Handel and Jimi Hendrix: See inside the Mayfair homes of two London musical greats

A major restoration project is under way to reopen the Mayfair homes of Handel and Jimi Hendrix for the public.
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They may have been centuries apart but George Friederic Handel and Jimi Hendrix lived in adjoining homes and each have an indisputable place in the pantheon of musical greats.

A major restoration project is under way to open to the public the whole of Handel’s home in Brook Street, Westminster.

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Handel lived at number 25 from 1723 until his death in 1759, there composing his greatest works, including Messiah, with its ‘Hallelujah chorus’ and his anthem Zadok the Priest, which accompanied the coronation of every British monarch since George II, for whom it was written in 1727.

In 1968, Hendrix moved into a flat at number 23, which was restored in 2016. An appeal has been launched to collect people’s memories of the guitarist during his time in the UK.

The homes are due to reopen on May 18.

Handel’s house

The charity Handel & Hendrix in London has begun a £3 million project to open all of Handel’s house to the public for the first time by restoring the basement and ground floor, until recently a luxury goods shop, and refurbishing the upper floors which were first opened in 2001.

The Hallelujah Project will:

• Recreate Handel’s basement kitchen with all its fixtures and fittings, which were detailed on an inventory shortly after the composer’s death.

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• Restore the ground floor parlours in which Handel would receive his guests and aristocratic patrons and in which his assistant, JC Smith, would sell tickets and subscriptions to new works.

• Restore the front façade of 25 Brook Street so that visitors can enter through the front door.

An artist’s impression of Handel’s front parlour at 25 Brook Street. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)An artist’s impression of Handel’s front parlour at 25 Brook Street. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)
An artist’s impression of Handel’s front parlour at 25 Brook Street. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)

New things to see in Handel’s house will include:

• Historic rooms presented as they might have been in the 1740s, when the composer was writing dramatic oratorios.

• Recently acquired works of art, creating a collection representative of the more than 100 works of art Handel owned in Brook Street.

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• New exhibitions about Handel’s music and the musicians he worked with, and a mixed reality audiovisual display about the writing of Messiah in the room in which it was composed.

• Live music performed in the rooms in which it was written and, often, first heard.

The restored museum will welcome more visitors and host concerts, masterclasses and exclusive private events. The income will be reinvested in the museum’s heritage and learning programme.

Handel’s home will be available for event hire. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)Handel’s home will be available for event hire. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)
Handel’s home will be available for event hire. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)

The director

Simon Daniels, director of Handel & Hendrix in London, said: “Handel’s home has been recognised as a monument of great importance since the mid 19th-century, when it was identified with the predecessor to London’s famous blue plaques.

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“However, this did not protect the building from unsympathetic development, most notoriously at the turn of the last century when it was turned into an antiques shop with two-storey shop front.

“As the composer Algernon Ashton bitterly complained in the press, ‘the beautiful old house, which was splendidly preserved, has been spoilt beyond recognition’.”

A sketch of the front elevation of Handel’s Brook Street home. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)A sketch of the front elevation of Handel’s Brook Street home. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)
A sketch of the front elevation of Handel’s Brook Street home. (Picture: Handel & Hendrix in London)

He continued: “Restoring Handel’s house to its original appearance was an idea revived by musicologist Stanley Sadie in 1959. After 63 years, the Hallelujah Project will finally realise this noble ambition and ensure 25 Brook Street is an engaging, accessible and permanent testament to the fact that London was home to one of the world’s greatest ever composers.”

USA-born countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, who recently gave a performance at the British Residence in New York for supporters of the Handel House Foundation of America, said: “Ever since I was a young singer, the Handel & Hendrix house has served as a great inspiration, making the past feel tangible and illuminating the underpinnings of music that has come to define me. I look forward to seeing the results of the spectacular renovations when the house re-opens in spring 2023.”

The Hendrix House

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In 2016, Jimi Hendrix’s flat in 23 Brook Street was restored and opened to the public. Improvements are being made as part of the Hallelujah Project:

• For the first time, visitors will be able to walk up and down the stairs to his flat, where George Harrison famously had to step over one of Jimi’s other visitors who had passed out en route to the exit.

• A new exhibition will use sound and moving image for visitors to explore Hendrix’s guitar technique and give the opportunity to share their own recollections of Hendrix’s performances.

A final exhibition will look at London’s vibrant cultural scene in the 18th century and 1960s, exploring why the capital was a magnet for both Handel and Hendrix and how they shaped and changed the city they made their home.

The main room of Jimi Hendrix’s 23 Brook Street flat. (Picture: Michael Bowles/Handel & Hendrix in London)The main room of Jimi Hendrix’s 23 Brook Street flat. (Picture: Michael Bowles/Handel & Hendrix in London)
The main room of Jimi Hendrix’s 23 Brook Street flat. (Picture: Michael Bowles/Handel & Hendrix in London)

Hendrix memories - were you experienced?

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The charity is seeking the public’s memories, photographs and film of Jimi Hendrix to create new exhibitions.

Jimi Hendrix lived in Brook Street from 1968-69 with girlfriend Kathy Etchingham, while he was with his band the Jimi Hendrix Experience.

The public’s memories will feature on a dedicated webpage and a selection will be included in a new documentary film at the exhibition.

Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at Woburn Music Festival. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at Woburn Music Festival. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)
Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at Woburn Music Festival. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)

Claire Davies, deputy director of Handel & Hendrix in London said: “Were you at Woodstock or the Isle of Wight? Did you see Jimi in a club in Newcastle or Bristol or Worthing, among others? Alternatively, did he smile at you in the street or did you sell him some clothes or furniture?

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“We hope Hendrix fans around the world will want to see their memories, photographs and even film included in this new exhibition. It’s time to get up into the attic and dig out those photograph albums and cine film from the 1960s, reminisce and then go to our website to tell us what you can share.”

The Deadline for submissions is March 31. Share “your experience” on the charity’s website.

Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at the Brook Street flat. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at the Brook Street flat. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)
Jimi Hendrix in 1968 at the Brook Street flat. (Picture: Barrie Wentzell)

How to get tickets to Handel & Hendrix in London

The houses closed in September 21 for the works to take place.

They will re-open on May 18, 300 years after Handel first moved in.

Tickets will go on sale in April via the website handelhendrix.org

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