Handel Hendrix House (formerly known as Handel & Hendrix in London) is a music museum in Mayfair with a focus on the life and works of George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix.
Handel lived at 25 Brook Street from 1723 until his death in 1759, during which time many of his best-known works were composed. Over 200 years later, Jimi Hendrix moved into a flat next door.
The museum was previously known as Handel and Hendrix in London and before that it was the Handel House Museum and has been open to the public since November 2001. It was initially a museum focusing on the life, music and legacy of Handel but the focus shifted to include Jimi Hendrix in February 2016 after the museum was expanded next door to include Jimi Hendrix’s old flat.
What to see at Handel Hendrix House
The more established part of the museum is centred on the life and works of Handel with rooms that have been restored to depict his life in the 18th century. You are able to see the rehearsal and performance room on the first floor, his composition room where he composed many of his best-known works, including Messiah, Music for the Royal Fireworks and Zadok the Priest, which was composed in 1727 for the coronation of George II and, more recently, was performed at the 2013 coronation of King Charles III. On the second floor, you can visit Handel’s bedroom and dressing room.
The museum hosts Open Rehearsals of Handel’s music 11.30am–1.30pm every Wednesday and Saturday, which gives you a unique opportunity to listen to live performances of Handel’s music in the very house it was composed in.
The Hendrix section of the museum was added later and depicts a London flat during the swinging sixties. There is an interesting exhibition that illustrates Hendrix’s place in 1960s society and his influences and legacy.
Although the museum is housed in the musicians’ homes, little of what you see is original and many of the exhibits are reproductions.
The museum’s enthusiastic staff do a great job and add a lot of background information, making a visit particularly interesting.
Visiting Handel Hendrix House
Handel Hendrix House is in located in Mayfair in London’s West End, just a four-minute walk from Bond Street tube station.
This museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and it makes a good one-hour diversion if you have a National Art Pass, although it is best suited to fans of either musician.
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