There is no lavatory. The house tells you to use Liverpool Street station before you come.
“Please note that there are no toilet facilities at Dennis Severs’ House. We recommend the extensive free cloakrooms at Liverpool Street Station.”
For a ticketed attraction charging up to £75, that is an unusual sentence. It is also the right one: this is a lived-in 18th-century house rather than a museum, and nothing has been added to it for visitors.
Liverpool Street is a seven minute walk. Go there first.
Arrive late and you do not get in
No discretion, and the ticket is gone.
“Please be punctual for your visit. Latecomers cannot be admitted.”
“Tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged or transferred.”
Those two rules together mean a late arrival loses the money entirely. Most London venues will squeeze you in; this one will not, because a silent candlelit house cannot absorb a latecomer without breaking for everyone else.
Last admission is 45 minutes before closing time.
One adult per child, not one per group
Read this carefully if you are bringing more than one.
“Those under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult, one adult per child.”
So two children need two adults. Three need three. That is a far stricter ratio than almost anywhere in London, and it doubles or triples the cost of a family visit.
One ticket is valid for one guest only.
No stilettos, and the reason is the floor
A dress rule that is about the building rather than decorum.
“Stiletto heels cannot be worn because they damage the fabric of the building.”
Alongside it: “Photography or filming is not permitted in the House.” None, anywhere, on any visit.
And on bags: only handbags and small backpacks are allowed, carried in your hand or worn on your front. There is no space to store luggage, pushchairs, large items or children’s scooters, so anything bigger has to be left elsewhere, which is the other reason for the Liverpool Street advice.
Two medical warnings worth taking seriously
Both published, both specific.
“Those with respiratory concerns please note: due to having open fires, smoke levels in the house can be high.”
“Please be aware that nuts are used and displayed throughout the house.”
Not served, displayed. In a house where the premise is that a family has just left the room, the food on the tables is real and some of it is nuts. For a severe nut allergy that is a genuine consideration.
No wheelchair access, and you must be able to evacuate unaided
Stated plainly.
“The house is an 18th-century building with uneven floors and many stairs. Sadly this means access is not always possible and we are unable to offer wheelchair access.”
“Visitors must be able to evacuate the building unaided or with the support of their designated carer.”
Every visit involves walking around the house and climbing stairs, in dim light, on uneven floors, with steep staircases. The house asks you to follow staff safety instructions throughout.
Four ways in, from £16 to £75
The format you choose changes the experience completely.
Relaxed Day Visit: £16 plus £1.50 booking fee, 45 minutes. The informal one, with talking allowed.
Silent Day Visit: £16 plus £1.50, 45 minutes. Walk through at your own pace without speaking, with the silence “enlivened only by ticking clocks, distant church bells and horse-drawn carriages passing”.
Silent Night Visit: £25 plus £1.50, 45 minutes. The same silence, with the rooms lit solely by candles. The house describes growing aware of the fragrances once the chatter stops: perfume, woodsmoke, cloves and tobacco.
Dennis Severs’ Tour: £75 plus £1.75, 80 minutes plus a Q&A. The Gentle Author has reinvented the original tour as a play performed by an actor, drawing on Severs’ own recordings and writings.
The £9 step from day to night is the one most people should take. The candlelight is the thing the house is famous for, and it is the only version where there is no electric light at all.
There are also Armchair Concerts, and at Halloween A Ghost Story by Candlelight at £58 plus £2, 1 hour 30 minutes: Walter de la Mare’s Out of the Deep read by a flickering fire in the candlelit Withdrawing Room, with a glass of Crémant or a soft drink served in the ground-floor Dining Room first.
What it actually is
Not a period house in the usual sense.
Dennis Severs arranged each room as a scene in a fictional family drama, inspired by the shadows of the past he imagined in the building. You walk through a house where a Huguenot silk-weaving family appears to have left the room moments before: food on the table, fires lit, beds unmade.
It is run by the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, registered charity 273695.
Where it is
18 Folgate Street, London E1 6BX.
Liverpool Street is the nearest station, about seven minutes away, with Shoreditch High Street slightly further. Folgate Street runs north off Spital Square, a couple of minutes from Spitalfields Market.
How to plan it
Use the lavatory at Liverpool Street first. There are none in the house.
Be on time. Latecomers are refused and the ticket is non-refundable.
Bringing children: one adult per child under 16.
Leave the bag. Only a handbag or small backpack, held in your hand or worn on your front.
No stilettos, no photography.
Worth the upgrade: the Silent Night Visit at £25, for candlelight only.
Nut allergy or respiratory problems: read the warnings before booking.
Wheelchair users: the house cannot admit you, and all visitors must be able to evacuate unaided.
Dennis Severs’ House
- Address
- 18 Folgate Street, London E1 6BX
- Nearest
- Liverpool Street, about seven minutes, and Shoreditch High Street
- Hours
- By timed visit. Last admission 45 minutes before closing
- Booking
- Online, by timed slot. Tickets are non-refundable, non-exchangeable and non-transferable, and latecomers cannot be admitted
- Price
- Relaxed Day Visit and Silent Day Visit 16 pounds plus a 1.50 booking fee, 45 minutes. Silent Night Visit 25 pounds plus 1.50. Dennis Severs’ Tour 75 pounds plus 1.75, 80 minutes plus a Q and A. A Ghost Story by Candlelight 58 pounds plus 2, 90 minutes
- Standing
- An 18th century Spitalfields house arranged by Dennis Severs as a fictional family drama, with each room a scene a Huguenot silk-weaving family seems to have just left. Run by the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust
How to get in
There are no toilet facilities at all, and the house recommends using the free cloakrooms at Liverpool Street Station first. Latecomers cannot be admitted and tickets are non-refundable. Children under 16 need one accompanying adult each, not one per group. Only handbags and small backpacks are allowed, carried in the hand or worn on the front, with no storage for luggage, pushchairs or scooters. Stiletto heels are banned because they damage the building, and photography and filming are not permitted. Open fires mean smoke levels can be high, and nuts are used and displayed throughout. There is no wheelchair access and visitors must be able to evacuate unaided.
Where to go next
Spitalfields Market is a couple of minutes away, and Shoreditch covers the area.
Unique things to do in London covers the rest, and London at night covers the evening visits.
Questions we get asked
Are there toilets at Dennis Severs' House?
No. The house states there are no toilet facilities at all and recommends using the extensive free cloakrooms at Liverpool Street Station, about seven minutes away, before your visit.
How much is Dennis Severs' House?
The Relaxed Day Visit and Silent Day Visit are both £16 plus a £1.50 booking fee for 45 minutes. The Silent Night Visit, lit solely by candles, is £25 plus £1.50. The Dennis Severs' Tour, performed as a play by an actor, is £75 plus £1.75 for 80 minutes and a Q&A. A Ghost Story by Candlelight at Halloween is £58 plus £2.
Can you talk at Dennis Severs' House?
Only on the Relaxed Day Visit, which the house describes as more informal, with talking allowed. The Silent Day Visit and Silent Night Visit are walked without speaking, and the house is known for the quality of its silence, broken only by ticking clocks, distant church bells and passing carriages.
Can children visit Dennis Severs' House?
Yes, but under-16s must be accompanied by an adult at a ratio of one adult per child, not one adult per group. So two children require two adults. One ticket is valid for one guest only.
What can you not bring to Dennis Severs' House?
Anything larger than a handbag or small backpack, which must be carried in your hand or worn on your front. There is no storage for luggage, pushchairs, large items or children's scooters. Stiletto heels are banned because they damage the fabric of the building, and photography and filming are not permitted anywhere in the house.
Is Dennis Severs' House wheelchair accessible?
No. It is an 18th-century building with uneven floors and many stairs, and the house states it is unable to offer wheelchair access. All visitors must be able to evacuate the building unaided or with the support of their designated carer. The lighting is dim and the staircases steep.
What happens if you are late to Dennis Severs' House?
You are not admitted, and the ticket is lost. The house states that latecomers cannot be admitted and that tickets are non-refundable and may not be exchanged or transferred. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing time.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 367 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
