The ianVisits guide to May's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Wednesday 1st May
Dr Jonathan Boff will discuss the transformation undergone by the British Army during the First World War and the role this played in the defeat of Germany.
6pm to 8pm
Chelsea
£5.00
UFOs and the Cold War
There is more to the Ministry of Defence UFO files than reports on strange sightings in the sky.
2pm to 3pm Richmond
Join Senior Curator Simon Sladen as he introduces a new display in the British Galleries exploring comedy’s impact on society.
1pm to 1:45pm South KensingtonThe newly discovered Salvator by Leonardo, the world’s most costly picture, is one of his most notable creations, in which he used his ‘science of art’ to transform a stock subject into a profound expression of the ineffability of the divine.
6pm to 7pm BarbicanMore London events on Wednesday 1st May
Thursday 2nd May
The presentation identifies the many people who, over the years, have been involved with the canal during its colourful existence.
7:30pm to : IslingtonMore London events on Thursday 2nd May
Friday 3rd May
Free
The Noise of Battle
Join Tony Colvin as he examines the Battle of Winnekendonk, which took place during the final stages of the Second World War.
11:30am to : Chelsea
An evening of talks, music and activities celebrating music in Stanley Kubrick’s films.
6pm to 9pm Kensington
Writer and broadcaster, Michael Rosen, takes us on a celebratory romp through our ABC’s.
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenThe Archbishop's garden is open for a few hours each month between April and September.
12pm to 3pm Southwark
More London events on Friday 3rd May
Saturday 4th May
IWA Canalway Cavalcade is London's biggest, brightest and best waterways festival.
All Day Maida ValeThere'll be many rare and out-of-print titles for sale, illustrating different aspects of the East End's social, political and maritime histor
9:30am to 2pm Whitechapel
A delightful old barn now packed full of "clutter" that's oddly enjoyable to visit.
10:30am to 4pm Upminster
Monthly open day at one of London's more curious and delightful museums, devoted to the history of the sewing machine.
2pm to 5pm TootingMore London events on Saturday 4th May
Sunday 5th May
IWA Canalway Cavalcade is London's biggest, brightest and best waterways festival.
All Day Maida ValeTraditional May Day entertainment with Maypole dancing, music, entertainment for all the family.
11am to 4pm Mayfair
Monthly(ish) open days at 250 acres of the estate originally laid out by Capability Brown.
1pm to 5pm Reigate
A monthly opening of the Victorian museum of industrial testing equipment.
11am to 5pm SouthwarkMore London events on Sunday 5th May
Monday 6th May
IWA Canalway Cavalcade is London's biggest, brightest and best waterways festival.
All Day Maida ValeLocal teams build a cart, show it off, race it round the course... and then pick up the pieces!
12pm to : New CrossTraditional May Day entertainment with Maypole dancing, music, entertainment for all the family.
11am to 4pm MayfairSemi-regular days where they fire up a Victorian steam engine.
12:30pm to 4:30pm South Tottenham
Monthly opening of the only surviving windmill in inner London.
10am to 4pm Brixton
More London events on Monday 6th May
Tuesday 7th May
Free
In Your Defence
Barrister Sarah Langford gives an account of 11 cases that shine a light on the current state of the legal system in the UK and the lives affected in the criminal and family courts.
6pm to 7:30pm HolbornRichard Youngs’ new book Civic Activism Unleashed examines the factors driving this 'age of rage', assesses whether the emerging activism is effective
6:15pm to 7:30pm Euston
More London events on Tuesday 7th May
Wednesday 8th May
A talk by Robin Myers on his own book about the letters sent by the two brothers.
6pm to 7:30pm Southwark
Join Helen Lewis, Stephen Bush, and more New Statesman guests to discuss Brexit, local election results and the state of British politics
7pm to 8:30pm HolbornA talk by Hallie Rubenhold’s on her new book, the first full-length biography to explore and contextualise those women’s lives.
6:30pm to 8:30pm St James
Professor Alex Rogers has spent the past 30 years studying life in the deep ocean. Join us as he takes us on an epic and utterly unforgettable voyage to an alien world, and brings us right to the edge of what is known about our oceans today.
7pm to 8:15pm Soho
The lecture will re-assess the sanctity ascribed to to the graves of poets John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley as the bicentennials of their deaths approach in 2021-2.
7pm to : North Kensington
Free
Gresham's Exchange
A talk about the construction of the Royal Exchange in the City.
6pm to 7pm BarbicanMore London events on Wednesday 8th May
Thursday 9th May
£15.00
From the bomb to The Beatles
Juliet Gardiner traces the fascinating cultural and social developments in Britain in the twenty years following the Second World War.
7:30pm to 9pm Richmond
A whistle-stop tour of the history of innovation in food and kitchenware
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenNan Sloane tells the story of the remarkable women who were present at the origins of the Labour Party and contributed to its earliest campaigns, many of whom have been forgotten.
6:30pm to 8pm HolbornMore London events on Thursday 9th May
Friday 10th May
Free
Seeing is Believing
A night of spectacle and illusion, wonder and deception, magic and trickery at this evening of performances, talks and workshops.
7pm to 11pm Camden
Dr Alastair Massie will discuss the Third Afghan War of 1919, one of history’s shortest conflicts.
11:30am to : Chelsea
Get a look behind the scenes at the 103-stop Harrison and Harrison organ, and find out about the making of this monumental instrument.
11am to : Southwark
Discover the secrets that lie behind, or rather underneath, the Charterhouse.
10:30am to 12pm Clerkenwell
A talk and tasting with female pioneers in the cheesemaking industry
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenIt closed in 1854 but in the three centuries before 1.5% of all Londoners ended up at St Pancras; rich and poor, famous and unknown and from many nationalities.
2pm to 3pm City of London
More London events on Friday 10th May
Saturday 11th May
Monthly opening of the only surviving windmill in inner London.
10am to 4pm BrixtonThe afternoon will consist of a brief demonstration of the organ, explanation of its history and a guided session for people to play it.
3pm to : DulwichOccasional open day at a 14th century building in Ilford.
9am to 10am Ilford
More London events on Saturday 11th May
Sunday 12th May
Occasional open day at the heritage windmill in Croydon.
12pm to 5pm Croydon
The free event will be packed full of spectacular kite flying displays and is an opportunity for everyone to go fly a kite.
11am to 5pm Streatham
Monthly opening of the only surviving windmill in inner London.
10am to 4pm BrixtonA weekend of steam engine events in Dartford.
10am to 2pm DartfordMore London events on Sunday 12th May
Monday 13th May
What’s the future of listening? What will happen to the ways we give attention to music in the future?
6pm to 7pm BarbicanMore London events on Monday 13th May
Tuesday 14th May
An evening watching military demonstrations while sipping a drink and eating an army BBQ.
5pm to 10pm Moorgate
Jonathan Bate will track Keats to Hampstead and tell of the extraordinary circle of writers – opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, essayist Charles Lamb, master-critic William Hazlitt – who wrote for The London Magazine.
6pm to 7pm BarbicanProfessor Wilks will discuss the argument that ‘superintelligent’ AI may turn against us, as Hawking and Bostrom have warned.
1pm to 2pm BarbicanMore London events on Tuesday 14th May
Wednesday 15th May
Join Paul Mason, discussing his new book, Clear Bright Future: A Radical Defence of the Human Being with New Statesman deputy editor, George Eaton
7pm to 8:30pm Tottenham Court Road
In this talk, Dr Alison Bancroft will uncover the links between avant garde thinking in art, and the fashion from Christian Dior.
1pm to 1:45pm South KensingtonJoin Judith Grant to learn about the early life of Alexandra Feodorovna and the influences that contributed to her role leading to the destruction of Imperial Russia.
2pm to 3pm City of London
More London events on Wednesday 15th May
Thursday 16th May
Nicholas Jubber talks about his new book Epic Continient in which he journeys across Europe exploring Europe's epic poems, from the Odyssey to Beowulf, the Song of Roland to the Nibelungenlied, and their impact on European identity in these turbulent times.
7pm to 8:15pm Soho
Guided bird walk with London Wildlife Trust in Sydenham Hill Wood
7pm to 8:30pm SydenhamIn this especially timely occasion, the panel will consider the impact of the upcoming European elections on the EU as a negotiating actor of Brexit and the future relationship with the UK.
6:30pm to 8pm HolbornMore London events on Thursday 16th May
Friday 17th May
Join Dr James Taylor as he discusses the work of Fougasse, the artist responsible for the iconic propaganda campaign 'Careless Talk Costs Lives'.
11:30am to : Chelsea
Explore the zone where rebellion meets beauty and transgression meets art.
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenMarking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Monte Cassino, Matthew Parker examines one of the Second World War's bitterest struggles.
6:30pm to 8pm Chelsea
In the context of Afro-pessimism, this lecture will imagine "the Internationale," that great song of international solidarity and revolution transcending the nation, as a blues.
6:30pm to 8pm HolbornMore London events on Friday 17th May
Saturday 18th May
Tours of the cemetery, chapel and crypt on this annual open day event.
11am to 5pm PeckhamWaterloo Classics is a monthly classic car show/meet in central London.
12pm to 4pm Southwark
A race by around 50 stand-up paddleboards between Tower Bridge and Putney.
9am to 12pm
A delightful old barn now packed full of "clutter" that's oddly enjoyable to visit.
10:30am to 4pm UpminsterA day of talks celebrating some of the history associated with St Saviours, the church now known as Southwark Cathedral.
10am to 4pm Southwark
Join London Wildlife Trust for a spring orchard tree care event and picnic, at a new community orchard on Gallery Road.
11am to 4pm DulwichMore London events on Saturday 18th May
Sunday 19th May
Visit the walled Kitchen Garden on one of theiropen days and enjoy its plentiful displays of flowers and produce.
11am to 3:30pm Chiswick
Huge parade of Mini cars from Crystal Palace down to Brighton.
8am to 12pmAccording to an air traffic warning, there will be "controlled pyrotechnics" for filming in the morning.
7:30am to 9:30am Victoria Dock
£10.00
Midcentury East
Soak in the atmosphere and chat to the experts when 55 plus top midcentury dealers head to celebrated interiors show
10am to 4pm Bethnal Green
Join some of the best authors today as they reveal the tricks of their trade and invite you to get to the heart of what makes a great book tick.
11:30am to 5:15pm CamdenAn opportunity to have a look at the buildings and engines, to take in the exhibition and learn something of the Victorian sewer system.
10:30am to 4pm Abbey Wood
More London events on Sunday 19th May
Monday 20th May
£15.00
How To Write A Cookbook
Take a peek behind the scenes with two highly respected food writers, Sybil Kapoor and Jenny Linford, to find out about the process of writing and creating a cookbook
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenTo accompany an exhibition of unique material from the Women’s FA, broadcaster and writer Clare Balding hosts a discussion with leading lights from the game.
7pm to 8:30pm CamdenChris Stokel-Walker interviewed more than 100 of YouTube’s biggest names in front of and behind the camera. He investigates the past, present and future of the world’s most popular video sharing website and its impact on society.
7:30pm to 9pm HolbornMore London events on Monday 20th May
Tuesday 21st May
Hear from the founders of the food sector’s tastiest business success stories
7pm to 9:30pm CamdenOver 30 hives from around the world will have stands presenting products distinctive to their region including honey – in all its varieties – pollen, propolis, royal jelly and wax, as well as honey-based products.
6:30pm to 8:30pm HolbornJoin our librarians to learn about the history of Guildhall Library, tour the building (including behind the scenes) and view some of the library’s treasures.
2pm to 3:30pm City of London
The book launch of Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics, by Rachel Reeves MP.
7:15pm to 9:45pm Aldwych
More London events on Tuesday 21st May
Wednesday 22nd May
This lecture examines the ways in which Jews across Europe and Asia co-operated in helping the tens of thousands of their co-religionists displaced by the mid-seventeenth century wars in eastern Europe.
6:30pm to 8pm EustonHarmful practices due to belief in witchcraft have seen a huge increase in the past six years both globally and in the UK and Kirsty Brimelow QC and author and campaigner Syd Moore have joined forces to expose this phenomenon.
7:30pm to 9:30pm HolbornHear from a series of experts from the architectural, built environment and cultural sectors, as we examine the future threats and opportunities for London’s 24-hour city.
6:30pm to 9pm Euston
Tessa Murdoch will introduce Huguenot craftsmen and entrepreneurs responsible with examples from the V&A’s Ceramic collections.
1pm to 1:45pm South KensingtonMore London events on Wednesday 22nd May
Thursday 23rd May
In conjunction with a book of the same name, the talk will explore how the young royal couple played key roles as public supporters and as large-scale lenders, before the museum grew its own collections.
7pm to 8:45pm South KensingtonThe Wilbur & Niso Smith Foundation presents an evening with the authors shortlisted for this year’s Best Published Novel award.
7pm to 8:30pm Soho
Every element within this ancient ritual has a sacred and symbolic meaning. Join City Guide Robert Stephenson to learn more.
2pm to 3pm City of London
More London events on Thursday 23rd May
Friday 24th May
Join Justin Saddington as he recounts a series of incredible battlefield escapes and discusses their impact on soldiers.
11:30am to : Chelsea
A chance to go into the normally private gardens in the medieval monastery by the Barbican
5:30pm to 8:30pm Clerkenwell
Acclaimed manga artist Takahashi Yōichi, creator of the football-themed sensation Captain Tsubasa and exhibition curator Nicole Rousmaniere discuss the global impact Takahashi's artwork has had over the past four decades.
Starts at 12am Russell SquareMore London events on Friday 24th May
Saturday 25th May
Be the first to see our brand new museum, temporary exhibition gallery and restored period rooms which open today!
10:30am to 5pm Fulham
Visit the c.1397 Grade 2 listed ‘threshing’ barn, over 100ft x 40ft in size, with a fine crownpost roof.
10:45am to 1pm RickmansworthMonthly open day at a wood and nature reserve that's next to the railway at Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm Forest Hill
£12.00
Art and poster store tours
A special close-up look at the Transport Museum’s poster collection and some of the artworks behind the posters.
Starts at 11am Acton
Flower and champagne expert Nick Barber describes and demonstrates how to make this seasonal treat.
2pm to 4pm TottenhamSee and buy from a display of more than 200 cacti and succulent plants
10am to 5pm EnfieldMore London events on Saturday 25th May
Sunday 26th May
View Tate’s Grade II* listed mansion Park Hill (exterior only) and explore the historic garden with its Grade II listed features, including the Pulhamite grotto, Victorian folly, lake and temple.
2pm to : StreathamDiscover the history of the building and climb the 135 stairs for the best view of Hackney.
2pm to 4:30pm HackneyMonthly open day at a site of an important railway wildlife reserve.
1pm to 5pm Forest Hill
£12.00
MotorSport at the Palace
Over 100 vintage to modern cars race around the old Crystal Palace motor track.
9am to 5:30pm
See the gardens on seven linked floating barges.
2pm to 5pm Southwark
A monthly open day at a quirky transport museum housed in an old water pumping building.
10am to 4pm Enfield Town
See and buy from a display of more than 200 cacti and succulent plants
10am to 5pm EnfieldA chance to visit five private gardens overlooking the Thames.
2pm to 5:30pm Hammersmith
More London events on Sunday 26th May
Top events in London on Mon 27th May 2019
Semi-regular days where they fire up a Victorian steam engine.
12:30pm to 4:30pm South Tottenham
£12.00
MotorSport at the Palace
Over 100 vintage to modern cars race around the old Crystal Palace motor track.
9am to 5:30pmSee and buy from a display of more than 200 cacti and succulent plants
10am to 5pm EnfieldMore London events on Monday 27th May
Tuesday 28th May
Historian Serhii Plokhy talks to journalist and author Luke Harding, drawing on his recent book Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy, winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2018.
6:45pm to 8:15pm CamdenThis heartfelt, deeply personal memoir explores how one family built bridges across today’s great divides. And how our stories hold the power to heal.
7pm to 9pm Southwark
More London events on Tuesday 28th May
Wednesday 29th May
The Science Museum will be marking the redefinition of the Kilogram with a special Lates in partnership with the National Physics Laboratory (NPL)
6:45pm to 10pm South KensingtonExcept for churches, the sugar refineries of Georgian London were the capital’s tallest buildings, but they virtually vanished overnight in the 1870s. They are little known and yet played a huge role for so many. With architectural historian Andrew Byrne.
6:15pm to 8:30pm Clerkenwell
Occasional open week where tours are offered of a former Archbishop's palace.
1:45pm to 3:45pm Croydon
Jasmine Losasso will examine medical phenomena in London from the outbreak of the plague to the introduction of the contraceptive pill.
6:30pm to 7:30pm Clerkenwell
This talk looks at mathematical modelling of real, complex fluids in flow situations – some with serious commercial applications, and some just for fun.
6pm to 7pm BarbicanMore London events on Wednesday 29th May
Thursday 30th May
A book launch to mark the 200th anniversary of Brixton Prison.
6:30pm to 9:30pm Stockwell
£12.00
Secret Rivers: a liquid Late
Sample a range of delights, from film screenings to hands-on workshops; from oysters to ale, all at this special late-night event.
6:30pm to 9pm PoplarOccasional open week where tours are offered of a former Archbishop's palace.
1:45pm to 3:45pm CroydonLaunch of a presents an intimate cross-section of life in Ethiopia's capital through 242 images from private archives and their accompanying stories.
6:30pm to 8:45pm South Kensington
More London events on Thursday 30th May
Friday 31st May
Join Kim A Wagner to learn about the experiences of the ordinary British and Indian people affected by the Amritsar Massacre of 1919.
11:30am to : Chelsea
This workshop with Paul from the Ultimate Navigation School is specially designed for people who are comfortable with the basics of map and compass work but wish to brush up further with navigation and map reading techniques.
12pm to 2pm Soho
With broadcaster and art historian Dr Janina Ramirez, University of Oxford, we see Munch’s world famous composition The Scream in its various forms.
Starts at 12am Russell SquareJoin us for various activities to celebrate the women who built nearby Waterloo Bridge with poster making, dressing up, a pop up exhibition and a walk to the nearby bridge.
2:30pm to 5pm Holborn
