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Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm

The Red House, Aldeburgh

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The Red House, Aldeburgh

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Former home of Benjamin Britten, his musical collections in The Archive and their beautiful garden.

Benjamin Britten was one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. He wrote a vast amount of incredible music and wanted everyone to enjoy it – professional and amateur musicians, music enthusiasts, children and families. He was born in 1913 and raised in Lowestoft, and Suffolk was the backdrop for nearly his entire life. At The Red House in Aldeburgh he lived with Peter Pears, his muse and life partner, for nearly two decades until his death in 1976. As well as exploring Britten’s music, visitors to The Red House can find out more about his and Pears’ lives together. The House, with its classic 1950s/60s interiors, is a mix of formal and cosy, with an eclectic range of books, art, and furniture. The large gardens are for wandering around and enjoying the peace and quiet of this corner of Suffolk.

02/11/2026

The Red House is now closed for the winter months!

While the house is closed, our team will be busy caring for the house and gardens, as well as planning and installing exciting new exhibitions.

You can still join us to celebrate Britten's Birthday on 22 November and for our Britten Weekend Legacy Tours on the first weekend of December.

Follow along to see what we get up to behind the scenes during the winter closure, and get a sneak peek at what's in store for 2027.

📸

31/10/2026

Did you know?

Every time our Archive receives new material, whether it's a van-load of papers or a single sheet, it's counted as one transaction. This week, we reached an incredible milestone, surpassing 10,000 acquisitions!

The items that took us to 10,002 were audience programme notes from The Death of Gesualdo and Friday Lunchtime Concerts by Samrat Majumder and AERA Ensemble.

It's a fascinating reflection of how our archive has evolved over time. While many of our earlier acquisitions arrived as physical documents, the acquisitions that carried us past this landmark were digital PDFs.

25/10/2026

Today, we celebrate the centenary of the extraordinary soprano Galina Vishnevskaya.

Britten wrote the solo roles in War Requiem specifically for Galina Vishnevskaya, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Peter Pears, symbolising reconciliation between nations. Although Soviet authorities prevented Vishnevskaya from performing at the 1962 premiere in Coventry Cathedral, she later recorded the work alongside Pears and Fischer-Dieskau at London's Kingsway Hall.

Two years later, after visiting Vishnevskaya and her husband, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, in Armenia, Britten composed The Poet's Echo especially for the pair.

21/10/2026

From just 10 seeds, Fiona from our garden team has harvested more than 80 butternut squashes!

They're now making their way to our cafés at Snape Maltings and being shared with our volunteers, ready to be transformed into delicious autumn soups.🍂

18/10/2026

Still looking for half-term plans for your little ones? 👻

Spooky Sounds returns to The Red House this Halloween for a spine-tingling adventure. Discover spooky Suffolk tales and create your very own scary sound effects box to take your storytelling home with you.

End your session with a garden trail, hunting for clues to win a spooky prize!

Suitable for children aged 5–11. Tickets are limited, so be sure to book your place via the link https://bit.ly/4hXi4t3

16/10/2026

Here at The Red House and Archive, we mark a century of Winnie the Pooh with a gift Britten received on the premiere of Albert Herring.

‘Ben, In happy memory of the first première I have ever been to (of any kind) & with great gratitude, love George [Harewood], 20th June 1947'

15/10/2026

Meet Judith and Tracey, two members of our conservation team who volunteer their time to help care for the home of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears here in Aldeburgh.

Many of our volunteers work behind the scenes, often out of sight of visitors. When we’re closed, they’re busy cleaning the house, inspecting paintings, moving furniture between rooms and even dealing with the occasional spider that has made itself at home!

We’re now halfway through Behind the Scenes Month, so be sure to visit before we close for the winter season on Sunday 1 November.

We’re open Thursday to Sunday, from 10.30am to 4.30pm.

13/10/2026

It's Behind the Scenes month, so while you explore The Red House, don’t miss our specially curated pop-up displays, designed to give visitors an insight into the work that goes into caring for and managing our founders’ home.

Our team and volunteers work behind the scenes every day to help preserve Britten and Pears' home and its stories for future generations. Stay tuned this month as we share more of the people and projects that help keep The Red House open.

10/10/2026

Meet Sam, one of our conservation volunteers, who works with a wonderful team behind the scenes to care for the home of Britten and Pears.

Sam’s favourite space at The Red House is Benjamin Britten’s Composition Studio, which remains almost exactly as he left it. Looking out onto the garden, it was here that Britten composed some of his most celebrated works.

Address

The Red House, Golf Lane
Aldeburgh
IP155PZ

Opening Hours

Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+441728451700

Website

https://www.brittenpearsarts.org/events/visit-the-red-house

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