Benjamin Franklin House

We feel you, Ben! These chilly London winters are not for the faint of heart.

With 2026 just around the corner, we thought we'd see how everyone's reading bingo card is looking.

Which of these works have you read, and which ones should we add to our list?!

We've received so many excellent submissions that we've decided to make this conference a two-day affair. So, we've extended the deadline for submissions to Monday, 24th November!

From Olympe de Gouges to Ida B. Wells and everyone who came before and after -- we want to hear about the revolutionary women you're most passionate about!

Contact Dr Megan King at [email protected] to submit your abstract or to share any questions / concerns.

More info here: https://benjaminfranklinhouse.org/event/spring-2026-conference-remember-the-ladies-women-and-revolution/

Join us for a Happy Hour tour & talk this Friday 🥂

We'll start off with a House tour followed by drinks, sweet treats, and a talk by Dr Jo Harmon in Benjamin Franklin's parlour!

As Black History Month draws to a close, we’re pausing to reflect on the launch of our brand-new exhibition, Lives Revealed: The Hidden Figures of Franklin’s London Home. Centring on Peter and John King, two enslaved people who lived and laboured in the Franklin household, this permanent exhibition explores the legacies of Peter and John King as well as Franklin’s evolving views on slavery.

Special thanks to , , , , and poet H.E. Ross for lending us their talents and knowledge to bring this exhibition to life and restore the presence of Peter and John King to 36 Craven Street with dignity.

📣 Calling all PGR students, ECRs, and heritage employees: two weeks left to submit your abstract!

With a program of keynote speakers, paper presentations, and 10-minute ‘lightning talks’ to unpack works in progress, we welcome submissions from a range of research interests and disciplinary perspectives.

We are closed today due to unforeseen circumstances.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and we will reopen tomorrow, Sunday 28th September.

Join us for all sorts of Halloween fun -- from spooky House tours to Georgian storytelling!

➡️ Scroll for dates and times

Our Chairman, John Studzinski, appeared on the latest episode of the BBC Radio 4 programme, Great Lives, to discuss Benjamin Franklin!

Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002htvw

Join us for a FREE Open House London event featuring Author-in-Residence George Goodwin in conversation with Zara Anishanslin.

The two will discuss Zara's latest work, The Painter's Fire, highlighting how artists and the ideals that inspired their work fanned the flames of resistance during the pre-Revolutionary era.

Tickets are extremely limited, so get yours today! https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/activities/27060/bookings

New hours and new offerings mean new opportunities to explore Benjamin Franklin House!

Choose from guided tours and experiences OR opt for our all-new self-guided tour, which includes a newspaper-style guide that you can take home!

In honour of , we're sharing the Franklin recipe!

In 18th-century England and America, bakers often positioned themselves near docks with the promise that their gingerbread could ease seasickness. In 1727, when storm stayed in Burlington, New Jersey, Franklin purchased gingerbread "to eat upon the water".

In 1773, he spoke out against British political policy in the American colonies in a satirical essay entitled "Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One". Highlighting the differences between the liberties guaranteed by the English constitution and those permitted in America, Franklin wrote that the imperial government will act "like a wise Gingerbread Baker, who, to facilitate a Division, cuts his Dough half through in those Places, where, when bak’d, he would have it broken to Pieces."

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/3 cup molasses
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp grated cloves
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp baking soda (optional)

Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F / 160 C. Lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, spices, and baking soda if using for extra leavening. In a small saucepan, heat the molasses and butter, stirring until the butter is melted.
- Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients. Knead until smooth. You may need to add a teaspoon or so of water or more flour.
- Divide the dough into 8 balls. Pat each one into a 4-inch disk, about 1/2-inch thick. Place the disks on the prepared baking sheet. Score each disk into 6 wedges by cutting halfway through from the top with a sharp knife. Bake until firm and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.
-Makes 4 dozen wedges.

Source - Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin: A Founding Father's Culinary Adventures by Rae Katherine Eighmey (Smithsonian Books, 2018).