'Open House London' this weekend...

[JGWacky]

Ok then, lets meet at the Blackfriars pub between 1.30 and 2 tomorrow.



I'm not planning on going near TCR tomorrow but if you do, I recommend visiting Senate House.

Hey there

Is anyone allowed to come along to this or do you need specific invites - I',m bit new to al thissodon't quite know what to do etc..tee hee

 

[Xanadu]

I doubt anyone will mind!

I'll let the great organiser speak for himself though.

 

[mango5]

Be in the Black Friar by 2. I'll be wearing a bowler hat and carrying a rolled up copy of the Telegraph

 

[ck]

Yeah, I've got a list of all the buildings here now

any chance you could put the list up ? I know you can search for particular buildings , but you obviously need to know what it is that you're looking for in advance...

 

[kyser_soze]

So this is def - the Black Friar @ 2pm?

Promise?

And does this mean we're starting off with thre Unilever and old Express offices on Fleet St?

 

[Maggot]

We're leaving at 2pm and I decide where we go.

People who turn nasty when pissed aren't welcome.

 

[kyser_soze]

*snaps heels together and salutes*

Yes SAH!



C U kidz @ 2 then I reckon...

 

[rennie]

booo im at work. no nice buildings for me. might as well just order a large pizza n eat til i drop.

 

[Orang Utan]

I've only got a huge one and I don't fancy carrying it around all day.

I have that problem too



Open House must be why there's a load of nosy bastards queuing to look at my workplace - dunno why - there's nothing much to see inside - it's only impressive from the outside and even just resembles a giant greenhouse

 

[marty21]

me and mrs21 went to the museum of london's storage facility in islington, by the canal, the building wasn't much to look at, a big warehouse type building by the canal, but inside was hoards of stuff, not currently in the museum of london...

 

[liberty]

Just seen this

 

[lucky_7]

its still on tomorrow too.

there are stinker queues so better get there early!

Great Eastern Hotel is defo for tmrw as got turned away at closing time today. bummer.

 

[mango5]

Yeah the GEH was only open 10-1 and we got turned away too Nonetheless a nice time was had by our small merry band

 

[marty21]

coolest thing i saw today was the piano used by gilbert and sullivan, sitting in a warehouse with a blanket over it

 

[mango5]

Just seen this

The Thames Festival is also on tomorrow. There's a thread somewhere - Ska Cubano are playing

 

[William of Walworth]

Just seen this

Likewise ...

St Peters Church, Liverpool Grove, Walworth, was open this morning though. Being religio-phobic I've only ever been inside it once, and it was nice today to see it empty of Christians

History and architecture fascinating. It was designed by Sir John Soane, and the largeness of the windows and shape of the interior was revolutionary for its time (the 1820s).

A muscular Christian Socialist, Rev. Horsley, in 1894 caused controversy by emptying the churchyard of gravestones (the graveyard had long since ceased to be used as such) and replacing it with a small park (still there in the churchyard today) for the benefit of the local poor -- by the 1890s, Walworth had become a badly slum and poverty ridden area. He opened a small free zoo, this was known as 'Monkey Park' and was very popular. The revived name was last year assigned to the newly landscaped garden --minus monkeys and other creatures -- on one side of the church. More importantly, he cleared the crypt of rubble and tombs and opened it up as a kitchen/canteen, offering good wholesome food at very cheap prices four evenings a week, and free lunchtime food for poor schoolchildren. The menu included wholemeal bread, quite unusual in that era of cheap white bread. Part of the crypt was also opened up for local youngsters to use as a gymnasium, with boxing, gymnastics, even a shooting range!!

The structure of Soane's church was so solid and sturdy that when it was bombed in 1940, only 50 out of several hundred people sheltering in the crypt, used as a bomb shelter, were killed. And the main structure of the walls and interior remained intact, in the 1950s it was restored to its original state. It's by far the finest building in our area.

Although the equally fine -- but slightly newer -- vicarage next door has in the last three months been sold to developers

 

[William of Walworth]

The Thames Festival is also on tomorrow. There's a thread somewhere - Ska Cubano are playing

See Music Forum for details of Urbanites going!

 

[newbie]

me and mrs21 went to the museum of london's storage facility in islington, by the canal, the building wasn't much to look at, a big warehouse type building by the canal, but inside was hoards of stuff, not currently in the museum of london...

sounds inneresting, but I can't find it in the Islington list

We went to the Royal College of Arms (explanatory tour, ancient manuscripts, longish queue), Vintners Hall (memorial to bloke who drank 5 bottle of wine a day for 25 years, deeds from 13 something, glass window from 16 something, swans) and Unilever House (building site, free book of photos).

 

[marty21]

sounds inneresting, but I can't find it in the Islington list

oops, it's actually on the hackney list well it was n1, i didn't actually look at the list, mrs21 woke me up and we went there

It was London Archaelogical Archive and research centre, 46 eagle wharf road, n1

edited to add

what an idiot it's in hackney of course

(note the idiot is me)

 

[newbie]

that'll be Hackney then pre-book only.

Every year we agree next time we'll do ot properly, get the info, do the thinking, prebook. Every year we don't

 

[Zinedine*]

I was really hoping that Centre Point would be open this year. My boyfriend has a strange fascination with this building.

 

[marty21]

mrs21 just tried to get into see the great eastern hotel, near liverpool st, the queue was too long

 

[editor]

I was really hoping that Centre Point would be open this year. My boyfriend has a strange fascination with this building.

He's not alone!
http://www.urban75.org/london/centrepoint.html

 

[boohoo]

I went to see Walnut Tree House in Leyton - it's only timber framed building. Lovely interior wasted on the local conservative club who seem to leave most of the building unused.

 

[kyser_soze]

Centrepoints cool but it's bog standard offices inside - nothing to shout about at all.

Took the Wren walk on Saturday - was lovely and I'd forgotten how great Church archirtecture is.

 

[Maggot]

Centrepoints cool but it's bog standard offices inside - nothing to shout about at all.

Took the Wren walk on Saturday - was lovely and I'd forgotten how great Church archirtecture is.

We were waiting for you at Blackfriars. What happened?

 

[kyser_soze]

I got stuck on a train with no-one's numbers

 

[Maggot]

Well you missed lots of walking and not many buildings.

 

[Tricky Skills]

I headed for Brockwell Hall and was most impressed not only with the space and views, but also the helpful stewards

I've posted some pics up HERE