This weekend, over 700 of London’s buildings, from private houses to government buildings, will open their doors to the general public for Open House weekend. scientific buildings. As usual, we’ve rounded up the best science highlights from the festival, but there are dozens of other interesting places: feel free to recommend other favourites in the comments.
Do check before you go anywhere: some old favourites appear to be missing from this year’s list, including the Royal Institution and the Royal Society of Chemistry, but there are also some interesting looking new ones, so a booklet (amazingly, not free to download) is recommended.
Brunel Museum
Sat – 10am-5pm. Sun – 10am-5pm. Regular tours.
Railway Avenue SE16 4LF
Recently visited by Nature Network London
Geological Society of London
Sat 10am-5.30pm. Half-hourly tours, first come basis. Last tour 5pm.
Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J 0BG
GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Imaging Centre
Sat 10:30 – 11:30am – Pre-booked tour only
New clinical imaging centre, the result of a unique collaboration between GlaxoSmithKline, Imperial College London and the Medical Research Centre.
Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution
Sun – 12noon-4pm. Unrestricted entry to Victoria Hall, guided tours to other rooms. Last entry 3.15pm.
11 South Grove N6 6BS
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) London, Savoy Place
Sat 10am-2pm. Hourly tours, first come basis. Small historical exhibition. Last tour 1pm.
2 Savoy Place WC2R 0BL
King’s Cross Construction Skills Centre
Sat – 10am-1pm.
180 York Way N1C 0AZ
A new one for me: LB Camden’s conservation skills and recruitment centre with photovoltaic panels and a sedum roof to support biodiversity.
Kirkaldy Testing Museum
Sat – 10am-4.30pm. Regular tours, first come basis. Last entry 4pm
99 Southwark Street SE1 0JF
Limehouse Accumulator Tower
Sat 1pm-5pm/Sun 1pm-5pm.
Limehouse Basin, Mill Place E14 7HZ
Octagonal tower (1869) for regulating one of the first hydraulic power systems.
Linnean Society
Sat – 10am-5pm. Last entry 4.45pm.
Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J 0BF
London Mathematical Society
Sat 11am-4pm. Half-hourly tours. Last tour 3.30pm.
De Morgan House, 57-58 Russell Square WC1B 4HS
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Sat – 10am-5pm. Tours on the hour, first come basis. Exhibition on history of building. Last tour 4pm.
Keppel Street WC1E 7HT
Queen Mary College, Cell and Molecular Science, Blizard Building
Sun – 10am-4pm. First come basis, queuing if necessary..Last entry 4pm.
4 Newark Street E1 2AT
Landmark building providing cutting-edge innovative research laboratory facilities. Glass-walled structure with applied Bruce McLean art, with dramatic interior including irregular range of pods such as the spectacular orange molecular pod. New Centre of the Cell also open.
Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret
Sun – 10.30am-5pm. Last entry 4.45pm.
9a St Thomas Street SE1 9RY
Royal Astronomical Society
Sun 10am-5pm. Pre-booked tours only: currently full, but there is a waiting list
Burlington House, Piccadilly W1J 0BQ
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Jodrell Laboratory
Meet at Main Gate, Kew Green, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew TW9 3DS
Pre-booked tours only currently fully booked on Sat and Sun, but they have a waiting list, so register here if interested.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Museum No.2 (School of Horticulture)
Entry via Jodrell Laboratory Gate (opp Gloucester Court) Kew Road TW9 3DS
Sat 10am-5pm/Sun 10am-5pm.
Entrance to Gardens not included. Special display on 19C explorers. Last entry 4pm.
Royal College of Pathologists
Sat – 10am-5pm. Last entry 4.45pm
2 Carlton House Terrace SW1Y 5AF
Royal College of Physicians
Sun – 10am-4pm. Regular tours bookable on the day. Last entry 3.30pm.
11 St Andrew’s Place, Regents Park NW1 4LE
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
Sat 2.30pm-5.30pm. Half-hourly tours from 2.30pm, first come basis. Last tour 4.30pm.
1 Lambeth High Street SE1 7JN
Royal Society
Sat – 10am-5pm, Sun – 11am-4pm. Tours every 20 mins, first come basis.
6-9 Carlton House Terrace SW1Y 5AG
Royal Veterinary College, Lightwell Cafe
Sat 10am-5pm.
Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street NW1 0TU
SELCHP Energy Recovery Facility
Sun 10am-4pm.
Landmann Way, off Surrey Canal Road SE14 5RS
First new generation ‘state of the art’ Energy Recovery Facility providing long-term sustainable solution for waste disposal, and producing electricity for National Grid.
South London Botanical Institute
Sun – 1pm-5pm. Regular tours, first come basis. Last entry 4.30pm.
323 Norwood Road SE24 9AQ
UCL Tour
Sat – 10am-4pm. Regular tours from information point (Front Quad, Gower Street)
Gower Street WC1E 6BT
Boat Tour – Engineering Heritage
Three boat tours of the Thames focusing on Engineering in London. Currently all full, but places may become available, so add yourself to the waiting list now
For more information on all of these places, you might want to have a look at the guide put together for Nature Network last year with additional photography by Matt