Benjamin Franklin House

Benjamin Franklin House is the only surviving home of Benjamin Franklin, standing in London with Georgian architectural features. Franklin lived here from 1757 to 1775. During those years, he worked as a diplomat and scientist after leaving printing behind. His friendship with Margaret Stevenson and Polly shaped the household’s history.

Polly’s husband, anatomist William Hewson, ran a private anatomy school inside the house with Franklin’s encouragement. Restoration work in the late 1990s uncovered a roughly one-metre pit in the Seminary Room. More than 1,200 bone fragments from at least 15 people lay inside. Cut marks, trepanned skulls, and sawn femurs suggested anatomical study. Conservation work later saved the building from dereliction.

Today, the museum presents Franklin’s London life, the Georgian rooms, Hewson’s school, and the building’s conservation. Self-guided and architectural tours connect those layers. Weekend historical experiences add live performance, sound, lighting, and projections. One striking detail remains: the Seminary Room pit held evidence of the anatomy school’s work.