Benjamin Franklin House

Very interesting house-museum where Franklin lived during his London years. The building itself is full of original features and beautifully restored with many Victoria additions too - that alone would warrant a visit! But then through the guided tour (run but incredibly prepared volunteers) you learn so much about Benjamin Franklin’s life and many skills (printer, inventor…). Really worth a visit. They also offer historical experience sessions run by a professional actress. Recommended

Our guide was a woman dressed in perfect 18th-century attire (the cosplay was spot on and very well done!), and she led us brilliantly from room to room in the only surviving home where this Founding Father of America lived for so many years. Hearing the stories of his life, inventions, and time in London while moving through the actual spaces he occupied was truly captivating and quite impressive. Even with the minimal furnishings, the performance, atmosphere, and historical details made it feel alive.I loved every minute of it! Highly recommend the Historical Experience tour for anyone interested in Franklin or early American history. A hidden gem in the heart of London.

Great tour. I always liked Benjamin Franklin. Guide was very knowledgeable. House is grade 1, which is a bid deal in London. House shows it's age by its unlevel floors. To quote Monty Python. "Look at the bones!!!"

If you’re a lover of history and an admirer of Ben Franklin, you’ll really enjoy this experience. The fact it’s the original house that has been restored to its original condition is impressive. It’s made quite clear there are no original furnishings because they were removed when everyone left. But the provenance of the house and the historical significance are reason to visit. Many prominent historical figures responsible for the evolution of democracy visited here when Franklin was in residence….for 16 years. It was a quiet day so I was fortunate that Oliver, the full-time employee and Franklin historian, was able to spend time with me and the only other visitor at the time time, taking us room to room offering unending information and interesting stories. When you check-in you receive printed information about the house and each room. I also downloaded the Bloomberg Connects app which added more details. I’m fascinated with Franklin and spent three hours learning and exploring. A true history buff will love this house. I would definitely go back and highly recommend for anyone who wants to know more than basic Franklin history.

I visited Benjamin Franklin House this year, not my first visit, and most certainly not my last. It truly exceeds expectations. Opened to the public on 17 January 2006, it’s the world’s only surviving home of Benjamin Franklin—not just a museum, but a living educational space. Originally built as a lodging house, the building later served as a hotel and home to various non-profit organizations throughout the 20th century. By the late 1990s, when the Friends of Benjamin Franklin House were granted the freehold by the British government, the property was in serious disrepair. Their dedicated work, alongside volunteers and partner organizations, transformed it into a dynamic museum and learning center that highlights both the timeless relevance of Franklin and the turbulent era in which he lived. Franklin is certainly the most famous resident of 36 Craven Street, but the house itself has a rich and fascinating history. Today, visitors can explore his London years through the Historical Experience, Architectural Tours, and a lively calendar of events. Their free education program is especially impressive, bringing Franklin’s science and Georgian London to life for children both on-site and in classrooms. For nearly sixteen years (1757–1775), Franklin—scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor, and Founding Father—called this house home. While he came to London as a colonial diplomat, his time here spanned far more than politics. In my humble opinion, this is a must-see for any American visiting London from across the pond. It’s a place of genuine historic significance, especially in the story of early Anglo-American relations. And who knows—maybe a little revolutionary spirit still lingers here for British visitors too. One can only hope! Highly recommended.

Benjamin Franklin House at 36 Craven Street in the heart of London is a heritage ‘gem.’ The world’s only remaining home of Benjamin Franklin (and that is not in the USA), opened to the public on Franklin’s 300th birthday, as a dynamic museum and educational facility. For nearly sixteen years between 1757 and 1775, Dr Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States and more – lived at 36 Craven Street. First, many people may not realize that one of the Founding Fathers lived in London for a more than decade-and-a-half. He also lived in a house where hundreds of human bones were found underneath the building. Yes, human bones, and you can see them for yourself. History : Benjamin Franklin arrived in London 1757 to “negotiate colonial interests,” according to home’s brochure. He rented rooms from Mrs. Margaret Stevenson (a widow) at 36 Craven Street, which you will find near Trafalgar Square, the massive London landmark that, of course, did not exist when Franklin was there (Battle of Trafalgar was 1805, 15 years after Franklin’s death).

Former home of Benjamin Franklin, arranged largerly as it would have been during his lifetime. Set over three floors, this relatively small house tells Franklin's story and provides a feeling of stepping back in time.

Extraordinary experience. We did not know the house was closed on that Thursday but they answered our knock. Bryce, an intern and recent college grad from the States gave us an excellent tour. He loves Franklin and knew much about him and the importance of this residence, the only original home of Franklin's in existence in the world. Many well known diplomats and eventual Founders of America spent many hours and days in the spaces of this home..... Many consider the place America's first defacto embassy. Bryce was awesome!!

Benjamin Franklin House at 36 Craven Street in the heart of London is a heritage 'gem.' The world's only remaining home of Benjamin Franklin (and that is not in the USA), opened to the public on Franklin's 300th birthday, as a dynamic museum and educational facility. For nearly sixteen years between 1757 and 1775, Dr Benjamin Franklin, Founding Father of the United States and more - lived at 36 Craven Street. First, many people may not realize that one of the Founding Fathers lived in London for a more than decade-and-a-half. He also lived in a house where hundreds of human bones were found underneath the building. Yes, human bones, and you can see them for yourself. History: Benjamin Franklin arrived in London 1in 757 to "negotiate colonial interests," according to the home's brochure. He rented rooms from Mrs. Margaret Stevenson (a widow) at 36 Craven Street, which you will find near Trafalgar Square, the massive London landmark that, of course, did not exist when Franklin was there (Battle of Trafalgar was 1805, 15 years after Franklin's death).

Awesome tour! The staff really does an excellent job and they even have a video of how the house would have looked when Benny Boy was staying there. Good social distancing. Thank you for a great tour!

Delightful! A charming little house with a good amount of general history, fun tales, and originals.

One of the great things about London is its continuing capacity to surprise and delight, even to long-term residents like me! Wandering up a random side-street beside Charing Cross station, I stumbled across Benjamin Franklin House. The blue plaque on the wall coonfirmed that Ben Franklin did live and work here at 36 Craven Street for 16 years on the eve of the American Revolution and it served as the first de-facto American embassy However, to get into the museum, you have to sign up for one of the guided tours. With an American mother and British father, Ben Franklin was quite the renaissance man. Considered the father of electricity, he had quite a few other strings to his bow - he had a love of science (exploring bifocal glasses and inventing the energy-saving Franklin stove), health (innoculation, cure for the common cold), music (veleoping the glass armonica for which Mozart, Bach and Beethoven composed) as well as being a prolific writer. As a Founding Father of the United States, he is the only statesman to have signed all 4documents that created thew nation - The Declaration of Independence (1776), the Treaty of Alliance with France (1778), the Treaty of Paris establishing peace with Britain (1783) and The Constitution (1787). The museum is explored partly through films in the historic rooms of the house, which has most of the original features and some hands-on exhibitiions of his scientific work. Fortunately, this doesn't include exhibits from the anatomy school, which was run from this building his landlady's son-in-law! The building is also a scholarship centre with a full set of Franklin's published works for study. This is a most fascinating part of London's history

Benjamin Franklin did a bit of most things: this is the man who invented the lightning conductor, signed the Declaration of Independence, compiled books of sayings He also spent a number of years living in this London house, making it effectively the first US embassy. Rather than a conventional museum or historic house tour, this is a multimedia theatrical event. Less gimmicky than that sounds, it combines projected images, sound recordings and a costumed character guide to lead you through the story of Franklin's life. A volunteer guide was also on hand to introduce the show and answer questions at the end. Altogether, an entertaining experience which lets you learn a lot without feeling lectured.

I came here because it was a part of the London Pass. I thought that I could just walk through the house and see signs that said like, "this is where Benjamin Franklin pooped" or something. If you want to walk through the rooms, you have to go on a tour with people. The tour lasts about 45 minutes. It's a somewhat interesting tour, unique by the fact that there are people who are dressed up in clothing of Ben Franklin's era and they have dialogue that is interactive with a movie projected on the walls of each room. After being in one room for ~10 minutes, there will be a sound in the next room which cues the staff to move on (like a kid crying). I thought this was pretty cool. Is going to this museum worth it? I'd say only if you have a London Pass or if you really love the history and contributions of Benjamin Franklin. It's conveniently near lots of other POI (right next to Trafalgar Square). Nothing crazy happened here, it's just where Ben Franklin had a home and had meetings with other science dudes. So, my experience was ok.

There are two types of tour you can do here - one is the architectural tour, and the other is the fancy dress/projections one other people describe. I did the architectural tour and thought it was quite enjoyable. We spent about an hour, being taken through the house by a knowledgeable guide, who talked about the features of the room and the building, as well as Benjamin Franklin and how it was to live there in his time, as well as plenty of factoids about him. Our visit lasted about an hour, mainly because of questions. The glass armonica was a highlight. Yes, it's not a flashy museum or stately home. It is, rather, a collection of empty rooms - so the tour is what will make it or break it for you. As Benjamin Franklin's last surviving residence, it's important to preserve it and I'm happy I was able to support them by doing the tour.

In a city so flushed with art and history, even the locals don't know half of the museums. Ask anyone about the Ben Franklin House and you'll probably be hit with puzzled looks and told to get on a plane to Philadelphia. But here it is, tucked down next to Charing Cross station - the old townhouse that became the USA's first embassy abroad long ago. The house has recently been converted into a museum by a group of expeditious expats loaded with American donations. It's aim is to tell the story of Benjamin Franklin's time in the UK... lightning experiments, diplomacy, revolution and all. If you've seen the John Adams TV series you'll know he was an interesting dude and you're probably itching to find out more. The museum itself is one of the weirdest formats I've seen. 1. Book ahead to arrange a time - it's done by appointments. 2. Enter and be led through to a room to see a TV presentation. 3. A girl shows up dressed in period attire and takes you to each room 4. Each room is empty but they beam some fuzzy images on to the walls at strange angles and play audio illustrating how Franklin fitted his life into each room. Somewhat uncomfortably the girl in period dress will occasionally talk back to the random audio conversation. 5. That's it - empty rooms, projections and audio conversations. If you're a history nut you'll love it - from the slim pickings on his social life, to the gruesome detail of the operations performed by the physician family he stayed with here. If you're looking to be captivated - well maybe like me you'll find the museum format a struggle and feel let down by the lack of visible history. It's interesting enough, but I left wanting more.

A true hidden gem just off Trafalgar Square. If you're a yank like me, you've got to visit to see the dealings of Mr. Franklin in London. I mean, he lived in the city for years, away from his family, and set up a sort of American embassy where luminaries at the time paid a call. Alas sparse furnishings, but all the rooms of the house remain, including the famed backyard where bones were dug up from years of medical experimenting by the proprietor's son-in-law (that got you interested, didn't it?). The staff are great and I fully bought into the role played by our gracious tour guide. It was fun and informative. A good rainy afternoon well-spent.

Very interesting place. I am interested in the old times and find this house real and giving the sense of the times past. The tour is well prepared, the details make it all more interesting, the people dressed in the clothes from the century...worth visiting.

Having just finished Walter Issacson's book on Franklin, I was interested in seeing where he lived while in London. Although the house has none of the original furnishings through a combination of audio, video and live acting the story came alive in a unique way. It was entertaining and interesting. To move from room to room while the actress spoke as though part of the video. You learned history, personal anecdotes about the visitors Franklin received, and stories of his family relationships. It is necessary to make advance reservations as the rooms are very small.

This is a true hidden gem a few minutes away from Trafalgar Square. I didn't know about Ben's house until a friend suggested I try it when I visited London. It's a small place with a lot of history. I took the Historical Tour which included actors in garb. It was about an hour long and I enjoyed it. This is a great thing to do if you have any free time in London.

If you are looking for a faithful period recreation of Benjamin Franklin's then this isn't the place for you. However this is a wonderful multi-media (and live actor) experience that gives you a real feel for the life and times of Franklin while he stayed in London as a politician, scientist and philosopher. Not only his life both his interactions with others and even some of the edgy bits of his life. The house is located remarkably close to Trafalgar Square and worth a visit. However make sure to pre-purchase your tickets online since tours occur at fixed times and also plan ahead. We almost weren't able to go because they didn't have tours on the next day because the actress had lost here voice. Overall this is a fun experience and worthwhile especially if you want to get off the beaten path and away from crowds.

During my trip to England, i visited the museum of Benjamin Franklin. I found that museum really interesting ! I learned a lot things ! Thank you so much

We were quite surprised by this historical experience. Had it not been a part of the London Pass, we probably would have never selected this as a tour spot. You have to reserve a time for the experience, as there is only 12 people per tour. The house is interesting and has been restored, but is pretty bare. The experience includes a period dress actress and projections of historical information, as the tourists move from room to room. We learned interesting Ben Franklin facts that we did not know before. Not a popular tour, but enjoyable.

I did the "historical experience" but I think I might have preferred the "architectural tour."

Wow this was a painfully boring, hot and uncomfortable tour. the whole thing needs to be redone. Benjamin Franklin deserves so much better than this standing around in empty rooms unable to see the slides and being trapped with a young girl in a wig and a terrible script. Awful!