At Ben Truman’s House
January 30, 2023
Behold, the winter dusk is glimmering in this old house in Princelet St built in the seventeen-twenties for Benjamin Truman. A hundred years later, a huge factory was added on the back which more than doubled the size. In the twentieth century, this became the home of the extended Gernstein family from whom the current owners bought the house in the eighties. Notable as Lionel Bart’s childhood home, who once returned to have his portrait taken by Lord Snowden on the doorstep, in recent years it has served as the location for innumerable film and photo shoots. Then, as if to complete the circle, the house was sold to the proprietors of the Old Truman Brewery.
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What a perfectly preserved piece of Spitalfields! I now worry because that probably means it will be sold to developers and ruined in some way. I’d like it to be bought by someone who cares about its history. Alas, this will not be me as I envisage a seven figure price tag and unlikely that even a lottery win would suffice.
Wonderful pictures but I have to ask what its future is, given the whole Brewery thing. Is it safe?
Such a shame that Ben Truman’s house has been allowed to fall into disrepair. Hope the new owners will give it some love and restore it to its former glory.
I agree with the above comment.
A remarkable and beautiful house with great richness of a tangible past.
Please tell me the Spitalfields Trust are involved with it’s future?
A wonderful historic building. After restoration, it would be a dream to live there. Finally I would have space for my books! 😉
Love & Peace
ACHIM
That armchair next to the window. The old light from the window falling on a table full of books. Can you have nostalgia for something you have not actually lived?
Amazing house, amazing pictures.
Fabulous photos of a beautiful house, that looks like it has retained alot of it original features and charm.
Wonder what will happen now to this beautiful old building?
Fabulous. I hope the new owners will care for the house tenderly. If the chimneys are in the same shape as everything else, I would not light a fire in any fireplace as sparks can fly out between cracks in the mortar and start a fire.
I wouldn’t worry too much Christine, this house pops up in TV dramas etc *all* the time so I imagine it’s a pretty sound investment commercially for the current owners. I too hope that that continues and its features and patina are preserved.
Those worn wooden stair treads get me every time.
Oh, how I would love to own and live in one of those houses!
A lovely old house. I have visited the house on a few occasions and have the honour of slipping down the rickety staircase and nearly falling through the whole in the floor! No worries… it was an honour to have been in such a well kept and historic building. May it remain as long as it is and keep us old house lovers for generations to come.
Thanks again! Such beauty. Very wabi-sabi, as the Japanese so rightly say. The entropic touch of time, so poetic!
It looks like no work has been done on this for the past 6 years. I was hoping to see what they’d done with it and how it had cleaned up.
Please reassure us that it’s not going to become a casualty to the developers!