The capital’s annual architectural celebration provides unprecedented access to buildings typically hidden from public view.
The 2026 programme features former Art Deco cinemas now serving as places of worship, acclaimed architectural achievements, and former residences of notable historical figures.
Walking tours and special events at museums and civic buildings complement the lineup.
The event spans September 12-20 with bookings available through the official website.
One highlight involves the Barbican’s glasshouse, which faces significant restoration work between 2027 and 2030.
Visitors have a limited opportunity to examine the garden space originally conceived in 1982 by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon.
Activities include guided walks led by the conservatory’s senior horticulturist, presentations from the Barbican Renewal initiative, and the chance to take home a propagated specimen through a collaboration with Wayward Plants.
The Canal Club at Waterloo Gardens Belmont Wharf in Bethnal Green represents a 1978 modernist community centre designed by Julian Sofaer.
The uncomplicated open-plan structure sits alongside a garden created by the resident boating community.
A drop-in session offers children’s creative workshops alongside pizza preparation.
Historic Hampstead presents multiple sites of interest.
The garden where John Keats composed Ode to a Nightingale remains accessible, while the residence where Sigmund Freud spent his final years after escaping Nazi persecution now operates as a museum.
Both locations feature on the same walking route.
Fenton House contains a lawn, orchard, and a collection of 18th-century musical instruments, while Burgh House serves as an art gallery and local museum.
Both properties originated as private dwellings before becoming public institutions.
Highgate features an unusual residential project at 6 Wood Lane.
Birds Portchmouth Russum Architects completed this 2016 structure, which resembles an ark elevated above a stone plinth.
The four-storey dwelling occupies a narrow plot among period villas.
Architect Mike Russum conducts tours revealing the pedestrian bridge entry, raised living quarters, and semicircular terrace commanding views of adjacent woodland.
Nearby, the Highpoint flats on North Hill showcase ideas that Berthold Lubetkin implemented in 1935 regarding urban development; Lubetkin also created the penguin enclosure at London Zoo.
The former Gaumont State Theatre on Kilburn High Road opened in 1937 as a cinema accommodating 4,004 spectators.
Its illuminated tower echoed the Empire State Building’s silhouette.
The venue welcomed performances from major musical acts during its operational years.
Currently serving as Ruach City Church, the building rarely opens to visitors, though one day allows public access to view its Wurlitzer organ and interior details.
Further northwest in Harrow, the former Grosvenor Cinema holds Grade II* listing status.
This Art Deco establishment retains its original proscenium arch and fluted columns, recently restored by new owners from the Zoroastrian community.
Strongroom on Curtain Road in Shoreditch has operated since 1984, producing significant recordings in British music history and maintaining east London’s largest independent recording facility.
The studio displays distinctive murals by Jamie Reid, the Sex Pistols’ graphic artist, incorporating druidic symbols and sacred geometry to communicate themes of optimism, environmental awareness, and opposition to fascism.
Visitors can explore areas where artists including Nick Cave, Radiohead, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, the Spice Girls, and Little Simz have recorded.