Description
Sigmund Freud and his family came to London as refugees from the Nazis in 1938, and moved to 20 Maresfield Gardens on 27 September where Freud lived until his death in September 1939. He spent much of his last summer here. After his death, his wife, sister-in-law, housekeeper and youngest daughter Anna Freud, herself a leading psychoanalyst, continued to live here. After Anna's death in 1982 it was then turned into the Freud Museum, which opened to the public in 1986. The Conservatory at the back of the house overlooks the garden, which with its lawn, trees, flower and shrub beds is preserved much as it was in the 1930s. An almond tree in the front garden was immortalised by Stephen Spender in his poem 'Almond Tree in a Bombed City', written during WWII.
Practical Information
| Site location | 20 Maresfield Gardens |
|---|---|
| Postcode | NW3 5SX |
| What3Words | ///snap.nuns.risky |
| Type of Site | Private Garden |
| Borough | Camden |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | Museum: 12 - 5pm, Wed-Sun. Garden only open during fine weather. |
| Special Conditions | Admission charge |
| Facilities | Museum, shop, research centre and archive (by appointment only) |
| Events | Exhibitions, events and education programme. Has opened for OGSW |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Finchley Road and Frognal. Tube: Finchley Road (Jubilee, Metropolitan). Bus: 13, 82, 113 |
| Research Updated | 1 September 2009 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
Sigmund Freud came to London as a refugee from the Nazis, who had publicly burned works by Freud and other psychoanalysts in 1933. Freud and his family did not leave their home in Vienna until 1938, after Austria was annexed by Germany. They arrived in London in June and initially rented a house in Elsworthy Road before moving on 27 September 1938 to 20 Maresfield Gardens, a handsome early C20th red-brick house. The working environment of his house in Vienna was recreated here by his son Ernst, an architect, and housekeeper Paula Fichtl, and he continued to work and see patients despite his age and health. He lived here until his death in September 1939, spending much of his last summer here. After his death, his wife Martha, sister-in-law Minna Bernays, housekeeper Paula Fichtl, youngest daughter Anna Freud, herself a leading psychoanalyst and later Dorothy Burlingham, her friend and fellow analyst, continued to live at the house, which remained occupied until Anna's death in 1982.
In accordance with her wishes it was then turned into a museum, which opened to the public in 1986 and contains the collections of books, antiquities, paintings and other possessions, including his analytic couch, that Freud brought from Vienna. The Conservatory at the back of the house overlooks the back garden, which has hardly changed since the 1930s, preserved by gardener Alex Bento who has worked here since Anna Freud's final years. The front garden, which has won awards, had an almond tree that has been immortalised by Stephen Spender in his poem 'Almond Tree in a Bombed City':
'In the burned city, I see
The almond flower, as though
With great cathedral-fall
Barbarian rage set free/
The angel of a fresco
From a cloister wall.'
In accordance with her wishes it was then turned into a museum, which opened to the public in 1986 and contains the collections of books, antiquities, paintings and other possessions, including his analytic couch, that Freud brought from Vienna. The Conservatory at the back of the house overlooks the back garden, which has hardly changed since the 1930s, preserved by gardener Alex Bento who has worked here since Anna Freud's final years. The front garden, which has won awards, had an almond tree that has been immortalised by Stephen Spender in his poem 'Almond Tree in a Bombed City':
'In the burned city, I see
The almond flower, as though
With great cathedral-fall
Barbarian rage set free/
The angel of a fresco
From a cloister wall.'
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ264849 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Freud Museum |
| Site Management | Freud Museum |
| Dates | 1930s |
| Listed Structures | LBII: 20 Maresfield Gardens |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Camden |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Belsize Park? |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
This area was part of farmland held by Eton College since the C15th, which remained rural until the C19th when it was developed in three phases from the 1840s onwards. Much of the area around Eton Avenue was developed by speculative builder William Willett between 1886-1894, largely the work of architects Harry Measures and Amos Faulkner and inspired by Arts and Crafts style. At the junction of Eton Avenue and Adamson Road is a small triangular green with two trees, which has been maintained as public open space by Hampstead Borough Council since the late C19th or early C20th.
There has been a church and burial ground here for around 1,000 years, although the present church dates from the C18th. St John-at-Hampstead Churchyard is enclosed by wrought iron railings, the fine C18th wrought-iron gates to the western entrance acquired at the sale of Canons, the Duke of Chandos' mansion in Edgware. There are many C18th and C19th tombs, including those of well-known people such as painter John Constable, inventor of the marine chronometer John Harrison, and architect Norman Shaw. Since 1978 Camden History Society has recorded the monuments and memorials in the Church, Churchyard and the Additional Burial Ground. The picturesque churchyard has long grass, shrubbery and mature trees including yew, holly, horse chestnut and Cedar.
Hampstead Green is the remains of what was once a much larger area of manorial waste. On the John Rocque map 1746 it is shown as an open space with an avenue of trees surrounded by a few buildings; in the 1830s it was described as 'a grassy playground for children with a fine double row of trees'. The railed triangular site is now managed for wildlife, planted with a wild flower meadow. Part of the green was taken when St Stephen's Church was built in 1869-75, and the site then came into the ownership of the church who also had responsibility for its maintenance. In 1928 it was referred to as Pond Street Enclosure, a 'small grass plot planted with shrubs and trees' that was protected under the London Squares Act of 1931. A Cabman's Shelter was erected adjacent in 1935.
