19, Princelet Street

19 Princelet Street, Spitalfields is a museum celebrating the history of immigration to and settlement in London.

The building itself is the museum’s best exhibit. First occupied by a Hugenot master silk weaver who fled persecution in France, over the centuries immigrants from Poland (who set up the wonderfully-named Loyal United Friends Friendly Society to help fellow newcomers) and Ireland lived in the house, and in 1869 a tiny synagogue was built in the back garden. Lenin is said to have attended meetings in the basement and there’s even something of a mystery about the place: in 1969 a reclusive tennant named David Rodinsky locked the door to his attic apartment and promptly disappeared, an episode that inspired in part Pinter’s The Caretaker.

Due to the dilapidated state of the building, the museum only opens on a handful of days each year, so if you happen to be in London this coming Sunday, you should probably take the opportunity to visit.

Posted at 3pm on 03/09/03 by Jack Mottram to the art and culture category.
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