25 May 2012

The London Shh Loyalty Card

You can pick up loyalty cards at eight of Shh houses plus two National Trust properties.* Remember to bring your card when you visit a Shh house and ask the admissions assistant to stamp the back for you. Visit five or more London Shh… houses by 31st December 2012 and receive a limited edition goodie bag!* To collect your bag, please hand your fully stamped card to a Shh house staff member.  

We hope the card will encourage visitors to discover London Shh… houses across the capital during this Olympic year. Tucked away down intriguing streets and alleys, off the beaten tourist track you will find some of the city's best kept secrets. Visit our map to find out where we’re hidden.

* Participating houses include: 2 Willow Road (National Trust), Benjamin Franklin House, Burgh House, Dr Johnson's House, Fenton House (National Trust), Freud Museum, Handel House Museum, John Wesley's House, Keats House Museum and Kelmscott House

* Goodie bags are limited to one per person and subject to availability.

01 May 2012

John Wesley's House Blog

May is always a special time here at John Wesley’s House and Wesley’s Chapel, built by John Wesley in 1778 on London’s busy City Road. It is the month in which John Wesley had his conversion experience in 1738, when he “felt his heart strangely warm’d” and he suddenly realised he had faith in God and was called upon to serve the Lord as best he could for the rest of his life.  Wesley of course was instrumental in establishing what later came to be known as “Methodism”, a very practical or “methodical” approach to the Christian faith based on a belief in personal mission and service to one’s fellow human beings.

The days just before and after Wesley’s conversion day on the 24th May are always very busy with visitors and pilgrims. There is a bustle about the historic site and a sense of energy and renewal – partially, no doubt, due to the gardens of the house and chapel breaking into bloom. This spring however is particularly exciting for us at Wesley’s Chapel. Following the installation of new signage around the site last year, further fundraising has resulted in a very generous donation to the Museum of Methodism (also on campus) and John Wesley’s House. Both will be re-developed and the house will become an integral part of the overall site and museum experience. Much more so than now, John Wesley’s House will quite literally become the gateway to The Museum of Methodism whilst offering a historic experience in its own right. The redevelopment of the museum provides an excellent opportunity to stand back and consider how we present John Wesley’s House and how the house can become the starting point for our visitors’ history experience on site. It will of course continue to function as a historic house and remain much as Wesley knew it, but with the added bonus of helping to orientate our visitors and introduce them to the rich history which lies beyond our gates. Our refurbishment is scheduled to start later this year, so if you haven’t been yet to visit us, spring is the best time to come – go on a (free!) tour led by enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides, listen to a concert in the chapel and have lunch in the chapel grounds!

Author: Christian Dettlaff, Curator

May 2012