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 enjamin Franklin House and Science
Benjamin Franklin House has witnessed many significant innovations and discoveries.
During his time at Craven Street (between 1757 and 1775), Benjamin Franklin conducted numerous important experiments at 36 Craven Street such as measuring the effects of the Gulf Stream, exploring Daylight Saving Time and inventing bi-focal lenses. One of his inventions, the glass armonica, is an instrument for which Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven composed.
The House also served as the anatomy school of the pioneering anatomist William Hewson, who married Polly, the daughter of Franklin’s
landlady Margaret Stevenson in 1770. Basement excavations in 1998
revealed over 1200 cut and trepanned bones, apparently discarded
following student dissections. The bones are now being catalogued
by scientists at the University of London's Institute of Archaeology
and provide fascinating information about the history of surgery.
Benjamin Franklin House More Recent History
While Benjamin Franklin was the most famous resident of 36 Craven Street, the Franklin connection has attracted many famous visitors to the House over the years including Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Senator George Mitchell, Dame Judi Dench, and then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.
Though built as a lodging house, in the 20th century the building was used as a hotel and as a base for several non-profit groups. By the end of the century, when the Friends of Benjamin Franklin House were granted the freehold to 36 Craven Street from the British Government, the property was in dire condition. The management team and numerous organisations and volunteers have worked tirelessly to realise a dynamic museum and educational facility that will highlight the timeless relevance of Benjamin Franklin and the tumultuous times in which he lived.
To read more about the Conservation Philosophy of the House please click here.
What Happens Next
As conservation and installation of the Historical Experience, Student
Science Centre and Scholarship Centre is now finished, the public
have, for the first time, access to a Grade I Georgian House, remarkable
for its simplicity and original features, including a single staircase
that links all floors of the House (which Franklin says he traversed
for exercise!), featuring balustrades, three to a tread, with cut
strings and curved brackets. The public will be exposed to a 'work-a-day'
building of early 18th century construction with fielded panels,
molded cornices, integral shutters, and the like.
Conservation of the building thus provides a platform on which
to further understanding of the past, including the history of science.
One part of the Historical Experience, the theatrical tour of the
House using live interpretation, sound, and lighting, provides a
fascinating glimpse into Benjamin Franklin's world of energy, dynamics,
and invention. The Student Science Centre allows young people to
explore this world through hands-on activities, encouraging them
to think, question, and test. Through the model of Franklin, who
translated scientific inquisitiveness into useful devices like the
lightning rod, they discover it is possible to make positive and
lasting contributions in science - and not just for personal gain;
as they learn, Franklin never patented any of his inventions.
A completed building also allows the establishment of the Scholarship
Centre. Franklin helped shape the Age of Enlightenment celebrating
reason, respect for humanity, and the ideals of political and economic
liberalism, freedom, and democracy. Those values are as essential
now as they were in the 18th century. The objectives of the Scholarship
Centre include: providing access to the Franklin Papers in both
print and CD-Rom; lectures on Franklin-related subjects; providing
support and a 'home base' to visiting scholars; special exhibitions;
and development of on-line resources for a global public.
Outreach programmes reinforce in-House offerings including the
Benjamin Franklin Science Fair bringing together young people from
disadvantaged London schools with their American counterparts allowing
them to interact through hands-on exploration in Franklin science
and the scientific method - the process of finding out how things
work.
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