The ianVisits guide to June's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Tuesday 1st June
Online events / webinars
Join the Ri's Jemma and Dani to explore the curious ways things can change in the blink of an eye in this explosive family science show.
5pm to 5:50pm
How can post-pandemic recovery efforts accelerate sustainable transitions and what is needed to enhance resilience to future systemic shocks? Join us for a panel discussion with Lord Toby Harris, Amanda Janoo and Rowan Douglas.
5:15pm to 6:30pm
Exploring a time before his political career, Stewart will discuss how his explorations resulted in an immersion into a rich and complex culture closed to the world by decades of conflict.
6pm to :
This lecture explores this astonishing story, and asks how the witch craze affected people’s lives.
6pm to 7pm
This talk will explore the fascinating life and scandalous death of Letitia Elizabeth Landon, celebrated in her day as the ‘female Byron’ for her poetry.
6:30pm to :
John Boughton, our speaker, will talk about the significance of The Totterdown Fields Estate for the development of Council housing in London.
7:30pm to 9pm
Rebecca Hall discusses her new graphic history and memoir, illustrated Hugo Martínez, with Bonnie Greer
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Tuesday 1st June
Wednesday 2nd June
Online events / webinars
Professor Maria Rubins will explore Art Deco fiction and its distinctive narrative strategies, genres and thematic repertoire, shaped by new conceptions of commercial success.
1pm to 2pm
Join creators and curators of the Era of Reclamation series, Bonnie Greer and Hartwig Fischer, along with their guests, for a conversation exploring Black male fashion.
5pm to 6pm
This paper will discuss the practice of writing about medieval history for a popular audience, and the specific demands of teaching history through blogging.
5:30pm to 7pm
This talk will end with a demonstration of how to make a comet model using kitchen ingredients.
6pm to 7pm
This illustrated Lecture will look closely at the extraordinary range of Masks and traditions current in contemporary Mexico.
8pm to 9:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 2nd June
Thursday 3rd June
Monthly late opening at the London Mithraeum for the Roman temple, and the ground floor art exhibition
10am to 8pm
City of London
An inspirational and gripping first-person account of determination, adversity and survival against the odds.
7pm to 8:30pm
Soho
Online events / webinars
In this lecture, we explore the nexus between three powerful forces that shaped the medieval world: holy war, knighthood, and the expansion of Europe.
1pm to 2pm
To mark the publication of their new book, Jeremy Musson and Hugo Rittson-Thomas discuss the redefinition of the notion of English country style.
4pm to 5pm
A panel of speakers discuss the cultural relevance and legacy of this iconic Polish painting.
6:30pm to 8:15pm
A talk on the cat-crazed clergy, from the Middle Ages to today, as we learn about the pampered felines of archbishops, bishops, clerics, monks, nuns, and anchorites.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
An online talk about clerical cats in history presented by Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Join Skylar Tibbits as he explores how we can design simple and elegant intelligent materials, that may one day animate and improve themselves.
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Thursday 3rd June
Friday 4th June
Online events / webinars
Join Lucy Betteridge-Dyson as she explores the vital role that horses and mules played in the British Army’s efforts during the First World War.
12pm to :
Join award-winning author Neil McKenna as he explores the many loves of Oscar Wilde.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Friday 4th June
Saturday 5th June
Monthly opening of the museum dedicated to the life and work of the "lady with the lamp".
10am to 4pm
Southwark
Learn about the truly Terrible Tudors at Hampton Court Palace
Starts at 12pm
East Molesey
Online events / webinars
Anthony Marr takes a look at marriage down the centuries.
2pm to 3pm
Find out how the most up-to-date fuel research and technology could help reduce UK emissions and tackle the climate crisis.
7:30pm to 8:45pm
More London events on Saturday 5th June
Sunday 6th June
Monthly open day at the museum to London's first international airport - in Croydon.
All Day
Croydon
You may see up to 50 hot air balloons flying over Central London at sunrise this morning.
6am to 10am
Better than half price entry to the Painted Hall on the first Sunday of the month.
10am to 5pm
Greenwich
Monthly opening of the museum dedicated to the life and work of the "lady with the lamp".
10am to 4pm
Southwark
£1.00
With over 60 hand-picked flea & vintage traders, to pick up vintage gems, and pre-loved artefacts.
11am to 5pm
Walthamstow
A beautiful historic parkland designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown with Edwardian gardens in Reigate, Surrey.
1pm to 5pm
Reigate
Two 90ft gardens backing onto Brockwell Park with original apple trees from the old orchard.
2pm to 5:30pm
Brixton
Three contrasting gardens and a nature reserve all open within a short walk of each other.
2pm to 6pm
Islington
Online events / webinars
This talk will explore the ways in which plants have informed artists, mystics and scientists throughout history and around the world.
8pm to 9:30pm
More London events on Sunday 6th June
Monday 7th June
Online events / webinars
Join director Clare Gough for an illustrated online talk about Pitzhanger’s restoration.
6pm to 7pm
More London events on Monday 7th June
Tuesday 8th June
Online events / webinars
Plants are silent witnesses to crimes. Mark will take you to woodlands, derelict land and roadside verges.
10am to 11:30am
London and New York will share thought leadership forecasting how the nature of the office will change after the disruption of 2020.
2pm to 3:30pm
This talk will discuss how “nudging” can help citizens make better decisions.
6pm to 7pm
Let film historian Chris Horn take you through a key part of Francis Ford Coppola's career
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Illustrated and inspiring talk on Black actors on British TV from 1930s to 1990s and their fight for equality of portrayal
6:30pm to 8pm
Join Peter Robin Hiesinger as he explores what neurobiology and artificial intelligence tell us about how the brain builds itself.
7pm to 8:30pm
Architect Nick Gilbert Scott talks about his famous ancestors, including his grandfather Sir Giles & his great-great grandfather, Sir George
7pm to 9pm
Martin Cherry, introduces the artists and engravers of the frontispieces of these books from 1723 to 1819, their connections to freemasonry and some of their other notable works.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
Join art historian Dr David Boyd Haycock to explore the fascinating history of the Surrealist movement in Britain
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Tuesday 8th June
Wednesday 9th June
Take a walk on the wild side with the first nature guide to focus exclusively on exploring the night.
6:30pm to 8pm
Soho
Online events / webinars
How is the identity of the Royal Docks being transformed and ensuring regeneration brings long-term community benefits?
10am to 11am
This lecture traces how this radical edge of the English Reformation helped shape some of the most apparently secular aspects of the modern world.
6pm to 7pm
Delve into the murky world of the Victorian poisoner and lean about the advent of forensic toxicology with medical journalist Sandra Hempel.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Ben van Beneden unravels the secrets of this gallery picture and the role played by Rubens and Van Dyck in its conception.
7pm to 8pm
Drawing from Alan Turing’s background, his discoveries and his life-story, we uncover a fresh legacy from Alan Turing for the 21st century.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 9th June
Thursday 10th June
Barely noticeable from London, but there will be a solar eclipse today -- and a small part of the sun will be covered as seen from southern England.
10:09am to 12:22pm
Explore the Thames tunnel’s history, then meet the Brunel Museum’s Director, Katherine McAlpine, to hear more about the Brunel family’s extraordinary engineering achievements
6:30pm to 9pm
Covent Garden
Online events / webinars
A virtual tour of the buildings, interiors and grounds of the former Royal Hospital for Incurables
1pm to 1am
Soane Museum Deputy Director and Inspectress Helen Dorey will lead a virtual tour through the building archive, telling the story of the Soane Museum’s care.
1pm to 2pm
Join this webinar to hear from speakers on how HS2 has a critical role in Britain's post pandemic recovery
2pm to 3pm
A talk about the history of ice-cream in 19th-century America.
5:30pm to 7pm
An influential figure in the UK’s musical and cultural life, Sir Nicholas Kenyon will be speaking on the role of arts and culture in the future of a thriving City.
6pm to 7pm
Architectural historian Neal Shasore discusses one of the most hotly contested debates of early twentieth-century London’s development: cross-river communication.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Sabine Hossenfelder explores the evidence for the theory that 80% of the matter in the Universe is 'dark'
7pm to 8:30pm
Battersea riverside as depicted by the painter Whistler was grimily industrial. Today it is exclusively residential. What made it change?
7pm to :
More London events on Thursday 10th June
Friday 11th June
Free
A select group of artisanal vendors from several countries found along the historic Silk Road trading route will come together to form the Silk Road Bazaar.
12pm to 8pm
Kings Cross
There will be a flotilla of boats heading between Tower Bridge and Westminster to mark the 400th Anniversary of the Return of the Mayflower.
2:15pm to 4pm
Online events / webinars
Join Lieutenant Colonel Philip Neame as he shares what it was like to serve as a company commander during the Falklands War.
12pm to :
The bond between mothers and daughters is explored afresh by a panel of celebrated authors whose new works illuminate this relationship and its framing in society.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Friday 11th June
Saturday 12th June
Free
You are exhorted to visit your local independent purveyor of music and make purchases of physical storage media.
All Day
Explore Eltham Palace's beautiful historic gardens this June with our annual celebration of horticultural heritage.
10am to 5:30pm
Eltham
Free
A select group of artisanal vendors from several countries found along the historic Silk Road trading route will come together to form the Silk Road Bazaar.
11am to 6pm
Kings Cross
Discover a selection of courtyard gardens, some very small, behind fine C17 French Huguenots merchants' and weavers' houses in Spitalfields.
11am to 4pm
Whitechapel
Guided tours of one of London's few remaining windmills.
1pm to 4:30pm
Brixton
Online events / webinars
Caroline Gurney tells the story of the world's most famous clipper ship and the men who sailed on her between 1870 and 1895.
10:30am to 11:30am
Join NLA and explore one of London’s planning success stories – featuring new developments in preparation for the arrival of Crossrail
2pm to 4pm
£12.00
A live, virtual and interactive show giving access to some of London’s most inspirational, normally private, formal squares, historic allotments and award-winning community spaces.
5:30pm to 7pm
More London events on Saturday 12th June
Sunday 13th June
You may see up to 50 hot air balloons flying over Central London at sunrise this morning.
6am to 10am
£10.60
A special day for dogs (and owners) at Tower Bridge.
9:30am to 6pm
Southwark
An open day at the Victorian steam pumping station in Abbey Wood that was the final point in London's sewer network.
10am to 4pm
Abbey Wood
Explore Eltham Palace's beautiful historic gardens this June with our annual celebration of horticultural heritage.
10am to 5:30pm
Eltham
Free
A select group of artisanal vendors from several countries found along the historic Silk Road trading route will come together to form the Silk Road Bazaar.
11am to 6pm
Kings Cross
A protest flotilla of boats will be on the River Lee between Walthamstow Marshes and Hackney Wick.
Starts at 12pm
Guided tours of one of London's few remaining windmills.
1pm to 4:30pm
Brixton
Three very attractive gardens open in this small, elegant square of 1840s listed villas.
1pm to 5:30pm
Peckham
Chevening House is a grace and favour property usually used by the Foreign Secretary and generally not open to the public - but the gardens are open once a year.
2pm to 5pm
Escape all signs of city life and unwind for an hour or two in this sprawling acre of calm.
2pm to 5pm
Blackheath
Online events / webinars
Leonora Carrington's son discusses his new memoir about his mother with Viktor Wynd
8pm to 10pm
More London events on Sunday 13th June
Monday 14th June
Online events / webinars
A history of workers' libraries in colonial Bombay with historian Dr Arun Kumar
5:30pm to 7pm
The story of the Gay Liberation Front Youth Group's central London march in August 1971
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Monday 14th June
Tuesday 15th June
Online events / webinars
Learn about UCL's City Mill Skate project which is working with east London artists and skateboarders to form part of the UCL East campus
1pm to 2pm
In this talk we will explore how Britain's refugee camps have shaped the multicultural present, illuminating the closeness of individuals who have traditionally been kept separate.
6pm to 7pm
A talk about why Brighton was fashionable before the arrival of George, Prince of Wales and then examine the impact of being on the front line during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
6:30pm to :
More London events on Tuesday 15th June
Wednesday 16th June
Online events / webinars
This talk looks at what it takes to achieve an open space project of this scale and how publicly-accessible open spaces embedded in the Nine Elms masterplan are part of the neighbourhood’s vision.
10am to 11am
Join Barry Eveleigh, photographer for SAVE Britain's Heritage for a live online event exploring his work on Welsh chapel interiors.
11am to 11:45am
In this interactive webinar our expert speakers will discuss the regeneration of the area.
5pm to :
RIBA London explores examples of how care for the planet and consideration for the climate emergency can be embedded into projects, creating a greener London.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
An in-conversation chat between the former MP and Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, Chair of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
In this hour-long interactive session, one of our expert wardens will take you on a journey through some of the highlights and treasures of the Royal Palace.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Wednesday 16th June
Thursday 17th June
Take part in a collective creative writing activity as you walk around the galleries.
6:30pm to 9pm
Covent Garden
Online events / webinars
In this lecture, Dr Lucy Davis will discuss the museum's current exhibition, an exciting and unique reunion of Rubens’s famous pendant landscape masterpieces.
1pm to 2pm
A live virtual tour of the Royal College of Physicians Grade I listed home.
6pm to 7pm
A tour of one of the prime examples of Brutalist architecture in London and discover what’s hiding behind the facade of the Czech and Slovak Embassies.
6:30pm to :
An online talk from Stefan Dickers about the library and archives at Bishopsgate Institute.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
An online talk from Stefan Dickers about the library and archives at Bishopsgate Institute.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Join this online panel on the role of food-growing in the city supporting social and ecological resilience.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
A talk about the 400 year history of the Almshouse Association.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Thursday 17th June
Friday 18th June
See how stonework is restoring Marble Hill House, and get some hands-on stone carving experience.
tba
Twickenham
£25.30
Explore Henry VIII’s home + Luxury shopping + Hand-crafted gifting + Artisan producers + Street food + Pop-up bars + Vintage tunes + Traditional fête games + Workshops.
All Day
East Molesey
A one acre garden restored to its original 1920s design.
5:30pm to 9pm
Tadworth
Online events / webinars
Professor Brendan Simms examines the story and legacy of the men of the King’s German Legion who turned the tide at the Battle of Waterloo.
12pm to :
In this event, Vicky Iglikowski-Broad from The National Archives and Stefan Dickers from Bishopsgate will explore the different strengths of their collections, to reflect on how they can be used together to build a fuller picture of LGBTQ+ lives.
2pm to 3pm
Let Dr Emma J Wells take you through some of the hidden messages and risqué symbols to be found in parish churches.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Friday 18th June
Saturday 19th June
See how stonework is restoring Marble Hill House, and get some hands-on stone carving experience.
tba
Twickenham
£25.30
Explore Henry VIII’s home + Luxury shopping + Hand-crafted gifting + Artisan producers + Street food + Pop-up bars + Vintage tunes + Traditional fête games + Workshops.
All Day
East Molesey
Open House Day at the 1960s era LCC civic building.
10am to 5pm
Lee
A one acre garden restored to its original 1920s design.
5:30pm to 9pm
Tadworth
Online events / webinars
A virtual visit to the UK's largest Victorian cemetery
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Saturday 19th June
Sunday 20th June
£25.30
Explore Henry VIII’s home + Luxury shopping + Hand-crafted gifting + Artisan producers + Street food + Pop-up bars + Vintage tunes + Traditional fête games + Workshops.
All Day
East Molesey
Cornucopia of sensual delights. Artist's garden famous for architectural features and delicious cakes.
2pm to 6:30pm
Muswell Hill
Online events / webinars
Let master storyteller join you for a nightcap, tuck you into bed and tell you bedtime stories, full of wonder from The Arabian Nights.
9pm to 10pm
More London events on Sunday 20th June
Monday 21st June
Online events / webinars
An online talk that will explore the origins, construction and quirky tales behind this iconic local structure.
12:30pm to :
Grammy winning producer Stephen Johns discusses a career recording the world’s great musicians and orchestras.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
This workshop uses St Paul’s Knightsbridge in London as a case study of how churches can be places of transcendence and aesthetic satisfaction, and more utilitarian space for gathering to advance community care.
4pm to 5pm
Come along to this author talk to find out how to become published, where to find inspiration and beyond.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Monday 21st June
Tuesday 22nd June
Online events / webinars
Free
Come along to hear the history of beer being brewed and drank in the capital as told by the LMA collections.
2pm to 3pm
Join us to mark Windrush Day, set up in 2018 to celebrate and commemorate the Windrush Generation and their contribution to British history.
2pm to 3pm
A series of conversations to showcase our inspirational luminaries’ careers and to share lessons learned with the next generation of future stars.
5pm to 6pm
This paper examines a new method for teaching elementary and secondary pupils about the law in the late-nineteenth century: the mock trial.
5:30pm to 7pm
Urban gardens are abuzz. What role do gardens play in pollinator conservation? And how we can all contribute through our gardening practices.
6pm to 7pm
Join a panel of experts who will discuss the unprecedented, and politically charged, way in which new information and science has unfolded in real time.
7pm to 8:30pm
Author and Historian Neil Jackson gives a virtual tour of Saltaire, examining the development of this Victorian model town over 23 years.
7pm to 9pm
Symbols of the Victorian Cemetery - Caroline Swan explores the symbolism found in one of London's Victorian cemeteries.
7pm to :
More London events on Tuesday 22nd June
Wednesday 23rd June
£10.00
Weekly late night opening of Painshill park and gardens during June/July.
5:30pm to 9pm
Cobham
Online events / webinars
Join NLA to discover Shoreditch, an area undergoing transformation through infrastructure, innovation and mixed-use development.
10:30am to 12:30pm
City of London Guide Jill Finch looks at how London started to rewrite its history and got a new beginning.
2pm to 3pm
This talk will outline the main measures that were taken, and comment on their success and legacies.
5:15pm to 7pm
Join Dr Edward Madigan, in conversation with Professor Dan Todman, as he examines the British experience of the Irish War of Independence with a particular focus on the role of the British Army.
7pm to 8pm
In conversation, Nils Büttner and Cordula van Wyhe will reveal how Rubens’s work and life were deeply dependent on women as sovereigns, patrons, wives, and divinities.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Wednesday 23rd June
Thursday 24th June
Online events / webinars
What would an accessible city look, feel and sound like? We explore the projects, policy and research that is shaping an inclusive London
10am to 11am
Join Joanna Moncrieff on a virtual tour of Walthamstow to see how much more there is than just its famous mile-long market.
2pm to 3pm
Director & Archivist Philip Kirk will speak about the challenges the project has faced, and give a insight into some of its holdings.
5:30pm to 7pm
Hear from people who have supported nursing staff in the workplace during the pandemic, often while being directly impacted themselves.
5:30pm to 7pm
Professor Gorb peers into micro secrets of insects and fits them into modern technology. For example: What can robots learn from flies?
6pm to 7pm
Join us from the comfort of your home while our team takes you to the Victorian era and goes over the surgical procedures that were done in our space.
6pm to 7pm
Explore how modern architecture transformed our understanding of leisure in this panel discussion.
6:30pm to 8pm
Find out what happened in the old buildings which you can still find by the canal banks and what it was like to work on the canal.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Thursday 24th June
Friday 25th June
The 2021 Show will feature an array of cars showcasing the evolution of design that the motor car has undergone in the last 135 years.
All Day
Brentford
A talk about the high cost of a controversial WW2 air attack strategy.
Starts at 12:30pm
Colindale
300-year old annual boat race between London Bridge and Chelsea - watch from the Thames riverside.
Starts at 2pm
Online events / webinars
This NLA Breakfast Talk will hear from experts discussing what we need to do to make public spaces safer in London.
8:30am to 9:30am
Join a panel of experts as they explore the untold story of the Polish II Corps during the Second World War and its continuing legacy today.
12pm to :
More London events on Friday 25th June
Saturday 26th June
The 2021 Show will feature an array of cars showcasing the evolution of design that the motor car has undergone in the last 135 years.
All Day
Brentford
Free
A monthly vintage market with a selection of vintage stall holders, all selling a mix of salvaged, one-of-a–kind, lost and found objects, and handmade items.
11am to 6pm
Stoke Newington
A note that a Steam Train will loop around South London today - something to watch from the sidelines.
11am to 4:30pm
Visit an allotment site with over 150 plots set in 5½ acres.
12pm to 5pm
Raynes Park
Occasional open day at a railway cutting nature reserve in Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
More London events on Saturday 26th June
Sunday 27th June
The 2021 Show will feature an array of cars showcasing the evolution of design that the motor car has undergone in the last 135 years.
All Day
Brentford
A small but immaculate garden, that is as pretty as a picture in a wonderfully colour co-ordinated melange of pinks, whites, purples and blues.
12pm to 6pm
Blackheath
Free
A monthly vintage market with a selection of vintage stall holders, all selling a mix of salvaged, one-of-a–kind, lost and found objects, and handmade items.
2pm to 3pm
Stoke Newington
More London events on Sunday 27th June
Monday 28th June
Online events / webinars
Step into the fascinating world of bird watching as award-winning author and naturalist Mark Cocker lays out its history and practice
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Monday 28th June
Tuesday 29th June
Look to the skies as the bright blue Goodyear Blimp will be flying over London for a couple of days.
All Day
Robert will share live his experiences walking in West Africa, exploring the ways a walking pilgrimage can change a person.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Soho
Online events / webinars
This talk looks at some of those plants and their poisons. Just because it's fiction doesn't mean it's made up.
10am to 11:30am
This lecture marks the five hundredth anniversary since Henry VIII was awarded the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ by the Pope in 1521.
1pm to 2pm
Do it nowadays, and you face arrest. But once, climbing the Great Pyramid was not just something you could do, but something seemingly everyone did.
5pm to 6pm
A talk about Eleanor de Montfort's involvement in the Second Barons War.
5pm to 6pm
Find out about important contributions to nursing history, and consider what they can tell us about nursing today.
5:30pm to 7pm
Explore the Origins & Rituals of Absinthe with a Virtual Lecture & Tasting
6:15pm to 7:15pm
A talk about the Abbey's gardens by its head gardener.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
This talk will explore the world of shaving, barbers and cosmetic shaving products in the eighteenth century, and show how they occupy an important place in the history of masculinity.
6:30pm to :
More London events on Tuesday 29th June
Wednesday 30th June
Look to the skies as the bright blue Goodyear Blimp will be flying over London for a couple of days.
All Day
A one-day exhibition of 50 years of work by Adrian Ensor, one of Britain’s finest black and white photographic printers.
11am to 4pm
Tottenham Court Road
£10.00
Weekly late night opening of Painshill park and gardens during June/July.
5:30pm to 9pm
Cobham
Online events / webinars
Join senior curator Lowri Jones for a virtual tour around our online exhibition RCP Unseen.
12pm to 1pm
A talk by Gavin Ballantine, Director of Ballantine Castings about the work they've carried out to restore the Elizabeth Tower.
6pm to 7pm
This will be a panel discussion, with the current chair bringing together six panellists and their various perspectives on the club's 30-year journe.
6:30pm to 8pm
In this talk Amy Hare examines Goldwork embroidery in the RSN collection and considers the global appeal of this technique throughout history.
7pm to 8:30pm
