Inside Handel and Hendrix in London
Separated by a wall and 200 years are the homes of two musicians who changed the face of music. A 15-year ambition is now realised as Handel is joined by Jimi Hendrix on Brook Street, London. The public can now see galleries of images and videos showing Hendrix’s story.
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1. Neighbours, 200 years apart
Handel took a lease on 25 Brook Street in the summer of 1723. He lived there until his death 36 years later. Hendrix lived in the flat on the upper floors of the house next door, off and on for a year from June 1968. Photo: Phillip Reed/Handel House Trust Ltd
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2. The birthplace of Messiah
Almost all of Handel's works after 1723, many of his best-known operas, oratorios - including Messiah - and ceremonial music, were composed and partially rehearsed at 25 Brook Street, which contained a variety of keyboard instruments. Photo: The Handel House Trust Ltd. Photo: James Mortimer/Handel House Trust Ltd
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3. Hendrix's bedroom
A recreation of Jimi Hendrix's bedroom at 23 Brook Street. The flat was found by Hendrix’s then girlfriend Kathy Etchingham in June 1968 while he was in New York. He spent some time decorating the flat to his own taste. Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
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4. Handel's bedroom
Handel's home was opened in 2001 by the Handel House Trust. It comprises a carefully restored set of period rooms on the first and second floors of 25 Brook Street together with exhibition rooms, and now the restoration of Hendrix's flat, in number 23. Photo: The Handel House Trust Ltd. Photo: James Mortimer/Handel House Trust Ltd
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5. Handel's Serse on display
The opening page of the overture to Serse by Handel on display at Brook Street. Photo: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
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6. Hendrix's handwriting
A bottle of wine and a handwritten lyric sheet is displayed in a recreation of Jimi Hendrix's bedroom as part of the Handel and Hendrix exhibition. Photo: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
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7. No. 23 Brook Street
A telephone is displayed in a recreation of Jimi Hendrix's bedroom as part of the Handel and Hendrix exhibition. In 2014 the Handel House Trust was awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to restore the Hendrix Flat permanently. Photo: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images
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8. Handel's life mask
A life mask of Handel on display in the Handel House Museum. The mask dates from the 1740s. Photo: Oli Scarff/Getty Images.
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9. The man himself
A portrait of Handel by Thomas Hudson on display at Brook Street. Photo: Royal Collection Trust/©Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2016.
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10. An Epiphone at 23 Brook Street
An Epiphone acoustic guitar, formally owned by Hendrix, is pictured inside the Handel and Hendrix in London exhibition. The upper floor rooms of 23 Brook Street are now open to the public, and include galleries of images and videos showing Hendrix’s story. Photo: LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images
