Seven of the Best Things To See at This Year’s Open House Festival

If you often find yourself glued to Architectural Digest home tours and can think of nothing more frustrating than a locked door, then Open House Festival – London’s annual peek behind the curtain of some of the city’s oldest, unlikeliest and most inspiring spaces – is for you.

Founded in 1992, the festival has grown to encompass more than 800 attractions spread throughout all 33 boroughs of the capital, unlocking access to some of our most secretive buildings and telling the hidden stories of our streets. It happens from September 12 to 20 – and, most crucially of all, every Open House event is completely free (some you’ll need to book in advance, while others are drop-in).

Here, seven of the best reasons to leave your home and head to Open House this year.

On Hackney’s official coat of arms is a grey tower: St Augustine’s, which is the borough’s oldest building, with roots dating back to the 13th century. During Open House, take a trip up its 135 stairs to the rooftop, which will provide you with panoramic views over east London. Its clock – which is from the late 16th century – is still functioning almost 500 years later. They truly don’t make them like they used to.
September 13.

This interactive walking tour around east London’s Royal Docks will immerse you in the sights, smells and flavours that explain how London’s culinary infrastructure helped shape the area. Trace the journey of our food “from ship to table”, as you taste samples and sniff spices while learning about the warehouses and mills that transformed these items into everyday pantry essentials.
September 19.

With news of AI companies destroying rare texts sending shudders down the spines of books and book lovers alike, places like Paekakariki Press – which was founded in 2010 to keep the tradition of letterpress printing going – are more important than ever. Tour its letterpress workshop, with vintage equipment dating back to the late 1800s, and print your own keepsake to take home.
September 19 & 20.

The largest of London’s four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers), the sprawling Lincoln’s Inn stretches across 11 acres of Holborn, providing an HQ for the city’s barristers and judges. It includes an impressive banqueting hall, law library, chapel and more. It’s usually closed to the public, but for Open House you can drop in for self-guided tours and talks about its 600-year history. Here, getting called to the bar very rarely ends in a cheeky Guinness.
September 12

When you think of ambitious immersive theatre in London, you think of Punchdrunk. In 2021, its family and schools theatre offshoot became an independent charity, based in its creative hub, Punchdrunk Enrichment Stores, in Wembley. The space is inspired by old bric-a-brac shops and filled with curious and props to give your inner child an afternoon to remember.
September 12

If you’re looking for a jaw-dropping anomaly among the traditional architecture of London, then you’re unlikely to find anything more impressive than the Baps Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Europe’s first traditional Hindu temple, in Neasden. Opened in 1995, it comprises five ornate shrines adorned with complex carvings that were made by hand in India by 169 craftspeople before being transported to the UK. A labour of love (and 5000 tonnes of marble and limestone), it’s like nothing else in the city.
September 12

St George the Martyr is a 300-year-old church tucked away on Bloomsbury’s Queen Square. Its crowning glory is its beautifully ornate ceiling, designed in the early 1700s by architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, who was behind some of London’s most famous churches (including Christ Church in Spitalfields and St Mary Woolnoth, above Bank station in the City). Get up close and personal with his work on September 13, when you can climb up and access the roof space for a rare opportunity to see St George from a whole new angle.
September 13

Open House runs from September 12–20.

programme.openhouse.co.uk