Click on individual Tour below for details

Kings Cross canal side development - Thursday PM (full)

Discover two hidden gems not otherwise open to the public! Join a tour of Kings Cross Central: 67 acres of brownfield development in the heart of London. The tour will start at the German Gymnasium (Grade II) that holds the marketing suite and visitor centre for Argent, the developer and joint land owner. Around a large model of the site, Argent and Pre-Construct Archaeology will explain the proposed redevelopment of King's Cross Central site; some of the important archaeological finds and how the significant historic character of the site informed the design. There will then be a short walk to St Pancras Cruising Club to visit a listed Victorian water tower that once supplied steam locomotives at St. Pancras Station but was ‘sliced’ and relocated to its current position. Its roof gives fantastic 360° view of the area. Crossing the Regent’s Canal the tour will continue along the towpath to the ‘Fish and Coal Offices’situated within the Western Goods Yard, just north of the Regent’s Canal, at the heart of the King’s Cross Central development. There you will be able to appreciate how the proposed mixed-use development will be integrated within the historic features and structures of the site. The tour will be led by a representative from Argent, British Waterways’ Heritage Advisor and Pre-Construct Archaeology’s Head of Historic Buildings Survey/assessment and will take you in a loop to the North of Kings Cross.

Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium Redevelopment - Thursday PM (full)

The relocation of Arsenal Football Club to their new Emirates Stadium in Islington in 2005 involved the subsequent conversion of their historic Highbury ground into a substantial residential development; an ambitious scheme which was completed in October 2009. This included the re-landscaping of the pitch as a new communal open space, the imaginative transformation of the iconic 1930s Art Deco stands into high quality flats and the retention of important internal features such as the famous Marble Hall and Board Room. The tour will be led by Alec Forshaw who was Head of Conservation and Design with the London Borough of Islington throughout the development of the scheme.

Theatreland, West End - Saturday AM

The West End of London contains the greatest concentration of theatres in the world. Known as Theatreland, between them they offer an extraordinary rich dramatic and lyric repertory which attracts audiences in their millions. Of the 40 West End theatres 35 are statutorily listed and represent a priceless architectural jewel in London’s crown. However, they still reflect the conventions of a period when theatre audiences were segregated into different classes and when theatregoers were physically smaller. Many have been upgraded to modern standards and the Saturday morning tour will start with an interior visit to the Grade II* listed Wyndham’s Theatre (1899: W G R Sprague). Here there will be the opportunity to view the recent restoration of the auditorium, fly tower and front-of-house spaces. Rosy Runciman the Archivist for Delfont Mackintosh will explain the ethos and philosophy for the restoration scheme and Alan Mackenzie from RHWL architects will talk about upgrading West End theatres to modern standards. The tour will then continue across to Leicester Square where we will visit the Grade II listed London Hippodrome (1900: Frank Matcham - former Stringfellows nightclub and Talk of the Town) to view the remains of the water circus and elephant run. It is currently undergoing full restoration for a £15 million conversion scheme for use as Casino. The walk will then continue with a selection of exteriors including the Palace (1891: T E Colcutt, II*), Phoenix (1930: Bertie Crewe, Cecil Masey & Sir Giles Gilbert Scot, II), the Prince Edward (1929: Edward Stone), the Queen’s (1908: W G R Sprague & 1959: Westwood & Hugh Casson, II) Gielgud (1906: W G R Sprague, II), the Apollo (1901: Lewen Sharp & H van Hooydon,II) the Lyric (1888: C J Phipps, II) and ending with the Criterion on Piccadilly Circus.

Royal Albert Hall, City of Westminster - Saturday AM (full)

The visit to the Royal Albert Hall is specifically to look at the structure over the main auditorium. The 6m high roof space is usually only accessible for authorised and trained personnel but dispensation has been agreed with the Hall for a group of Annual School delegates to inspect. Designed by Ordish and Scott, with probably some design input also from Armstrong, who fabricated it in Manchester, the structure of the roof is a fascinating piece of Victorian wrought iron engineering. Appropriate health and safety facilities will be in place but access requires climbing a very steep 6m high external stair.

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Southbank and Garden History Museum - Saturday AM

The South Bank has been London’s cultural centre since it hosted the Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951 but incorporates a range of other historic buildings including St Thomas’ Hospital, County Hall and the Garden Museum which is housed in an historic church adjacent to Lambeth Palace. Now a conservation area with numerous nationally important listed buildings, the challenge is to manage and accommodate the changing needs of building users and visitors in a sympathetic way. Doug Black of Lambeth Planning Division will lead a walking tour around the conservation area explaining issues such as the preparation of Lambeth’s Conservation Area Appraisal; preparation of statements of significance for key historic buildings, listed building management plans and recent contemporary interventions in historic buildings. We will inspect a number of the buildings and discuss the issues relating to delivering excellent conservation planning.

St Martin-in-the-Fields - Saturday AM

Project Architect Robert Kennett of Eric Parry Architects will lead a tour of the award winning renewal project at St Martin-in-the-Fields.  The project was vital to securing the future, not just of the landmark buildings on the site, but also of the care for the homeless, the Chinese community and millions of other users and visitors.

The scheme is more than a building project: it is a response to a hugely varied and complex range of requirements and aspirations, both religious and secular. Its success is a tribute to the architects' considered approach and the determination to combine contemporary art and architecture with sensitive conservation work.

London Open Garden Squares Weekend - Saturday PM

Now in its thirteenth year and bigger than ever, Open Garden Squares Weekend is organized by the London Parks & Gardens Trust, www.londongardenstrust.org and over the weekend of 12 and 13 June more than 200 squares and community, allotment, institutional, and other gardens will be open to visitors. Most of the sites are privately owned and managed, and accessible only to keyholders and holders of OGSW tickets, which give access to all the sites over both days. Full details are available from the website www.opensquares.org . A limited number of complimentary tickets and tickets at a concessionary rate will be available to IHBC Day School delegates, and are accompanied by an illustrated brochure with maps and details of participating sites, opening times and access. Free tickets are also available to volunteers prepared to check and sell tickets for half a day at one of the gardens, many of which will be hosting special events and tours.

In the vicinity of the Day School venues and hotels the following sites are among those taking part in OGSW: The Academy Gardens, Bedford Square, British Medical Association, Calthorpe Community Garden, Hillview Estate, SOAS Roof Garden, Park Crescent and Park Square (linked by the Nursemaids' Tunnel under Marylebone Road), and the Royal College of Physicians Medical Garden. Further afield, several of the "Magnificent Seven" metropolitan cemeteries are participating, including Abney Park, Brompton, Nunhead and West Norwood, as are HMP Wormwood Scrubs and HMP Holloway (by appointment only), Kensington Roof Gardens, Garden Barge Square, Cadogan Square, the Ismaeli Centre Roof Garden, and many, many others.