The ianVisits guide to October's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Sunday 1st October
Free
Back for the first time since 2019, a Japanese food and culture festival in Trafalgar Square.
10am to 6pm
Trafalgar Square
Free
An opportunity to hold history in your hands and hear the stories behind these ancient artefacts.
10am to 5pm
Poplar
Annual barge race along the Thames by three to five teams of lightermen apprentices.
10:30am to 2pm
Visitors to the mill are given a full guided tour covering the history, operation and principal features of Shirley Windmill.
11am to 4pm
Croydon
£3.00
Celebrating the orchard harvest within the historic walled garden, join Fulham Palace for creative crafts, food, garden games and much more in this community celebration.
11am to 4pm
Fulham
This summer London's fire stations be opening their red doors to the public for a number of open day events across London.
12pm to 6pm
Islington
Join mudlark Jason Sandy for a lecture on Docklands history and get up close and personal with artefacts that reveal maritime history.
2pm to 3:30pm
Poplar
More London events on Sunday 1st October
Monday 2nd October
There's a parade of judges in full regalia as they arrive for the service. The service itself is private, but their arrival in robes is impressive to watch.
Starts at 10:30am
Pimlico
This lecture will introduce the concept of Net Present Value.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 2nd October
Tuesday 3rd October
This lecture will reflect on the aesthetics of Caribbean emigrant authors.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
£11.55
A guided tasting of herbals which have been brewed and consumed over millennia.
Starts at 6:30pm
Barbican
How has human biology has shaped relationships, societies, and economies across the globe?
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Tuesday 3rd October
Wednesday 4th October
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Wednesday 4th October
Thursday 5th October
This lecture will examine the provocative and often beautiful work of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
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
Discover the museum's collections after hours with the opportunity to join a free curator talk.
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
Join us for a special late-night event to find out more about young Romantic Mary Shelley and her ground-breaking novel Frankenstein
6pm to 8pm
Hampstead
Alberto Campagnolo and Sonja Schwoll will discuss current approaches and trends in Conservation Documentation.
6pm to 9pm
Richmond
An adults-only evening of talks and activities exploring the history of forensic investigation and how modern forensic science has evolved.
6:30pm to 9:30pm
St James
More London events on Thursday 5th October
Friday 6th October
£15.00
A talk and show about the watercolours of the Thames Tunnel acquired recently by the Brunel Museum.
Starts at 10:30am
Clerkenwell
Join Professor Meaghan Clarke as she examines some of the art inspired by the Crimean War, 170 years after the outbreak of the conflict.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Are you a student or young person starting your journey in the capital this autumn?
6:45pm to 10pm
Covent Garden
Online events / webinars
Among the records you will find designs for William Morris wallpapers, Liberty textiles, Wedgwood porcelain and Lego, along with many more designs and designers that are waiting to be discovered by researchers.
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Friday 6th October
Saturday 7th October
Free
Artists and crafts people across the borough of Lambeth will be opening their studio and work spaces to the public.
10am to 6pm
Free
Monthly Saturday opening of an exhibition about the British priest who nearly became Pope.
10am to 5pm
Southwark
Occasional open day at a museum of domestic "clutter" housed in an old farm barn.
10:30am to 4pm
Upminster
Southwark Cathedral is hosting a day of talks exploring burial grounds, cemeteries and funerals.
10:30am to 4:30pm
Southwark
£5.00
See working models of cars, cranes, trains, funfair rides and more, all built from Meccano, the famous construction toy invented by Frank Hornby.
10:30am to 4:30pm
Welling
Join Adjunct Curators, Asia-Pacific Hera Chan and Alvin Li in a discussion about a series of Chinese photobooks publications
11am to 3pm
Pimlico
Meet publishers, writers, translators, fanzine makers, illustrators and open minded readers interested in the Spanish language.
11am to 5pm
Walworth
This summer London's fire stations be opening their red doors to the public for a number of open day events across London.
12pm to 3pm
Southwark
Annual Conker Championships held in Peckham - anyone can attend, although you need to book in advance, especially if you want to participate.
3pm to 6pm
An informal hour with the writer, broadcaster and former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.
5pm to 6:15pm
Bethnal Green
A talk by a book author on the Palace of Westminster, focusing on how the nation’s historic faith is embedded within the building’s architecture.
6pm to 8pm
New Southgate
More London events on Saturday 7th October
Sunday 8th October
Free
Artists and crafts people across the borough of Lambeth will be opening their studio and work spaces to the public.
10am to 6pm
Meet publishers, writers, translators, fanzine makers, illustrators and open minded readers interested in the Spanish language.
12:30pm to 5pm
Walworth
More London events on Sunday 8th October
Monday 9th October
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 9th October
Tuesday 10th October
Why are there chess Grandmasters, but not Grandmasters of noughts and crosses (otherwise known as tic-tac-toe)?
1pm to 2pm
Holborn
Prof Ben Highmore looks at how the 1950s bombsites in the UK were turned into junk-playgrounds.
2pm to 4pm
Clerkenwell
This talk will take the form of an architectural journey around Kensington's wide variety of Victorian churches.
7pm to 8:30pm
Kensington
Online events / webinars
This unmissable event for Pratchett fans will be, for most, a first chance to discover these unearthed stories
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Tuesday 10th October
Wednesday 11th October
Dr Frances Sands, Curator of Drawings and Books, for a session focusing on the various items of pro-emancipation literature within Sir John Soane’s collection.
1pm to 2pm
Holborn
Are current and traditional legal frameworks and new governance strategies able to guard against the novel risks posed by new systems?
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
£10.00
A unique opportunity to hear artist El Anatsui speak about his life and extraordinary career as his Hyundai Commission in the Turbine Hall opens to the public
6:30pm to 8pm
Southwark
In this talk, activists Sorcha Thomson and Marral Shamshiri set the record straight, revealing how women have contributed to revolutionary movements across the world in endless ways
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Online events / webinars
Join Kate Macdonald of Handheld Press to hear how Handheld chooses its book cover artwork, with some forays into how book cover art works
2pm to 3pm
More London events on Wednesday 11th October
Thursday 12th October
An annual wreath laying ceremony at Edith Cavell’s statue, just off Trafalgar Square.
10am to 11am
Trafalgar Square
The writer and historian C. J. Schüler will discuss the documentary research into historic land ownership and management that informed his book The Wood That Built London
5pm to 6pm
Picadilly
This talk will explore the early days of anaesthesia, how ether and chloroform’s different properties caused concern both in the operating theatre and beyond.
6pm to 8:30pm
Southwark
£12.00
Join lawyer Kate Morgan as she explores the history of homicide, through the strange stories and mysterious cases that have shaped the law of murder in England down the centuries.
Starts at 7pm
Covent Garden
£10.54
A night of planetery-themed stand-up comedy, stories, and silliness from some of London's funniest people.
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Southwark
£18.50
Join author and comedian Marc Burrows on a journey through the life and work of Sir Terry Pratchett, based on his biography and officially endorsed by the author’s estate.
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Euston
Online events / webinars
Louise Ryan and Grainne McPolin present an oral history project involving 40 Irish nurses who worked in the NHS during 1950s-60s.
5pm to 6:30pm
This is the story of a prize-winning modernist school and its early demise, and entangled with this is a larger story about the landscape in and around Heathrow airport.
6:30pm to 8pm
More London events on Thursday 12th October
Friday 13th October
Take this exciting opportunity to hear from our world renowned Conservators about their work on the Tate Britain Rehang
3pm to 4:30pm
Pimlico
Immerse yourself in the Clockwork Watch story world, party with Professor Elemental and explore 19th-century London in Minecraft.
7:30pm to 10:30pm
Camden
Join Gilbert & George in conversation with Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, as part of the Frieze Masters Talks Programme.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
Soho
More London events on Friday 13th October
Saturday 14th October
Free
This exhibition presents the stories of Londoners of African, Caribbean, Asian and Indigenous heritage who lived and worked in the city between 1560 and 1860 and are recorded in London’s archives.
10am to 4:30pm
Clerkenwell
A presentation by Andy Saunders, with the original and remastered NASA images projected onto a 16ft x 9ft screen.
7pm to 8:30pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 14th October
Sunday 15th October
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
£6.00
Annual model wargaming show with traders, tournaments, and a "bring and buy" service.
10am to 4pm
Lower Edmonton
Will Ashon and Susan Owens explore what we see in the British landscape and how place and history shape us.
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Sunday 15th October
Monday 16th October
This lecture investigates some of the biggest ideas about evolution, as well as some of the most ill-conceived.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
Online events / webinars
Poetry Vs Colonialism school workshops develop writing, oracy and history skills with new creative-writing and poetry performance approaches
Poetry Vs Colonialism school workshops develop writi
4pm to 5:30pm
More London events on Monday 16th October
Tuesday 17th October
A guided tour of Oxford House's listed Victorian building. Peek into our archives, visit the 'secret chapel' and take in 360° degree views of East London from the rooftop.
12pm to 1pm
Bethnal Green
In their 50th year, Virago marks the first anniversary of the death their founder, Carmen Callil, author and genius publisher, with an inaugural lecture by Dame Hermione Lee.
6:30pm to 7:45pm
Camden
£26.00
TEDxLondon Countdown is about sharing powerful ideas from inspiring speakers to accelerate meaningful action on climate change.
Starts at 6:30pm
Euston
An evening of discussion about their experiences of gardening with wildlife in mind.
7pm to 8pm
Southwark
More London events on Tuesday 17th October
Wednesday 18th October
The Thames Flood Barrier is closed once a month for test purposes, where all the gates are closed at the same time.
9:40am to 12:10pm
Woolwich
Shaping Mathematical Practices Of The Science of the Stars by Dr Laure Miolo
4pm to 6pm
Holborn
More London events on Wednesday 18th October
Thursday 19th October
A one-day exhibition of award-winning contemporary woodturning.
10am to 4pm
City of London
Len Taphouse relates some of the time he spent as Lecturer in Engineering at East Ham Technical College. The howlers and stories about students.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
A festival with light show and food stalls to celebrate the University of East London's 125th anniversary.
5pm to 10pm
Victoria Dock
Research to re-examine the archaeological, documentary and pictorial evidence for the Civil War Defences of London.
5pm to 6pm
Picadilly
A panel discussion between the architect Biba Dow, architectural historian Luka Pajovic, and designer Moritz Waldemeyer. Chaired by The Very Rev’d Andrew Nunn.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
Is politics merely a gaslighting of the oppressed, a cloak for the rulers to exploit the ruled?
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
Free
Music Lates is a celebration of Turn It Up: The power of music, a new blockbuster exhibition coming to the museum this autumn.
6:30pm to 10pm
South Kensington
£10.00
In this discussion, a panel of scientists and musicians come together to examine the fascinating relationship between the human brain and the sound of music.
6:30pm to 7:40pm
South Kensington
Vinyl collector and music buff Jonathan Scott’s book Into the Groove dissects a feat that many take for granted today—the domestication of sound.
7pm to 8pm
South Kensington
A book launch talk detailing the hidden historic gems, attractions and landmarks our capital city has to offer.
7pm to 8pm
Rotherhithe
£10.00
Should the industry exercise caution or embrace the technology with open arms?
8:30pm to 9:40pm
South Kensington
Music critic and writer Jude Rogers discusses her book The Sound of Being Human with broadcaster, DJ and psychotherapist Nemone.
8:30pm to 9:30pm
South Kensington
More London events on Thursday 19th October
Friday 20th October
Dr Nicole Hartwell explores the fascinating lives and artworks of women war artists in the 19th and 20th centuries.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
More London events on Friday 20th October
Saturday 21st October
The London Welsh Centre hosts the annual London Welsh Autumn Emporium.
10am to 5pm
Farringdon
Tour an historic Grade II listed water tower with views of the Gasholder at Kings Cross area and St Pancras station.
10am to 4pm
Kings Cross
Annual local railway group model show.
10am to 4:30pm
Forest Hill
Conway Hall welcomes three radical and innovative small press publishers to discuss what inspired them, how they found their audience, and how they keep going.
12:30pm to 2pm
Holborn
Keith Temple will be signing Doctor Who: Planet of the Ood, from the Doctor Who Target Collection.
1pm to 2pm
Soho
Volunteers from Barnet Museum are continuing to arrange special openings of Barnet Physic Well.
2pm to 4pm
Arkley
More London events on Saturday 21st October
Sunday 22nd October
This event features extensive bus displays, including rarely-seen early examples, as well as examples of other commercial transport such as taxis, military & emergency vehicles.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
£18.00
Visit the 3 listed buildings and see the four Victorian beam engines, one of which will be working.
10:30am to 4pm
Abbey Wood
This summer London's fire stations be opening their red doors to the public for a number of open day events across London.
12pm to 4pm
Tottenham
The 35 acre Beale Arboretum consists of over 800 varieties of trees and shrubs, a network of paths through good selection of conifers, oaks, maples and mountain ash, all specimens labelled.
1pm to 4pm
Barnet
More London events on Sunday 22nd October
Monday 23rd October
As part of Beckton Parks Masterplan, have a go on a tractor and help seed the new Wildflower Meadow.
11am to 12pm
East Ham
Find out about science superheroes, dress up as a bogey and meet a world-leading scientist.
3pm to 4pm
Camden
Online events / webinars
This talk will explore how the First World War impacted on voluntary and charitable work within English Association Football.
6pm to 7:30pm
More London events on Monday 23rd October
Tuesday 24th October
Our brains are computers. What if we could enhance their processing power?
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
In this talk, Penelope Corfield explores the clever showmanship of the impresario Jonathan Tyers and the eager expectations of the crowds who thronged there in their thousands.
Starts at 7pm
Holborn
More London events on Tuesday 24th October
Wednesday 25th October
Seminar exploring the past, present and future of community at Kensal House, North Kensington.
5:30pm to 8:30pm
Euston
£5.00
Bestselling author Damien Lewis revisits the daring SAS mission to break through enemy coastal defences and liberate Europe.
Starts at 6:30pm
Chelsea
Breast surgeon Liz O’Riordan shares her story.
Starts at 7pm
Holborn
Online events / webinars
The Victorian railway companies certainly built a dense and complex network, but did it amount to a system?
7pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 25th October
Thursday 26th October
Discover the compelling history of the Athenaeum Club and its members’ impact on Britain’s scientific, creative, and official life.
5pm to 6pm
Picadilly
Streisand’s work as a producer and director have shattered the glass ceiling and reshaped our idea of what a diva is today, but not without personal cost.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
Join Naomi Ryan for a close look at some of the strangest cases in legal history, in which the Fortean meets the forensic, the bizarre is examined by barristers and the strange is investigated by the state
7pm to 8:30pm
Covent Garden
More London events on Thursday 26th October
Friday 27th October
A chance to see a beer delivery by a traditional dray horse and cart to Leadenhall Market.
10am to 11am
City of London
John Grehan examines the treatment of British and Commonwealth prisoners of war who were forced to work on the Burma Railway during the Second World War.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent introduce Tiffany Aching’s Guide To Being A Witch – a practical guide to being a witch in Discworld
3pm to 4:15pm
Camden
£18.00
Join historic storytellers on a journey through the past, with tales of ghosts, supernatural sightings and horrors from history.
Starts at 6pm
Eltham
William Whyte presents a talk about Wren’s ecclesiastical architecture at St James’s, one of Wren’s most celebrated church buildings.
Starts at 7pm
Picadilly
Join no dig pioneer Charles Dowding for an introduction to this transformative gardening technique.
7pm to 8pm
Southwark
Online events / webinars
Susan Cooper, best known for The Dark is Rising series, talks to Natalie Haynes, aka the ‘rock-star mythologist’.
6pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Friday 27th October
Saturday 28th October
A restoration project has bought the mill back to working order for the first time since 1935, and it's now open to the public.
10am to 4pm
Upminster
Once a month open day at a nature reserve that sits alongside the railway in Forest Hill.
1pm to 4pm
Forest Hill
A partial lunar eclipse will take this evening, with the moon partially blocked from the sun by the earth.
6pm to 8pm
Experience the Museum of the Moon installation and explore the oldest gothic church in London after hours
6:30pm to 9pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 28th October
Sunday 29th October
Twice a year there's a guided tour around London looking at the locations of Danger Man and The Prisoner TV series.
All Day
A restoration project has bought the mill back to working order for the first time since 1935, and it's now open to the public.
10am to 4pm
Upminster
A WW2-era history attraction that's open to the public once a month.
10:30am to 4pm
Watford
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
Join some of Sarah White’s family and friends from across three continents as they pay tribute to a remarkable unsung activist.
2pm to 4pm
Camden
Enjoy Halloween in spooky classic style with a silent film and the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ at the Musical Museum
3pm to 6pm
Brentford
More London events on Sunday 29th October
Monday 30th October
An evening with Dame Zandra Rhodes, a notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry for five decades.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
Richmond
More London events on Monday 30th October
Tuesday 31st October
An evening, as you explore the London home of Charles Dickens, led by an unearthly guide 'The Ghost of London Past.'
5pm to 7pm
Clerkenwell
The talk will examine the politics of Horatio Bottomley MP.
5:30pm to 7pm
Euston
Why did the Soviet Union fail where China succeeded?
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
A talk which will focus on how this book was produced, and on what is special about the Soane copy in particular.
Starts at 7pm
Holborn
Your medium, magician Christopher Howell, shares haunting night terrors and ghostly tales.
Starts at 7pm
Homerton
Online events / webinars
A talk by Steven Brindle about the dramatic history of Euston Station, one of the Victorian Society’s greatest conservation battles.
7pm to 8:30pm
