The Open House Festival 2023

The annual Open House Festival starts on Wednesday 06 September 2023 and goes until Sunday 17 September.

This festival is dedicated to making architecture and neighbourhoods more open, accessible and equitable.

Having started out as Open House weekend, it has grown greatly, but at its core is still the aim of giving the public a chance to see inside and learn about some of the great architecture in this city.

Outside of the Festival, Open City also run walking tours and other events.

Some events are free, and some require pre-booking, but there should be something for everyone.

View the programme online.

Open House Festival

Open House Festival 2022

View of St Pancras Hotel with blue sky and swirling clouds
Image by David Mark from Pixabay

The Open House Festival is a two-week celebration of London’s architecture, housing and neighbourhoods. There are walking tours (both with guides and self-guided), visits to notable and interesting buildings, exhibitions and presentations (including online), and more.

The locations are all over London, from Orpington to Uxbridge, and Sutton to Waltham Cross. Of course there are plenty of things to do within Camden as well! Some places need to be pre-booked, others you can just drop in.

A random few locations in Camden are:

  • West Hampstead Fire Station
  • Lawn Road Flats, Belsize Park (Grade I listed residential block)
  • Fitzroy Park Allotments, Highgate
  • Brandon Centre, Kentish Town
  • The Standard Hotel (former Camden Town Hall annexe), Kings Cross
  • Meta (Facebook) Offices, Kings Cross
  • St Pancras Chambers and clock tower

It is running from Thursday 08 September until Wednesday 22 September.

So explore London!

https://programme.openhouse.org.uk/

2021 Open House London

Open House is a festival celebrating the buildings around us. They could be historic, or dramatic, or unique, and usually hard to get into.

The Open House Festival goes from 04 September to 12 September.

https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/

They have a varied programme including:

  • BSL family activities at British Library on 04 September (SOLD OUT)
  • Family activities at the Freemason’s Hall, Covent Garden (04 and 05 September)
  • Self-guided tours around Camden, by foot or bicycle
  • Tours of the Working Men’s College, Camden Town (04 and 05 September)
  • Tours of Isokon Building (Lawn Road Flats), Belsize Park (04 and 05 September)
  • Free entry to Keats House, Hampstead (05 September)
  • Entry to Kenwood House Dairy and Carriage House, Hampstead (05 and 11 September)
  • Tours of 8 Stoneleigh Terrace, Highgate, built by Camden’s Public Housing Department 1972 (multiple tours on 11 and 12 September)
  • Walking Tours of Swiss Cottage Library (11 September)
  • Information boards at public spaces including Gasholder Park, Granary Square (Kings Cross)
  • Online talks about Belle-Vue retirement community, Hampstead (08 September)
  • Virtual Tour of Regent High School, Somers Town (11 September)
  • Walkabout of 8a Belsize Court Garages, converted to an office and maisonette (12 September)
  • and many other events across London

Open House 2020

St Pancras London
St Pancras

The annual Open House festival allows people to view interesting buildings around London that are not normally open to the public, or that you might not have heard about.

https://openhouselondon.open-city.org.uk/

This year’s event will be a bit different.

Instead of being just one weekend, the festival will go from 19 September to 27 September. There will be events, online events, booked tours, self-guided walks, and many more. The main Open House weekend will be 19 & 20 September.

Events in Camden include:

  • Self-guided tours around Camden (both walking & cycling)
  • Guided tour of Somers Town
  • Edwardian Art & Architecture tour in Bloomsbury
  • St George’s Church, Bloomsbury Way
  • Shaftesbury Theatre , Shaftesbury Avenue
  • St Pancras Chambers & Clock Tower, St Pancras Station, Euston Road
  • Hampstead Friends Meeting House, 120 Heath Street
  • Acland Burghley School, Burghley Road
  • Fitzroy Park Allotments
  • Warehouse refurbishment, 9 Jeffrey’s Place
  • Photographic exhibition at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Square
  • Bloomscape online event run by John Birkbeck School of Arts