Built in 1719, 19 Princelet Street became the home of the Ogier family, who had escaped from persecution in France. They entered the silk weaving trade and prospered mightily. As most Huguenots moved on, the elegant Georgian houses were sub-divided into lodgings and workshops. At 19 Princelet Street the attic windows were altered to let in more light for weavers to work, but later occupants of the house followed other trades and professions, including Mrs Mary Ellen Hawkins who used it as an industrial school, and Isaiah Woodcock who was a carver and gilder.
Now a unique cultural institution, 19 Princelet Street was founded as the first museum of immigration and diversity in Europe and attracts visitors from around the globe to discover stories of the centuries of newcomers who have shaped Spitalfields, London and Britain.