As autumn creeps closer, Anna Frame rounds up the design and architecture fairs popping up all over the capital. With so much choice, your only worry is fitting them all in.
First up is the season’s star, the sprawling London Design Festival (LDF; 12-20 Sep). Showcasing the city as the artistic center of the world, its programme is packed with installations, projects, talks and films. It takes place across numerous neighbourhoods, so you’ll stumble across cutting-edge works in unexpected settings – check out the Bankside, Chelsea and Mayfair Design Districts.
Hot on LDF’s heels is Shoreditch Design Week, which brings even more creativity to this arty East End enclave (15-20 Sep). A highlight is Material Matters London, which takes over the huge industrial venue UNLOCKED Shoreditch on Curtain Road to explore architectural innovation (15-17 Sep).
Design enthusiasts should also head to the world’s biggest arts museum – the V&A South Kensington. The building itself is an ornate work of art, though inside its Grade I-listed walls you can take part in free workshops, immersive experiences and demos exploring where art meets technology at the Digital Design Weekend (18-20 Sep).
If you prefer to travel back through time, Heritage Open Days lets you explore the UK’s grand houses, museums and gardens for free (11-20 Sep). Why not head to Eltham Palace, a mix of Art Deco mansion and 15th-century medieval palace, to discover its past residents? A young King Henry VIII is among them.
You also get the keys to the city at the Open House Festival, a late-summer celebration of London’s architecture (12-20 Sep). It’s a rare chance to visit places that are generally off-limits to the public. Take your pick from livery halls, historic houses, windmills, old cinemas… the list is endless. If you yearn to bring the outdoors in, take inspiration from the eco-friendly Green House in Tottenham, which has been turned into an beautiful oasis. Or join a walking tour: The Hidden Streets of Westminster reveals what lies close to the Houses of Parliament, uncovering plague pits and spy plots along the way.
