Handel & Hendrix in London awarded Wolfson Foundation grant

Handel & Hendrix in London, the museum which maintains and opens to the public the adjoining buildings in which composer George Frideric Handel and guitarist Jimi Hendrix have lived, has today announced that it has been awarded a grant of £100,000 by the Wolfson Foundation.

The grant comes four months before the museum is due to reopen following a £3 million refurbishment project. The Hallelujah project will allow Handel’s house to open to the public in its entirety for the first time. The project includes the restoration of the building’s front façade, basement kitchen and ground floor parlours in the original 1740s style.

Museum director Simon Daniels said: ‘We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Wolfson Foundation, which will help us to present and care for Handel’s home for everyone. The Hallelujah Project is only possible thanks to the support of donors and grant makers. We are hugely grateful to the Foundation’s Trustees and to all our donors for their magnificent support.’ 

Handel lived at 25 Brook Street from 1723 until his death in 1759, during which time he wrote works including Messiah and ‘Zadok the Priest’. The museum closed in September 2021 for the restoration project to take place and will re-open on 18 May, 300 years after Handel first moved in.

Wolfson Foundation chief executive Paul Ramsbottom said: ‘We are delighted to support this distinctive project which will not only restore Handel’s house, but will also allow visitors to discover new stories about the two great musicians who called this building home.’