East End Homes: A Walking Tour

East End Homes is an immersive and educational walking tour designed to explore the diverse housing landscapes of East London that surround the Museum of the Home. The tour is inspired by the Museum’s emerging Real Rooms Project and aims to connect these themes with the lived experiences of local communities through an exploration of their homes. Participants will embark on a tour through the streets of East London, delving into the amazing variety of homes in the area, and building on the museum’s commitment to showcase the evolution of domestic spaces. East London is renowned for its immigrant communities which contribute to the cultural mosaic found around the museum, and the tour will seek to highlight these and other marginalised groups as well as alternative notions of home. The tour will visit the exteriors of a range of local homes from different periods including a number of notable examples of different typologies of homes built when East London was at the heart of experimentation in providing new social housing.

Tour themes

Historical Homes: The tour will begin by exploring the historical houses that have shaped East London’s architectural identity. From Georgian townhouses to Victorian terraces and early philanthropic development projects, participants will gain insight into the evolution of housing styles and the socio-economic factors influencing their design.

Social Housing Narratives: We’ll look at the stories of the pioneering social housing projects that have played a pivotal role in shaping East London. We’ll visit early tenement estates and explore the evolving concept of communal living spaces, as well visiting a range of post-war developments consisting of maisonettes, flats and terraces, and explore social movements in the period.

Modern Lived Experiences: We’ll explore contemporary terraces and flats that represent the present and future of East London. Participants will gain an understanding of the shifting priorities for social housing provision and how innovative architecture and sustainable design are shaping the homes of tomorrow, reflecting the museum’s commitment look forward as well as to the past.