William Morris’s Red House is among dozens of properties opening their doors for Open House London
A Stirling Prize-nominated apartment block with wicker balconies and the new home of New Scotland Yard are among the buildings that will open up their doors to the public next month, as part of Open House London.
For the first time in its 25-year history, every London borough is participating in this year’s festival from 16-17 September 2017, with free entry to more than 800 of the city’s most compelling buildings.
Other new buildings open to the public are London’s latest tower, nicknamed ‘the Vase’; an urban farm in Waterloo; and exhibitions by Norman Foster, and the Francis Crick Institute.
Almost every building type is represented: government buildings, offices, places of worship, military buildings, livery halls, industrial complexes. There’s even a yurt and a medieval barn.
Old favourites such as the BT Tower and William Morris’s Red House are back in, while City of London icons – the Cheesegrater and the Gherkin – are once again free to enter.
Architectural buffs are well catered for with serious, thoughtful design including a 1930s house in Romford designed by Penguin Pool architect Berthold Lubektin, the controversial Maggie’s Centre at Bart’s and a hipster housing block in Stoke Newington vying for the Stirling Prize.
Open House director, Rory Olcayto, said: “We want Londoners to speak as confidently about their built environment as they do about books, music and art. Getting the public inside great buildings and visiting places that are well-designed is the best way to do it.”
This year’s Open House is also the last chance to visit Crossrail stations – on pre-booked tours – before they open to the public next year.
This year Open House has also launched a free app for the first time, for both Android and Apple. Users can view buildings nearby, save favourites to plan their weekend, and filter results by day, architectural type and period.
In this year’s guide you can find details of every building to visit alongside articles and opinions about London’s great architecture, and a look back over the past quarter century.
To purchase one of the Open House limited edition guides featuring a silver foil anniversary rosette visit the Open City online shop: https://opencityshop.myshopify.com
