The ianVisits guide to August'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.
Sunday 9th August
Surprisingly, there seems to be nothing special happening today. Sorry about that!
More London events on Sunday 9th August
Top events in London tomorrow
Online events / webinars
Ideas for living that aid physical and mental health, from homes for heroes and key worker housing to communal dwellings that improve wellbeing.
4pm to 5pm
Introduced by Interpretation Manager Jane Nielsen, join Curator, Mark Dennis, as he uses examples from our collection to illustrate this unique art form born out of conflict.
7:30pm to 8:15pm
More London events on Monday 10th August
Tuesday 11th August
Online events / webinars
Join our expert-led webinar that will give you guide you through all the basics to get started with discovering your family history within half an hour.
2pm to 3pm
Hear fascinating and unexpected tales of London's great West End stores, from Selfridges to John Lewis via Liberty, HMV and many others
3pm to 4pm
These talks will explore not only the mirage of safety and control presented by nurses, but also the toll this mask of resilience took upon the human being behind it.
5:30pm to 6:30pm
Stuck at home? Get to know Rome in an hour with a professional tour guide and lover of art, Olga Cuckovic.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
£10.00
The end of everything
Using results from the most powerful telescopes and particle colliders, Katie Mack describes how small tweaks to our incomplete understanding of reality can result in starkly different predictions of how the Universe will end.
7pm to 8:30pm
A lecture about the diplomacy and science needed to understand the origins and hazards associated with Mount Paektu, a large volcano on the border of the North Korea and China.
7:30pm to 8pmMore London events on Tuesday 11th August
Wednesday 12th August
Online events / webinars
Professor Dany Nobus will reflect upon the enduring legacy of one of Freud’s most controversial texts, gauge its value for our contemporary living conditions, and open some new perspectives for revisiting this absolute classic of Freudian psychoanalysis.
3pm to 5pm
Stuck at home? Come along to this virtual tour of Art Deco New York with author Anthony Robins.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 12th August
Thursday 13th August
Online events / webinars
Join historian Yasmin Khan in conversation with journalist and author Shrabani Basu as they discuss India’s role in the Second World War.
12pm to :
Florence Nightingale apparently loathed having her photograph taken. Why then did she accept to sit for these images?
5pm to :
This online slideshow followed by a Zoom Q&A is a nice start on a journey through the ritual year.
8pm to 10pm
More London events on Thursday 13th August
Friday 14th August
Family open weekend at the gardens of Chiswick House
11am to 4pm
ChiswickOnline events / webinars
A talk about the nature of erotic writing in the 16th century from book burning to the Renaissance.
1pm to 2pmJoin General Lord Richards, President of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League, in conversation with Dr Peter Johnston as they explore the contribution of Commonwealth soldiers during the Far East campaign.
2pm to :
James Sumner (Manchester University) discusses the challenges that brewers faced in promoting new innovations to an often justifiably suspicious public.
2pm to 3pm
In 1809 a London brewery was prosecuted for the unusual offence of trying to remove cloudiness from its beer by dosing it with an extract of fish-skins.
2pm to 3pm
Brighton is not just the sea front, pier and pavilion. Let Stephen show you the many sides of the city often called London by the Sea
3pm to 4pm
More London events on Friday 14th August
Saturday 15th August
Family open weekend at the gardens of Chiswick House
11am to 4pm ChiswickOnline events / webinars
Join historian Julie Summers and Geoff Gill from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in conversation with Emma Mawdsley on the treatment and conditions of prisoners of war working on the Thai-Burma Railway.
12pm to :
This talk describes the development of the aircraft and eventual need to have a “standoff missile“ capable of allowing the aircraft to stay clear of the target area.
2pm to 3:15pmA virtual lecture on the Arms of the City of London and its diverse ancient and modern Livery Companies
6pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Saturday 15th August
Sunday 16th August
Surprisingly, there seems to be nothing special happening today. Sorry about that!
More London events on Sunday 16th August
Monday 17th August
Surprisingly, there seems to be nothing special happening today. Sorry about that!
More London events on Monday 17th August
Tuesday 18th August
Online events / webinars
Hear about Taziker Engineering’s approach, the challenges and the solutions.
1pm to 2pm
Should governments be allowed to reduce consumer food choice by legislating that food producers and retailers supply exclusively healthy foods from sustainable food systems?
7pm to 7:30pmMore London events on Tuesday 18th August
Wednesday 19th August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm Acton
Online events / webinars
The event will also cover Blue Roofs - engineering for multifunctionality and integrating SuDS into highway schemes and working with below ground constraints.
1pm to 2pm
More London events on Wednesday 19th August
Thursday 20th August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonOnline events / webinars
Artist Mary Branson discusses her contemporary light sculpture 'New Dawn'. Commemorating the women's suffrage campaign, this was the first piece of abstract art commissioned for permanent display in the Palace of Westminster.
6pm to 6:30pm
This virtual live event explores the role of theatre and performance in military life, especially in boosting troops’ morale.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Thursday 20th August
Friday 21st August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonMore London events on Friday 21st August
Saturday 22nd August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonMore London events on Saturday 22nd August
Sunday 23rd August
Open days usually feature the restored engines in operation, a light railway trip, and walks around the Victorian buildings.
10:30am to 4pm Abbey Wood
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonHow did Nightingale and her friends such as Dickens and Lovelace influence each other?
2pm to 3pm Southwark
More London events on Sunday 23rd August
Monday 24th August
Online events / webinars
Did you know that freemasons have supported schools for the children of members for over 200 years?
7:30pm to 8:15pm
More London events on Monday 24th August
Tuesday 25th August
Online events / webinars
£10.00
The last stargazers
Emily Levesque reveals the hidden world of the professional astronomer. She celebrates an era of ingenuity and curiosity, and asks us to think twice before we cast aside our sense of wonder at the universe.
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Tuesday 25th August
Wednesday 26th August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonMore London events on Wednesday 26th August
Top events in London on Thu 27th Aug 2020
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonOnline events / webinars
Experience a day in the life of a virus scientist in this livestreamed event for all the family, hosted by BBC presenter Greg Foot.
10:30am to 11:15am
Uncover the long-standing relationship between the Army and artists past and present in this live online discussion.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Thursday 27th August
Friday 28th August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm Acton
Free
In Memoriam
Luke Jerram’s ceremonial art installation has been created as a memorial to those we have lost in the COVID-19 pandemic.
2:30pm to 8pm Woolwich
Online events / webinars
Croydon isn't just boring 1960s office blocks and shops. Join Stephen to learn the fascinating story of a little old town with big ambition.
3pm to 4pmMore London events on Friday 28th August
Saturday 29th August
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonMonthly open day at a wood and nature reserve that's next to the railway at Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm Forest Hill
Free
In Memoriam
Luke Jerram’s ceremonial art installation has been created as a memorial to those we have lost in the COVID-19 pandemic.
2:30pm to 8pm WoolwichMore London events on Saturday 29th August
Sunday 30th August
A monthly open day at a quirky transport museum housed in an old water pumping building.
10am to 4pm Enfield Town
A block of 10 days where the Transport Museum's main storage depot in Acton is open to visitors.
11am to 6pm ActonDiscover the history of the building and climb the 135 stairs for the best view of Hackney.
2pm to 4:30pm Hackney
Free
In Memoriam
Luke Jerram’s ceremonial art installation has been created as a memorial to those we have lost in the COVID-19 pandemic.
2:30pm to 8pm Woolwich