Open House Festival is a London-wide festival that opens up and celebrates the city’s architecture, special sites and neighbourhoods, with open days and events taking place across all 33 London boroughs – including ours! These are some local places you can visit, starting this weekend:
Close to home:
- West Wickham Library – an Art Deco building designed in 1934 by Leslie Kemp and Tasker in International Moderne style. Now the temporary home of West Wickham Library. (Look out for the next issue of the newsletter for more on this building).
- Bromley Archives- Bromley Central Library – a guided tour of Bromley Archives. With access to the archive store, typically closed to the public, visitors will get a behind the scenes look at the collection and service.
In Croydon
- East Croydon History Walk – Historic walking tour of East Croydon led by a native. Those who come along are welcome to contribute their memories. Marvel at one of the oldest electricity sub-stations in Croydon. Tour ends at the iconic One Croydon, the “Thru’penny Bit” office block designed by Seifert in the 1960s. Join us for a drink afterwards in a Victorian hostelry.
- Croydon Town Hall – Croydon Town Hall will be opened for a limited number of guided tours, providing rare access to this unique Victorian-style, Grade II listed building. Croydon Town Hall was designed by local architect Charles Henman and opened in 1896.
- Quakers Hall (shown above) – Opening the doors of Croydon Quakers’ Adult School Hall, built in an Arts & Crafts style in the 1900’s as an educational community facility in the then rural borough centre. Archive materials on the history and design of the building will be present alongside a drop-in mixed media mapping and zine making workshop
- And lots more – including walks and talks.