The ianVisits guide to July's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Wednesday 1st July
Lambeth Palace Garden will be open on the first Wednesday of the month between March and October,
12pm to 3pm
Southwark
More London events on Wednesday 1st July
Thursday 2nd July
A lecture about the Dunkirk evacuation, and a chance to visit the Fire Brigade museum.
5:30pm to 7:30pm
Southwark
This talk will describe the design and erection engineering behind the innovative gravity-stressed cable-net roof.
Starts at 5:30pm
Clerkenwell
A showcase of mixed media artworks created by Hackney artists and residents, exploring the Loddiges tropical and exotic gardens of Hackney over 200 years ago.
6:30pm to 9pm
Homerton
Dr Margaret Clegg will tell the story of the remains, including the excavation from Christ Church and the research undertaken in the last 30 years.
Starts at 7pm
Whitechapel
£4.00
Lester Hillman explores the financial drama of 1815 and beyond, uncovering thieving, scandals and colourful hoaxes on the way.
Starts at 7:30pm
More London events on Thursday 2nd July
Friday 3rd July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Friday 3rd July
Saturday 4th July
Tours of the Bank of England plus rare weekend opening of their musuem.
All Day
City of London
£10.00
Spend the morning learning the wonderful art of Arabic calligraphy.
11am to 1pm
The UCL Urban Laboratory is hosting a study day, asking how film has been used to document urban change, and how it has actively shaped the city.
11am to 4pm
Free
Traditional village fair, a recent restoration of an old festival.
11am to 6pm
Barkingside
12pm to 8pm
Monthly open day at one of London's more unusual, and delightful museums.
2pm to 5pm
A talk from three people on the secrecy that surrounds the Church of Scientology
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Saturday 4th July
Sunday 5th July
The guided tour of the Albert Memorial gives you exclusive access inside the memorial railings,
Starts at 2pm
South Kensington
The march will be formed of approximately 2,500 pre-selected Salvationists representing all 126 countries the Army is at work in.
Starts at 3:30pm
Whitehall
More London events on Sunday 5th July
Monday 6th July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 6th July
Tuesday 7th July
This talk will explore the range of plans, what was proposed, and the gap between proposals and what was eventually – often years or decades later – actually built.
Starts at 6pm
Holborn
What has been the impact of the creative entrepreneur and disruptive technology on the way we live, and where could it take us next?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Join business, history and psychology experts in conversation about popularity, image, and how not to get pelted with rotten fruit.
7pm to 8:30pm
£5.50
An open mic night featuring anyone associated with museums and library special collections.
Starts at 7pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Tuesday 7th July
Wednesday 8th July
A short procession in full ceremonial garb by the Worshipful Company of Vintners from their Livery Hall to the local church.
Starts at 11:30am
City of London
Free
Annual beer festival held in the City of London Guildhall courtyard.
12:30pm to 9pm
How do you establish the supreme law and constitution of a country after it has emerged from transition, from arbitrary power or turmoil?
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Camden
Starts at 6:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 8th July
Thursday 9th July
A discussion of the history of busking and street music in the City of London.
Starts at 6pm
Holborn
More London events on Thursday 9th July
Friday 10th July
Military flypast over Buckingham Palace
Starts at 11:30am
Whitehall
A group of historians paint a portrait of Britain at the time of Magna Carta, and of the stratified society of elites and commoners who had dramatically different rights and freedoms.
6:30pm to 8pm
Camden
More London events on Friday 10th July
Saturday 11th July
£10.00
A tour to mark the 100th anniversary of London Underground's Johnston typeface, designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.
tba
Tours of the Bank of England plus rare weekend opening of their musuem.
All Day
City of London
There will be a chance to wander around HMS St Albans which will be in Docklands on a visit.
All Day
Poplar
Borough Market has teamed up with the Science Gallery at King’s College London to launch a pop up celebration of fermented foods.
All Day
Southwark
Vehicle displays, transport sales stands and a number of heritage vehicles
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Potters Bar
£8.00
A day of panel discussions with speakers including Owen Jones, Zoe Williams, David Dorling, Tony Travers and Irna Qureshi.
9:30am to 6pm
Camden
This exhibition presents some of the most striking images of London and Londoners from the mid 1800s onwards
9:30am to 4:45pm
Over three hundred stalls selling everything from plants to vintage clothing.
9:30am to 5:30pm
Barnes
£20.00
A tour that examines London’s involvement and connections in the transatlantic slave trade.
Starts at 10:30am
£25.00
Annual sporting event featuring gin, umbrellas and smoking jackets.
Starts at 12pm
Russell Square
Guided walks around South Tottenham to learn its heritage and rich history.
Starts at 12pm
South Tottenham
A talk about a past owner of Valentines Mansion for the Barking & Dagenham branch of the East of London Family History Society.
2pm to 1am
A guided tour around the markets, indoor and outdoor.
2:30pm to 9pm
Stockwell
More London events on Saturday 11th July
Sunday 12th July
There will be free guided walks of the Cemeteries, as well as a photographic exhibition of monuments.
11am to 4:30pm
Lewisham
More London events on Sunday 12th July
Monday 13th July
4pm to 6:30pm
Euston
A talk about how writers reconciled the differing demands of factual accuracy and fantastical narratives
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Monday 13th July
Tuesday 14th July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Tuesday 14th July
Wednesday 15th July
A parade of vehicles old and new come into Guildhall Yard for an annual 'branding' by the Lord Mayor.
10:30am to 12pm
£24.50
This one-off special walking tour looks at the way in which Southbank has used landscape-led regeneration to establish a set of new identities.
6:30pm to 9pm
Southwark
£8.60
An evening of classical music, that reflects the unusual setting of the pathology museum.
6:30pm to 9pm
Barbican
Organ recital on the fully restored, grade 1 listed Father Willis, the only restored hydraulic powered pipe organ in England.
Starts at 8pm
Islington
More London events on Wednesday 15th July
Thursday 16th July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Thursday 16th July
Friday 17th July
The 100 Minories excavation is surrounded by sites of international and regional archaeological importance. A walking tour around them.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Tower Hill
More London events on Friday 17th July
Saturday 18th July
Low tide access to the foreshore next to the Tower of London.
11am to 4pm
This extraordinary event sees Whitecross Street transformed into a giant canvas featuring artworks by both established and emerging contemporary urban
12pm to 6pm
Moorgate
Join a guided walk starting at South Wimbledon station and discover more about the story of Nelson and Lady Hamilton's life in Merton.
2:30pm to 4:30pm
Morden
More London events on Saturday 18th July
Sunday 19th July
A rare opportunity to descend into the ice wells on a guided tour, with an explanation of their history by a museum guide.
10am to 4:30pm
Jonathan Parker will argue that today’s large banks are a force for good, without them our quality of life would be dramatically diminished.
11am to 1pm
Low tide access to the foreshore next to the Tower of London.
11am to 4pm
Annual open day at the Victorian cemetery. Usually includes tours and access to the subterranean crypt.
11am to 5pm
2pm to 4pm
Watford
Free
2pm to 4pm
Camden
A recreation of a photo taken 100 years ago of 100 people commemorating the First World War.
2pm to 4pm
Brockley
There will be access to ground floor displays about the history of the tower, and a chance to go up to the belfry.
3pm to 5pm
Erith
Every year, thousand of people flock to the streets around the Church to watch the procession and to participate to the feast of the Church.
Starts at 3:30pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Sunday 19th July
Monday 20th July
A site tour outling the history of the 14th century Spitalfields Charnel House and its place within the Priory of St. Mary Spital.
Starts at 1pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Monday 20th July
Tuesday 21st July
Tracy Borman, Joint Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, is the author of a new book on the life, loves and legacy of Thomas Cromwell, one of the most powerful figures in Tudor history.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
South Kensington
More London events on Tuesday 21st July
Wednesday 22nd July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Wednesday 22nd July
Thursday 23rd July
Tour of the City of London's historic Guildhall, followed by attending the Common Council.
Starts at 10:45am
The City’s two Army Reserve bands - the Band of the Honourable Artillery Company and the Band of the Royal Yeomanry - will perform a joint concert in Guildhall Yard.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
More London events on Thursday 23rd July
Friday 24th July
£10.00
A look around the Transport Museum's private archive of transport posters.
tba
More London events on Friday 24th July
Saturday 25th July
£10.00
A look around the Transport Museum's private archive of transport posters.
tba
Fairly rare opening of the remains of Merton Priory, now hidden under a main road.
All Day
Wimbledon
All day conference with special guest appearances from the world of sci-fi.
10am to 4pm
Harold Wood
Open day offering tours of the police station, as well as associated displays.
10am to 3pm
Ilford
From utopian dreams to dystopian nightmares, could a new wave of Arabic science fiction spur us to reimagine alternative futures in the Middle East and beyond?
12:30pm to 1:45pm
Camden
This is a fundraising tour to help with legal costs to oppose the building of the Garden Bridge.
2pm to 3:30pm
Camberwell
A chance to watch a parade of vintage buses on a private tour around London.
Starts at 2:30pm
More London events on Saturday 25th July
Sunday 26th July
Fairly rare opening of the remains of Merton Priory, now hidden under a main road.
All Day
Wimbledon
Across the Arab world comics and graphic novels are fast becoming a key fixture in the literary landscape.
11am to 12:15pm
Camden
Monthly opening of the railway cutting based nature reserve.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
Guided tours of the 1930s modernist town hall, currently being converted into an arts centre.
Starts at 2pm
Hornsey
£13.75
What does signage along a high street reveal about an area? How do fonts influence your choices and what are they really telling you?
2:30pm to 6pm
Hackney
More London events on Sunday 26th July
Monday 27th July
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 27th July
Tuesday 28th July
This gentle midweek stroll among the leafy streets of Swiss Cottage uncovers many and varied 20th century Jewish connections.
11am to 9pm
Sunday Times economics editor and best-selling author David Smith leads us through the mire of government policy and long-term economic trends,
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
An evening of comedy classics as we show four iconic short films by American masters of silent comedy Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd.
7:30pm to 1am
Whitechapel
More London events on Tuesday 28th July
Wednesday 29th July
A talk about the mosaic tiled floor in the Battersea Arts Centre.
6pm to 7pm
Battersea
Roger Johnson, expert on Sherlock Holmes looks at Holmes’s excursions into Lambeth proper,
7pm to 8pm
South Lambeth
Samira Ahmed will grill authors Simon Guerrier and Dr Marek Kukula about the ethics of using science in war – both real and in Doctor Who.
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Wednesday 29th July
Thursday 30th July
Jay Carver from Crossrail will be speaking about Crossrail's archaeology programme, highlighting some of the finds and discussing how the integrated Crossrail team have managed to stay on top of programme.
6pm to 8pm
More London events on Thursday 30th July
Friday 31st July
Tibet Relief Fund is hosting an exhibition of photos of the Tashi Lhunpo monastery in south India.
10am to 5pm
Hackney
£30.00
Explore the growing appetite for insect eating while enjoying specially paired complementary wines.
6:45pm to 8pm
South Kensington
