The ianVisits guide to August's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Sunday 1st August
Better than half price entry to the Painted Hall on the first Sunday of the month.
10am to 5pm
Greenwich
Free
Historical re-enactors will be setting up camp on the forecourt at the British Museum, offering you the opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of early Roman Britain.
11am to 4pm
Russell Square
A beautiful historic parkland designed by Lancelot 'Capability' Brown with Edwardian gardens in Reigate, Surrey.
12pm to 5pm
Reigate
Angela Clutton and Mark Riddaway discuss how food shaped the landscape of Bankside, and how, in turn, Bankside came to influence the food culture of the entire country.
3pm to 3:45pm
Southwark
More London events on Sunday 1st August
Monday 2nd August
Online events / webinars
Explore the world of film noir through its stars with acclaimed documentary film maker Steven C. Smith
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Monday 2nd August
Tuesday 3rd August
£22.00
Get a closer look at some of the hidden treasures in the St Bride collection.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
City of London
More London events on Tuesday 3rd August
Wednesday 4th August
£20.00
This illustrated talk explores the events surrounding the tragic death of Walpole’s tabby cat Selima.
Starts at 6:30pm
Twickenham
Join Robert Lyman and Richard Duckett as they discuss the SOE's secret missions in Burma during the Second World War.
7pm to 8pm
Chelsea
Online events / webinars
This summit will here from public and private sector voices giving an update on London’s active travel priorities as the capital prepares to opening up following easing of government guidelines regarding lockdown restrictions.
9am to 10:30am
£10.30
Follow in the footsteps of Matthew Shardlake, Jack Barak, and a host of historical characters.
11am to 1:30pm
In this talk, author Ysenda Maxtone-Graham recalls the vivid summer memories of real mid-twentieth century people.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 4th August
Thursday 5th August
Online events / webinars
Join Michael Pollan in conversation with Jules Evans to discuss psychoactive plants from coffee to opium.
7pm to 8:30pm
An evening of three talks about Stoke Newington's history from different perspectives organised by local history enthusiast Amir Dotan .
7pm to 9:30pm
A panel debate on the aims of the forthcoming climate change conference.
7:30pm to 8:45pm
More London events on Thursday 5th August
Friday 6th August
Professor David Lambert discusses the establishment of the West India Regiments and explores the debates that surrounded their formation.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Over the next few weeks, a walking boat will be in the Royal Docks - and yes, it's art.
4:30pm to 5:30pm
Victoria Dock
Online events / webinars
In this talk, we delve into the reasons why people took the decision to naturalise so they could celebrate becoming British
2pm to 3pm
Join Librarian Ann Martin as we look at Caroline, her ill-fated marriage and her unlikely role as the standard bearer of the oppressed in Georgian Britain.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Friday 6th August
Saturday 7th August
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
£17.95
Step back in time to the heyday of the track and relive the incredible thrill of a day at the Brooklands races.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
Home to Hodge, Southwark Cathedral are delighted to be hosting this day all about cats
10am to 5pm
Southwark
Monthly opening of the museum dedicated to the life and work of the "lady with the lamp".
10am to 4pm
Southwark
Approx 1 acre garden with a blaze of colourful displays in perennial borders and the 8 cartwheel centre beds.
11am to 4pm
Over the next few weeks, a walking boat will be in the Royal Docks - and yes, it's art.
5:30pm to 6:30pm
Victoria Dock
Online events / webinars
Join NLA and explore and understand Bankside's regeneration, including such game-changing projects as the Tate Modern and The Shard.
2pm to 4pm
More London events on Saturday 7th August
Sunday 8th August
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Monthly opening of the museum dedicated to the life and work of the "lady with the lamp".
10am to 4pm
Southwark
Approx 1 acre garden with a blaze of colourful displays in perennial borders and the 8 cartwheel centre beds.
11am to 4pm
Online events / webinars
Lecture on the collection of curses and cursed objects at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall
8pm to 9:30pm
More London events on Sunday 8th August
Monday 9th August
Online events / webinars
British art has gone from strength to strength, making the UK one of the leading centres of western art at the beginning of the 21st century. Join Arts Society Lecturer Frank Woodgate to learn more.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Monday 9th August
Tuesday 10th August
A notice that a tall sailing ship will pass through Tower Bridge and spend a few days in London.
3:45pm to 3:45pm
Southwark
Online events / webinars
Award winning author, speaker and Computing specialist Susanne Tedrick will be discussing her brand new book 'Women of Color in Tech'.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Tuesday 10th August
Wednesday 11th August
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and most active meteor showers in the year.
12:01am to 5am
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Over 1,100 different plants connected with the history of plants in medicine in this garden.
11am to 4pm
Camden
Online events / webinars
A talk by Alfred Hawkins tracing the history of the Chapel Royal and Royal Peculiar of Saint Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London
6:30pm to :
More London events on Wednesday 11th August
Thursday 12th August
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and most active meteor showers in the year.
12:01am to 5am
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Professor Anthony King launches his latest book which examines the character and impact of urban warfare in modern times.
7pm to 8pm
Chelsea
Online events / webinars
A presentation about the opening in August 1820 of the completed Regent’s Canal.
2pm to 3pm
An online talk about Edward Alleyn - Elizabethan actor at the Rose Playhouse Bankside and Church Warden at Southwark Cathedral.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Thursday 12th August
Friday 13th August
The Perseid meteor shower is one of the brightest and most active meteor showers in the year.
12:01am to 5am
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Free
Join Professor Patrick Major as he marks the 60th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall by exploring the crisis that followed.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Online events / webinars
In this new talk, AM Cliff Spink will talk about his experiences as a pilot and commander during his time in the RAF in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
11am to 12pm
Uncover how paupers easily found themselves disciplined or 'punished' for writing letters of complaint about how they were treated by local poor law authorities.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Friday 13th August
Saturday 14th August
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Free
Local community fair in Thamesmead - music, parade, arts.
12pm to 7pm
Abbey Wood
This is an exotic garden, themed on the foothills of the Himalayas in India.
12pm to 5pm
Dagenham
Six Thames Rowing Barges will be rowed by apprentice waterman along a 7-mile course between Greenwich and Westminster.
1pm to 3:45pm
A notice that a tall sailing ship will pass through Tower Bridge and spend a few days in London.
3:15pm to 5:15pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 14th August
Sunday 15th August
The occasional open days for the London Transport Museum's overflow depot in Acton where all their trains and trams are stored.
10am to 4pm
Acton
Celebrate a staggering legacy of motorcycling at Brooklands matched with the best of today’s bikes and super-machines.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
More London events on Sunday 15th August
Monday 16th August
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 16th August
Tuesday 17th August
£5.00
From an acclaimed writer twice shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of The Year Award, Outlandish is a stunning, transporting work of preservation.
6:30pm to 8pm
Soho
Online events / webinars
Greek myths and legends have inspired some of the most beautiful and memorable works of art ever created in the Western world. Join Arts Society Lecturer Val Woodgate to learn more.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Tuesday 17th August
Wednesday 18th August
Online events / webinars
Join NLA and take a walk through the historic and financial heart of London, where the oldest and youngest buildings stand side by side.
10:30am to 12:30pm
Enjoy the Cathedral’s beauty – and hear its history and some stories along the way.
2pm to 3pm
Free
In this talk, author Leo Hollis restores the history of child brides, mad heiresses, religious controversy and shady dealings through an exploration of the life of Mary Davies.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 18th August
Thursday 19th August
Online events / webinars
Discover the beautiful mosaics at the Bank of England.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Join the Royal Academy of Dance for a panel celebrating the life and influence of Dame Margot Fonteyn, in conjunction with V&A/RAD display 'On Point'
4pm to 5:15pm
Christine Riding, curator of Turner’s English Coasts, explores Turner’s life-long engagement with the sea in the context of Britain as a naval and maritime power, from national events to the rise of domestic tourism.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Thursday 19th August
Friday 20th August
Join Matilda Greig as she explores the fascinating lives and afterlives of Napoleon’s soldiers and the stories they told.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
More London events on Friday 20th August
Saturday 21st August
£12.00
Featuring over 40 different craft hot sauce makers, street food, music and craft beer.
11am to 7pm
Peckham
Free
The carnival – believed to be the oldest in London – is run by the community for the community.
12pm to 6pm
Hanwell
Occasional open day at a railway cutting nature reserve in Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
Come and visit this green oasis in an urban setting it is a one of the many local green lungs in Forest Hill where you can find some interesting wildlife.
2pm to 5pm
Forest Hill
Online events / webinars
£10.00
Adele Emm tells the story of how the silk industry arrived in England.
10:30am to 11:30am
More London events on Saturday 21st August
Sunday 22nd August
£12.00
Featuring over 40 different craft hot sauce makers, street food, music and craft beer.
11am to 6pm
Peckham
Online events / webinars
£11.37
Myths and Monsters is an online event that shares some historical tales of all things... mythical and monstrous.
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Sunday 22nd August
Monday 23rd August
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 23rd August
Tuesday 24th August
Online events / webinars
This webinar will give an overview of the criminal records The National Archives holds and how to search them.
2pm to 3pm
Discover where they dined, what they ate and how much they were willing to pay.
2pm to 3pm
Join Tina Baxter for a virtual promenade through Soho Square to discover it’s secret history.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
This lecture follows Mary’s life through the buildings she lived in and knew, both in England and abroad.
6:30pm to :
More London events on Tuesday 24th August
Wednesday 25th August
Join us with the wonderful travel writer and journalist Tharik Hussain and his new book Minarets in the Mountains, a magical eye opening account of a journey into a Europe that rarely makes the news and is in danger of being erased altogether.
6:30pm to 8pm
Soho
Explore the castle at twilight for a 90 minute tour of the house that is gothic and gloomth at this most eerie time of day.
Starts at 7pm
Twickenham
Online events / webinars
Meet some of the specialist contractors and organisations working across the UK to carry out the mammoth task of repairing and restoring the historic Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben.
6pm to 7pm
Learn about Benjamin Britten's wartime trip to America from music historian Lucy Walker
6:30pm to 7:30pm
From music halls to football, well-known historian Lee Jackson uncovers how the Victorians had fun.
7pm to 8pm
Science City 1550 - 1800: The Linbury Gallery tells the story of how London grew to become a global hub for scientific and technological innovation, but where does it stand in 2021?
7:30pm to 8:45pm
More London events on Wednesday 25th August
Thursday 26th August
Hidden away behind the high walls of a medieval monastery is a large garden, which will be open three evenings in 2021.
5:30pm to 8:30pm
Clerkenwell
Online events / webinars
Hear about new research in the history of nursing, and find out why history is important for understanding nursing today.
6pm to 7:30pm
An online explanation of old fashioned medical procedures.
6pm to 7pm
Online talk by Dr Emily Cockayne on her latest publication Rummage: A History of the Things We Have Reused, Recycle and Refused to Let Go.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Thursday 26th August
Friday 27th August
Join Professor Ian Beckett as he explores the late Victorian Army and the complex relationships between its leading figures.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
More London events on Friday 27th August
Saturday 28th August
Online events / webinars
A talk on the work of head gardeners in country houses with Dr Judith Hill, who wonders why they were invisible to history.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Saturday 28th August
Sunday 29th August
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Sunday 29th August
Monday 30th August
£3.00
Village fair with stalls in the large barn and events across the gardens.
12pm to 5pm
Rayners Lane
More London events on Monday 30th August
Tuesday 31st August
Online events / webinars
This event aims to bring together the latest research on embalming, from religious beliefs to practical techniques, using ancient textual sources, scientific analyses and archaeological work.
1pm to 4pm
On the anniversary of the 'riots' we review the mainstream history and pay tribute to those who fought back against violent racism
6:30pm to 8:30pm
This talk highlights three pioneers of British burlesque and striptease and will digitally visit the cemeteries in which they rest.
7pm to 9pm
