The ianVisits guide to October's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Coronavirus: Events may be cancelled and venues closed at short notice, you are advised to check on their websites before making a trip.
Thursday 17th October
Peter Clarke gives this talk based on his experience in the City of London Police and IRA during the 1970s to 1990s.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
The launch of a new exhibition celebrating 100 years of nursing registration.
5:30pm to 8:30pm
Harley Street
Dr Kaufmann tells the intriguing tales of three Africans living in Tudor England.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
The third in a series of talks exploring the stories of London's animals - past, present and future
6:30pm to :
Barbican
Hear about London's celebrity detectives and gangsters, and find out what happened to a rowdy group of builders drinking on a rooftop in 1806.
6:30pm to :
City of London
For 4 evenings, an installation made by artist Richard Sharples will be shown in St. George’s Gardens, together with the short film Imagining Mountains, which will be projected in the Chapel of Rest.
7pm to 9pm
Euston
£12.00
A talk that explores the new science of de-extinction, proposing to bring species like the passenger pigeon or the wooly mammoth back from the museum and fossil record.
7pm to :
Bethnal Green
This talk will discuss Nineteenth Century ‘popular’ (often conflicting) attitudes towards infanticide, by examining the transcripts of court cases tried at London’s Central Criminal Court.
7pm to 8:30pm
Southwark
The conditions of the Cold War - from nuclear anxiety to technological optimism - infiltrated fashion and design in numerous ways in the period. This talk will explore how Cold War attitudes shaped the body, home and environment.
7:30pm to 9pm
Richmond
More London events on Thursday 17th October
Friday 18th October
Free
Historian Stephen Bourne explores the lives of black servicemen and Britain's black community during the First World War.
11:30am to :
Chelsea
Free
A festival focused on Sicilian food, with art, exhibitions and food demonstrations.
4:30pm to 10pm
Whitechapel
Sex, drugs and debauchery on the dance floor – this restoration of the 1998 disco drama has it all.
6:30pm to :
Barbican
Join astronomer Dr Robert Massey and art historian Dr Alexandra Loske for an illustrated talk about how our obsession with the Moon has manifested itself in the sciences and visual arts,
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Clerkenwell
For 4 evenings, an installation made by artist Richard Sharples will be shown in St. George’s Gardens, together with the short film Imagining Mountains, which will be projected in the Chapel of Rest.
7pm to 9pm
Euston
£10.00
Join four of London’s most exciting storytellers for a multicultural voyage around the moon’s myth and folklore.
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Euston
More London events on Friday 18th October
Saturday 19th October
Free
A festival focused on Sicilian food, with art, exhibitions and food demonstrations.
11am to 10pm
Whitechapel
Arts and science collide in a fun, engaging day exploring all things moon-related.
11:30am to 5pm
Euston
The Barbican Archive Residency is a weekend of free talks, workshops, films and pop-up installations in the foyers of the Centre.
12pm to 6pm
Barbican
Waterloo Classics is a monthly classic car show/meet in central London.
12pm to 4pm
Southwark
Two days of sake tastings bringing together four breweries from Japan’s rural prefecture of Kochi, on Shikoku island.
1pm to 6pm
Kensington
£12.00
Dr Troyer will talk about the implications of marking a living body with representations of death and discuss current innovations in memorial tattooing
1pm to :
West Brompton
Naomi Ryan will discuss some of the strangest acquittals in legal history and explore how a system that strives for rationality and objectivity tackles some of the weirder and darker claims made by defendants.
5pm to :
West Brompton
Elstree Studios, where many of these shows were made, will play host to this very special event to celebrate the fantastic programmes we all remember and love.
6:30pm to :
Elstree
For 4 evenings, an installation made by artist Richard Sharples will be shown in St. George’s Gardens, together with the short film Imagining Mountains, which will be projected in the Chapel of Rest.
7pm to 9pm
Euston
£8.00
Join Steve Cross and eight hilarious geeks from the local area for a chaotic evening of stand-up about science and the lives of scientists.
7:30pm to 10pm
Euston
A visual and emotional treat with unique live church organ improv from David Hinitt.
7:30pm to :
Southgate
More London events on Saturday 19th October
Sunday 20th October
Annual Transportfest which this year, includes a special emphasis on commercial vehicles as well as the extensive bus displays and rarely-seen early examples
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
An 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
Free
A festival focused on Sicilian food, with art, exhibitions and food demonstrations.
11am to 8pm
Whitechapel
Free
Annual harvest festival parade - this year in Lambeth -- with the Corn Queene and Berry Man.
12pm to :
Kennington
The Barbican Archive Residency is a weekend of free talks, workshops, films and pop-up installations in the foyers of the Centre.
12pm to 6pm
Barbican
Two days of sake tastings bringing together four breweries from Japan’s rural prefecture of Kochi, on Shikoku island.
1pm to 6pm
Kensington
Campbell Price’s talk will explore why we are so fascinated with the ancient Egyptian dead and whether it reveals more about our own anxieties and prejudices than it informs us about ancient Egypt.
3pm to :
West Brompton
For 4 evenings, an installation made by artist Richard Sharples will be shown in St. George’s Gardens, together with the short film Imagining Mountains, which will be projected in the Chapel of Rest.
7pm to 9pm
Euston
More London events on Sunday 20th October
Monday 21st October
Natalie Fiennes invests in a radical, inclusive and honest sex education, taking us beyond learning about the ‘birds and the bees’, to identifying inequality that stands in the way of sexual freedom.
7:30pm to 9pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 21st October
Tuesday 22nd October
An evening of conversation with climate diplomat Christiana Figueres and Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, chaired by BBC Countryfile presenter Tom Heap.
7pm to 8:30pm
St James
This panel discussion explores how cabarets and clubs have always been spaces of creativity, considering moments in history to ask when and how club culture started to influence our wider society.
7pm to :
Barbican
More London events on Tuesday 22nd October
Wednesday 23rd October
Free
This talk will also review the dramatic consequences on what we observe in the night sky that arise purely from the consequences of light-travel time effects.
1pm to 2pm
Barbican
A special talk from Alec Tritton, a featured Speaker at RootsTech London 2019, on the old and 'new' Poor Laws and how they affected the people.
2pm to 3pm
Clerkenwell
The event will focus upon mathematical expeditions, outlining how the use of mathematics has been instrumental to the success of historical voyages of exploration.
4pm to 7pm
Barbican
From collaborations with artists, forays into drawing and her role as a campaigner, a panel debate on Rossetti’s extraordinary life and legacy.
6:30pm to 8pm
St James
From the edgelands to the beating heart of the clamorous 21st century megacity, a wealth of anecdotes, fascinating details, cultural and social history awaits.
7pm to 8:15pm
Soho
From walking across Afghanistan to becoming Deputy Governor of Iraq, advising Hillary Clinton to tutoring Prince William, the breakout political star of 2019 has led an extraordinary life to date.
7:30pm to 8:45pm
Pimlico
More London events on Wednesday 23rd October
Thursday 24th October
Meet the Gibbonologists and find out everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the world from a gibbon’s point of view.
2pm to 3pm
Euston
Delve into London's dark past of death and disease in this practical workshop.
6:30pm to :
Barbican
Dr Helen Fry uncovers the story of the German and Austrian refugees, most of them Jewish, who fought for Britain in the Second World War.
6:30pm to 8pm
Chelsea
Art critic William Feaver discusses the first volume of his new work of biography of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century.
6:45pm to 8:30pm
St James
A talk about the authors and writers who have committed suicide.
7pm to :
Highgate
An alternative view of the North West of England that delves into its stranger past.
7pm to 8:15pm
Soho
In this talk, discover the story of Richmond’s rail links with Central London and the design and development of the two Stations that served them.
7:30pm to 9pm
Richmond
More London events on Thursday 24th October
Friday 25th October
Celebrate science fact and science fiction at Lates.
6pm to 10pm
South Kensington
Inspired by original poetry, video projections will illuminate the outside of St Paul's Cathedral.
6:30pm to 10pm
City of London
£12.00
Get ready for a spooky Halloween in this literary panel talk with authors of contemporary Gothic fiction.
6:30pm to :
Clerkenwell
A late opening of the garden museum with a gin and events.
6:30pm to 9pm
Southwark
More London events on Friday 25th October
Saturday 26th October
£8.80
A local fete type event, but with a focus on timer and woodland management.
10am to 4pm
£5.00
See working models of cars, cranes, trains, funfair rides and more, all built from Meccano
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.
10:45am to 1pm
Rickmansworth
Celebrate the lunar festival, Diwali, with dance, music, art and a celebration of light at the National Maritime Museum.
11am to 4:30pm
Greenwich
£5.00
An exhibition of Acorn / BBC / Archimedes / RISC OS computers and software.
11am to 5pm
Hatton
Enjoy a seasonal ceilidh, craft market, food, and autumnal workshops.
12pm to 4pm
Bethnal Green
Monthly open day at a wood and nature reserve that's next to the railway at Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
£12.00
This talk will explore Stoker's time in London and the capital's appearance in his fiction, most famously in Dracula and The Jewel of Seven Stars.
1pm to :
West Brompton
Explore and handle medical objects from centuries past from London’s most intriguing medical museums - all in one place.
2pm to 5pm
Wapping
Love it or hate it, the concrete landscape of Europe’s largest art centre has been dividing opinion for generations.
Starts at 2pm
Southwark
Inspired by original poetry, video projections will illuminate the outside of St Paul's Cathedral.
6:30pm to 10pm
City of London
Matthew Sadler, Natasha Regan and Fan Hui discuss their world-first experiences with AI and DeepMind, an organisation at the forefront of artificial intelligence research.
7:15pm to :
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 26th October
Sunday 27th October
A monthly open day at a quirky transport museum housed in an old water pumping building.
10am to 4pm
Enfield Town
£8.80
A local fete type event, but with a focus on timer and woodland management.
10am to 4pm
Enfield Town
£12.00
In an age in which we find ourselves 'ghosted' by potential internet friends, this talk will provide a whistle-stop tour of the way that technology has transformed our spiritual lives.
1pm to :
West Brompton
Discover the history of the building and climb the 135 stairs for the best view of Hackney.
2pm to 4:30pm
Hackney
£12.00
Why would someone choose to write or draw and then claim not to be the author of those words or images?
3pm to :
West Brompton
David Robert Grimes shows how we can be lured into making critical mistakes or drawing false conclusions, and how to avoid such errors.
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
Join Star Wars actor Anthony Daniels as he reflects on his time playing one of the most famous droids in cinematic history.
7pm to :
Southwark
Inspired by original poetry, video projections will illuminate the outside of St Paul's Cathedral.
8pm to 10pm
City of London
More London events on Sunday 27th October
Monday 28th October
Inspired by the exhibition 'Urban Bodies', presentations and a panel discussion, with Willi Dorner, exploring the links between architecture and performance.
6:30pm to 9pm
City of London
More London events on Monday 28th October
Tuesday 29th October
After winning the Cold War, did the West lose the peace? Political scientist Ivan Krastev sheds light on the East/West divide, thirty years on.
1pm to 2pm
Trafalgar Square
Occasional open week where tours are offered of a former Archbishop's palace.
1:45pm to 3:45pm
Croydon
Hear about the Egyptian Society, the first of its kind, which emerged during the 18th century as interest in antiquarian study peaked.
5:30pm to 6:30pm
Camden
Artist talk with British painter Lisa Wright and artist Tom Piper, who have been commissioned to create the installation, Future Forest, in Thetford Forest, to mark the Forestry Commission’s centenary year.
6pm to 7:30pm
Fitzrovia
£12.00
Hosted by architect and technologist Xavier De Kestelier, this discussion will speculate on the future of architecture beyond planet Earth.
6:15pm to 8pm
Kensington
Join Eric Parry and Richard Deacon to learn more about their collaboration on One Eagle Place, a seminal building in the heart of Piccadilly.
6:30pm to 8pm
Euston
For all tea lovers, Nazani Tea will host an evening bridging the tea and infusion traditions of the East and West.
6:30pm to :
Aldwych
More London events on Tuesday 29th October
Wednesday 30th October
Occasional open week where tours are offered of a former Archbishop's palace.
1:45pm to 3:45pm
Croydon
Featuring a never-been-seen-before interview with Leonard Kleinrock, hear first-hand testimonies from some of the people who were there at the very beginning.
6pm to 8pm
Olympic Park
£13.48
A nocturnal walking tour through one of east London's most atmospheric landscapes.
6pm to 7:30pm
Bow
This lecture will also consider one of the fastest moving areas of cancer treatment, stimulating the immune system to attack cancers.
6pm to 7pm
Barbican
This discussion will address underlying issues around black, Asian and minority ethnic diversity in both academia and the creative and cultural industries.
6:30pm to 8pm
Whitechapel
Free
Philosophy often presents itself as founded on logic and rationality, but even the most rigorous of us must concede that the world can be a strange place.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
A leading thinker on the crossover between design, technology and business, reveals how essential it is that we educate ourselves about the laws of our digital age, and how to do just that.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
On this, her first visit to LSE, Lady Black will speak about her work as a judge, reflecting on her career in the law.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
In a series of gruesome activities not for the faint-hearted, visitors can test their ‘attractiveness’ to blood-sucking mosquitoes or embark on a medical journey through the bloodstream in study of cuts, scabs and bruises.
6:45pm to 10pm
South Kensington
Professor Paul Watt presents a talk on post-Olympics East London with a focus on housing and homelessness.
7pm to :
City of London
More London events on Wednesday 30th October
Thursday 31st October
Occasional open week where tours are offered of a former Archbishop's palace.
1:45pm to 3:45pm
Croydon
How the history of technological revolutions can help us better understand economic and political polarization in the age of automation.
6:15pm to 7:30pm
Euston
An evening of ghost stories and the supernatural at Charles Dickens home.
6:30pm to :
Clerkenwell
Join historian and curator Dr Peter Johnston as he launches his new book, the authorised history of the British military's time in Germany.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Chelsea
This engaging history reveals what was really at stake in the overthrow of Catholic culture and the reshaping of the English Church.
7pm to 8:30pm
Southwark
