The ianVisits guide to October's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Sunday 1st October
Free
Annual fete in Greenwich Park to show off the fruits of the local growers.
11am to 4pm
Greenwich
Step back in history and visit the terminus building of London's original international airport - in Croydon.
11am to 4pm
Croydon
Join hundreds of people in the 16th annual conker championship.
Starts at 2:30pm
Kentish Town
A host of steam trains will run along the former Central line railway that's now a heritage line.
All Day
More London events on Sunday 1st October
Monday 2nd October
Annual parade by the UK's judges in regalia ahead of a private service in the Abbey.
11am to 1pm
Pimlico
Free talk with Dr Russell Wallis on his new book, British POWs and the Holocaust
6:30pm to 8pm
Russell Square
Professor Alison Shell, University College London, discusses the work of PD James (1920-2014).
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Pimlico
A talk by the verbose scribe on the eve of his leaving London.
Starts at 7pm
Islington
More London events on Monday 2nd October
Tuesday 3rd October
So what is their relationship? Are they permanently locked in warfare? Or are there ways of encouraging a positive and enriching dialogue?
1pm to 2pm
Barbican
In this talk, Dr Daniel Gilfoyle will reflect on these letters and consider the nature of the official history.
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
Historian Avril Nanton, will discuss some of the cases that were heard, including a TV version featuring William Garrow.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
Free
This talk explores the history of this remarkable and iconic building over 150 years.
2pm to 3pm
Clerkenwell
In this lecture we take a ‘behind the scenes’ look at some of the highs and lows of making television natural history documentaries.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
Lord Hennessy will be in conversation with former Labour leader Neil Kinnock.
7pm to 9:30pm
Whitechapel
How and why do architects and designers use colour? Join a panel of high-profile practitioners to discuss what colour means to them and its role in their work.
7pm to 8:30pm
Kensington
Filicide. Revenge. Incest. Faith. What can the Greeks mean to us today? Are they timeless classics or do they require radical reinterpretation?
7pm to 8:30pm
Camden
More London events on Tuesday 3rd October
Wednesday 4th October
Explorer Jim McNeill of Ice Warrior interviews British polar explorer, Felicity Aston, MBE
6:30pm to 9:30pm
Picadilly
Leon McCarron discusses his new book The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot through the Heart of the Middle East.
6:30pm to 7:45pm
Covent Garden
Join Peter Snow and Ann Macmillan as they uncover stories of ordinary people affected by war throughout history.
Starts at 7pm
Chelsea
Professor John Marriott's talk questions the nature of the East End as an object of historical inquiry.
Starts at 7pm
City of London
More London events on Wednesday 4th October
Thursday 5th October
Join John Clark to hear how medieval Londoners and London’s historians responded to Geoffrey’s version of history.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
Starting with an astonishing operation performed exactly 200 years ago by Sir Astley Cooper, Thomas Morris looks at the contributions of London surgeons to the early history of the discipline.
Starts at 7pm
Southwark
More London events on Thursday 5th October
Friday 6th October
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Friday 6th October
Saturday 7th October
Matthew Green explores how veterans have struggled to adapt to post-war life, examining some of the ways in which we can better support those suffering from psychological injury.
2pm to 3:30pm
Beckenham
£12.00
In this special afternoon event, Mark Dunton will talk about Radio Caroline, one of the most famous pirate radio stations of the era,
2pm to 4pm
Richmond
Monthly open day at one of London's more curious and delightful museums, devoted to the history of the sewing machine.
2pm to 5pm
Tooting
Free
For some reason, there will be a fireworks display centred on the O2 InterContinental Hotel in North Greenwich.
6:25pm to 7:05pm
Greenwich
More London events on Saturday 7th October
Sunday 8th October
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Sunday 8th October
Monday 9th October
Using visual examples, Zoe Miller and Paul Garside will examine the historic use of this ink, including the influence of different recipes and writing implements on its properties
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Camden
More London events on Monday 9th October
Tuesday 10th October
Excavations have recently uncovered much evidence of Roman London, including fragments of 405 waxed stylus writing-tablets that can be dated to AD 50-90.
1pm to 2pm
Barbican
Celebrate the finale of Cassini’s mission to Saturn with a journey through ‘out of this world’ science at Imperial
5pm to 8pm
South Kensington
This talk explores astronomy’s long association with photography taking in science, technology, art and history on the way
6pm to 7pm
Picadilly
£10.00
Playing host to the UK’s most fabulous women in STEM, ALD Live is an entertaining evening of geekery, comedy and music
6:30pm to 9:30pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Tuesday 10th October
Wednesday 11th October
Free
Pain is often seen as universal and timeless, but how have people’s understandings of pain changed over time?
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
£10.00
Panel debate about the role of the army in security at home.
Starts at 7pm
Chelsea
£11.00
Authors, historians and local people come together to share their stories, often with a theatrical twist.
Starts at 7:30pm
City of London
More London events on Wednesday 11th October
Thursday 12th October
£5.00
Drawing on letters, diaries and personal accounts from archives all over the world, Nurses of Passchendaele tells the stories of the extraordinary women who had to deal with injured men.
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
£5.00
A guided walk through the woodland with bat detectors to listen out for our furry friends.
5:30pm to 8pm
Bow
In this talk Simon Elliott tells the tale of Roman London from the 'Crisis of the 3rd Century' until its final demise in the early 5th century.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
£10.00
Late night opening at St Paul's, with photos allowed, and the 1st ever display of William Tyndale's New Testament.
6:30pm to 9pm
City of London
Wendy Moore tells the story of Dickens’s lifelong fascination with mesmerism and how mesmerism captivated the Victorian world.
Starts at 6:30pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Thursday 12th October
Friday 13th October
Members of the Radiophonic Workshop talk about their extraordinary history and working methods.
6:30pm to 7:45pm
Camden
The launch evening of the major new exhibition Poster Girls – a century of art and design.
6:45pm to 10pm
Covent Garden
Professor Dame Gillian Beer will explore violence in the works of Lewis Carroll.
7pm to 9pm
Clerkenwell
Swingeing London: A Trip Back into the 1960s with Harriet Vyner, Keiron Pim and John Pearse + a screening of legendary cult swinging London classic, Moviemakers.
Starts at 7pm
Clerkenwell
Join the Radiophonic Workshop at 18.30 for a special in-conversation event. Tickets include the main Late at the Library performances.
Starts at 7:30pm
Camden
More London events on Friday 13th October
Saturday 14th October
An exhibition that provides a glimpse of the challenges and joys of theatrical life since the days of Elizabeth I.
9:30am to 4:45pm
Clerkenwell
These tours have been created to mark the 100th anniversary of the Johnston typeface.
Starts at 11am
Acton
A guided tour to mark the architecture of the Central line extension.
2pm to 5pm
Leytonstone
More London events on Saturday 14th October
Sunday 15th October
Preview tours in the Flight Shed and Aircraft Factory will be a major attraction of the Aviation Day at Brooklands Museum.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
More London events on Sunday 15th October
Monday 16th October
Free
Two authors discuss their different approaches to writing on the subject of birds.
6:30pm to 8pm
St James
Join these bestselling authors as they bring a live version of their hit podcast Science(ish) to Gower Street.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Euston
More London events on Monday 16th October
Tuesday 17th October
Many of us have been in a medical scanner and benefited from its use in medical diagnostics. But how many of us have considered how it works?
1pm to 2pm
Barbican
Jonathan Bate tells the story of how and why Shakespeare was steeped in the classics.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
This talk will cover the defuelling of the Imperial College Nuclear reactor and will also include a discussion of the experimental research.
7:15pm to 9:30pm
Hammersmith
More London events on Tuesday 17th October
Wednesday 18th October
Come and ask questions and get advice and guidance on exploring your British or African Caribbean ancestry.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Holborn
This talk will take a closer look at women and their rise in the theatrical profession.
6pm to 7pm
Clerkenwell
This lecture considers this hypothesis and the relationship between clinical outcome and cost of treatment.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
An evening dedicated to the intersections of art and death as we celebrate the publication of Death: A Graveside Companion.
Starts at 7pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Wednesday 18th October
Thursday 19th October
A virtual-reality design transforms the modern-day market into a 3D digital landscape inspired by its Roman history as London’s Forum.
12pm to 3pm
City of London
Drawing on official documents from our collection, Ian Castle will explore the last great Zeppelin raid of the First World War.
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
This talk discusses Franklin’s network, who comprised it, and how the network helped him advance the cause of science.
Starts at 6:30pm
Trafalgar Square
More London events on Thursday 19th October
Friday 20th October
Julie Wheelwright uncovers the stories of women who served in the army and navy by dressing as men.
Starts at 11:30am
Chelsea
A virtual-reality design transforms the modern-day market into a 3D digital landscape inspired by its Roman history as London’s Forum.
12pm to 3pm
City of London
An explosive fusion of urban dance, music and video projection transforms the facades of Guildhall Yard.
6:30pm to 10pm
City of London
A talk about the abominable body snatchers and the trade in human corpses.
7pm to 9pm
Southwark
More London events on Friday 20th October
Saturday 21st October
A note that a steam locomotive will be hauling a train in a loop around South London.
All Day
£7.00
Take an 50 minute guided tour of Hornsey Town Hall with Paul and Oonagh of Crouch End Walks.
11am to 12:30pm
Hornsey
A monthly classic car show/meet in central London.
12pm to 4pm
Southwark
Explore the collection of publications, ephemera and artefacts that form part of the LGBT Leather Archive
Starts at 2pm
City of London
A note that the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive will be making a visit to London in the evening.
5:55pm to 6pm
An explosive fusion of urban dance, music and video projection transforms the facades of Guildhall Yard.
6:30pm to 10pm
City of London
More London events on Saturday 21st October
Sunday 22nd October
Free
October Plenty mixes ancient seasonal customs and theatre with contemporary festivity.
Starts at 12pm
Southwark
Tour of remarkable modernist 1930s Town Hall, with original features.
3pm to 4pm
Hornsey
More London events on Sunday 22nd October
Monday 23rd October
A notice that the emergency services will be conducting two exercises between Lambeth Bridge and Millbank Pier.
10:55am to 12:30pm
Pimlico
A virtual-reality design transforms the modern-day market into a 3D digital landscape inspired by its Roman history as London’s Forum.
12pm to 3pm
City of London
Drink, death and disease on the shores of the Persian Gulf. Explore the lives of the East India Company’s servants in Gombroon.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Camden
More London events on Monday 23rd October
Tuesday 24th October
A virtual-reality design transforms the modern-day market into a 3D digital landscape inspired by its Roman history as London’s Forum.
12pm to 3pm
City of London
Join these award-winning architects in a talk about their practice and approach to designing buildings in cities.
6pm to 7:15pm
Kensington
What are the barriers to achieving the benefits of this new technology and how can they be overcome?
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
£12.00
A talk on a tour that saw Geoff Marshall and Vicki Pipe visit every railway station in the UK.
7pm to 8:30pm
Covent Garden
A talk about the gay men who served during the two world wars, both on the battlefields and home front.
7pm to 8:30pm
Whitehall
£25.00
In a UK-exclusive launch event for his new book, Tim Peake will be touching down at the Barbican Centre.
Starts at 7:30pm
Barbican
A talk about the changing fashions for the design of commercial cemeteries.
Starts at 7:30pm
North Kensington
More London events on Tuesday 24th October
Wednesday 25th October
Join Robert Stephenson to hear how the system functioned, was abused by fugitives and violated by the authorities.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
In this talk, Robin Bunce will use sources from our collection to reconstruct the state’s campaign against black radicals in the UK,
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
Dr Todd Nesbit will be giving a lecture on a topic close to many people - fantasy football.
Starts at 6pm
Pimlico
John Fraser has completed a detailed report on the Cage haunting with collected witness testimony from over two dozen local people and investigators. This talk discusses his findings and the truth of the phenomena behind the national headlines.
7:45pm to 9:30pm
Whitechapel
The Cage in St Osyth, Essex is a haunted medieval prison that has recently hit the headlines.
Starts at 7:45pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Wednesday 25th October
Thursday 26th October
Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the atmospheric rooms and experience just what it was like to be in a Victorian home after dark.
Starts at 6pm
Clerkenwell
Professor Mary Beard will speak on the fascinating topic of images of Roman Emperors.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
Find the funny side of the boring beasts that changed our world with (Ordinary) Animal Showoff.
6:30pm to 9pm
Euston
Anyone who has struggled with the licorice end of the fountain (and who hasn’t?) will be fascinated to hear all about it.
Starts at 7pm
Highgate
A talk about the impact of émigré designers on British poster design during and after World War Two.
7pm to 8pm
Camden
More London events on Thursday 26th October
Friday 27th October
A rare evening visit to the Bank of England Museum as part of the Museums at Night festival.
5:30pm to 9pm
City of London
This month at Lates explore the different ways that science and nature can and has been shared with the world over the generations.
6pm to 10pm
South Kensington
£10.00
Talk and screening of Dracula (1958) in the spooky surroundings of the Old Operating Theatre.
Starts at 7pm
Southwark
Martin Luther's posting of the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517 is one of the most famous events of Western history. But did it actually happen?
7:15pm to 8:30pm
Camden
A night exploring the history, traditions and expressions of magic.
7:30pm to 10:30pm
Camden
More London events on Friday 27th October
Saturday 28th October
All-day conference on tunnels and subterranean structures.
All Day
South Kensington
£5.00
Discover working models all built from Meccano, and invent and build your own models for the chance to win a prize!
10:30am to 4:30pm
Eltham
Visit the c.1397 Grade 2 listed ‘threshing’ barn, over 100ft x 40ft in size, with a fine crownpost roof.
Starts at 10:45am
Rickmansworth
Workshops and demos, including honey tasting, honey spinning, seed bomb, wax candle making workshops.
11am to 10pm
Kennington
Guided tours of the London Transport museum's archive of posters and artwork.
Starts at 11am
Acton
£5.00
An exhibition of Acorn / BBC / RISC OS computers and software, with both classic and modern developments.
11am to 5pm
Hatton
A free community open day of free maker activities for people of all ages
12pm to 3pm
Shepherds Bush
At this free marketplace discover the more surprising side of London’s medical history. Handle objects from centuries past and join workshops from suturing to spoken word poetry.
2pm to 5pm
Harley Street
Watch museums stand-up and hear the weirdest and wildest medical stories as we show off the lighter side of medical history.
6pm to 8pm
Harley Street
£10.00
Late night opening at St Paul's, with photos allowed, and the 1st ever display of William Tyndale's New Testament.
6:30pm to 9pm
City of London
In Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park’s most atmospheric guided tour, join Cemetery Club on a lamp-lit tour to celebrate the lives of the quarter of a million people buried here.
6:30pm to 8pm
Bow
More London events on Saturday 28th October
Sunday 29th October
Join the physicist as she talks about space, her current research, and what drew her to study science in the first place.
2pm to 3:15pm
Camden
More London events on Sunday 29th October
Monday 30th October
This was the first full account of how 'Poppies in the Moat' was achieved, and most of the material comes from his new book, 'Poppies, Pomp and People'.
7pm to 9pm
This month's talk will explore the LGBTQI histories of London and the local area.
7pm to 8pm
Battersea
He'll be talking about his latest book and the city with comedian, writer and film director Stewart Lee, another Londoner from elsewhere.
7pm to 8pm
Bloomsbury
£15.00
Join the Young British Artist for a lively discussion as he traces his career over the last twenty-five years.
7pm to 8:45pm
South Kensington
More London events on Monday 30th October
Tuesday 31st October
Professor Todd will be discussing patriotism in Austen’s time and her particular attitude to it.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
Thales Systems Engineer Luke Church will be delivering a presentation with further information on how the London Underground can migrate to automatic train operation.
6:30pm to 8pm
Strand
Where better to spend Halloween than in a room of scary skeletons and skulls?
6:30pm to 9pm
Euston
An introduction to Hitchcock's classic British thriller 'The 39 Steps' by Queen Mary University's Adrian Garvey.
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Poplar
