Open House London

Open House London is an annual event in England's capital city, held over one weekend in September when hundreds of buildings in the city - some historical, some modern, but all of great architectural interest - open their doors to the general public for free. A quarter of a million people packed out the event in 2011, and each year queues for buildings like Lloyds Bank and BT Tower stretch around the streets. As well as the big-name buildings, the joy of the event is going inside private homes (from small studio flats to large townhouses) and having architects on hand to guide you round and discuss their design.

Now all who enjoy the event, and everyone who loves London, will be able to own the book. Victoria Thornton, the Director of the charity Open-City, which runs the event, has gathered together 100 buildings of architectural significance and grouped them by their purpose - ie entertainment, living space, work environment etc.

The concept behind the design of each building is explained, and complemented by photos of both their interiors and exteriors. A mixture of architects, building owners, Open-City workers and members of the public contribute their thoughts on the buildings throughout the book.

Victoria Thornton, OBE Hon FRIBA, is the founding director of Open House London. She started the event 20 years ago, with the aim of providing access to and education about the built environment around us, and in 2012 was awarded an OBE for services to architecture.

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