Van Gogh House London

Van Gogh is one of the world’s most celebrated painters, although famously his genius wasn’t recognised until well after his death.  His life has since been well documented retroactively and yet one part of his life that is not widely known about was his time in London as a young man.  It can be hard to find evidence of the movements of a person after the fact but the team at the Van Gogh House London managed to discover where he lived during part of his life here in the city.  The house was purchased in 2012 and the team has since been involved in the restoration to preserve it ever since.

This grade II listed house is now open to the public to explore only on this guided tour.  Given by an expert guide this tour takes you on a tour of this small domestic dwelling and some of the surrounding area to draw out the stories that are held within it.  Van Gogh lived in this house in Stockwell for less than two years and yet there is so much that can be learnt from his time here, even if it was in the years before he started doing his art.  The house has not been simply restored to how I was in Van Gogh’s day though, instead it has been stripped back to give an idea of the original house, but it has been done so in a way that allows regular residencies from artists from around the globe to stay here and allow it to inspire their work, without it feeling like they live inside a museum.

This hour and 15-minute long guided tour is packed full of fascinating information both on Van Gogh’s time in the area, the house itself and its other inhabitants.  I learnt a lot and it is really in-depth, the friendly guide is happy to answer any questions and he really knows his stuff!

The house is open for guided tours the last weekend of every month and these can be booked through the Van Gogh House London website, tickets cost £12.

Tickers were gifted in exchange for a review, all words and opinions are my own