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Welcome to the IanVisits Calendar of lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random miscellany which Ian thinks would be of interest.
Disclaimer: I do my best to keep the information up to date and accurate, but caveat emptor applies and you are advised to check with the venue before travelling.
 | = Event is free of charge (sometimes a donation is appreciated) |
 | = Pre-Booking required. |
Sun, 14 Mar, 2010
| 10:00 AM | Museum Depot Open Weekend - London's transport in miniature (Acton) |
| Weekend opening of the Transport Museum's 'overflow' depot. | |
| 11:00 AM | Sun Spotting and Become a Solar Scientist (Greenwich) |
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A chance to see the sun via telescopes and learn more about our nearest star. |
Mon, 15 Mar, 2010
| 12:00 PM | Guided tour of Goldsmith's Hall (Cheapside, City of London) |
| Occasional tours of the grand surroundings of Goldsmiths Hall in the City of London. | |
| 06:30 PM | Parliamentary Reform Lecture Series (Green Park) |
| In the run up to the general election the Hansard Society has asked the three main parties to lay out their party's plans for parliamentary reform. | |
| 06:30 PM | Why Work? Marx and Human Nature (Farringdon) |
| Why do people work - and sometimes get pleasure from it - and how that relates to Capitalism |
Tue, 16 Mar, 2010
| 06:30 PM | Any Port in a Storm (Bloomsbury) |
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An evening sampling different port wines, along with a talk about the history of the fortified wines |
| 06:30 PM | Independent MPs - what can they bring to Parliament? (Green Park) |
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A debate on the forthcoming election and the impact of the expected influx of independently minded MPs |
| 06:30 PM | Judging a Book by its Cover (Farringdon) |
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Panel debate on the future of book design and whether the dustjacket will go the way of the album sleeve in the digital age. |
| 06:30 PM | Towards a Better Tomorrow? The Crucial Role of Social Science |
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Polly Toynbee and David Willetts MP debate the social sciences. |
| 07:00 PM | An Audience with Barbara Hulanicki - The Designer and Founder of BIBA |
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A chance to see the documentary 'Beyond Biba', followed by a Q&A session with Barbara Hulanicki. |
| 07:00 PM | JOURNALISM IN LONDON: Investigative Journalism |
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A talk revealing the secrets of spies, murders, financial crime and the dark arts of journalism itself. |
| 07:00 PM | Living in the Sun's Atmosphere (Greenwich) |
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A talk on the space between the planets and explains how events on the Sun can affect the Earth in surprising ways. |
| 07:00 PM | The eerie silence: Are we alone in the universe? (Mayfair) |
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Are we in fact alone in the vastness of the universe or is ET out there, but not sending any messages our way? |
| 08:15 PM | Timothy Garton Ash in conversation with Jon Snow (Bayswater) |
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Timothy Garton Ash will be discussing his career to date and his latest book with Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow. |
Wed, 17 Mar, 2010
| 05:00 PM | New Labour, Xenophobia and Immigration (Holborn) |
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A debate on the rise of racism and xenophobia in British society |
| 06:00 PM | Earthwatch lecture: Farming and sustainable environments (South Kensington) |
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Earthwatch scientists discuss the conflict between increased demand for food and the need for sustainable farming. |
| 06:00 PM | Eerie Silence (Picadilly) |
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This talk will look at the latest discoveries on the most intriguing question in science - are we alone in the universe? |
| 06:00 PM | The Impacts and Legacies of the Olympic Games |
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This event presents the findings of recent research by Staff in ABE into the impacts and legacies of the Olympic Games. |
| 06:30 PM | Fighting for Churchill? The ordinary British soldier in the Second World War (Green Park) |
| A talk examining the impact of combat on the ordinary soldier and analysing their motivation for fighting. |
Thu, 18 Mar, 2010
| 11:00 AM | The Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the 17th-century (Greenwich) |
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A talk on the Barbary pirates, and the themes of corsairs, conquests and captivity in the 17th-century Mediterranean. |
| 01:00 PM | A very corporate affair: London's slave trade (Barbican) |
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Curator Tom Wareham outlines the development of London's role and the nature of its links with the slave trade. |
| 01:05 PM | Europe as a Global Actor? A Conversation with Javier Solana (Holborn) |
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After ten years of serving as EU High Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana reflects on the achievements and challenges ahead for Europe |
| 04:00 PM | Golden harvest: the British naval prize system, 1793–1815 (Greenwich) |
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A talk about the prize money culture in the Royal Navy during the wars with France. |
| 06:00 PM | Siphonophores: tangled tentacles or ocean predators? (Picadilly) |
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This talk will cover basic taxonomy and body plans and give some insights into the fascinating and unique feeding strategies employed by siphonophores |
| 06:00 PM | When water does not boil at boiling point |
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Deciphering the myth that water boils at 100°C under normal atmospheric pressure. |
| 06:30 PM | Parliamentary Reform Lecture Series (Green Park) |
| In the run up to the general election the Hansard Society has asked the three main parties to lay out their party's plans for parliamentary reform. | |
| 06:30 PM | Personal Rapid Transport Systems (Bloomsbury) |
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A talk about the automated 'cars' that are about to be introduced at Heathrow Airport |
| 07:00 PM | Making Public Histories |
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A look at how different media shapes how we look at historic events. |
| 07:00 PM | The Famous Fanny Burney - Performed by Karin Fernald (Fleet Street) |
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A solo show based on the journals and letters of Fanny Burney, later Madame D'Arblay (1752-1840) |
| 07:15 PM | Interview with a Witch: Marian Green Speaks to Christina Oakley Harrington (Covent Garden) |
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The life and times of the UK's most famous witch. |
| 07:30 PM | Lost London in Photos |
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A talk by the author of a photo book covering photos of the city from Victorian to modern times. |
Fri, 19 Mar, 2010
| 12:00 PM | Pilgrim badges (Barbican) |
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A chance to see and handle some medieval Pilgrim's Badges - many of which have not been on display before |
| 01:00 PM | Reel London - Treasures of the Councils of London (Farringdon) |
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A showing of old promotional films made by the former London County Council and GLC |
| 07:00 PM | The Famous Fanny Burney - Performed by Karin Fernald (Fleet Street) |
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A solo show based on the journals and letters of Fanny Burney, later Madame D'Arblay (1752-1840) |
| 07:00 PM | The miraculous disaster of immortality (Mayfair) |
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Understanding why we age and die might enable us to achieve that ultimate goal - immortality. But what kind of life would eternal life be? |
| 07:00 PM | The miraculous disaster of immortality (Mayfair) |
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Understanding why we age and die might enable us to achieve that ultimate goal - immortality. But what kind of life would eternal life be? |
Sat, 20 Mar, 2010
| 10:00 AM | Study Day: Labour on Labour |
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This one-day event will ask today’s labour movement to describe the people or groups who inspired them in their beliefs and politics |
| 10:30 AM | WW2 Reenactment Group at Military Museum (Woolwich) |
| A team of re-enactors will be portraying airborne Royal Artillery Gunners who took part in 'Operation Varsity' in 1944 | |
| 11:00 AM | Hackney History Walks - Monuments and Memories (Clapton) |
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Guided tour around St John at Hackney Church - one of the area's dominant landmark buildings. |
| 01:30 PM | Wild Food Walk (Bow) |
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Join us for an edible, guided walk and have a nibble around the park learning about what foods can be eaten from the wild at this season. |
Sun, 21 Mar, 2010
| 10:00 AM | Low-Tide walk along Deptford Creek (Deptford) |
| A 2.5 hour walk along Deptford Creek at low-tide, nr Greenwich | |
| 10:30 AM | WW2 Reenactment Group at Military Museum (Woolwich) |
| A team of re-enactors will be portraying airborne Royal Artillery Gunners who took part in 'Operation Varsity' in 1944 | |
| 02:00 PM | Guided Tour of Copped Hall |
| Guided tour of this Georgian mansion - currently being restored - as well as the gardens. | |
| 02:00 PM | Guided tour of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park (Bow) |
| Monthly tours of the cemetery, to learn about the notable burials and the place as a nature reserve | |
| TBA | Dockyard dictionary (Poplar) |
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Spoken-word artist Germander Speedwell marks World Poetry Day by leading a wordy wander around the docks. |
Mon, 22 Mar, 2010
| 01:00 PM | Feliks Topolski: Eye witness to the 20th Century (Barbican) |
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A look at Topolski, who spent 14 years working on a 600ft mural in the railway arches in Waterloo. |
Tue, 23 Mar, 2010
| 06:30 PM | With Winston Churchill at the Front (Green Park) |
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This talk will take a detailed look at his time 'at the front' and show how Churchill proved to be a very able, if unusual, leader of men. |
| 07:00 PM | People, Place and the Interpretation of Time (Greenwich) |
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Panel debate on the concept of time, social exchange and economics prior to an art event on the Jubilee Line. |
| 07:00 PM | The Blackest Streets (Barbican) |
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Sarah Wise, author of 'The Blackest Streets', discusses the nature of the crowded slums of 19th-century London |
Wed, 24 Mar, 2010
| 04:00 PM | Launch of 'New Architecture in Japan' and talk by Yuki and Edmund Sumner (Camden) |
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A talk and photo book launch focusing on architecture in Japan. |
| 05:30 PM | Creativity, Innovation and Design (South Kensington) |
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This presentation will explore the tensions involved with creativity, the value and use of creative tools in engineering and the importance of design. |
| 06:00 PM | Alfred Hitchcock's London Odyssey: Location Art in the Capital (Trafalgar Square) |
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An illustrated talk by Sandra Shevey on the London set design of film director Alfred Hitchcock. |
| 06:30 PM | A View From the Foothills - Talk and book signing With Chris Mullin (Farringdon) |
| Chris Mullin MP talks about his book on the life in the New Labour Government from 1999 to 2007 | |
| 06:30 PM | St John Passion at St Paul's Cathedral (St Paul's Cathedral) |
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Free concert of Bach's famous musical composition for Easter. |
| 07:00 PM | Is the age of celebrity-obsessed media coming to an end? (Bayswater) |
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A group of journalists discuss the state of celebrity dominated news media. |
| 07:00 PM | The Web: The Ultimate Propaganda Machine? (South Kensington) |
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What happens when authoritarian governments try to control internet activisim |
Thu, 25 Mar, 2010
| 12:30 PM | Sir Thomas Fairfax and the English Revolution (Chelsea) |
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Weekly lunchtime talks at the National Army Museum. |
| 01:30 PM | The art of Benin (Bloomsbury) |
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Anthropologist Nigel Barley brings to life the spectacular art and culture of the West African kingdom of Benin in an illustrated talk |
| 02:00 PM | Guided Walk - 19th Century Pioneers |
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A walk that will look at the achievements of a group of influential people who are remembered with statues and memorials in Kensington Gardens. |
| 06:00 PM | Southwark Lore (Southwark) |
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An evening of Southwark history from an esoteric point of view |
| 07:00 PM | Russia: a 19th-Century Power in a 21st Century World? (Bloomsbury) |
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A talk with diplomat, Sir Tony Brenton on the current Russian political situation. |
| 07:00 PM | The Honey Bee - Gateway to biology, cultural icon and agricultural helper (Kew) |
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A talk by Professor Ratnieks - the leading authority on honey bee biology, bee keeping and other social insects |
Fri, 26 Mar, 2010
| 11:00 AM | Easter Chocolate Festival (Southwark) |
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The Chocolate Festival returns to Southbank Centre just in time to shop for all your Easter treats. |
Sat, 27 Mar, 2010
| 08:00 AM | Steam train (60019 Bittern) running through North London (Camden) |
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A famous, and visually distinctive steam train, the 60019 Bittrn will steam from Euston Station towards Manchester |
| 11:00 AM | Easter Chocolate Festival (Southwark) |
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The Chocolate Festival returns to Southbank Centre just in time to shop for all your Easter treats. |
| 11:00 AM | Hackney History Walks - Monuments and Memories (Clapton) |
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Guided tour around St John at Hackney Church - one of the area's dominant landmark buildings. |
| All Day Event | From Enlightenment to Romanticism c. 1780–1830 (Bloomsbury) |
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lectures and gallery talks on topics including Grand Tourists, public science, Sir John Soane, and the Enlightenment Gallery. |
Sun, 28 Mar, 2010
| 11:00 AM | Easter Chocolate Festival (Southwark) |
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The Chocolate Festival returns to Southbank Centre just in time to shop for all your Easter treats. |
| 02:15 PM | Tour of Nunhead Cemetery (Peckham) |
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A monthly guided walk around this Victorian era cemetery in South-East London |
| TBA | The First UK Underground Farmers & Craft Market (Willesden) |
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A 'farmers market' with crafts and talks |
Mon, 29 Mar, 2010
| 06:30 PM | Pushkin, the Russian Autocracy and Rebellion (Farringdon) |
| Professor Robert Chandler, the author of a recent book on the greatest of Russian poets, looks at the politics of Pushkin. |
Tue, 30 Mar, 2010
| 07:30 PM | JOURNALISM IN LONDON: The Wapping Strike |
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Andy McSmith looks at the Wapping dispute between Rupert Murdoch's company and the print union. |
Wed, 31 Mar, 2010
| 06:00 PM | Alfred Hitchcock's London Odyssey: Location Art in the Capital (Trafalgar Square) |
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An illustrated talk by Sandra Shevey on the recurring theme of food in Hitchcock's films. |
| 06:30 PM | Transport for London's Ivan Bennett - Defining a City (Southwark) |
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Talk by TfL London Buses' product designer on street furniture and signage design |
| 07:00 PM | Laughlab (Mayfair) |
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Richard Wiseman talks about his research to find the world's funniest joke |
| 07:00 PM | Laughlab (Mayfair) |
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Professor Richard Wiseman talks about his quest to find the world's funiest joke |
Fri, 2 Apr, 2010
| 12:00 PM | Clowns International Clowns' Gallery and Museum (Hackney) |
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Monthly opening of the Clown museum archive. |
Sat, 3 Apr, 2010
| 12:00 PM | Guided tour of Somerset House (Temple/Aldwych) |
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Monthly guided tours of the building near The Strand, including areas not usually open to the public. |
| 02:00 PM | Sewing Machine Museum - Open Day (Tooting) |
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Monthly open day at a small museum dedicated to sewing machines in South London |
Sun, 4 Apr, 2010
| 11:00 AM | Croydon Airport - Heritage Open Day (East Croydon) |
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A monthly open day at the remains of London's original international airport. |
| 11:00 AM | Kirkaldy Testing Musum - Open Day (Southwark) |
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Monthly open day at the museum of materials testing in Southwark. One very big machine and lots of small ones. |
| 12:00 PM | Crystal Palace Park - Guided Tours (Upper Norwood) |
| Monthly open day at the museum which records the history of the Crystal Palace in South London | |
| 02:00 PM | Kensal Green Cemetery Tour (North Kensington) |
| Walking tour of the Victorian cemetery in NW London, includes the crypt. | |
| 02:15 PM | Take part in a Victorian School Lesson (Bow) |
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A monthly recreation of a Victorian school lesson, open to adults and lead by an actor in full Victorian attire. |
Mon, 5 Apr, 2010
| 02:00 PM | Mayfair - A Culinary Tour (West End) |
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A walking tour around Mayfair with a food and drink theme led by a City of Westminster Guide. |
Tue, 6 Apr, 2010
| 06:00 PM | Candlelit evening at Sir John Soane's House (Holborn) |
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Monthly evening opening of the museum with the rooms lit by candles. |
Sat, 10 Apr, 2010
| TBA | The Tweed Run |
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Annual cycle procession of young (and old) fogies in Tweet and single-gear bicycles. |
Tue, 13 Apr, 2010
| 11:00 AM | Annual Inspection of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery (Camden) |
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The Annual Inspection of the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery by the Director Royal Artillery. |
| 12:30 PM | The Italian Boy: Murder and Grave-Robbery in 1830's London (Fleet Street) |
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On the trials of three bodysnatchers that marked the ending of that gruesome trade |
| 06:30 PM | From the sublime to the ubiquitous - design excellence for the masses (Covent Garden) |
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A talk about two design icons - Ambrose Heal, of furniture fame and Frank Pick of London Underground |
