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• Tickets Alert: Behind the scenes tours of Lambeth Archive

  03-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Next month there’s going to be a chance to step inside Lambeth’s strong room and visit their new archive building.
  (c) Lambeth Archive
  The archive moved into a new building on Brixton Hill in 2023, with a purpose-built strongroom in the basement.
  Next month, as part of the Lambeth Heritage Festival, there will be some tours of the building, including the basement, where you can also meet the team, and explore a selection of treasures from the archive.
  The strongroom is downstairs and
  
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• The London Buzz – 13th August 2026

  13-08-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – Jack Straw’s Castle, Hampstead
  Today’s London news round-up:
  The BBC cameras have returned to a Bushey church to film scenes for EastEnders. Watford Observer
  London as a Wheelchair User: Accessible Travel, West End Tips + a Wicked Review  Disability Horizons
  Plans for a new self-storage warehouse in Hackney have been shot down by council planners who claimed it was a poor fit for the local area. Hackney Citizen
  Barnet to get its first council-maintained Islami
  
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• The expensive way to guarantee tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry

  13-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The first batch of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry sold out as soon as the huge online queues finally got their hands on them, but there is another way to see the tapestry if you missed out.You just need to be quite desperate.
  And fairly well-off.
  The central London hotel One Aldwych has an exclusive hotel partnership with the British Museum, and if you book a night at the hotel, they’ll throw in two tickets to see the tapestry during your stay.
  Well, “throw in” might be doi
  
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• Tickets Alert: Tours of Isleworth Ait – an island in the Thames

  13-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  There’s going to be a fairly rare chance to visit a usually off-limits island in the Thames next month.Isleworth Ait is a teardrop-shaped island in the River Thames not far from Richmond, and is a managed nature reserve that’s home to a wide variety of birdlife and rare molluscs.
  It is accessible only by boat and is not normally open to the public – but next month, there will be one open day.
  The tour begins on the quay on Church Street in Isleworth, from where you will travel
  
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• Exhibition explores how cinema shapes our image of cities

  13-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  From postwar Vienna and animated Tehran to modern Paris, Brooklyn streets, glass towers and future urban worlds, a new exhibition looks at how cinema turns urban landscapes into cultural images.It’s a fairly small exhibition if you like looking at physical objects, but it is lifted somewhat by the use of 3D-printed maps of some of the cities featured. Mostly, it’s display boards on the walls highlighting key aspects of films where the city landscape has been a significant feature.
  Th
  
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• Police to test facial recognition cameras on the London Underground

  13-08-2026 11:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Facial recognition trials are coming to selected London Underground stations as the British Transport Police tests whether the technology can be used to find people wanted for serious offences.
  From a previous trial at London Bridge mainline station (c) TfL
  The Transport for London (TfL)-supported trial will see Live Facial Recognition cameras deployed at stations selected by British Transport Police (BTP) using intelligence and crime data.
  The cameras will scan the faces of people passing throu
  
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• Visiting Coombe Conduit – the tunnel that kept Hampton Court supplied with fresh water

  13-08-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Nearly 500 years ago, King Henry VIII wanted a reliable supply of fresh water for Hampton Court Palace. His solution was to commission several miles of pipes to carry spring water from the nearby hills directly to the royal table.
  Today, the largest surviving building from that Tudor water supply system occasionally opens to the public.About a 20-minute walk from New Malden station, you might spot an open gate in a fence, helpfully labelled. Step through and, at first, there doesn’t seem t
  
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• Camden considering improvements to public Wi-Fi services

  12-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  It could be easier to use WiFi services around Camden as the council is considering joining the Connected London public WiFi programme.Many businesses, public spaces and cultural attractions already offer free WiFi access, each requiring people to sign up and log in every time they connect.
  Connected London WiFi is a service that aims to create a seamless roaming experience across London’s many disparate WiFi networks. It’s based on research initiated by the Mayor of London in late 2
  
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• The Open House London buildings you’ll need to book in advance

  12-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The annual architecture fest that is Open House London takes place in September, with over 700 venues to visit and tours to join.
  The coveted lift pass (c) ianVisits
  Most are turn-up-and-walk-in, but some need to be booked in advance, and that opens at midday on Wednesday 19th August 2026. I’ve waded through the circa 700 venues to find the ones that need to be booked in advance – which was “fun”, as there isn’t a needs booking filter on the organiser’s websit
  
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• Islington exhibition celebrates 50 years of cycling campaigns

  12-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  In 1976, a pressure group was set up to campaign for better cycling provision within Islington, and 50 years later, they’ve got their own exhibition.It’s a fairly modest affair, just a couple of cases, but it’s quite fun to see the very early typewritten newsletters and pamphlets that were the norm for community groups in the 1970s.
  And it turns out that it was also usual for a protest march to be preceded by a bagpiper back then.The exhibition notes that the campaign group too
  
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• Seven major football trophies go on display in Shoreditch this week

  12-08-2026 12:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Football fans will have the chance to get up close to seven of the game’s biggest trophies when they go on display in Shoreditch for two days this week.The free display will bring together silverware from some of the biggest competitions in English and European football, with visitors able to see the trophies up close and take photos — or the almost obligatory trophy selfie.
  TNT Sports says that the display will feature the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup, Women’s FA Cup, UEFA
  
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• Waterloo station using remote control drones to keep trains moving

  10-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A remotely operated drone is now flying over the tracks at London Waterloo as part of a new effort to reduce disruption caused by trespass and speed up responses to incidents on one of Britain’s busiest rail networks.
  (c) SWR
  The drone, introduced by South Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex, is the first in a planned network of automated aircraft that will monitor the railway, inspect infrastructure and provide live intelligence to control teams without the need to send staff on
  
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• Weeks of London bus strikes to hit more than 40 routes from Friday

  10-08-2026 13:45 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  More than 40 bus routes across north, east and central London are facing weeks of disruption as over 1,500 Arriva bus drivers prepare to strike in a dispute over working conditions.
  Unsplash+ License
  The first strike starts this Friday (14th August), with a series of walkouts then planned through August, September and October.  TfL is warning that if the strikes go ahead, little or no service is expected on the affected routes.
  The dispute involves Unite members working for Arriva London No
  
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• London exhibition recreates the bohemian cottage where Lucian Freud learned to paint

  10-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  In 1937, two men bought a cottage and set up what would become a renowned art school, and nearly 90 years later, a themed recreation has been built in London.The house was at Benton End, bought by Cedric Morris and his lifelong boyfriend, Arthur Lett-Haines, where they set up the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing, which broke from the strict rules governing many art schools of the time.In its time, it would become a home from home for many of the top names in 20th-century art. The hous
  
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• HS2 installs a plaque 40 metres below London to celebrate the Brunels’ engineering legacy

  10-08-2026 10:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A heritage plaque has been installed inside an HS2 tunnel 40 metres below London, marking the point where the new high-speed railway passes beneath the tomb of one of Britain’s most famous engineering families.
  HS2 CEO Mark Wild and Director of the Brunel Museum install a plaque in the Euston Tunnel (c) HS2
  The plaque has been fixed to the wall of the Euston Tunnel just as it passes beneath Kensal Green Cemetery, where Sir Marc Isambard Brunel and his son, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, are buri
  
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• London’s Alleys: Haven Place, Ealing, W5

  10-08-2026 08:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  This is a very narrow and grimy old passageway right opposite Ealing Broadway station, and if less yeuky, would be a good shortcut to the shops. But no, really, no, don’t use it.Haven Place is most inappropriately named, as it’s neither, but takes its name from Ealing Haven, a piece of common land that used to be crossed by a number of unnamed lanes, one of which followed a similar alignment to The Broadway.
  When the railway arrived in 1839, housing quickly followed, and the common l
  
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• William Morris Society starting regular tours of his Hammersmith home

  07-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The William Morris Society is starting regular tours of Kelmscott House in Hammersmith, where William Morris lived for a while.William Morris was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist activist who was closely associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. Even if you don’t know his work, you’ll recognise the style when you see it, as it’s very distinctive in a late Victorian sort of way.
  Although his childhood home is a museum in Walthamstow, his adu
  
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• All ten surviving Van Eyck portraits to reunite in London for first time

  07-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  All ten surviving portraits by the pioneering Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck will be brought together in London for the first time this winter in what the National Gallery describes as a landmark exhibition.
  ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’, 1434 and ‘Margaret, the Artist’s Wife’, 1439
  The exhibition, opening at the National Gallery on 21st November 2026, will bring all ten of the artist’s portraits and about half of the twenty or so surviving autograph pictures by
  
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• Tickets Alert: Muppets and Fraggles – a big screen celebration with Q&A

  07-08-2026 13:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Fans of Jim Henson’s beloved creations can relive some of the most memorable moments from The Muppets and Fraggle Rock at a special one-night celebration at the BFI Southbank next week.
  Fraggle Rock
  Taking place on Tuesday 11th August at 6:15pm, Muppets and Fraggles: A Celebration will look back at the pioneering puppetry and storytelling that made Henson’s productions a defining part of many childhoods.
  The 80-minute event will feature a screening of classic clips, followed by a liv
  
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• Sale of affordable prints and watercolours at Bankside Gallery

  07-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Bankside Gallery has opened its annual Summer at Bankside Gallery exhibition, bringing together new original artworks by members of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers (RE) and the Royal Watercolour Society (RWS).The free exhibition features contemporary printmaking and water-based paintings, with a wide variety of artistic styles, subjects, and techniques.
  Unsurprisingly, as many artists will be local, there’s a decent selection of London landscapes and buildings, as well as Gail Bro
  
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• Starlink mobile threat has been exaggerated, says T-Mobile CEO

  07-08-2026 06:00 via ft.com
  Boss of US network sceptical that Elon Musk’s planned entry into cell market will solve customer problems
  
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• Barbican Conservatory offering free plant cuttings ahead of its closure

  06-08-2026 18:30 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  If you’ve ever wanted to own a little piece of the Barbican Conservatory, you’ll soon have the chance, as more than 2,000 free plant cuttings are being given away ahead of the glasshouse’s closure for a major restoration project.
  Conservatory space (c) ianVisits
  Each event will also include an opportunity to explore the Conservatory, learn more about its plant collection, and hear about its future plans. The Barbican says additional free openings, tours and special events will
  
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• The London Buzz – 6th August 2026

  06-08-2026 18:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Old London – Kilburn High Road, opposite Glengall Road
  Today’s London news round-up:
  A west London council has called for a rethink from City Hall, after being told it could have to build thousands of new homes on greenfield sites. BBC News
  Two weeks without electricity in 30-degree heat: a Loughborough Estate family speaks out Beixton Buzz
  The London borough boundaries with fewest crossings Diamond Geezer
  Westminster council has recommended not allowing “vertical drinking&rdqu
  
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• Tower of London to start letting people attend its private “opening ceremony”

  06-08-2026 17:15 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The Tower of London is rich in ceremonies and traditions, and one which is not usually seen by the public now can be.It’s the ceremonial opening of the Tower each morning, and takes place very early, long before the tourists arrive. Each morning, a Yeoman Warder is joined by an escort of soldiers to unlock the gates of the Middle Tower, also known as the Byward Tower.
  This is the same gate that is locked at night in the Ceremony of the Keys — and where tourists will arrive later that
  
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• Leicester Square car park could make way for homes, hotel and rooftop bar

  06-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  A 1960s multi-storey car park and residential tower, Huguenot House, just around the corner from Leicester Square, could be replaced by a larger residential tower and hotel, with no car park.
  Huguenot House and car park
  The site is owned by Westminster Council, which has been working on redevelopment plans since 2017, with consultations in 2017 and 2021, and a contract finally awarded to Altius Real Estate in 2025.
  Their plans, designed by Foster + Partners, will replace the entire block of 35 f
  
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• Horse Guards mounted guard suspended for two weeks this August

  06-08-2026 15:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  Bad news for tourists hoping* to get bitten by the horses outside Horseguards Parade, as the Household Cavalry’s famous black horses are going on holiday.
  Horse Guards minus the horses but not the guard – Christmas Day 2008 (c) ianVisits
  The 18th-century stables next to Horseguards Parade are getting a substantial deep clean and other infrastructure-related works, and that means the horses have to decamp to another temporary home and get a break from biting tourists.
  In a statement,
  
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• Contemporary artists take over Hogarth’s historic home

  06-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The shortlisted entries for the inaugural Hogarth Prize are now on display at Hogarth’s House in Chiswick, offering visitors the chance to see the winning work alongside a wide range of finalists.The new prize celebrates artists who combine traditional techniques with original thinking. Inspired by Hogarth’s “rebellious ideals of invention and challenge”, it recognises work that engages with contemporary culture while demonstrating strong technical skill. With no set them
  
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• Council repaints Shepherd’s Bush rail bridge – and urges TfL to spruce up the station too

  04-08-2026 17:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  The shabby London Underground bridge over Uxbridge Road at Shepherd’s Bush Market is getting a repaint, with a new colour scheme chosen by local residents.
  (c) Hammersmith & Fulham Council
  The steel bridge, which carries the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines across Uxbridge Road, will be repainted in white, grey and teal after residents selected a design intended to complement the entrance gates to the historic Shepherd’s Bush Market.
  Hence avoiding comparisons with East Pu
  
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• How do children experience war? This exhibition has the answers

  04-08-2026 13:00 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  War is usually told through battles, generals and shifting front lines.
  But now an exhibition asks what happens when you lower your perspective to a child’s height. Sometimes literally, as a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum looks at how war affects children and childhood, including refugees, evacuations, play, and education.
  And puts some of the labels at a child’s height.The exhibition relies heavily on reconstructed environments to draw visitors in. There’s a Second
  
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• Young rail passengers to keep half-price railcard fares for longer

  04-08-2026 09:15 via ianvisits.co.uk
  
  More than 70,000 young people a year will be able to keep half-price rail travel for longer under new rules that extend the validity of the 16-17 Saver railcard.From 17th August 2026, the railcard will remain valid for a full 12 months from the date of purchase, rather than expiring when the holder turns 18.
  The change means students who celebrate their 18th birthday during the academic year will no longer lose access to the 50% discount before their railcard has run its course. The government e
  
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