The Red House
With a National Art Pass you get
The Red House has been restored to its mid-1960s glory, reflecting how it looked when composer Benjamin Britten and his partner Peter Pears lived there.
The house celebrates the work of the composer Benjamin Britten and his long-term personal and professional partner, Peter Pears.
The couple moved to Red House on the outskirts of Aldeburgh in 1957, wishing to lead a more private life than they could at their seafront property (Britten's fame was at its height at this time). They agreed to exchange houses with the artist Mary Potter, who was looking to downsize, and whose home they knew well having joined her for tennis matches in its large garden.
The couple were delighted to be away from 'the gaping faces' and to finally have the space to create a studio where Britten could 'bang away to [his] heart's content'. They lived at Red House for the rest of their lives.
Today the house has been recreated to look as it would have in the 1960s, based on a 1965 room inventory and the memories of their families and friends.
It reflects a normal domestic home of the 1950-80s; as well as everyday items it also includes their personal possessions - for example, Pears' collections of decorative Staffordshire-style Kings Charles spaniels, a sewing kit once belonging to Britten's sister Beth and the pair's monogrammed suitcases and clothes.
Visitor information
Address
Golf Lane, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5PZ
01728 687110
Opening times
The site is open Thursday to Sunday, 10.30am-4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm). The cafe is open Thursday to Sunday, 10.30am-3.30pm.
Exclusions and safety measures
Timed slots available to book online but not necessary as we welcome drop ins.
Open seasonally until Sunday 3 November.
Refurbishments
Additional offers are available on your visit. They include a tour of the upper rooms of the house (Thu-Sun) and 'Stories from the Archive' (Thu-Fri). Both are available on a first come, first served basis.
Visitor information
Museums nearby
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