The ianVisits guide to April's unusual events, tours, lectures and exhibitions happening around London.
Monday 1st April
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Monday 1st April
Tuesday 2nd April
No events are listed for today. Sorry.
More London events on Tuesday 2nd April
Wednesday 3rd April
Online events / webinars
Drawing on the recent book ‘The Architecture of Steam’ published by Historic England, the talk will tell the engaging story of a singular type of building
7pm to 8:30pm
Join Helen Fry to learn about MI9, the WWII organisation that engineered the escape of Allied forces from behind enemy lines.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 3rd April
Thursday 4th April
A talk about the hunt to identify a painting of the Nine Day Queen.
1pm to 2pm
Picadilly
Discover exhibition 'Fortitude: healthcare workers' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic' and our fascinating collections after hours. Plus a creative craft cafe!
5:30pm to 8pm
Camden
On the first Thursday of the month, Holborn's Novelty Automation has a bar in the store for their late-night opening.
6pm to 9pm
Holborn
What if walls could talk? For historian Madeleine Pelling, they can - if you know where to look.
6:30pm to 8pm
Southwark
£13.00
The story of one of the most influential games of all time.
Starts at 7pm
Camden
More London events on Thursday 4th April
Friday 5th April
Simon Doughty sheds light on life in the iconic Household Division and discusses how the act of serving Crown and Country has evolved over the last 50 years.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
Online events / webinars
Join the RBKC and WCC library team for a virtual discussion about the 'Book of The Week'!
Join 'Book of the Week', our Bi-Borough virtual book club, for a weekly discussion on highly recommended bo
2:30pm to 3:30pm
More London events on Friday 5th April
Saturday 6th April
Step into the fascinating world of the Tudor era and immerse yourself in a day of captivating talks celebrating the genius of this period
10:30am to 4pm
Southwark
Explore an urban mushroom farm. Start at The Fungi Room for mushroom-infused drinks, then head to Fat Fox Mushrooms HQ for a behind-the-scenes tour and Q&A with the founders.
11am to 1am
South Tottenham
Free
This festival offers an opportunity to learn about Sikh heritage and history.
12pm to 6pm
Trafalgar Square
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
Matthew Taylor reveals the untold story of the Colonial Marines, formerly enslaved African Americans who fought for, and found freedom with, British forces in the War of 1812.
2pm to 3pm
Chelsea
More London events on Saturday 6th April
Sunday 7th April
Kirkaldy's Testing Works preserves Kirkaldy's unique Universal Testing Machine - the huge hydraulic powered machine he designed and had built in Leeds - in full working order in the premises he built to house it.
10:30am to 4pm
Southwark
Free
Expect to see lots of people promenading around central London wearing their very finest hats.
Starts at 1pm
Picadilly
Steven Mithen explains how the invention of words at 1.6 million years ago began the evolution of human language from the ape-like calls of our earliest ancestors to our capabilities of today
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Sunday 7th April
Monday 8th April
Sharpe explains how the global economy can be decarbonised five times faster this decade than has been managed over the past two decades.
6:25pm to 8:15pm
Fleet Street
Online events / webinars
This evening Mr. Wynd will tells some his favourite tales heard around the world, from nasty Germans chopping up people and eating them
9pm to 10pm
More London events on Monday 8th April
Tuesday 9th April
This talk and document viewing will tell the story of the growth and development of North London, using sections of John Rocque's 1746 map.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Clerkenwell
£17.27
Join Nobel Laureate, Venki Ramakrishnan, to question whether mortality is an inevitable part of human existence.
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
Online events / webinars
This talk will explore a number of disparate but often related elements that converged to create the Satanic Panic of the 1980s-'90s
8pm to 9:30pm
More London events on Tuesday 9th April
Wednesday 10th April
Join the London Fortean Society for an evening of talks on the ghosts that haunt some of London’s most famous landmarks: The British Museum and Senate house.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Holborn
Online events / webinars
In April we will be reading 'A London Child of the 1870s', an account of middle-class life in suburban London
Written in 1934, this memoir describes everyday life in Islington as the youngest child
6pm to 7pm
Discover tales of murder most foul with author Blessin Adams.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
More London events on Wednesday 10th April
Thursday 11th April
This presentation focuses on the construction of the shaft and tunnels on the approach to Euston station
6pm to 7:30pm
Pimlico
The royal service of Handel in the context of his wider compositional output, and of London landmarks.
6pm to 8pm
City of London
Online events / webinars
This webinar, cohosted by our North American membership, will explore the impact of AI on rights and intellectual property.
4pm to 5pm
More London events on Thursday 11th April
Friday 12th April
Free
Science of Surgery is the annual community celebration event, where we open our doors and invite members of the public in to meet WEISS researchers and learn about the amazing projects they are working on.
11am to 4pm
Fitzrovia
Dr Simon Quinn reveals how soldiers serving during the Egyptian Campaign of 1801 experienced their new surroundings and made use of their free time.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
£22.38
A film of a musical journey within the Square Mile, linking architecture and music.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Clerkenwell
All day seminar on hallmarking and how the London Assay Office help to protect consumers and the trade from fakes and forgeries of Antique British Silver
8pm to 9pm
City of London
More London events on Friday 12th April
Saturday 13th April
London Games Festival’s annual Trafalgar Square Takeover will once again showcase an alternative side of video games to the public.
10am to 7pm
Trafalgar Square
Upminster Windmill has been extensively restored and is now open one weekend per month from Spring to Autumn.
10am to 4pm
Upminster
A full day of lectures and learning on Charles Booth's London and the Poverty Map, with Sarah Wise.
10am to 4pm
Clerkenwell
£22.00
An Automotive Spectacular featuring over 35 Showcases including over 1000 show cars from across all genre of vehicles.
10:30am to 5:30pm
Wembley
Shop original vintage posters, ephemera + limited edition prints from £10 at the UK’s only dedicated vintage poster market.
11am to 5pm
West Norwood
Join Claudia de Rham, a diver, pilot, and physicist, as she unveils her new theory of gravity.
7pm to 8:03pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Saturday 13th April
Sunday 14th April
The show is expected to attract around 100 visiting buses and coaches, old and new, from London and all over the UK.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
Upminster Windmill has been extensively restored and is now open one weekend per month from Spring to Autumn.
10am to 4pm
Upminster
£22.00
An Automotive Spectacular featuring over 35 Showcases including over 1000 show cars from across all genre of vehicles.
10:30am to 5:30pm
Wembley
The collection includes instruments by Gavioli, Marenghi, Hooghuys, Wilhelm Bruder Söhne and Gebr.Weber.
11am to 5pm
Amersham
Shop original vintage posters, ephemera + limited edition prints from £10 at the UK’s only dedicated vintage poster market.
11am to 5pm
West Norwood
A fungi clay crafting workshop with artist Jack Alexandroff.
12pm to 2pm
South Tottenham
Usually only open Mon-Wed, once a month the richly decorated interior of the Fitzrovia Chapel is also open on a Sunday.
1pm to 5pm
Tottenham Court Road
More London events on Sunday 14th April
Monday 15th April
This lecture will give an introduction to regional styles, exploring how and why they differ.
Starts at 6:30pm
Clerkenwell
Syd Moore turns her eye on this rather bizarre chapter of history, including the eclectic recruitment to the war effort, strange goings-on in Surrey and a ritual in the New Forest in 1940 to repel Hitler’s invasion of Britain.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 15th April
Tuesday 16th April
A talk about the fast battery charging trains being trialled by GWR in west London.
7pm to 9pm
Hammersmith
Online events / webinars
In this online event, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary since the Dolls' House was first displayed in 1924.
7pm to 8pm
More London events on Tuesday 16th April
Wednesday 17th April
Free
Tudor Allen tells the story of the long and deep connection between the Irish and the part of London today known as Camden
2pm to 3pm
Camden
The talk looks at the life of a somewhat enigmatic mover and shaker in London’s world of shipping in the nineteenth century.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
Nerd Nite London is a monthly event where three speakers give 18-21 minute fun-yet-informative talks across all disciplines, while the audience drinks along.
Starts at 7:30pm
Bethnal Green
Online events / webinars
Join award-winning author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera in discussion about the legacies of the British empire.
7:30pm to 8:30pm
Spring Tides run high and so too do the stakes in this evening of thrilling tales from the British traditions of the Sea.
9pm to 10pm
More London events on Wednesday 17th April
Thursday 18th April
Come on a tour of the new Collections Library at The Museum of the Home.
11am to 12pm
Bethnal Green
This lecture will review the construction of the Kilsby Tunnel built in the 1830s under the direction of Robert Stephenson.
6pm to 7:30pm
Pimlico
Join James Robinson, Interim Director of Collections at the V&A, to discover the complex and interdependent relationship of England and Continental Europe during the Middle Ages.
6pm to 7:30pm
Pimlico
A celebration of the life of Pat Arrowsmith, the extraordinary peace campaigner and organiser of the first Aldermaston March in 1958, the single event that most put CND on the public map at this time.
6pm to 8pm
Holborn
This lecture traces the history of refugee protection, the limits of the Refugee Convention, and changes to the law in recent decades that have made refugees’ lives increasingly difficult.
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
For this one-off lecture he reflects on what it means to write about US politics, media and culture from the outside, and asks what is possible and what is out of bounds?
Starts at 7pm
Camden
This presentation – organised by Camden History Society - will explore eclipses, transits and the returns of Halley’s comet to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
Starts at 7:30pm
Farringdon
£5.00
Join English Heritage staff at dusk to explore the grounds of Marble Hill and all the bats that live here.
Starts at 7:30pm
Twickenham
More London events on Thursday 18th April
Friday 19th April
Hear from Carina Evans as she highlights the key characteristics and personality traits that made the Special Operations Executive (SOE) such an effective force.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
A unique glimpse into stories of survival from the Second World War.
2pm to 3pm
Richmond
More London events on Friday 19th April
Saturday 20th April
You are exhorted to visit your local independent music purveyor and make purchases of physical storage media.
All Day
To mark the 50th anniversary of an all-female morris dance group - they will be performing outside a number of pubs through the day.
All Day
£18.00
All silent films will have live accompaniment by a team of musicians.
Starts at 10am
£24.95
The event will offer a huge display of every variety of Ford Mustang at one of the most notable and historic motoring venues in the world.
10am to 5pm
Weybridge
A monthly display of classic cars in Waterloo - usually attracting around 20 vehicles.
11am to 2pm
Southwark
A festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.
12pm to 6pm
Trafalgar Square
Join Jonathan Olivares, designer and guest curator of the exhibition SKATEBOARD in conversation with journalist, archivist and skateboarder Neil Macdonald.
3pm to 4pm
Kensington
More London events on Saturday 20th April
Sunday 21st April
£18.00
All silent films will have live accompaniment by a team of musicians.
Starts at 10am
Kennington
This is a chance to visit the Model Railway Club and see some of their layouts in operation.
11am to 4pm
Islington
Free
Celebrate everything brilliant about England and being English.
12pm to 6pm
Trafalgar Square
More London events on Sunday 21st April
Monday 22nd April
Paranormal experiences often appear perplexing and tantalisingly mysterious, but are they genuinely legitimate phenomena?
7pm to 8:30pm
Hanover Square
Online events / webinars
Take a closer look at the myths, the legends and the numerous superstitions that surround these fascinating and elegant creatures
9pm to 10pm
More London events on Monday 22nd April
Tuesday 23rd April
This talk and document viewing will tell the story of the growth and development of East London, using sections of John Rocque's 1746 map.
12:30pm to 1:30pm
Clerkenwell
Discover how the RHS led the Dig for Victory campaign during World War Two, with a free 15 minute show and tell.
1:15pm to 1:30pm
Pimlico
Join Crystal Hollis (PhD) as we learn about what graffiti is, how it has changed over time, and what it tells us about the people of the past.
2pm to 3pm
City of London
Historian and author, Kathy Atherton, tells the surprising story of how the Esperance Girls' Club, formed in the slums of Camden by two leaders of the militant 'suffragette' movement, saved the dances of the countryside from extinction.
Starts at 6pm
Farringdon
Meet the houseplant experts for tips on accessible, affordable and achievable gardening in London.
6:30pm to 8pm
Pimlico
Free
Hear from author Sarah Wise as she launches her latest book, The Undesirables, which explores the history of the incarceration of people labelled with a new diagnosis - moral imbecility - and therefore deemed ‘undesirable’ by the state.
6:30pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Tuesday 23rd April
Wednesday 24th April
Award-winning mental health nurse and global health consultant Dorcas Gwata speaks about her new book, Street Clinic.
6pm to 8pm
Harley Street
This lecture makes a survey of learned ceremonial magic in Europe throughout history and demonstrates that both of the customary claims made for it by practitioners since the Middle Ages are actually correct
6pm to 7pm
Holborn
A special screening at Oxford House of the legendary concert film released in 1981, capturing the best of 2 Tone Records and the ska-revival movement.
6:45pm to 8:30pm
Bethnal Green
More London events on Wednesday 24th April
Thursday 25th April
£22.00
A weekend of computer games. W.A.S.D is the central playable and interactive feature of London Games Festival.
10am to 6pm
Whitechapel
Hear from Professor Patrizia Di Bello in a lecture that explores the representation of women working in photography throughout history and contemporary arts.
1pm to 2pm
Soho
A talk on the music hall comedic singer.
5pm to 7pm
Clerkenwell
Explore the interdisciplinary practice of Sigma 1 during Romania's fragile period leading up to the collapse of communism.
6:30pm to 8:30pm
Hampstead
A talk about the playwright from the author of a book on his life.
6:30pm to 7:45pm
Covent Garden
£11.55
Stories from the history of the city's oldest profession.
7pm to 9pm
Clerkenwell
More London events on Thursday 25th April
Friday 26th April
£22.00
A weekend of computer games. W.A.S.D is the central playable and interactive feature of London Games Festival.
10am to 6pm
Whitechapel
The Museum's depot in Acton will be open for three days, giving you the opportunity to explore our collections store, with its treasure trove of over 320,000 objects.
10:30am to 5pm
Acton
Hear from Dr Matthew Grant as he discusses the role of civil defence groups in Britain during the Cold War.
12pm to 1pm
Chelsea
As part of the ‘Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction’ exhibition, Saatchi Lates offer Art After Dark on selected Fridays.
6:30pm to 9pm
Chelsea
Unravel the profound mysteries of the universe's explosive birth.
7:20pm to 8:45pm
Hanover Square
More London events on Friday 26th April
Saturday 27th April
Normally you need to pay to visit the gardens, but on a few weekends a year, the gardens are free to visit.
10am to 4pm
East Molesey
The Chelsea Physic Garden will have over 30 stalls selling plants, which gives you both a chance to buy a plant and to visit the Physic Garden for free.
10am to 5pm
Chelsea
£22.00
A weekend of computer games. W.A.S.D is the central playable and interactive feature of London Games Festival.
10am to 6pm
Whitechapel
The two-day festival includes 100+ vintage fashion traders, rare classic cars and more.
10am to 6pm
Kings Cross
The Museum's depot in Acton will be open for three days, giving you the opportunity to explore our collections store, with its treasure trove of over 320,000 objects.
10:30am to 5pm
Acton
An exhibition of quilts to celebrate this SE London quilting group's 25th anniversary.
10:30am to 4pm
Lewisham
The counter-cultural publishing house presents an evening of eclectic authors, artists and musicians, including Jarvis Cocker, Sheena Patel and Musa Okwonga.
Starts at 7:30pm
Southwark
More London events on Saturday 27th April
Sunday 28th April
Normally you need to pay to visit the gardens, but on a few weekends a year, the gardens are free to visit.
10am to 4pm
East Molesey
The two-day festival includes 100+ vintage fashion traders, rare classic cars and more.
10am to 6pm
Kings Cross
The Museum's depot in Acton will be open for three days, giving you the opportunity to explore our collections store, with its treasure trove of over 320,000 objects.
10:30am to 5pm
Acton
A WW2-era history attraction that's open to the public once a month.
10:30am to 4pm
Watford
Explore numerous stalls selling letterpress supplies, type and ornaments, paper, printed items, second-hand books and type specimens and lots more inky goodness.
11am to 4pm
City of London
Once a month, the oldest building in Hackney, St Augustine's Tower is open, so you can climb up to the top.
2pm to 4:30pm
Hackney
Agnes Arnold-Forster blends neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions to explore the evolution of nostalgia.
3pm to 4:30pm
Holborn
More London events on Sunday 28th April
Monday 29th April
A guided tour of the unique and historic Stationers' Hall in the City of London.
11am to 12:30pm
City of London
This panel debate will bring together a diverse group of policy-makers, senior infrastructure professionals, academics and other experts to debate the topic.
6pm to 8pm
Pimlico
Boyajian's star, a faint and unprepossessing presence in the constellation of Cygnus, attracted astronomers' attention when it began to flicker alarmingly.
7pm to 8pm
Holborn
More London events on Monday 29th April
Tuesday 30th April
£8.00
The UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering presents a showcase of the latest breakthroughs in health tech.
5pm to 6:30pm
Euston
Can a flower make you feel hope? Explore the relationship between art and emotion as we look at pictures from the RHS & Tate art collections
6:30pm to 8pm
Pimlico
