The ianVisits guide to March's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Wednesday 1st March
This lecture will examine the genre’s vicissitudes (while noticing Georgette Heyer’s novelistic virtues).
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 1st March
Thursday 2nd March
A monthly late opening of the restored Roman temple found near Bank in the City of London in the 1950s, and recently restored to its original subterranean location.
5pm to 8pm
City of London
Explore the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) museum and brand new exhibition 'Unfamiliar' after hours.
This month's Late will feature special guests and co-curators of the exhibition photographer Theo Deproost and physician associate Debbie Jegede.
5:30pm to 8pm
Camden
On the first Thursday of the month, Holborn's Novelty Automation has a bar in the store for their late-night opening.
6pm to 9pm
Holborn
An evening exploring scientific fakes, forgeries and misinformation. Get up close and personal with AI-generated art and speak to experts on cryptocurrencies, false memories and faking it in the natural world.
6:30pm to 9:30pm
St James
Jackie will be discussing her book The Real Prime Suspect, a frank look at her prolific career and the challenges she faced as a gay woman working within The Metropolitan Police.
Starts at 7pm
Covent Garden
More London events on Thursday 2nd March
Friday 3rd March
Paul Lay discusses the dramatic years of the New Model Army, from the civil wars to the restoration of the monarchy.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
£13.01
A Long Night In London is marking the 80th anniversary of events that took place in Bethnal Green’s tube shelter on the night of 3rd March 1943.
7pm to 8pm
Bethnal Green
More London events on Friday 3rd March
Saturday 4th March
Light installations that illuminate the beauty of Thamesmead’s landscape and highlight the importance of the natural environment.
5pm to 10pm
Abbey Wood
An evening with Alice Loxton talking about her book UPROAR!: Scandal, Satire and Printmakers in Georgian London
7pm to 8pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 4th March
Sunday 5th March
Monthly open day at a small collection of fairground organs.
11am to 5pm
Amersham
£10.00
Storyteller Emily Hennessey and sitar player Sheema Mukherjee take the wheel on a white-knuckled tuk-tuk ride through sun-kissed palaces, fiend-infested forests and every cacophonous saffron-scented marketplace in-between.
2:30pm to 4:30pm
Russell Square
More London events on Sunday 5th March
Monday 6th March
More London events on Monday 6th March
Tuesday 7th March
Simon Sturgis, SAVE’s carbon expert witness at the Marks and Spencer public inquiry, will be delivering a talk entitled Architecture and Climate Crisis: How the past can save the future.
6:30pm to 8pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Tuesday 7th March
Wednesday 8th March
Discover Westminster Abbey after hours for this special event to mark this years’ Commonwealth service.
4:30pm to 7pm
Pimlico
A panel of speakers discuss how we can ensure we all have access to the food we need to thrive, now and in the future.
6pm to 8:30pm
Islington
£12.00
A special International Women’s Day talk looking at the stories of women accused of witchcraft throughout history.
Starts at 6:30pm
Poplar
More London events on Wednesday 8th March
Thursday 9th March
Learn about how the City operates, its livery companies, famous events that took place within its medieval walls and admire the impressive memorials to some of Britain’s most important historic figures.
11am to 12pm
City of London
Modern technology seems mind-bogglingly complex. But beneath the surface, it can be beautifully simple.
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Thursday 9th March
Friday 10th March
Free
Join Dr Jane Brooks as she discusses the working conditions for nurses on active service during the Second World War.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Tim Clayton explores Gillray’s life and work through his friends, publishers – the most important being women – and collaborators.
Starts at 6:30pm
Tottenham Court Road
More London events on Friday 10th March
Saturday 11th March
An occasional day of lectures about all things underground.
Starts at 9:30am
Rotherhithe
Free
Leake Street tunnel will be filled with lots of makers, artists and designers.
11am to 5pm
Southwark
£8.00
Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first licensed Hackney Cab service in London at the premiere screening of On The Cotton.
2:30pm to 3:45pm
Covent Garden
£11.55
St John’s is Kensington’s only Grade 1 listed church, and a magnificent example of the best of Victorian architecture.
3pm to 4:30pm
West Kensington
£12.00
Learn from the experts at this panel discussion with judges and astrophotographers from the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition
6pm to 8pm
Greenwich
More London events on Saturday 11th March
Sunday 12th March
£10.00
Expect an eclectic mix of collectables including contemporary and midcentury furniture, ceramics, glassware, industrial, etc.
10am to 4pm
Dulwich
£12.00
This is an opportunity to have a look at the buildings and engines, to take in the exhibition and learn something of the Victorian sewer system which continues to serve the capital.
10am to 2:30pm
Abbey Wood
A day of events to mark the tube station's 90th birthday
11am to 5pm
Southgate
More than 50,000 people are expected to join the annual procession of Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry.
12pm to 6pm
More London events on Sunday 12th March
Monday 13th March
A talk about the presence of black slaves in Transatlantic Slavery Archives.
5:20pm to 7:30pm
Southwark
Online events / webinars
Nicholas Friend MA, FRSA traces city designs from the mid-1920s and discusses the changes needed to meet the challenges of climate change for modern cities of the future.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Monday 13th March
Tuesday 14th March
Northeastern University London hosts a panel discussion on how regulations, ethical guidelines, and good engineering practices are critical in the development and deployment of AI technology.
5:30pm to 8:30pm
Wapping
A deliciously dark evening with editors Adam Lynes, Craig Kelly and James Treadwell and their new book 50 Dark Destinations: Crime and Contemporary Tourism.
6:30pm to 8pm
Soho
Graphic novel artists Dave Gibbons and Brian Bolland talk to comic book writer and critic Tim Pilcher.
Starts at 7pm
Soho
This presentation, focussing on the 1980s, explores what British horror film production during this period reveals about contemporaneous film culture and society in Britain.
7pm to 10pm
Clerkenwell
A talk by Simon Edwards on six notable women, all interred at Highgate Cemetery
Starts at 7:30pm
Highgate
Online events / webinars
Join one of the RCP Museum team for a virtual talk exploring some of the objects that inspired their latest exhibition, ‘Unfamiliar’ and how the exhibition was created.
1pm to 1:45pm
Kate Macdonald of Handheld Press will be in conversation with Henry Bartholomew about Blackwood’s London stories, and how he found fear in the Metropolis.
2pm to 3pm
This talk, by June Lawrence, will look at some of the writers producing short gothic fiction during the latter part of the Victorian Era.
7pm to 9pm
More London events on Tuesday 14th March
Wednesday 15th March
Online events / webinars
A panel of experts will discuss the British Army’s historic presence in the Middle East and reflect on the role this sense of history played in decision making.
6:30pm to :
More London events on Wednesday 15th March
Thursday 16th March
An evening exploring women’s history in the City of London.
5pm to 8pm
City of London
An insight into the remarkable History and Collections of this Specialist Image Agency in Blackheath.
7pm to 9pm
Blackheath
More London events on Thursday 16th March
Friday 17th March
Two heritage buses will run along TfL Route 65 (Ealing to Kingston).
10am to 4pm
Twenty years on, Justin Maciejewski looks back at the British Army's preparations for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Online events / webinars
Get a taste of the Royal College of Physicians 500 year history as you virtually explore our award-winning building with an expert guide.
1pm to 1:30pm
More London events on Friday 17th March
Saturday 18th March
Visitors can expect over 35 of the country’s best model railways hand-picked by The Model Railway Club.
9:30am to 5pm
Wood Green
Hermitage Community Moorings is a cluster of boats next to Tower Bridge that hosts an occasional open weekend to let the public onboard for a look around.
11am to 4pm
Wapping
More London events on Saturday 18th March
Sunday 19th March
Visitors can expect over 35 of the country’s best model railways hand-picked by The Model Railway Club.
9:30am to 4:30pm
Wood Green
A tour covering the whole of the Gardens, including the sites of the earlier houses, the Walled Garden and a large part of the existing Mansion.
Starts at 10am
North Weald
Hermitage Community Moorings is a cluster of boats next to Tower Bridge that hosts an occasional open weekend to let the public onboard for a look around.
11am to 4pm
Wapping
Online events / webinars
This talk looks closely at two supernatural British girls’ comics: Spellbound (DC Thomson, 1976-77) and Misty (IPC/Fleetway, 1978-80)
8pm to 9:30pm
More London events on Sunday 19th March
Monday 20th March
Graham Haworth, Luke Tozer and David Lyndon in conversation about urban regeneration at Fish Island Village, Hackney Wick
Starts at 6:25pm
City of London
Join Mark Richards to examine the role that fundamental physics has played in characterising, monitoring, and detecting air pollution.
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Monday 20th March
Tuesday 21st March
£10.00
Tour the Roman Wall and remains of the western gate of London’s Roman military fort, located beneath the streets next to the museum.
Starts at 10:30am
Weybridge
Join the guided tour of this listed Victorian building.
12pm to 1pm
Bethnal Green
This talk by City Guide Jill Finch explores that medieval precinct, the buildings it contained and the events it saw that made history.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
More London events on Tuesday 21st March
Wednesday 22nd March
Get hands on with medical history at the RCP Museum's March lunchtime handling session.
12pm to 2pm
Camden
In this lecture, Dr Emma J. Wells explains what these changes were, why they occurred, and where their impact can still be seen today—and assesses whether Henry VIII was really the perpetrator behind this upheaval.
6pm to 7pm
Clerkenwell
This talk looks at the changing face of the
medieval abbey interior as the ceremonial setting for the anointing of England’s kings.
Starts at 6pm
Clerkenwell
A lecture by Robert Stephenson, the chairman of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Kensington
A panel discussion with some of London’s top producers discussing their experience in adapting comics to screen.
Starts at 7pm
Soho
More London events on Wednesday 22nd March
Thursday 23rd March
A conversation with author Paul Dobraszczyk to launch his new book, Animal Architecture, which explores how we might design with animals and the other lives that share our spaces.
6:30pm to 8pm
Euston
Explore the exotic possibilities and physics astrophysical objects, including wormholes and warp drives.
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Thursday 23rd March
Friday 24th March
Join Dr Emma Hanna as she explores the use of music and its wide-ranging importance to the British armed forces during the First World War.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Come and enjoy traditional Finnish Easter treats and delicious food and pastries from the Cafe and Shop.
12pm to 8pm
Rotherhithe
This special weekend brings together the most talented and brightest minds working in the arts today.
6pm to 10pm
Pimlico
Music, screenings, pop-up talks and tours to learn more about how public executions shaped the London we know today.
7pm to 10:15pm
Poplar
Online events / webinars
The Wife of Bath: A Biography is a one-of-a-kind history of a literary and feminist icon who continues to capture the imagination of readers.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Friday 24th March
Saturday 25th March
Take trips in heritage buses dating from the 1940s to 1970s along two Romford bus routes.
All Day
Occult art in the archives, the lives spiritualists and wizards and the story of the lock-down apotropaic deities. Join London Fortean for a day of talks on magic in art.
11am to 5pm
Holborn
Come and enjoy traditional Finnish Easter treats and delicious food and pastries from the Cafe and Shop.
12pm to 5pm
Rotherhithe
An occasional chance to see inside a metal church in Kilburn - now used by the Sea Cadets and as a community centre.
1pm to 4pm
Kilburn
Once a month open day at a nature reserve that sits alongside the railway in Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
More London events on Saturday 25th March
Sunday 26th March
£22.95
Brooklands will be bustling with hundreds of Mini models, beautifully looked after by their dedicated owners.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
A WW2-era history attraction that's open to the public once a month.
10:30am to 4pm
Watford
Dozens of vintage traders selling everything from mid century furniture to vintage designer label, all in one enormous hall.
11am to 4pm
New Cross
Come and enjoy traditional Finnish Easter treats and delicious food and pastries from the Cafe and Shop.
12pm to 4pm
Rotherhithe
Once a month, the oldest building in Hackney, St Augustine's Tower is open, so you can climb up to the top.
2pm to 4:30pm
Hackney
Enjoy the romance of early spring flowering in a historic, secluded 100ft garden with its architectural stonework, sculpture, and ancient hidden fountain
2:30pm to 5:30pm
Islington
The annual Oxford v Cambridge boat races return to the River Thames.
4pm to 6pm
More London events on Sunday 26th March
Monday 27th March
Film screen of Grenfell play, Dictating to the Estate and a preview of portrait exhibition about housing in Kensington and Chelsea
6:30pm to 9pm
North Kensington
Discover the the triumphs and the technical setbacks of astronomy over the years.
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Monday 27th March
Tuesday 28th March
£17.03
Journey into the extreme quantum physics of black holes and cosmic holograms.
Starts at 7pm
Hanover Square
Online events / webinars
This free online local history lecture focuses on the history of Melrose Hall, Putney before it became the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability.
1pm to 2pm
More London events on Tuesday 28th March
Wednesday 29th March
This lecture will assess which astronomical events are likely and which are not.
6pm to 7pm
Tower Hill
£11.55
Historian Arah Wise and Community activist Philip Green explore the history of 19th-century London’s most notorious slum and its transformation into the epicentre of the city hippest quarter.
Starts at 7pm
Clerkenwell
Online events / webinars
In this in person and online event, Dr Helen Rappaport gives the 2023 History of Nursing Forum lecture drawing on her recent book, "In Search of Mary Seacole".
6pm to 8pm
More London events on Wednesday 29th March
Thursday 30th March
£20.00
W.A.S.D is the central playable and interactive feature of London Games Festival.
10am to 6pm
Wapping
Free
Explore the regeneration of the Royal Docks - and find out what’s coming next - at this panel discussion.
6pm to 8pm
Victoria Dock
£8.50
Join an evening tour of Sutton House and discover 500 years of scandal, royal drama, history, and hauntings.
6pm to 8:45pm
Homerton
A talk by historian Alice Loxton based on her new book about Georgian Britain.
7pm to 8:15pm
Covent Garden
More London events on Thursday 30th March
Friday 31st March
£20.00
W.A.S.D is the central playable and interactive feature of London Games Festival.
10am to 6pm
Wapping
Join Professor Ian Beckett as he explores the now forgotten phenomenon of panorama paintings.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
This lecture will tell the story from the early days over the past 150 years of telecommunications.
2pm to 3:30pm
Strand
Kevin Fong uncovers the perspective of our frontline NHS teams through the COVID-19 pandemic.
7:20pm to 8:45pm
Hanover Square
Online events / webinars
Discover the story of Tupaia, the Taitian priest and navigator, who assisted Captain Cook’s navigation around the Polynesian islands
2pm to 3pm
