Handel Hendrix House

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Handel Hendrix House in Mayfair, London, is a museum about two famous residents: the German-born British composer George Frideric Handel and the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Handel lived at 25 Brook Street, and Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street, in the same terrace.

Handel moved to London in 1712 and became a British citizen in 1727. He rented 25 Brook Street from 1723 until his death in 1759. While living there, he wrote and rehearsed many of his best works. The house has rooms that show how an 18th-century London home looked and worked, including a space where Handel rehearsed and a room where he composed. The present day rooms are decorated to resemble Handel’s time, and visitors can see period furniture and reproductions of instruments like a harpsichord.

Hendrix lived at 23 Brook Street in the late 1960s. In 2016, the upper floors of 23 Brook Street were opened to the public as part of the same museum, now called Handel and Hendrix in London. A collection of Hendrix records is on display, alongside exhibits about his life.

The Handel House Trust started the project after many years of planning and fundraising. The museum opened in 2001, after restoration work to bring 25 Brook Street back to its 18th-century style. The upper floors of 25 Brook Street and, later, 23 Brook Street were restored and opened to visitors. The collection includes the Byrne Collection of Handel memorabilia and several paintings related to Handel.

Today, the museum shows Handel’s rooms on the first and second floors of 25 Brook Street, including a front room used for rehearsals and a back room used for composing. The 23 Brook Street rooms host Hendrix exhibits. The ground floor shop is separate from the museum, and the upper floors are used by the Handel House Trust for exhibitions, concerts, and education events.

The house has blue plaques celebrating its famous residents. The museum is open five days a week, from Wednesday to Sunday, and hosts live music, talks, exhibitions, and family events as part of its program.