Open House 2014: Our pick of the best events in the City of London

It’s hard work running a city – especially one that leads the world in culture, heritage and population growth, like London. The increasing demand for housing in the capital has put more pressure than ever on our open spaces and buildings. The pace of urban change is fast and cities need creative solutions to stay efficient, sustainable and desirable. 

 

The Open House London festival is organised by architecture charity Open-City, and it gives the public the chance to draw back the curtain and appreciate exactly what makes London work. For one weekend a year, the capital’s most iconic and impressive buildings – many of which have restricted access or are under construction – throw open their doors and invite the public inside to see how today’s architects, engineers and landscape designers are coming up with creative solutions and preparing the city for the future. More than 60 landmarks are participating in the Square Mile, supported by the City of London Corporation, and here’s our pick of the bunch. 

 

 

 

Aside from showing usually-inaccessible historical ruins, Open House also offers an insight into London’s future. Don your hard hat and boots and head down to one of the city’s most exciting new projects, Crossrail, which is set to change the way we travel across London. At the Moorgate construction site, experts and engineers will be on hand to answer questions about the 73 mile high-speed railway line set to link east and west London in 2018. You can also view the 55m deep shaft.

 

 

The City of London is one of the places where the UK’s Roman heritage is most visible, and the house and baths at Billingsgate are some of the finest Roman remains in the country. They were discovered in 1848 during the construction of the Coal Exchange and, for the last couple of decades, have been inaccessible to the public at the bottom of an office block. Grab the chance to catch a rare glimpse of ancient London, including a late second century bath house, when the festival comes to town, and quiz the Museum of London’s on-site curators. 

 

 

St Paul’s is one of London’s most iconic buildings, but how many Londoners have actually paid the cathedral a visit? What better time to finally step inside London’s most familiar cathedral than Open House weekend. The Triforium Tour, which visitors can take on the Saturday, includes the 18th century Cathedral Library, Sir Christopher Wren’s first model and designs for the new cathedral and the view from the nave down the West Gallery. 

 

 

Enjoy the open air Sculpture in the City exhibition