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Franklin, who died in 1790 aged 84, does at least enjoy recognition today in books, museums, a recent Ken Burns documentary and now the Apple TV+ series directed by Tim Van Patten (Masters of the Air, The Sopranos). There is also a statue of him in front of the Old Post Office on Washington’s Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of what used to be the Trump International hotel. After two years, he secured two treaties that included political recognition for the United States.
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This small merchant’s house, near the River Thames and not far from the Houses of Parliament, and where Franklin lived between 1757 and 1775, is the only one of his homes on either side of the Atlantic that still survives. Craven Street was at the very centre of Franklin’s domestic life from the first week he arrived in London in 1757 to the day he left in March 1775. In that time, Franklin spent only a short eighteen months back in Philadelphia. In London, Franklin had an extremely strong platonic relationship with his widowed landlady, Margaret Stevenson, and was like a father to her daughter Polly.
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From a one metre wide, one metre deep pit, over 1200 pieces of bone were retrieved and are the remnants of an anatomy school run from the House by William Hewson, son-in-law of Franklin’s landlady, Margaret Stevenson. Balisciano says that marks like this support the idea that these bones were likely from cadavers used at the anatomy school. Since the practice of dissection was still legally murky at the time, the bodies may have been acquired through dubious means, she adds.
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They rapidly became his second family, with their home becoming his own household and with Mrs Stevenson managing it for him. Benjamin Franklin House in London is the sole surviving former residence of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Today the house remains largely as it did when Franklin lived there, and provides a fascinating look into his life and times. The world’s only remaining home of Benjamin Franklin opened to the public for the first time on 17 January 2006, Franklin’s 300th birthday, as a dynamic museum and educational facility. Friends of Benjamin Franklin House, the organization responsible for the renovation, says that they were placed there by William Hewson. Franklin was a close friend of and mentor to the British surgeon and anatomist, and he stayed at Craven Street for two years.
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In 1998, conservationists were doing repairs on 36 Craven, looking to turn Franklin’s old haunt into a museum. “From a one-meter-wide, one-meter-deep pit, over 1,200 pieces of bone were retrieved”—remnants of more than a dozen bodies, according to Benjamin Franklin House. While Franklin lived on Craven Street, his close friend and son-in-law of his landlady William Hewson ran an Anatomy School in the building. During excavations in 1998, the remains of 15 bodies were found in the house’s basement – secretly buried in a windowless room beneath the garden.
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Hewson had been a lecturer at a prominent anatomy school run by William Hunter but left after the men had a falling out. Once he moved in with Franklin, he ran his own anatomy school out of the basement, which accounts for the remains. There is proof of this thanks to liquid mercury found on turtle bones and vermillion coloring connected to dog bones that were found in the basement.
Hewson had logged notes about experiments that match up with this evidence. Franklin spent 16 years living and working at his London home on 36 Craven Street before coming back to America in 1776. Over two hundred years later, as the home was being transformed into a museum, the incredible discovery was made.
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Read about the Skuggs mascot as you enter the exhibit area and then look high and low to find the figurines. Admission is available at the door and must be purchased on the day of your visit. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass, Senior Pass, and Access Pass do not apply at the Benjamin Franklin Museum. Likewise, some of the skulls had cuts that were likely made from a trepanning device — a tool that was used to make circular holes in the skull.
Our award-winning education days take place every Tuesday in the House’s Student Science Centre. Based on the London life and work of Benjamin Franklin, our engaging activities link to and illuminate the National Curriculum. I'm excited to be involved with Junior Achievement because it provides an opportunity to educate and inspire the next generation of financial and technology leaders. Being able to share my experience and help shape young minds, foster financial literacy, and empower students to make informed career decisions and financial goals is a tremendous opportunity. JA is a great community service medium for experiential learnings for aspiring high school students who are looking at meaningful careers in making an impact on brighter financial outcomes for all. Outside the White House today is Lafayette Park, where a the bronze statue is thought to portray the Marquis de Lafayette petitioning the French national assembly for help for the Americans in the fight for independence.
Employee volunteers help deliver JA curriculum to provide innovative, hands-on work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy education to students. Former Location –This used to be a favorite hangout in the ’60’s for many rockers including Frank Zappa and the Stones due to its proximity to many recording studios and the fact that it was opened 24 hours a day. Get the latest news, events and more from the Los Angeles Times Book Club, and help us get L.A. Birch was a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London and secretary of the Royal Society from 1752 to 1765.
The markings on the skeletons show he was studying anatomy, not that he was a serial killer. Femurs were cut in a specific way, likely as an aid to teach students about amputation. “This is a good skill if you were a surgeon, to know how to do these things,” Balisciano says. He became quite close to Polly, the daughter of his landlady, Margaret Stevenson.
Alan Houston, a political science professor at UC San Diego, had come to the end of a trip to London to research a book about Benjamin Franklin. Family FunFamilies will enjoy looking for the small squirrel figurines located throughout the exhibits. Franklin delighted in pet squirrels, or skuggs as they were known in his day.
In the courtyard outside the museum, visitors can view the iconic “ghost house,” a standing steel structure that traces the outlines of Franklin’s now-vanished house and print shop. By CarParking around Benjamin Franklin House is extremely limited – we urge visitors to use public transport. More information about parking in the area can be found at westminster.gov.uk.
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