Next week is London Open House weekend, when hundreds of the capital's architecturally intriguing buildings are open to the public for free. As a taster, here are some photographs I took inside the Gherkin (30 St Mary Axe) as part of London Open House Weekend 2004.
Back in 2004 it took me three and a half hours of queueing to gain access to the Gherkin [report here] but the stunning views from the top floor of the building were well worth the wait. Thousands of (very patient) people made the journey to the 40th floor during that single weekend, and I'm sure none will forget the experience. The Gherkin's open to the public again for London Open House this year, but with visitor numbers dramatically reduced. The organisers are only allowing pre-booked tours, for nine people at a time, so bad luck if you didn't apply for one of the 500 tickets three weeks ago. And this year's visitors are only getting ten minutes at the top, whereas we weren't timed at all and we got to wander round the 17th floor as well.
Next weekend there'll be crowds of people crawling across London, from the City to the suburbs, trying to take a look inside as many buildings as possible. I fear that London Open House is starting to become a victim of its own success. Every year more people find out about the event, so every year the queues get longer, so more people get to visit fewer properties. A greater number of events now require pre-booking, usually the more interesting ones, restricting access and opportunity. It's no longer possible to give away the 72-page event brochure for free - it's now only available by post or download for £4 a time. And simultaneous opening over just one weekend means it's impossible to visit even a tenth of the architecture on show, and most of these buildings won't be open to the public again for another 12 months.
But Open House is still a fantastic event and a rare opportunity. Without it I'd never have been up the Gherkin, or round the Cabinet Office, or inside the old TV studios at Alexandra Palace, or visited any one of a number of other fascinating locations. This will be my fifth year of Open House-ing, and every year it gets harder to decide where to go. Where's left I haven't been to before? Do I concentrate on the centre of town or attempt to tour the suburbs? Will certain buildings be open again next year or is this my only chance to see? Is it worth queueing to see one amazing building or better to spend the time visiting four less crowded ones? I've got a week to decide.
Some recommendations: Foreign Office (off Whitehall), Crossness Engines House (Bexley), Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden), Freemason's Hall (Camden), Bank of England (arrive early, the queues get really long), Lloyds of London (City), Severndroog Castle (Greenwich), The 02 site tour (North Greenwich), Hackney Empire, Brixton Windmill, City Hall, More London, 19 Princelet Street (Spitalfields), Portcullis House (Westminster) Some more recommendations (except you had to pre-book, and you didn't): the Gherkin (City), Churchill's Underground Bunker (Neasden), Lincoln's Inn (Camden), Mansion House (City), BBC Television Centre (White City), Grims Dyke (Harrow Weald)
