Open House London is an annual festival celebrating the architecture and urban landscape of London. It is staged by the charity Open City which campaigns to make London a more accessible, equitable and open city. During the Open House festival, many buildings considered to be of architectural significance open their doors for free public tours.
The 2019 event featured over 800 buildings, neighbourhood walks, architects' talks, cycle tours, and more. Well-known buildings not usually open to the public which were open on Open House weekend in 2005, for example, included
Marlborough House
Marlborough House, a Grade I listed mansion in St James's, City of Westminster, London, is the headquarters of the Commonwealth of Nations and the seat of the Commonwealth Secretariat. It was built in 1711 for Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marl ...
,
Lancaster House
Lancaster House (originally known as York House and then Stafford House) is a mansion in the St James's district in the West End of London. It is close to St James's Palace, and much of the site was once part of the palace complex. This ...
,
Mansion House, the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...
, and
Horse Guards.
In a typical year, Open House Weekend attracts around 250,000 people.
Outside of the Open House festival, Open City organises other projects including year-round tours, lectures and educational events for children and young people.
The 2020 Open House festival featured a diverse set of events to attend both virtually and physically. Changes were made to ensure Open House was safe and comfortable in line with government guidelines.
The 2022 edition will take place between 8 and 21 September.
The Open House Key
The Open House festival uses a key as its emblem, the blade formed in the shape of London's skyline.
![Open House Key](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Open_House_Key.png)
See also
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Historic Houses Association
Historic Houses (formerly, and still for legal purposes, known as the Historic Houses Association or HHA) is a not-for-profit organisation that represents more than 1,650 privately owned historic country houses, castles and gardens throughout th ...
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Open House New York
Open House New York (OHNY) is a cultural nonprofit organization that holds annual Doors Open Days. It was founded in 2001 in New York City.
Organization
Open House New York (OHNY) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that hosts educational p ...
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Open House Chicago
Open House Chicago (OHC) is a free weekend festival held annually in Chicago that allows participants to visit dozens of buildings that are not typically open to the public. The next festival will be held on 16–17 October 2021 because 2020 was sc ...
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Open House Brno
Open House Brno (OHB) is a free weekend festival held annually in Brno that allows participants to visit dozens of buildings that are not typically open to the public. Every visit is free of charge. It is part of a worldwide network of Open House ...
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Doors Open Days
Doors Open Days (also known as Open House or Open Days in some communities) provide free access to buildings not normally open to the public. The first Doors Open Day took place in France in 1984, and the concept has spread to other places in Eur ...
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Treasure Houses of England
The Treasure Houses of England group is a heritage consortium. It was founded in the early 1970s by nine of the foremost stately homes in England still in private ownership, with the aim of marketing and promoting themselves as tourist venues.
...
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Manchester Curious - Open House in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
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Visit My Mosque
Visit My Mosque day is a national initiative facilitated by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), encouraging mosques across the United Kingdom to hold mosque open days.
The Muslim Council of Britain is a representative Muslim umbrella organizati ...
References
External links
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London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Annual events in London
Architecture of London
Cultural organisations based in London
Recurring events established in 1992
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