit both homes and £7.50 for one of them. Admission income is supplemented by letting out part of 23-25 Brook Street, as well as support from individual donors and charitable trusts.
Sticky moment “In order to run our successful concert series we rely on our exquisite harpsichord collection,” Davies says. “We have a mixture of both original period instruments and modern reproductions, but no matter when they were made they are delicate instruments and can sometimes be temperamental. Some of the stickiest moments I have encountered have been last-minute harpsichord malfunctions before concerts: problems that literally include sticky keys.” Luckily, the museum has some expert harpsichord technicians on hand to provide support.
Survival tip Davies says museum staff have learned to be resourceful: “We all multitask to the max.” This includes conducting tours at a moment’s notice, running the shop, changing light bulbs and looking after box-office bookings and catering. “That’s all on top of our job descriptions,” Davies adds. “We love it, though, and I think that’s where the tip lies: love what you’re doing and enjoy every moment of it even if it gets tough, because it’s always a useful experience.”
Visitor numbers Before Hendrix’s flat was opened, Handel House averaged 20,000 visitors a year. The newly configured museum expects interest in Jimi Hendrix to increase footfall significantly.
Future plans “After nearly three years planning, we are enjoying the novelty of finally opening up the Hendrix flat to the public – and seven days a week, no less,” Davies says. Plans include events focusing on both musicians, welcoming more school groups and, this September, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hendrix’s arrival in London.
http://handelhendrix.org