Pickford's House Museum, Georgian house museum in Derby, England
Pickford's House Museum is a three-storey town house from the 18th century in the center of Derby, now set up as a museum. The rooms are arranged across several floors and furnished with period pieces that show how the house looked and was used at different points in time.
Joseph Pickford, a Derby architect, built the house in 1770 as his private home, designing it himself to show what he was capable of. In the course of the 20th century the building was restored and opened to the public as a museum.
The house is divided between the rooms used by the family and those used by the servants, and this contrast is visible at every level. The kitchen and service areas downstairs feel very different from the drawing rooms above, showing how closely people of different social positions once lived together.
The museum sits in the center of Derby and is easy to reach on foot from the main streets. It is worth setting aside enough time to go through all three floors, as each room is arranged differently and there is a lot to take in.
The basement holds a recreated 1940s air raid shelter fitted with period objects that tell the story of daily life during wartime. On the top floor, a collection of miniature toy theaters offers a rare look at how children and adults entertained themselves in earlier times.
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