Skip to content
Open today 10am–5pm | Free entry

Rooms Through Time: Winter Past

Discover the homes and traditions of winters past, present and future.


From 19 November 2024 to 12 January 2025

Winterpastrtt2023 007

The Museum's Rooms Through Time have been dressed for Winter Past, highlighting how seasonal celebrations have evolved across different periods and communities.

See how winter has changed London homes through the last 400 years, from festive decor and food to the ways people kept warm, entertained themselves, and gathered with loved ones.

This year, the Museum’s newest permanent gallery with rooms from 1878 to 2049 will debut new stories of Winter. The displays will tell the stories of migrant communities celebrating the festive season. You'll journey from a joyful midwinter celebration in 1630 to a midnight mass in 1956, and even glimpse a futuristic New Year’s Eve in 2049, exploring how winter traditions continue to evolve.

 

Explore the rooms

Winterpastrtt2023 002

Midwinter in 1630 

Midwinter in 1630
Winterpastrtt2023 007

An afternoon at the Frost Fair in 1683

An afternoon at the Frost Fair in 1683
Huguenot Noel 06

Huguenot Noël in 1745

Huguenot Noël in 1745
Winterpastrtt2023 028

Boxing day in 1790 

Boxing Day in 1790
Winterpastrtt2023 033

Twelfth night in 1830

Twelfth Night in 1830
222A7098 Copy

Christmas preparations in 1878

Christmas preparations in 1878
222A7085 Copy

Hanukkah in 1913

Hanukkah in 1913
222A7124 Copy

Midnight mass in 1956

Midnight Mass in 1956
222A7070 Copy

A Christmas party in 1978

A Christmas party in 1978
222A7054 Copy

Twixmas in 2005

Twixmas in 2005
Scan Erumford 2024 10 24 11 17 16

A big family affair in 2024

A Big Family Affair in 2024
222A7136 Copy

Renew Year's Eve in 2049

Renew Year’s Eve in 2049

Lunar New Year at Museum of the Home

14 January to February 2025

Discover the 2024 British Vietnamese home, where the Nguyen family is cleaning the house, preparing the shrine and redecorating the rooms from Christmas to Lunar New Year.

You're invited to dive deeper into the stories and traditions found during this season at our Museum Late in January, Housewarming: A Terraced House in 2024, and February Half Term Family Day celebrating Lunar New Year. Read about last year's Family Celebration to get an idea of what to expect!

Read more

Visit our new Terraced House in 2024 as the Nguyen family prepares their home to celebrate both Christmas and 'Tet' - Vietnamese Lunar New Year. This season is about connection and togetherness.

For Christmas, expect the smells of dầu or VaporRub wafting, flashes of pink and blue tinsel, special festive plates on the kitchen table for hot pot, and an artificial Christmas tree with DIY decorations.

For Lunar New Year, the money tree is decorated with red paper lanterns while the ancestral shrine is cleaned and prepared with offerings (fruits and food). There will be moon cakes and 'li xi' (red envelopes) with money, and astrology readings.

We have collaborated with community author Hannah Vu who draws on her lived experience as a British Vietnamese person to bring our kitchen, living room and herb garden to life this winter.

What's On

Events

Take a look at our Winter Festival events, including workshops, markets and family days.

 

Discover more

Visit our Rooms Through Time between November 2024 and January 2025 to explore their stories. Museum of the Home is open 10am-5pm, Tuesday to Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Visit us | Opening hours