The ianVisits guide to October's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Saturday 1st October
£15.00
A guided tour of the City's forgotten burial grounds and a private view of the Museum of London's bone archive.
Starts at 11am
£9.00
Annual celebration of all things apple in Fenton's walled gardens and 300 year-old orchard.
11am to 5pm
Starts at 11am
Monthly open day at one of London's more curious and delightful museums, devoted to the history of the sewing machine.
2pm to 5pm
Tooting
Take a torchlit procession through the graves to the chapel, and there listen to tales of ghosts by candle light.
Starts at 7:30pm
More London events on Saturday 1st October
Sunday 2nd October
The Thames Barrier is closed for a full test once per year for a full day -- and a convenient day to visit.
8:25am to 6:25pm
£9.00
Annual celebration of all things apple in Fenton's walled gardens and 300 year-old orchard.
11am to 5pm
Step back in history and visit the terminus building of London's original international airport - in Croydon.
11am to 4pm
Croydon
The Science Museum hosts the first public performance of a new musical score accompanying a remarkable film showing the major science museums of Europe as they were in the 1920s.
6:30pm to 8pm
South Kensington
The first public performance of a new musical score performed live accompanying a remarkable film showing the major science museums of Europe as they were in the 1920s.
6:30pm to 8pm
South Kensington
More London events on Sunday 2nd October
Monday 3rd October
A procession by judges in full regalia to a service to mark the start of the legal year.
Starts at 11:30am
The growth of genomics has involved recurring disputes over whether genomic data should be treated as a public, private or common good.
6:30pm to 7:30pm
An evening of discussion with some of the world’s greatest living engineers.
6:30pm to 9pm
Harley Street
More London events on Monday 3rd October
Tuesday 4th October
An evening in the Sir John Soane's Museum with the rooms lit by candles.
6pm to 9pm
The next Concrete Elegance lecture features two award-winning projects presented by their designers.
Starts at 6:30pm
A panel discussion considering the roles and responsibilities of museums as cultural dialogue takes on a new urgency in diverse national contexts.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
A panel of leading political historians and social scientists will place the turmoil in historical context, consider the threats to Labour’s electoral support.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Jonathan Dimbleby will show how Britain's success in the Battle of the Atlantic led to the allied victory in 1945.
7pm to 8pm
Richmond
More London events on Tuesday 4th October
Wednesday 5th October
In this illustrated lecture, Dr Biernoff will focus on Henry Tonks, British Surgeon and artist whose work took an interesting turn in the modern era.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Barbican
More London events on Wednesday 5th October
Thursday 6th October
Over 230 works of art, all created on postage envelopes, and many by famous artists -- for charity.
11am to 6pm
Southwark
This talk and display - run in collaboration with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission - will focus on the contributions of these troops to the 141-day Somme Offensive, as told through the original records in our collection.
2pm to 4pm
Richmond
Free
How do you go undercover in high-risk situations? What is the psychology behind the ability to be a spy?
6pm to 8pm
Join Huw Lewis-Jones as he delves into the journals and sketchbooks of some of the world's most remarkable explorers from the 16th century to the present day
6:30pm to 8pm
Covent Garden
In a unique demonstration (using members of the audience) of the physical effects of lights on the body, using both additive and subtractive colour, you will experience a wide range of effects that light can produce.
6:30pm to 9pm
Whitehall
More London events on Thursday 6th October
Friday 7th October
A talk about how British Museum objects, including a cabinet of 18th-century wax phalluses, have shaped modern sexual identity.
Starts at 12am
Russell Square
Over 230 works of art, all created on postage envelopes, and many by famous artists -- for charity.
11am to 6pm
Southwark
Once a month, the private gardens of Lambeth Palace are open for a few hours in the afternoon.
12pm to 3pm
Southwark
More London events on Friday 7th October
Saturday 8th October
£5.00
King Harold Day is a medieval festival held in the town of Waltham Abbey, Essex, to commemorate Harold, the last Saxon King of England.
All Day
Waltham Abbey
A note that the UK's youngest steam train, the 60163 Tornado will be running through North London.
All Day
A pop-up exhibition offering locals and visitors to the Olympic Park an opportunity to learn about the artefacts found during these excavations.
10am to 4pm
Stratford
Over 230 works of art, all created on postage envelopes, and many by famous artists -- for charity.
11am to 6pm
Southwark
Watch and behold as skeletons waltz across the wall and nuns bleed to their death despite a life of virtue.
Starts at 7:30pm
More London events on Saturday 8th October
Sunday 9th October
10am to 12pm
Tottenham
£1.00
Highlights will be the display of unusual and rare apples of around 100 varieties, tastings and on-the-spot juice pressing of some of the varieties.
11am to 4pm
Local fete to mark the 1st anniversary of the reopening of Rainham Hall to the public.
11am to 3pm
Rainham
Over 230 works of art, all created on postage envelopes, and many by famous artists -- for charity.
11am to 6pm
Southwark
A talk about the less thought about aspects of female necrophilia, followed by the curiosity of its legality in the USA.
Starts at 1pm
Robert Stephenson will expose the shameful tale of posthumous ignominy inflicted on some notable corpses over the last thousand years.
Starts at 3:30pm
More London events on Sunday 9th October
Monday 10th October
A book signing by the Canadian singing astronaut.
12:30pm to 2pm
Adventurer and travel safety expert, Lloyd Figgins, shares some of his more “colourful” adventures and provides key advice to help keep you safe on your next trip.
6:30pm to 8pm
Covent Garden
Even in so-called ‘mature’ democracies, political discussion often turns ugly. Does such behaviour fall short of an ethical standard for public discussion?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
In the age of the garden bridge, HS1 and 2 and Crossrail and the growth of nostalgia spoofs like The Hipster what do the Ladybird Books reveal about who we are, how we dream and how we live?
Starts at 7:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 10th October
Tuesday 11th October
£20.00
An evening of music and comedy all by women scientists and engineers on Ada Lovelace Day.
6:30pm to 9:30pm
Strand
Free
An exhibition of paintings by Lithuanian artist Brute Nomeda Stankuniene.
6:30pm to 9pm
Kentish Town
A lecture and debate about the man who comercialised radio - Guglielmo Marconi
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Tuesday 11th October
Wednesday 12th October
£8.00
See works by more than 70 woodworkers and two extensive collections of outstanding modern and historical pieces.
All Day
City of London
Free
Walk the Lines author Mark Mason talks about his travels round Britain for his new book Mail Obsession, in which he collected a fact from each of the UK's 124 postcode areas,
2pm to 3pm
City of London
The history of the Arab Bureau is a strange mix of facts and romance, myths and legend.
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
A short 45 minute, guided walking tour of the grounds of the Royal London Hospital, East London.
2:30pm to 3:15pm
Whitechapel
£9.99
Join pathology collection curators and audience members/event attendees as they perform entertaining 9 minute sets about their favourite specimens, placing them in context and explaining why they chose them.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Barbican
More London events on Wednesday 12th October
Thursday 13th October
£8.00
See works by more than 70 woodworkers and two extensive collections of outstanding modern and historical pieces.
All Day
City of London
The Houses of Parliament Outreach and Engagement Service holds free sessions for anyone who wants to find out more about how Parliament works, and how to get involved.
10:30am to 12pm
Whitehall
Marshall will be discussing flags both past and present, offering his insight into the symbols that continue to unite and divide us,
1pm to 2pm
Pimlico
A tour with Art on the Underground curators Kiera Blakey and Jessica Vaughan
2pm to 3:30pm
Stockwell
Ambassador Carolyn Curiel’s unique perspective on what separates the 2016 election from the rest and what Americans know, engage and believe about the state of their nation.
6pm to 8pm
Ealing
A lecture on why the world's despots thriving, and how can the West start winning the global battle for democracy.
6:30pm to 7:45pm
Holborn
A range of interactive debates and workshops, as well as a bar, music and the Museum’s latest Designology exhibition.
6:45pm to 10pm
Roger Johnson will share many interesting insights about Conan Doyle and his famous detective’s connections with Blackheath …… some were at times considered scandalous!
7pm to 9:30pm
Blackheath
This presentation focuses on the hidden history of London and the contributions made by people of African and Caribbean descent before 1948.
7pm to 9pm
South Tottenham
More London events on Thursday 13th October
Friday 14th October
£8.00
See works by more than 70 woodworkers and two extensive collections of outstanding modern and historical pieces.
All Day
City of London
Historian and filmmaker Michael Wood looks at the Norman Conquest in its time, but also about the way it has been seen since in popular culture
Starts at 12am
Russell Square
More London events on Friday 14th October
Saturday 15th October
A one-hour guided walk exploring Hyde Park's dark history, and a rare visit to the pet cemetery.
tba
Paddington
£8.00
See works by more than 70 woodworkers and two extensive collections of outstanding modern and historical pieces.
All Day
City of London
This guided tour will provide rare access to the skeletal remains of the 227 people interred within the ossuary.
Starts at 11am
A chance to go inside one of London's post war concrete architectural marvels.
11am to 4pm
Clapham
Free
An African market, food stalls, fashion show and lots of fun stuff for kids.
12pm to 6pm
Trafalgar Square
More London events on Saturday 15th October
Sunday 16th October
Free
Come and celebrate Diwali, the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of lights.
tba
Trafalgar Square
This is a rare opportunity to look at some of the mausolea which the Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust have restored.
Starts at 10am
Meet the people who spent 10 years restoring Spencer House in the heart of London.
10:30am to 5:30pm
£2.00
Annual show held by the region's beekeepers to show off their wares, and engage in competitions.
11am to 4pm
Paddington
Two talks, on the use of decapitated heads from trophies of war to memento mori, followed by tales of murder, curses, cannibalism, madness.
Starts at 1pm
A talk about ghosts on the London Underground followed by the legends of London's haunted houses.
Starts at 3:30pm
Captured by broadcasters and amateurs alike, these recordings bring to life a rowdy, vocal London filled with vigour and eccentricity.
Starts at 6:15pm
Upper Holloway
More London events on Sunday 16th October
Monday 17th October
With Britain plunged into uncertainty by the EU referendum, what does this mean for European and global diplomacy?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
A debate with the pro-Brexit labour MP, Gisela Stuart
6:30pm to 8pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Monday 17th October
Tuesday 18th October
Be immersed in a forensic, crime and security talk series. It's all designed specifically with the curious student in mind.
All Day
Come and hear Caroline talk about the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament and some of the wonderful, hilarious, and tragic stories she uncovered.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
Professor David Carpenter, Professor Stephen Church and Dr Marc Morris will discuss the man, his life, his world and his reputation,
6pm to 7:30pm
Richmond
Parliament is hosting an evening with the author Alan Johnson MP in conversation with Keith Simpson MP
6:30pm to 8pm
Whitehall
£26.36
Join Andrew Neil and a line-up of leading voices to debate who will become the next President of the United States, and what we can expect of each candidate.
7pm to 9pm
Pimlico
Join Jonathan Glancey, architectural critic and writer, as he journeys through the last 100 years of Piccadilly Circus.
7pm to 8:30pm
David Marks and Julia Barfield of Marks Barfield Architects and Dr John Roberts of Jacobs will explain the thinking behind its concept and ground-breaking, design, engineering and construction.
7pm to 9pm
Regent Street
More London events on Tuesday 18th October
Wednesday 19th October
Join critically acclaimed author Malachy Tallack and renowned illustrator Katie Scott as they discuss lands that were the product of imagination, deception or simply human error.
6:30pm to 8pm
Covent Garden
Lord Heseltine's lecture will be on "The forgotten people" - the consequences of over centralised power.
6:30pm to 8pm
Whitechapel
Philosopher Christian List, social insect biologist Elli Leadbeater, and evolutionary theorist Larissa Conradt consider the nature of collective intelligence in bees, humans, and other animals.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Lucinda Lambton, an award-winning historian and broadcaster gives a talk: Slough and Other Splendours: my most beloved of Britain’s churches.
7pm to 9:15pm
Stephen Bourne will discuss an often forgotten aspect of WW1. The black community in Britain made a telling and significant contribution to the First World War,
7pm to 8:30pm
Whitehall
Damien Devine, executive director, Old Red Lion Theatre, will take us on a journey of the Red Lion’s history.
7:30pm to 9pm
Islington
More London events on Wednesday 19th October
Thursday 20th October
Author Ian Doolittle describes the surprising history of the Great Fire over 350 years.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
Julian Sayarer presents a story of American politics as found along the roads between New York and San Francisco.
6:30pm to 8pm
Covent Garden
Tombs and Mausolea. A salon in the cemetery with Gavin Stamp and Brian Parsons
Starts at 7pm
More London events on Thursday 20th October
Friday 21st October
A talk about both central and local government and housing providers do to expand the options of what housing options are available to those later in life,
8:30am to 9:30am
Euston
An afternoon of talks, which will also analyse the legacy of mental health wellbeing in the armed forces to the present day.
1:30pm to 5pm
Richmond
More London events on Friday 21st October
Saturday 22nd October
A weekend when the normally paid-for museum is free to visit.
All Day
A weekend of hands-on creative activities and thoughtful conversations exploring how we communicate through posture, gesture and facial expression.
All Day
A note that the UK's youngest steam locomotive, the A1 class Tornado will be hauling a train through South London.
All Day
Learn traditional crafts and enjoy conversation around the campfire.
10am to 12pm
London historian, folklorist and gravestone expert Robert Stephenson leads a special tour to meet the residents of one of the UK's finest cemeteries.
Starts at 1pm
Not sure why, but there's an air traffic warning that around 4,000 helium balloons are to be released over Brentford.
2:15pm to 3:15pm
Brentford
A Candlelit Concert in the Cemetery with Oskar McCarthy (baritone) and Rob Keeley (piano)
Starts at 3:30pm
More London events on Saturday 22nd October
Sunday 23rd October
A weekend when the normally paid-for museum is free to visit.
All Day
A weekend of hands-on creative activities and thoughtful conversations exploring how we communicate through posture, gesture and facial expression.
All Day
Free
October Plenty is an Autumn harvest celebration held annually in Southwark.
Starts at 12pm
Southwark
A talk about the crypts under two of London's churches.
1pm to 3pm
Zombies and Premature Burial with Roger Luckhurst and Jan Bondeson
Starts at 3:30pm
£6.00
Henry Eliot talks about his book Curiocity, which is a new A to Z exploring every aspect of life in London.
Starts at 5pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Sunday 23rd October
Monday 24th October
Magdalena Andersson, Swedish Finance Minister in conversation with Peter Mandelson
11am to 2:30pm
Southwark
Panel debate talking about democratisation, commercialisation, and exploration of space.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Rotherhithe
A panel of experts will explore how video games can be used to investigate and enhance our concept of city and space.
Starts at 7pm
Join Christopher Frayling for an talk as he follows the key designs for '2001: A Space Odyssey' from first thoughts right through to finished film.
7pm to 8:45pm
A talk about Richard Payne Knight, author of the first book to propose that all mythology and religion is derived from primitive fertility cults.
7:30pm to 9pm
More London events on Monday 24th October
Tuesday 25th October
Discover the homes of famous thinkers, inventors, craftsmen, writers revolutionaries and artists as our guides bring London's past to life.
12pm to 1pm
Covent Garden
In this event marking the publication of their book In Defense of Housing, Peter Marcuse and David Madden explore the causes and consequences of the housing problem.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Tuesday 25th October
Wednesday 26th October
This debate will explore how heritage research influences public and private sector decision-making - or not.
6pm to 9:30pm
Aldwych
Discover some of the dynamic figures, revolutionaries, and unsung pioneering women from Battersea's past and the women's suffrage movement.
6pm to 7pm
Battersea
More London events on Wednesday 26th October
Thursday 27th October
In this seminar, Professor David Metz will present research from his new book Travel Fast or Smart? A Manifesto for an Intelligent Transport Policy.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Pimlico
This talk will identify some of the unusual features of the collection.
6pm to 7pm
What do we know about innovation, investment, cities and the global agenda, a decade after publication of The Stern Review?
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
Learn all about the world of modern paranormal research and why things aren't always what it seems when it comes to things that go bump in the night.
7:45pm to 9:30pm
Whitechapel
More London events on Thursday 27th October
Friday 28th October
A rare chance to visit the large Bank of England musuem out of normal office hours.
5:30pm to 9pm
City of London
Wander the Museum's galleries after hours and delve deeper by booking an activity with experts.
6pm to 10pm
Delicious Decay will engage the public with the sometimes horrifying yet fascinating topic of bodily decomposition via very palatable means,
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Barbican
This Halloween, delve into the Victorian underworld at a Museums at Night event.
6:30pm to 10pm
Richmond
Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the dimly lit rooms and experience just what it was like to be in a Victorian home after dark.
Starts at 6:30pm
A screening of the 1931 Dracula movie, underneath the Cutty Sark.
Starts at 7pm
Greenwich
John will take a look over the years at night buses and some of the final journeys on some buses routes, rail lines and vehicle types.
Starts at 7:30pm
Carshalton
More London events on Friday 28th October
Saturday 29th October
£3.00
Discover three halls packed with working Meccano models of trains, planes, cranes, fairground rides and much more,
10:30am to 4:30pm
Eltham
Visit the c.1397 Grade 2 listed ‘threshing’ barn, over 100ft x 40ft in size, with a fine crownpost roof.
Starts at 10:45am
Rickmansworth
A Guided Tour of Brompton Cemetery with Robert Stephenson
Starts at 11am
Tours of the Georgian house that's now the home of the Royal College of Nursing.
12pm to 5pm
Harley Street
A talk about the Tibetan and Egyptian Books of the Dead with Dr Alice Stevenson and Karen Liljenberg
Starts at 1pm
A reading of classic tales of living mummies, inside an Egyptology museum.
6pm to 8:30pm
Where better to spend Halloween than in a room of scary skeletons and skulls?
6:30pm to 9pm
Euston
Watch the classic sci-fi horror film in the Greenwich Planetarium.
6:30pm to 9pm
Celebrate Halloween weekend with a dramatic reading of three of Dickens's most infamous ghost stories.
Starts at 7pm
A screening of the silent movie horror classic, with live music accompaniment.
7:30pm to 9:30pm
Finchley
A note that a steam train will arrive at King's Cross station in the evening.
9:50pm to 10pm
Kings Cross
More London events on Saturday 29th October
Sunday 30th October
Stratford Bus station will host a community day to present proposed changes to local bus routes.
11am to 4pm
Stratford
Death Rituals, Wax Effigies and the Obituary with Nigel Llewellyn and Chris Maume
Starts at 1pm
A performance of the theremin, an instrument invented in the 1920s and noted for its spooky sounds.
Starts at 7pm
More London events on Sunday 30th October
Monday 31st October
A debate with the veteran Europhile Conservative politician.
6:30pm to 8pm
Whitechapel
Watch a late-night Halloween screening of German Expressionist horror film, Nosferatu, with live piano accompaniment from Neil Brand
Starts at 8pm
