Rooms Through Time

Travel through time as you discover homes, personal stories and objects reflecting the lived experiences of our East London community—past, present and future.

Our Rooms Through Time explore how ways of living, furniture, textiles and decor have adapted through the ages, from the wooden interiors of the 1630s and Victorian floral motifs to mid-twentieth-century geometric designs and speculative visions of a future home.

Dive into four centuries of home life and the evolution of real London dwellings from 1630 to 2049, encountering fragments of the stories that constitute our shared history.

Why do the galleries look different?

The last major development to our Rooms Through Time was in 1998, with the creation of original period rooms from 1830 to 1998, housed in a new building extension known as the Branson Coates Wing.

These latter rooms closed in January 2024 for refurbishment as part of the Real Rooms Project. Opening July 2024, the newest rooms now span from 1878 through to 2049 - illustrating how homes have changed and will continue to alongside societal and technological advancements.

What to expect

The galleries are housed along our Grade I-listed Almshouses and the curved Branson Coates Wing.

They present a variety of spaces and families in the home, initially focusing on the main living area for owners who would have had enough money to decorate and live comfortably. From the Townhouse in 1878 onwards, these evolve into bedrooms, bathrooms, gardens and kitchens, co-curated with our community partners and centring lived experiences.

In response to audience feedback, visitors will now have the opportunity to step inside the spaces and immerse themselves in each.

Learn more about accessibility at Museum of the Home

Plan your visit

The Rooms

These rooms are restyled throughout the year by our curators, with the most significant changes taking place during the colder months for our annual Winter Festival.

Large wooden table with stools and one large chair, in wood panelled room

A Hall in 1630

All of the household, including servants, sit down to eat together.

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A wooden table set with a white and blue cup, small plates of nuts, a candle in a brass candlestick

A Parlour in 1695

The family are proud to host their guests in their smart new room.

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Tools for cleaning on a wooden fire in front of a fire place

A Parlour in 1745

The mistress is expecting guests round for tea and she wants the parlour to be sparkling clean.

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A table surface with playing cards, stemmed drinking glasses and the gold base of a lamp

A Parlour in 1790

Everyone is full from dinner, and they have settled down to play cards.

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A wooden table with a pile of books in the background and in the foreground a half-written letter and an ink pot

A Drawing Room in 1830

It is mid-afternoon and a mother and her daughters are gathered in the drawing room.

A drawing room in 1830