diff --git a/webclient/app.js b/webclient/app.js
index 6cd50c5e5..1d5503ebc 100644
--- a/webclient/app.js
+++ b/webclient/app.js
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ var matrixWebClient = angular.module('matrixWebClient', [
     'LoginController',
     'RoomController',
     'HomeController',
+    'RecentsController',
     'SettingsController',
     'UserController',
     'matrixService',
diff --git a/webclient/home/home-controller.js b/webclient/home/home-controller.js
index f882801e7..e8e91eede 100644
--- a/webclient/home/home-controller.js
+++ b/webclient/home/home-controller.js
@@ -16,12 +16,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 'use strict';
 
-angular.module('HomeController', ['matrixService', 'eventHandlerService'])
+angular.module('HomeController', ['matrixService', 'eventHandlerService', 'RecentsController'])
 .controller('HomeController', ['$scope', '$location', 'matrixService', 'eventHandlerService', 'eventStreamService', 
                                function($scope, $location, matrixService, eventHandlerService, eventStreamService) {
 
     $scope.config = matrixService.config();
-    $scope.rooms = {};
     $scope.public_rooms = [];
     $scope.newRoomId = "";
     $scope.feedback = "";
@@ -32,77 +31,18 @@ angular.module('HomeController', ['matrixService', 'eventHandlerService'])
     };
     
     $scope.goToRoom = {
-        room_id: "",
+        room_id: ""
     };
 
     $scope.joinAlias = {
-        room_alias: "",
-    };
-    
-    $scope.$on(eventHandlerService.MEMBER_EVENT, function(ngEvent, event, isLive) {
-        var config = matrixService.config();
-        if (event.state_key === config.user_id && event.content.membership === "invite") {
-            console.log("Invited to room " + event.room_id);
-            // FIXME push membership to top level key to match /im/sync
-            event.membership = event.content.membership;
-            // FIXME bodge a nicer name than the room ID for this invite.
-            event.room_display_name = event.user_id + "'s room";
-            $scope.rooms[event.room_id] = event;
-        }
-    });
-    
-    var assignRoomAliases = function(data) {
-        for (var i=0; i<data.length; i++) {
-            var alias = matrixService.getRoomIdToAliasMapping(data[i].room_id);
-            if (alias) {
-                // use the existing alias from storage
-                data[i].room_alias = alias;
-                data[i].room_display_name = alias;
-            }
-            else if (data[i].aliases && data[i].aliases[0]) {
-                // save the mapping
-                // TODO: select the smarter alias from the array
-                matrixService.createRoomIdToAliasMapping(data[i].room_id, data[i].aliases[0]);
-                data[i].room_display_name = data[i].aliases[0];
-            }
-            else if (data[i].membership == "invite" && "inviter" in data[i]) {
-                data[i].room_display_name = data[i].inviter + "'s room"
-            }
-            else {
-                // last resort use the room id
-                data[i].room_display_name = data[i].room_id;
-            }
-        }
-        return data;
+        room_alias: ""
     };
 
     var refresh = function() {
-        // List all rooms joined or been invited to
-        matrixService.rooms(1, false).then(
-            function(response) {
-                var data = assignRoomAliases(response.data.rooms);
-                $scope.feedback = "Success";
-                for (var i=0; i<data.length; i++) {
-                    $scope.rooms[data[i].room_id] = data[i];
-
-                    // Create a shortcut for the last message of this room
-                    if (data[i].messages && data[i].messages.chunk && data[i].messages.chunk[0]) {
-                        $scope.rooms[data[i].room_id].lastMsg = data[i].messages.chunk[0];
-                    }
-                }
-
-                var presence = response.data.presence;
-                for (var i = 0; i < presence.length; ++i) {
-                    eventHandlerService.handleEvent(presence[i], false);
-                }
-            },
-            function(error) {
-                $scope.feedback = "Failure: " + error.data;
-            });
         
         matrixService.publicRooms().then(
             function(response) {
-                $scope.public_rooms = assignRoomAliases(response.data.chunk);
+                $scope.public_rooms = matrixService.assignRoomAliases(response.data.chunk);
             }
         );
 
diff --git a/webclient/home/home.html b/webclient/home/home.html
index 49eb56a60..d38b843d8 100644
--- a/webclient/home/home.html
+++ b/webclient/home/home.html
@@ -24,59 +24,7 @@
     </div>
     
     <h3>Recents</h3>
-
-    <div class="recentsTableWrapper">
-    <table class="recentsTable">
-        <tbody ng-repeat="(rm_id, room) in rooms" ng-click="goToPage('room/' + (room.room_alias ? room.room_alias : rm_id) )" class ="recentsRoom" >
-            <tr>
-                <td class="recentsRoomName">
-                    {{ room.room_display_name }}
-                </td>
-                <td class="recentsRoomSummaryTS">
-                    {{ (room.lastMsg.ts) | date:'MMM d HH:mm' }}
-                </td>
-            </tr>
-
-            <tr>
-                <td colspan="2" class="recentsRoomSummary">
-
-                    <div ng-show="room.membership === 'invite'" >
-                        {{ room.inviter }} invited you
-                    </div>
-
-                    <div ng-hide="room.membership === 'invite'" ng-switch="room.lastMsg.type" >
-                         <div ng-switch-when="m.room.member">
-                            {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }}
-                            {{ {"join": "joined", "leave": "left", "invite": "invited"}[room.lastMsg.content.membership] }}
-                            {{ room.lastMsg.content.membership === "invite" ? (room.lastMsg.state_key || '') : '' }}
-                        </div>
-
-                        <div ng-switch-when="m.room.message">
-                            <div ng-switch="room.lastMsg.content.msgtype">
-                                <div ng-switch-when="m.text">
-                                    {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }} :
-                                    <span ng-bind-html="(room.lastMsg.content.body) | linky:'_blank'">
-                                    </span>
-                                </div>
-
-                                <div ng-switch-when="m.image">
-                                    {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }} sent an image
-                                </div>
-
-                                <div ng-switch-default>
-                                    {{ room.lastMsg.content }}
-                                </div>
-                            </div>
-                        </div>
-
-                        <div ng-switch-default>
-                            {{ room.lastMsg }}
-                        </div>
-                    </div>
-                </td>
-            </tr>
-        </tbody>
-    </table>
+        <div ng-include="'recents/recents.html'"></div>
     <br/>
 
     <h3>Public rooms</h3>
diff --git a/webclient/index.html b/webclient/index.html
index 86dbb65e1..f6d374441 100644
--- a/webclient/index.html
+++ b/webclient/index.html
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
     <script src="app-filter.js"></script>
     <script src="home/home-controller.js"></script>
     <script src="login/login-controller.js"></script>
+    <script src="recents/recents-controller.js"></script>
     <script src="room/room-controller.js"></script>
     <script src="room/room-directive.js"></script>
     <script src="settings/settings-controller.js"></script>
diff --git a/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js b/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a9805fc38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webclient/recents/recents-controller.js
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/*
+ Copyright 2014 matrix.org
+ 
+ Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ 
+ http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ 
+ Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+'use strict';
+
+angular.module('RecentsController', ['matrixService', 'eventHandlerService'])
+.controller('RecentsController', ['$scope', 'matrixService', 'eventHandlerService', 'eventStreamService', 
+                               function($scope,  matrixService, eventHandlerService, eventStreamService) {
+    $scope.rooms = {};
+    
+    $scope.$on(eventHandlerService.MEMBER_EVENT, function(ngEvent, event, isLive) {
+        var config = matrixService.config();
+        if (event.state_key === config.user_id && event.content.membership === "invite") {
+            console.log("Invited to room " + event.room_id);
+            // FIXME push membership to top level key to match /im/sync
+            event.membership = event.content.membership;
+            // FIXME bodge a nicer name than the room ID for this invite.
+            event.room_display_name = event.user_id + "'s room";
+            $scope.rooms[event.room_id] = event;
+        }
+    });
+    
+    var refresh = function() {
+        // List all rooms joined or been invited to
+        matrixService.rooms(1, false).then(
+            function(response) {
+                var data = matrixService.assignRoomAliases(response.data.rooms);
+                for (var i=0; i<data.length; i++) {
+                    $scope.rooms[data[i].room_id] = data[i];
+
+                    // Create a shortcut for the last message of this room
+                    if (data[i].messages && data[i].messages.chunk && data[i].messages.chunk[0]) {
+                        $scope.rooms[data[i].room_id].lastMsg = data[i].messages.chunk[0];
+                    }
+                }
+
+                var presence = response.data.presence;
+                for (var i = 0; i < presence.length; ++i) {
+                    eventHandlerService.handleEvent(presence[i], false);
+                }
+            },
+            function(error) {
+                $scope.feedback = "Failure: " + error.data;
+            }
+        );
+    };
+
+    $scope.onInit = function() {
+        refresh();
+    };
+    
+}]);
+
diff --git a/webclient/recents/recents.html b/webclient/recents/recents.html
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9817d1ace
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webclient/recents/recents.html
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<div ng-controller="RecentsController" data-ng-init="onInit()">
+    <table class="recentsTable">
+        <tbody ng-repeat="(rm_id, room) in rooms" ng-click="goToPage('room/' + (room.room_alias ? room.room_alias : rm_id) )" class ="recentsRoom" >
+            <tr>
+                <td class="recentsRoomName">
+                    {{ room.room_display_name }}
+                </td>
+                <td class="recentsRoomSummaryTS">
+                    {{ (room.lastMsg.ts) | date:'MMM d HH:mm' }}
+                </td>
+            </tr>
+
+            <tr>
+                <td colspan="2" class="recentsRoomSummary">
+
+                    <div ng-show="room.membership === 'invite'" >
+                        {{ room.inviter }} invited you
+                    </div>
+
+                    <div ng-hide="room.membership === 'invite'" ng-switch="room.lastMsg.type" >
+                         <div ng-switch-when="m.room.member">
+                            {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }}
+                            {{ {"join": "joined", "leave": "left", "invite": "invited"}[room.lastMsg.content.membership] }}
+                            {{ room.lastMsg.content.membership === "invite" ? (room.lastMsg.state_key || '') : '' }}
+                        </div>
+
+                        <div ng-switch-when="m.room.message">
+                            <div ng-switch="room.lastMsg.content.msgtype">
+                                <div ng-switch-when="m.text">
+                                    {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }} :
+                                    <span ng-bind-html="(room.lastMsg.content.body) | linky:'_blank'">
+                                    </span>
+                                </div>
+
+                                <div ng-switch-when="m.image">
+                                    {{ room.lastMsg.user_id }} sent an image
+                                </div>
+
+                                <div ng-switch-default>
+                                    {{ room.lastMsg.content }}
+                                </div>
+                            </div>
+                        </div>
+
+                        <div ng-switch-default>
+                            {{ room.lastMsg }}
+                        </div>
+                    </div>
+                </td>
+            </tr>
+        </tbody>
+    </table>
+</div>