Check out this week's alternative guide to what's on in London. | Welcome to my weekly email of lectures, talks, heritage events, organised walks and other random miscellany which Ian hopes would be of interest. | = Event is free of charge | | = Pre-Booking required. |
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| | | Saturday, 17th October | | There will be a firework display from a barge on the Thames. | | | | | | Sunday, 18th October | | Japanese landscaped garden originally part of Coombe Wood Nursery, planted by the Veitch family in the 1860s. | | | | | | Monday, 19th October | | City Guide Jill Finch’s talk looks back at that history and at the street today. From literary lions to waxworks and a pub that crossed the road, Fleet Street still has a tale or two to tell. | | | | This lecture will examine – and celebrate – the work of lawyers who have crossed the usual lines and worked for political change. | | | | | | Tuesday, 20th October | | Join Librarian Ann Martin to learn about the history of Guildhall Library and to view some of the Library’s treasures. | | | | There are a surprising number of closed railway lines and stations in London. Join Stephen to explore some lost and forgotten railways. | | | | This paper will present findings from a ‘bottom up’ LGBT archive study (funded by the Wellcome Trust). | | | | Join Stephen Fry for an evening of conversation as he explores establishing trust in science and how individuals can make rational and objective decisions with Nobel Prize-winning biologist and President of the Royal Society, Venki Ramakrishnan. | | | | There are also general theories of algorithms, and those ideas are not messy at all; they are very beautiful, powerful and should be required reading for the internet age. | | | | How did the brevity of the telegram influenced Hemingway's writing style? How did a young chemist expose the use of Polaroid's cameras to create passbooks to track black citizens in apartheid South Af | | | | A visual tour of Stoke Newington’s past and a time when the New River ran along Church Street and detached mansions were a common sight. | | | | Historian and architect Benedict O'Looney discusses landmark collaborations between architects, engineers & town planners in the twilight of Beaux Arts London. | | | | Join Librarian Ann Martin to look at how the tale has been passed down generations of adults and children through books, ballads and pantomimes in Guildhall Library’s collections. | | | | | | Wednesday, 21st October | | Discover the rise, the fall and rise again of the remarkable career of John Singer Sargent, the leading portrait painter of his age – the age of elegance. | | | | This event, jointly hosted with the British Society for the History of Mathematics, will focus upon the relationship between mathematics and money, from coinage through to cryptocurrencies. | | | | A talk by Nick Mayhew-Smith and Guy Hayward, authors of the new publication, Britain's Pilgrim Places. | | | | In his talk, Dr Troyer will explore the relationship of the dead body with technology through history, from nineteenth-century embalming machines to the death-prevention technologies of today. | | | | | | Thursday, 22nd October | | Bruce Daisley joins Alan Lockey of the RSA Future Work programme for a briefing on the great remote working experiment: what we learned, and how to prepare wisely for what comes next. | | | | Architecture and travel writer Christopher Beanland, author of Lido, takes us on a tour around the very best outdoor swimming pools, from London and beyond in this illustrated talk. | | | | This lecture examines the centuries long presence of the African diaspora as an integral part of Britain’s history since Roman times. | | | | Visit Strawberry Hill at twilight and experience the home of the author of the first Gothic novel. | | | | | | Friday, 23rd October | | Join Shrabani Basu as she recounts the riveting story of Noor Inayat Khan, who served as a British secret agent during the Second World War. | | | | In November 1633, a little boy telling tall tales about witches in his local community in Lancashire sparked a witch hunt so shocking that no lesser body than the Privy Council decided to investigate. | | | | Jason Fox, veteran of the Special Boat Service, reflects on his military operations and explores how anyone can build the strength and resilience of an elite soldier. | | | | Author Marie Le Conte talks Gossip Politics and Power in her latest book. | | | | | | Saturday, 24th October | | The talk essentially takes the form of a guided tour of the house and church. | | |
| Exhibitions closing shortly | | An exhibition of works by painters such as Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Morisot, Degas and Gauguin – many of which have never been seen in the UK. (Ends on Sun, 18th Oct) | | An annual outdoor exhibition of sculptures within Regent's Park. (Ends on Sun, 18th Oct) | | This exhibition presents the kimono as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion, revealing the sartorial, aesthetic and social significance of the garment. (Ends on Sun, 25th Oct) | | An affectionate depiction of community life in a once infamous King’s Cross neighbourhood during the 80s and 90s, through the eyes of local photographer and resident Catherine Packard. (Ends on Sun, 25th Oct) | | This exhibition celebrates the first 100 years of The Club which has been located in Bloomsbury since its very beginning when it was founded to create a community for like-minded men and women. (Ends on Sun, 25th Oct) | | R.I.P Germain’s Dead Yard explores multiple forms of death and mourning relating to the artist's personal experiences and the ongoing viscerality of Black life in the UK. (Ends on Sun, 25th Oct) | | This open-air exhibition features images from religious services to reveal the Square Mile’s diverse spiritual life that stretches out into many faiths. (Ends on Wed, 28th Oct) | | By turns poetic, adventurous and thought-provoking, this group exhibition explores our relationship with trees and forests. (Ends on Sat, 31st Oct) | | An exhibition of J.M.W. Turner’s original oil paintings in the house he designed for himself. (Ends on Sat, 31st Oct) | | This exhibition reimagines Picasso’s Cannes Studio as an immersive experience within the gallery (Ends on Sat, 31st Oct) | | The King’s Man Experience is an immersive exhibition featuring costumes, props and behind-the-scenes material from the movie of the same name. (Ends on Sat, 31st Oct) | | An exhibition of Grayson Perry works inspired by his TV series on Channel 4 (Ends on Sat, 31st Oct) |
| | | Latest blog posts by ianVisits | Tickets Alert: Halloween horror films in Peckham
A large warehouse in Peckham is being converted into a scary forest with a pop-up cinema for Halloween. | | British Library releases 18,000 maps and views for free
The British Library has released a huge archive of nearly 18,000 maps that have been digitised and are available for free - with no copyright restrictions. | | Restoring the Princes Risborough railway signal box
The UK's largest surviving Great Western Railway signal box can be found just under an hour from central London, and occasionally, is open to the public to have a look inside. | | Regent Street to get wider pavements and cycle lanes
Plans have been shown off to reduce the width of the road along Regent Street and widen the pavements, in time for Christmas. | | Matt Smith’s medley of art in a city office lobby
Faceless figures, malformed pottery and a deep message of politics and human rights are currently filling an office foyer in the city. | | Crossrail extension may be dependent on theme park developer
A suggested extension of the Elizabeth line deep into Kent could hinge on the opening of a large leisure park at Swanscome. | | London’s Alleys: Clerks Place, EC3
This could be considered one of London's newest, and widest alleys, as there's never been an alley on this location, but in fact, there was a small alley of the same name nearby, underneath the very new large office block that destroyed it., | | The world’s largest archive of magazines – is in South-East London
You'd never guess it from the outside, but an old building in the former military arsenal at Woolwich contains the world's largest repository of magazines. | | London’s first two HS2 tunnelling machines ordered
The first contracts for two new giant tunnel boring machines have been signed to dig HS2 tunnels under North-West London. | | London’s weekly railway news
A weekly round-up of London’s rail transport news… | | A train covered in Christmas Lights is coming to Epping
The Epping-Ongar heritage railway is launching a special service for this winter, with trains covered in Christmas lights. | | The arguments over TfL debt numbers
In politics, facts are often an early casualty, and one of the claims being advanced a lot at the moment is that TfL's current financial crisis predates the Covid lockdown. | | London’s Pocket Parks: Cavell Street Garden, E1
A side street in Shadwell has a small pocket park with gates leading to a space once filled with housing. | | Ice Skating in London this winter
The weather's turning wintery and thoughts turn to mulled wine and ice skating, so here's a round-up of the pop-up ice rinks that I am aware of in London this winter. | | Museum of London celebrates dub music
A new exhibition, Dub London celebrates dub reggae music and culture in the capital, from its roots in Jamaican reggae to how it has shaped communities and culture over the last 50 years. | | Visit – Hogarth’s House
Nearly demolished to make space for the M4, Hogarth's House is an easy to overlook little museum in London. | |
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