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If you’re the kind of nosy neighbour who’s always peering out from behind your front curtains whenever there’s even a whiff of some drama happening outside, you’ll love Open House. The annual festival takes place every September, and offers curious Londoners a rare chance to pull back the curtain and go through the keyholes of some of the capital’s most renowned – and often most secretive – buildings, completely free of charge.
From historic royal dwellings to magnificent specimens of modern architecture, churches and bridges to art studios and municipal buildings, a whole load of interesting real estate across nearly every London borough is open for snooping during the festival, which returns from 13-25 September.
Having partnered with Airbnb, Open House is promising its biggest and boldest festival yet in 2025, with over 800 events on the programme, announced earlier this week. So to help you decide which spots are most worth snooping around ahead of bookings going live on Wednesday 20 August., we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic London buildings taking part this year.
The 5 best buildings to visit during Open House 2025
Lincoln’s Inn
The oldest of London’s four Inns of Court – its records date all the way back to 1422 – Lincoln’s Inn has been home to London’s elite legal minds for more than 600 years. The 11-acre site encompasses an array of facilities used by its members, including the Grade I-listed Old Hall and Grade II-listed Great Hall, a chapel, one of the UK’s most important law libraries and a variety of lecture theatres and meeting rooms. Usually closed to the public, Open House is a very rare chance for a peek inside these historic corridors of power at it’s open day, when you can also check out an exhibition and a programme of history talks and panel discussions too.
Lincoln's Inn, WC2A 3TL. Sat 13 September. Free.
City Hall
Opened in 2012 as an exhibition centre and think tank called The Crystal, London’s new City Hall in the Royal Docks has been the home of London Assembly and the offices of the Mayor of London since 2022. And while the building does offer limited public access year round, Open House is a chance to have a proper snoop around, and to learn more about City Hall’s impressive sustainability credentials, – which earned it the first ever BREEM Outstanding certification, on one of the drop-in tours, as well as checking out the magnificent views over the historic local area from its events space, London’s Living Room.
Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE. Sat 13-Sun 14 September. Free.
HMS Wellington
A sleek, 81-metre military ship stationed on the north bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and Waterloo, HMS Wellington saved hundreds of lives during the six-year Battle of the Atlantic during World War II, steaming close to a quarter of a million miles and escorting 103 Atlantic Convoys. The ship has rarely been open to visitors before this summer, but following a major restoration project it will now be open to fee-paying members of the public every weekend. And to celebrate, HMS Wellington will be free to visit during Open House, offering hundreds of visitors the chance to learn more about the heroic deeds that occurred during the ship’s career.
Temple Stairs, WC2R 2PN. Sun 14 September. Free.
London Film School
Mike Leigh, Ann Hui, Michael Mann and Carla Simón are just a few of the renowned directors to have learned their craft at the London Film School in Holborn. Step into their shoes at one of the renowned institution’s Open House filmmaking workshops, where you’ll get to work with green screen and a camera operating team, then do a tour of the site’s cinema and workshop spaces, housed in a former banana warehouse.
24 Shelton Street, WC2H 9UB. Sun 14 September. Free.
Senate House
A towering Art Deco landmark in the heart of Bloomsbury, Senate House was once the tallest secular building in the city. Supposedly the inspiration for the ‘Ministry of Truth’ in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, it survived the Blitz in part because Hitler supposedly took a shine to it and had plants to make it the Nazi Party’s headquarters should the Third Reich have successfully invaded Britain. These days it’s best known as the site of the University of London’s main library, which is usually reserved for the eyes of bookish students and academics, but members of the public can get lost among its marble-lined corridors and maze of bookshelves on an in-person or virtual tour during Open House.
Malet Street, WC1E 7HU. Sat 20-Sun 21 September. Free.
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