Forrest Thiessen

Review of Benjamin Franklin House

Disappointing. The staff are friendly and knowledg...

Disappointing. The staff are friendly and knowledgable, but the house had a long life and went through interior changes between the time Franklin lived here and when it because a museum, so while it is indeed where he lived, it doesn t look much like it did in his time. Further, there are no furnishings, original or otherwise the house is pretty much empty. To compensate, a costumed guide takes you from room to room, playing the part of Franklin s landlord s daughter, and in each room a video is played telling you something about Franklin s life in the house. In the end I came away for an appreciation for Franklin s life in London but disappointed that those learnings came from the numerous video recordings, and not from the house itself or memorabilia. Be aware that the only access to the house is via guided tour at fixed times listed on the website--if you just show up, you'll have to wait until the next tour that has space available.