There are three SE23 entries in this year's Open House weekend on 20th and 21st Septemeber. Here are the details, if anyone's interested in having a nose round...

Horniman Musuem Aquarium. Tours Sunday at 1.45pm and 3.15pm. pre-book only by email to marketing@horniman.ac.uk or ring 020 8291 8168

"New aquarium facing the challenges of building a sustainable eco-system in the basement of a museum. Buttress Fuller Alsop Williams 2006. Entry: aquarium, behind-the-scenes areas."

The Capitol. Saturday/Sun 10am-5pm. Regular architectural tours including behind-the-scenes to largely untouched first floor area. Pre-book only on 020 8291 8920. Last tour 4pm.

"Formerly Capitol Cinema, a grade II listed rare survival of a complete 1020s cinema in Art Deco Egyptian style, later a bingo hall and now a pub. Stanley Beard 1929."

Walter Segal Self Build Houses, 8 & 10 Walters Way, Honor Oak Park. Sunday 12 noon to 5pm. First come basis, queuing outside if necessary. Last entry 4.45pm.

"A close of 13 self-built houses. Each house is unique and built using a method developed by Walter Segal, who led the project in the 1980s. Walter Segal, 1987. Entry, two houses. NB Talks by self-builders, demonstration of self-building and workshop for potential self-builders. Exhibition and film about life and works of Segal."

Just a reminder that this weekend is Open House.

Mr Bean's tour of the Capitol was well worth it I met some very nice fellow tourees. Check it out next year, folks.

OPEN HOUSE 2009 - 19-20 September 2009

Same three properties are open this weekend:

The Capital
Address: 11-21 London Road, SE23 3TW
Tour times: Sat - 10am-5pm. Sun - 10am-5pm. Regular architectural tours including behind-the-scenes to largely untouched first floor area. Pre-book ONLY on 020 8291 8920. Last tour 4pm.

Horniman Museum - Behind the Scenes of Natural History
Get up close and personal with some rarely seen natural history specimens and learn about the architecture of the North Hall Gallery, with Jo Hatton the Natural History Curator.
Tour times: Sun tours at 2pm & 3pm, duration 1 hour, pre-book ONLY by email to marketing@horniman.ac.uk, or ring 020 8699 1872 ext 196.

Walter Segal Self-Build House with Eco-refurbishment
A close of 13 self-built houses. Each house is unique and built using a method developed by Walter Segal, who led the project in the 1980s. The open house has benefited from extensive eco-refurbishment including super-insulation, triple glazing and solar hot water and heating.
Address 8 Walters Way, Honor Oak Park SE23 3LH
Tour Times: Sat - 12noon-5pm. Regular tours, first come basis. Last entry 4.45pm.

Here's the Open House website if you want to look for other places.

The Capitol and Walter Segal Houses are on this year, plus Louise House, as mentioned in a separate post:

"Institutional Victorian building in the domestic revival style, bult as a Girls' industrial home and laundry (1890-1933). Highly decorated externally and functional utilitarian interior. Thomas W Aldwinckle, 1890. Entry, ground, first floor, former laundry building to rear."

To book any of the above, go to...

http://www.openhouselondon.org/bookings

Weekend of 18th and 19th of September.

Hello there,
I'd love to go to the capitol tour, but the phone number for the Capitol tour is not recognised and it's not showing on the web page link Or am I being dense?)

I've left my booklet at work with the info, but you could try ringing the capitol direct...

020 8291 8920

Louise House (next to the library) is part of open house through a collaboation between the Forest Hill Society and Lewisham Council.

It will be open for tours on Saturday the 18th between 10am and 5pm.
But places do need to be pre-booked through Open House
http://www.openhouse.org

There will also be an exhibition about the building and its former use.

I think the correct address is:

http://www.openhouselondon.org.uk/index.html

Don't forget to go and look around Louise House!

There will be a new exhibition about the history fo the house and an excellent exhibition about the life of Janusz Korczak borrowed from The Jewish Museum. For more information you can visit:

http://www.louishouse.notlong.com

Tim
The link doesn't seem to be working

Magic 'e'

http://www.louisehouse.notlong.com

Yup, please don't all come to Louis' house. I haven't got enough biscuits to go round.

Not a matter to get absolutely fuming about I would think. Calm down.
Hope it all goes well.

Lovely tour of Louise House by Steve Grindlay today. Thanks to Steve and everyone who organised the day. Cross fingers something can be done with the building

had such a great time this Open Weekend, the tiny Pond Cottages oposite Dulwich College dating from the 17th century were amazing, the Kingswood House tour and opportunity to view the Chapel at the Dulwich Picture gallery a delight!

did anyone else find something to write about???

We had the luck to tour Louise House with a woman whose mother and aunt had grown up there. Also enjoyed the Capitol tour.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the day a success.

We also went on the Capitol tour with the entertaining Mr Bean - didn't try the ladies to see if that ghost was lurking, though (I had visions of Moaning Myrtle, but I think this one's a bit less theatrical!) A bit further afield, I've finally looked round Bromley & Shepherd's College on London Road: built to house the poor widows and offspring of clergymen. We used to walk past there every day when me & my brother were nippers. It's worth booking a tour if only for the original 1666 wrought iron gates and C19th children's graffiti scratched into the brickwork. I noticed one 'D Wells' in a rather fine hand, presumably no relation to famous Bromley resident H.G.!

The boards showing the history of Louise House that were prepared by Steve Grindlay for the Open House weekend are now available in PDF format.