Architecture Tours

Open House Architecture Tours take place every Saturday morning and offer an opportunity to experience London’s built environment at first hand. The tour guides, all of whom are architects, architectural writers or architectural historians, have an in-depth knowledge of London, enabling them to provide an intelligent but accessible commentary to the tours.

Four geographical areas are rotated on a weekly basis: The Square Mile, Edges of the City, Westminster and Docklands. Please note that a coach is used to get you to the key destinations, with some walking in-between.

Tour A - The Square Mile

From the historic sober high walls of Sir John Soane’s Bank of England, to the brand new glass cladding of the 30 St Mary Axe skyscraper, the architecture of the City has always been an expression of wealth and quality. But hidden behind these colossal monuments to finance are networks of medieval alleyways concealing gems like St Bartholomew’s Church.

Tour B - Edges of the City

Beginning with recent developments along the river in Southwark, such as Palestra and the Unicorn Theatre, this tour moves on to discover some of the exciting buildings that have helped to regenerate East London. It explores buildings as diverse as Adjaye Associates' Idea Store and Dirty House to Alsop Architects' Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, and shows how some of the most innovative architectural developments are taking place just outside the City boundaries.

Tour C – Westminster: Power and Culture

Showcasing some of London’s most celebrated architects from the establishment buildings of St James’ and Whitehall to the 80s hightech of Rogers' Channel 4 HQ, this tour moves on to discover the new Government gems of the Home Office and Portcullis House, and the revitalised Somerset House. It culminates in the inspirational Great Court where London’s architectural legacy meets the needs of a new Millennium.

Tour D – Docklands

The demise of the London Docks produced the biggest urban regeneration challenge in Europe. Starting at St Katherine’s Docks, the fashionable residential quarter and Wapping Hydraulic Power Station, this tour then moves on to the most successful projects of the business district of Canary Wharf with its elegant Jubilee Line underground station and footbridges.

Forthcoming dates:

June 09
Sat 6 – A: The Square Mile
Sat 13 – B: Edges of the City
Sat 20 – C: Westminster
Sat 27 – D: Docklands

July 09
Sat 4 – A: The Square Mile
Sat 11 – B: Edges of the City
Sat 18 – C: Westminster
Sat 25 – D: Docklands

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Donate to Open House

Booking details

By email: tours@openhouse.org.uk
By telephone:
020 7383 2131 (Mon-Fri 10am-6pm)

Cost: £18.50 / £13.00 students (ID required)

Please provide a credit card number with issue and expiry dates, name on card, billing address and a contact telephone number.

Tour details

Meet: at The Building Centre, Store Street, WC1, at 10am for a 10.15am departure.
Tube: Tottenham Court Road

The tours place by coach, with some walking and last for approximately 3 hours. Generally exterior
views.

*Please note that we reserve the right to cancel the tour(s) if there are insufficient bookings or any unforeseen circumstance. All tours subject to cancellation with 2 days notice.
**2 days notice required for customer refunds on all tours.