UNESCO world heritage site: Westminster Abbey is among the many highlights of this year’s Open House London
The London Open House Festival takes place this year from September 13 to 21, and as well as the always fascinating and revealing opportunities it presents with buildings around the capital, there’s also a better-than-usual programme arranged in and around Croydon this year.
There’s even a chance to visit the Gigglemugs who inhabit Croydon Town Hall…
This year’s London Open House line up will be the biggest and boldest edition yet, set across 32 London boroughs and the City of London, the festival is set to include more than 800 free open days and events to highlight landmark architectural projects, government buildings, local communities, towering skyscrapers, and the city’s most interesting homes.
Bookings opened earlier this week, and you do need to register on the Open House website to book your places, which are mostly free.
This year’s confirmed highlights include:
- Venues in the Olympic Park, including the London Aquatics Centre, Sadler’s Wells East, The Loop (a circular economy hub at Hackney Wick), and a park-wide tour with architects from Allies and Morrison
- Westminster Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage site, dating from the 11th century and including stunning examples of Gothic and Medieval architecture
- The Museum of Homelessness, which occupies a 1869 former park keepers’ lodge, created from scratch by people with experience of homelessness
- The first Lewisham self-build houses designed by Walter Segal at 11 Elstree Hill
- The popular Golden Key Academy walking tours this year include the first tour for joggers – south of the river at speed!, Bricks of Brick Lane and Belgravia’s 200 years of glory: from swamp to splendour
- Leadenhall Market, a covered market with roots in Roman Londinium, now home to 40 retail and restaurant brands
Fascinating tour: Leadenhall Market, on the site of Roman Londinium’s forum, is steeped in history.
The festival will once again run its Building by Public Ballot collection, giving visitors a once-in-a-lifetime chance to step inside some of London’s most remarkable and protected buildings.
The ballot system presents a free and fair way to allocate tickets to some of the most high-profile buildings in the Festival.
London’s deputy mayor Justine Simons, a guest curator for the 2025 festival, sais: “Culture is bringing us together, building real life, human connections. Culture is supporting our health and wellbeing, offering our young people a positive life path and revitalising our neighbourhoods.”
The Croydon Open House highlights include…
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Rare opportunity: get to delve inside the ancient Almshouses
Whitgift Almshouses, with guided tours around and inside one of the most historic buildings in the borough, which dates back to 1596. David Morgan, Croydon Minster archivist and Inside Croydon’s resident historian, will be leading some of the tours.
And those Gigglemugs?
Award-winning storyteller Bernadette Russell leads a tour of the Town Hall for five- to eight-year-olds (siblings and grown-ups welcome).
Visit the festival website to see the full programme preview and register to book: click here.
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