One of my favourite things about London is that you never know what you’ll find tucked down a small alleyway or around an unassuming corner. I love exploring the nooks and crannies and finding little snippets of London history. You can therefore imagine how excited I was when Open House London weekend finally rolled around. For one weekend in September every year, the nation’s capital opens many doors and welcomes in those who love to have a good nose around, whether it be in an ancient hall, around an ultra cool design studio, or a diplomatic office.
This was my first Open House London and the first thing I learnt was, you need to book. I entered the ballots for 10 Downing Street and the BT Tower ages ago, but was sadly unsuccessful. I also missed the boat on applying for tours, which had to be done individually for each property and well in advance, which was a shame as I particularly wanted to check out Lambeth Palace, which is right on my doorstep. Next year! Instead I downloaded the app (you can also have a good look around their website here) and got to work the week before bookmarking my favourite sights. With just one day of the weekend available to me and most buildings only open between 10am and 5pm, I knew I need to be focused, and preferably keep everything in walking distance. With a willing explorer friend, Emma, by my side, we met early at Temple station on one of those perfect blue sky London autumn days, and set our feet to the streets for what would end up being an epic day of exploration. 
Our first stop was the “Roman” Bath. This had been a quick pick and so I hadn’t fully read up on it – but I should have noted those quote marks! What I thought was going to be a glimpse back to the days of Londinium turned out to be a mere step back in time to the 17th century. However it fully fit one of the day’s categories, of little historical spots that you would have no idea existed if you walked past on the street outside. The bath’s greatest claim to fame is featuring in David Copperfield, but it was also a popular health spot for a time in the 19th century, despite the chilly temperature of the natural spring that feeds it. Not very photogenic, but fascinating nonetheless!
Our next stop was the Royal Courts of Justice, and along the way to it was the abandoned Aldwych Tube Station. I regaled Emma with snippets from the fantastic tour I took through it last year, and made sure it was firmly on her list. You can see when tickets next go on sale by clicking here.
All thoughts of underground tubes were swiftly forgotten when we rounded the corner to be greeted by the stunning gothic spires of the Royal Courts. Built in the 1870s, they have been near-continuously occupied by matters legal ever since. Depending on the nature of the cases being heard, you are able to go inside the Courts as a matter of course, but exploring it on Open House London weekend was great because it gave us so much more freedom to roam around and stick our noses in.
Added to that, tours were offered on everything from the courtrooms to the cells, and even outside to the prisoner transports! One look inside all of these convinced me (although it was never really in doubt!) that I only ever want to see these on the correct side of the law. The transports, in particular, were tiny. Back inside I indulged my inner lawyer-geek spotting the statue of William Blackstone, and we climbed the stone steps to visit the Bear Garden. This was named after Queen Victoria visited the courtrooms and commented that the noise inside more closely resembled that of a bear den!
Onward we went, and still on a legal bent. The next stop was the stunning grounds of Inner Temple and Middle Temple. Again, parts of these are open to the public year-round, but this time we were free to wander where we chose, from the charming gardens to the Halls and Temple Church.
The beautiful interior of Temple Church
Lovely autumn colours appearing!
The Temples are part of the four Inns of Court, which originated in the 13th century as accommodation and teaching centres for law students. Today, the grounds are home to the offices of many barristers, and they still provide education and accommodation for new lawyers. Middle and Inner Temple sit side-by-side, but are very distinct operations in practice with their own membership and rules.
Middle Temple Hall, with portraits of Charles I and II in pride of place
After a stop at the street food market nestled in the grounds of Inner Temple, Emma and I took a lovely wander along the Embankment towards Westminster. We were heading for Benjamin Franklin’s house near Trafalgar Square, but queues of an hour and a half meant we placed that firmly on the “next time” list. Instead, we ducked beneath the scaffolding swathed on Banqueting House, and headed up the stairs to glimpse the stunning ceiling of Banqueting Hall.
Originally part of Whitehall Palace, built by Henry XVIII as an expansion of a mansion owned by Cardinal Wolsey, the gorgeous interior of Banqueting Hall was commissioned by Charles I to honour his father, James I. To aid in admiring them, there are mirrors dotted around the Hall, and my personal favourite – beanbags! These were more than welcome after the many steps already taken around the city.
Our final stop for the day was nearby, although we did have to dodge hordes of tourists on the way. This part of town was certainly many times busier than in the City – pretty normal for a sunny Saturday! We even had to queue to enter the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, but it moved quickly and soon we were inside the sumptuous surrounds. Pretty nice for the diplomats!
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the centre of Whitehall opened in 1868, and features a mixture of architectural styles – and taste! I was blown away by the gorgeous blues of the Locarno Suite, and the Durbar Court which was previously part of the separate India Office.
I loved my time exploring around Open House London. All the buildings were well presented and packed with helpful volunteers who could answer queries or point you to interesting nooks around. We barely scratched the surface of the buildings that are open during the weekend – I’ll definitely be having a nosey around again next year! For more information on the weekend, click here.
Does your city have an open day? Where would you most like to have extra access to?
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