Freud Museum London — Attraction in London

Tatty, messy, dark, in need of paint, decrepit, and semi abandoned. Most curtains are drawn in every room, and many light bulbs have burnt and have not been replaced. Cabinets are replete with antique statuettes and other objects that belonged to Freud, no doubt of great interest, but they are only very partially visible because of the darkness, and the excessive distance from which you have to glance at them. The original furniture is often in a bad condition, in need of urgent repair, and picture frames are broken or have missing bits, and rugs seem moth eaten and look dirty. The whole house is in a sorry condition, save for the staircase with its small landing by a bay window, full of nice plants, and the sleek, modern, recent kitchen - nothing to do with the one Freud had, of course - but convenient for the staff, no doubt.You are not allowed in, but since the door is kept open, you can glance at it. The other exception is the shop at the back, pleasant, clean, light, and welcoming, in stark contrast to the rest of the house. When I visited children were running around, the staff talked loudly and animatedly, or shouted at each other, as if they were alone, with no visitors around. The noise and the chaos were overpowering. Open suitcases stood on the floor, with clothes strewn around them, belonging to actors about to present a play, and you risked trodding on them if you tried to see the exhibits from close enough. A sound system was being tested, and ear-piercing noises repeatedly came out of it. The director of the Museum, an Italian by the name of Mr. Albano, was absent, "at a meeting", and could not be joined either then or in the future, in person or by phone. No way therefore to complain to him directly about the mess, the carelessness, the stupidity and mediocrity of the legends next to every exhibit and the sad state of the whole place. Mixed with the objects belonging to the house were others, brought for a temporary exhibition, alien in spirit and meaning to the house's original contents. One particularly ugly statue of a woman, snake-like in its contortions, made of bronze and concrete, felt rather obscene. It was called "Sex Bomb", no doubt on account of its very prominent buttocks, placed high up, where the head should have been, and its very high heels. Its presence in Freud's study bore no relation, however remote, to any other object in it, and no indication was provided as to why it had been put there. The written explanations relating to the objects on show, some of them painted on the walls, and the legends provided, were often irrelevant, obvious, incoherent, or plainly stupid. One such wondered whether the relationship between Anna Freud and her same-sex life-partner had been platonic or plainly sexual, though it called the latter "romantic", and concluded, wisely and profoundly, that this could not be known... Freud's memory deserves much better, and so do the visitors to the museum. In its present condition it is not worth going there. Unless the trustees wake up and shake the place back into shape, any time spent there will remain a depressing and a...

This was Sigmund Freud's home between 1938 and 1939 when he was a poorly man. His youngest daughter stayed here until 1982 (her death), on which she allowed the place to be a museum.

General admission is £14.50 currently, with concessions (such as Blue Light Card) giving you £2 off).

This museum has some (but not a plethora) on information, mainly about Freud and his life, his theory on psychoanalysis, illustrated against the rooms you visit. There is a hallway, dining room, study, half-landing, landing and Anna Fred's room. Each of them have photographs and information about the room's significance. The study has Fred's original therapy couch (with a replica upstairs customers and free to use and take their pictures in). Anna Fred's couch is also on display.

There is also an audioguide you can access via the QR code, with free WiFi. Different voices inform you about the rooms as you travel around.

Fred's theory on the id, ego and superego is described, alongside other research/case studies he did (such as the Wolf Man, and dream interpretation. On my visit, there was also a 25 minute video on clips of Sigmund and his family (narrated by Anna).

I studied psychology as a student, therefore I already had background knowledge on Freud and psychoanalysis. I would recommend fans of Freud, or even psychology students to check this out. However, there isn't so much to see, you could probably do it all in 90 minutes of less.

Although the audio guide was great, I would have preferred it using hand held devices rather than a website link (you need Internet connection for it to work properly). I think the price was probably too high for what it's worth. There is only one bathroom (with a bath, toilet and sink), therefore only for one person at a time.

I probably wouldn't visit this place again. Maybe if it had been larger and more to see (apart from...

A really lovely and intimate museum showcasing a really important story. Staff are generally friendly especially the lady welcoming us, however, the museum does lack some important elements including a chair or two already set out to sit on in each room or hallway, plus easy access to water such as a water dispenser, tap or water cooler. When feeling very faint and nearly collapsing I asked the gentleman near the exit if he had any water and he pointed to the tea and coffee but then said 'water is in the shop'. My partner rushed to the shop only for the lady to wait for payment to be made of £1 before the water bottle was given, and the water was hidden behind the counter. I feel it is quite unacceptable that there is no EASY access to water for free and also as a lifesaving and basic necessity, especially as tickets cost £14. This would have made the experience more enjoyable rather than feeling thirsty and dehydrated only to be given a 330ml bottle of water. Please, for future, invest in a water dosenser that is easy to access for everyone. This is so critical and would really make a difference as I would have enjoyed it otherwise. National Trust AND English Heritage attractions are all very good for this aspect, so I do expect the owners will follow suit and invest in a water dispenser or cooler which will be kind to both visitors and staff for a more...