The ianVisits guide to February's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Monday 1st February
Frank Trentmann provides a long view on the global challenges of our relentless pursuit of more - from waste and debt to stress and inequality.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
How can the writings of Frantz Fanon help us to understand the political uprisings and revolutions of the contemporary world?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Are financial markets the enemy of social equality and the environment? Or can market forces help nurture a more sustainable future?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
An interactive evening event with the Nerds; consisting of stand-up mathematician Matt Parker, geek songstress Helen Arney, and experiments maestro Steve Mould.
7pm to 9:30pm
Camden
7pm to 9pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 1st February
Tuesday 2nd February
This year marks the bicentenary of the deployment of the safety lamp, invented by Hmphry Davy.
1:15pm to 1:55pm
At this Hands on History workshop, you will have the opportunity to interact with a selection of rare books printed and published between 1518 and 1798,
2pm to 4pm
Richmond
Speakers from the City, the bar and the bench will discuss contemporary barriers to the advancement of LGBT+ people in the legal profession and how those barriers may be overcome.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
An evening of quick-fire presentations will invite a series speakers to put forward their ‘Capital Ideas’ for improving London’s streets and roads.
Starts at 6:30pm
A talk by the engineering company most famous for constructing the 2012 Olympic Cauldron
6:30pm to 12pm
To mark the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, a talk about cinematic representations of the Battle of the Somme.
Starts at 6:30pm
A panel of experts discuss real life cases featured in The Crime Museum Uncovered and the processes of modern investigation.
7pm to 10pm
This talk will look at the 1980s’ anti-gay ‘backlash’, using the astonishing testimonies of around 600 largely heterosexual Mass Observers writing in response to a directive issued on the AIDS crisis in 1987.
7pm to 8pm
Richmond
£5.50
London's top museum talent divulges behind-the-scenes stories, exciting projects and intriguing insights.
Starts at 7:30pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Tuesday 2nd February
Wednesday 3rd February
Journalist and author Rosa Prince will in this lecture talk about her new book Comrade Corbyn: A Very Unlikely Coup: How Jeremy Corbyn Stormed to the Labour Leadership.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 3rd February
Thursday 4th February
3pm to 4pm
Clerkenwell
A discussion around gender identity focusing on depictions of the pharaohs Hatshepshut and Akhenaten in the ancient world
6pm to 8pm
6:15pm to 7:30pm
Holborn
Join Professor Jackie Akhavan as she introduces types of explosions and the conditions under which a chemical reaction becomes an explosive.
Starts at 6:30pm
Explore the history behind India's most famous ancient text.
6:45pm to 11am
More London events on Thursday 4th February
Friday 5th February
Turbulent times, multiple challenges, permanent crisis mode. Can Europe cope? Are nation states better off alone? Is the EU just a scapegoat?
1am to 1am
Holborn
The Drill Hall archive is now at LMA and Outhouselondon is hosting a celebration with performers, friends, speakers and recordings of shows plus guided tours of the LMA archives.
12:30pm to 2pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Friday 5th February
Saturday 6th February
A walking tour around East London to discover scenes of infamous crimes.
Starts at 11am
To mark the Queen’s Accession to the throne, there will be gun salutes.
Starts at 12pm
An illustrated talk by Danny Wells, which celebrates the rambunctious nature of this form of entertainment,
2:30pm to 3:30pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Saturday 6th February
Sunday 7th February
A number of Mosques across London will have a public open day to show off what goes on inside.
All Day
This year will be the 60th Anniversary of RM1 entering passenger service.
All Day
A collection of Fairground Organs on display and performing for the audience.
11am to 5pm
Amersham
More London events on Sunday 7th February
Monday 8th February
On a rare visit to London, Professor Christine Delphy, one of the world's most influential feminist thinkers, attends for the first UK screening of a film about her life,
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
A panel will offer perspectives from neuroscience, history and philosophy on autism: How has our understanding of autism evolved?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Mark Gorman will investigate the forgotten but important role played by ordinary Londoners, particularly in the struggle to save Epping Forest.
Starts at 7pm
More London events on Monday 8th February
Tuesday 9th February
To welcome in the Chinese Year of the Monkey, Asia House will open its doors for their traditional annual Lion Dance.
11:15am to 12pm
Free
Discover more about this remarkable man and his works with this talk and document viewing.
2pm to 3:30pm
Clerkenwell
How can it be possible for teenagers to write smartphone apps that make them multi-millionaires when many commercial and Government IT projects fail?
Starts at 6pm
Barbican
Free
A talk about cyclic volcanism, the nature of magma reservoirs and the role of magmatic fluids in driving volcanism.
6:15pm to 8pm
Euston
More London events on Tuesday 9th February
Wednesday 10th February
Tommy Dickinson examines the plight of men who were institutionalised in British mental hospitals to receive “treatment” for homosexuality.
Starts at 5:30pm
Harley Street
Never before performed, Agatha Christie’s Akenaton depicts an empire in the midst of crisis, led by a visionary pharaoh wanting to break with the old ways.
6pm to 8pm
A talk about the trial of electric buses in Milton Keynes.
Starts at 6pm
Strand
£12.00
An opportunity to explore the space and draw some of the fascinating objects in this unusual museum.
6:30pm to 9pm
Conspiracy theories go hand in hand with political mistrust. Are they symptom or cause of current levels of mistrust in democracy and what can be done about it?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 10th February
Thursday 11th February
Free
Murray Craig, the 37th Clerk of the Chamberlain’s Court will talk about the diverse world of the City of London Livery Companies.
Starts at 12:30pm
This lecture will describe the physics of optical fibre transmission, the limits to achievable data rates and the techniques that can be used to overcome them.
1:15pm to 1:55pm
Staff from our Collection Care department will talk about how they prevent the nation’s history from being damaged by insects and other pests.
2pm to 3:30pm
Richmond
£10.00
Celebrate the horror in a themed late opening inspired by the Blood exhibition.
Starts at 6pm
Egyptologist John J. Johnston will discuss the perfumed oils and scents of ancient Egypt, which played so great a role in elite life,
6pm to 8pm
Join Professor Katherine Willis, Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, on a fascinating journey from their genes, to our beans.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
A lecture about the National Railway Museum of Sierra Leone given by Helen Ashby.
Starts at 7:30pm
Islington
More London events on Thursday 11th February
Friday 12th February
Sarah Teasley explores relationships between state organisations, furniture manufacturers, materials scientists, technical educators and the designers who mediated between these communities in 20th-century Japan.
Starts at 12am
Russell Square
A talk by the former Prime Minister of Italy on the British referendum on the European Union.
2:30pm to 4pm
Holborn
Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it, so where better to do it yourself than at the Grant Museum of Zoology.
6:30pm to 9pm
£12.00
Late night opening at the Transport Museum with special events on the night.
6:45pm to 10pm
£21.40
Beyond the Barricade has delighted audiences throughout the UK and mainland Europe for more than a decade,
Starts at 7:30pm
More London events on Friday 12th February
Saturday 13th February
Discover how science, religion, fanaticism and the supernatural co-existed and what this meant for morality, beliefs and culture in Victorian society.
Starts at 11am
Kensington
Looking to do something a little different this Valentines? Always wanted to decorate cakes in a deeply erotic manner?
2pm to 4pm
Shoreditch
£22.29
A fundraising evening of comedy dedicated to Charles Darwin to celebrate his Birthday.
Starts at 6:45pm
A talk by John Halligan - a fascinating journey through the ever-changing culture of the area from Roman times to the present day.
7pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Saturday 13th February
Sunday 14th February
A note that the UK's youngest steam train will be heading in/out of London today.
All Day
More London events on Sunday 14th February
Monday 15th February
Occasional tour of the opulent interior of one of London's city livery halls
12pm to 2pm
Be prepared for some fiery demos and explosive bangs at this family show.
6pm to 7:15pm
Hanover Square
What are the limits of scientific inquiry, and does it leave any questions for non-scientists to answer?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Under London is a display of archaeological object-focused photographs taken by the acclaimed photographer, Simon Norfolk.
7pm to 9pm
More London events on Monday 15th February
Tuesday 16th February
Where do infectious diseases come from? Some come from animals, but we gave some back.
Starts at 6pm
Barbican
The talk will be looking at his brief life from a personal and local point of view, as well as at the fortunes of other Southwark VCs from the First World War.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Join Andrew as he shares his insights into what Shakespeare means across the world, and throughout the years.
7pm to 8:30pm
Picadilly
A talk about the new deep water port recently built in Essex.
7pm to 6pm
Hammersmith
More London events on Tuesday 16th February
Wednesday 17th February
A bee related art event taking place in the rarely opened Duck Island Cottage.
All Day
Whitehall
This workshop will allow you to explore a range of documents taken from Home Office and Metropolitan Police files concerning some of the more extreme militant acts committed by suffrage campaigners in the early 20th century.
2pm to 4pm
Richmond
Birkbeck joined forces with New Media Networks for a research probe into the film collection of the famous sugar company,
Starts at 2:20pm
Peter Tatchell tells the little known story of his hunt for the doctor who experimented on gay concentration camp prisoners.
Starts at 6pm
Harley Street
Talk by Louise Johnson, regeneration and property manager, Alexandra Palace
7:30pm to 9pm
Islington
More London events on Wednesday 17th February
Thursday 18th February
A bee related art event taking place in the rarely opened Duck Island Cottage.
All Day
Whitehall
A talk about the classic English Oak, and why it is such an icon of the landscape.
Starts at 6pm
More London events on Thursday 18th February
Friday 19th February
A bee related art event taking place in the rarely opened Duck Island Cottage.
All Day
Whitehall
Petros Themelis, Society of Messenian Archaeological Studies, explores the sculpture from Messene in the Western Peloponnese.
Starts at 12am
Russell Square
Join leading arts journalist and broadcaster, Andrew Graham-Dixon as he explores the highlights of the V&A’s magnificent new galleries Europe: 1600-1800.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
South Kensington
Veteran activist Terry Sanderson, talks about his own history in gay rights.
Starts at 7:30pm
More London events on Friday 19th February
Saturday 20th February
A bee related art event taking place in the rarely opened Duck Island Cottage.
All Day
Whitehall
More London events on Saturday 20th February
Sunday 21st February
Dr Annette Rid discusses the key points of ethical controversy and draws some important lessons for how we should use unproven vaccines.
Starts at 11am
Free
This walk will cover both cemeteries and stop at some of the graves of the soldiers, missionaries, adventurers, surgeons and others.
2pm to 4pm
Meet artists in the field and hear from the leading London tattoo studios featured in the exhibition
7pm to 10pm
More London events on Sunday 21st February
Monday 22nd February
This panel discussion will debate the reasons why we fail to deliver bespoke homes, and what the industry can do to boost demand.
Starts at 6:30pm
Does philanthropy create utopia, and if so for whom? Those receiving, or those giving?
7pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 22nd February
Tuesday 23rd February
This lecture sets the scientific and religious context for Darwin’s theory of evolution, before considering this theory and the challenges this raised for traditional religious beliefs.
Starts at 1pm
Holborn
Free
A talk about the high-tech gadgetry that astronomers use to study the cosmos.
Starts at 6:15pm
Euston
The panel discuss utopian experiments in British history and consider whether utopian living would be possible today.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Banker aren't the real enemy? What if the truth about global finance is more sinister than that?
Starts at 6:30pm
Journalist Simon Garfield explores the importance of the Johnston typeface and talks about the life and work of the creator, Edward Johnston.
Starts at 7pm
Am evening where enthusiasts, scientists, miscellaneous experts and comedians to talk about whatever they want.
Starts at 7:30pm
Bethnal Green
More London events on Tuesday 23rd February
Wednesday 24th February
Screening of a documentary about the construction of the Victoria Line.
Starts at 2:20pm
Rooms evocatively lit with an array of candles will transport guests back into the Victorian era at these evening openings.
Starts at 6:20pm
Monthly adult-only late night events at the Science Museum.
6:45pm to 10pm
AC Grayling explains how and why this period became the crucible of modernity.
7pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 24th February
Thursday 25th February
Early morning commuters are in for a steamy surprise, as the Flying Scotsman makes its inaugural passenger journey from King’s Cross station.
All Day
Imperial researchers serve up an evening on the future of food and how we will feed the next generation, at this Imperial Fringe event
Starts at 5pm
Paul Godin, Senior Lecturer in Sociology will be discussing the rise of community nursing in Britain from the 1950s.
Starts at 5:30pm
Harley Street
An evening of drama by George Bernard Shaw, which reflects his view of the USSR as a utopia for his own times.
6pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
A discussion of the competing utopian ideas of prominent LSE figures set in the context of the history of 20th century thought and literature,
7pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
Nick Pelling, a Voynich Manuscript researcher will guide us through its wobbly history, unknown science and mad theories, and will happily answer any question we have on unsolved historical ciphers
Starts at 7:45pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Thursday 25th February
Friday 26th February
£10.00
Tours of the Transport Museum poster warehouse housing its archive.
11am to 12pm
Celebrating Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, our panel will explore what this enduring science fiction series can tell us about attitudes to international relations, science and society.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
£36.00
In an increasingly digital age there are techniques which can be deployed in preventative crime- fighting, but what are the pitfalls of using them?
7pm to 10pm
More London events on Friday 26th February
Saturday 27th February
David Aaronovitch talks to Charlie Beckett about his new book Party Animals: My Family and Other Communists.
1am to 1am
Holborn
£10.00
Tours of the Transport Museum poster warehouse housing its archive.
11am to 12pm
Free
This discussion explores the ways in which history has been re-written to serve the purposes of political leaders or regimes, from Ancient Greece to Communist Russia.
5pm to 6:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Saturday 27th February
Sunday 28th February
£20.00
A walking tour that examines London’s involvement and connections in the transatlantic slave trade.
11am to 1pm
Free
An alternative market for London which covers a wide variety of subcultures.
12pm to 5pm
Stoke Newington
£5.00
Tour the remains of the western gate of London’s Roman military fort, located beneath the streets next to the museum.
2pm to 2:30pm
Annual festival, with a parade through Surbiton and fete.
Starts at 2pm
Surbiton
More London events on Sunday 28th February
Monday 29th February
Did Archbishop Whitgift really die on 29th February 1603? Why are there more Friday 13th's now than in the Middle Ages?
Starts at 6pm
Barbican
Examples will cast light upon the quirks of our calendar, and you'll also learn a quick way to work out the day of the week of any given date.
Starts at 6pm
Barbican
Professor Leif Wenar will be discussing his groundbreaking new book in which he identifies the causes of global theft of natural resources that underpins so much modern poverty and war.
6pm to 7:30pm
