Open House HackneySaturday 15 and |
Take the chance to go through the keyhole this month as 28 of Hackney’s most interesting buildings throw open their doors to the public.
As part of the capital’s biggest architectural festival residents can tour the borough’s iconic buildings free of charge and learn more about their design features.
From the award-winning rooftop nursery to the art deco of Hackney Town Hall and even an environmentally friendly family home, a whole host of properties will be on show.
The Building Exploratory, a Hackney-based charity focusing on architecture, will host an exhibition and activity trail over the weekend.
Some of the buildings open to the public this weekend -
Fairmule House
23-35 Waterson St, E2
Explore the largest solidtimber constructed mixed-use building in the UK, comprising 11 flats and seven work units. Instead of using steel or concrete for its structure, this property uses solid timber laminated panels for its walls, roof and floors. There are many green features and bespoke public artworks throughout. Light pours in through the large number of windows creating an open feel. The architect and timber contractor will be on site to answer questions.
Round Chapel
Lower Clapton Road, E5
This Grade II listed nonconformist chapel for 1,000 people was built between 1869 and 1871 and comprises the Round Chapel Arts Centre on Lower Clapton Road owned by the Hackney Historic Buildings Trust and the Round Chapel Old School Rooms on Powerscroft Road owned by Clapton Park United Reformed Church. Highlights include its innovative cast-iron columns and tracery. It has been newly restored as the Centre for the Performing Arts.
Hackney Town Hall
Mare Street, E8
Guided tours around the Town Hall on Saturday (15 Sept) will highlight the exceptional Art Deco interiors, which the Council intends to renovate to their former glory in the near future.
Much original work remains intact including fine light fittings, panelling, floor surfaces and doors. Natural light pours in from a glass ceiling. The main reception areas, ground and first floor, council chamber and main committee room will be included in the tour.
Almshouse at the Geffrye Museum
Kingsland Road, E2
Visit one of the Geffrye Museum’s historic 18th century almshouses which has been fully restored to its original condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London’s poor and elderly in former times. Almshouses have existed for over 1,000 years enabling people in need to retain their independence and to live in their local community. They aim to provide independent living for needy people, mostly elderly, with a high standard of affordable housing in their community.
Village Underground, 54 Holywell Lane, EC2
Visit these unusual artists’ studios inside recycled tube train carriages. Sitting on reclaimed land on top of an abandoned railway viaduct, this creative use of space provides an affordable area for artists to work in the heart of Shoreditch. Village Underground also includes a restored Victorian warehouse with many inspiring architectural features, from the huge void of the main atrium, with its 10-metre high, glass panelled ceiling, to the fabulous Victorian brickwork of its 19th century vaults.
St Augustine’s Tower
The Narroway, off Mare Street, E8
The Tower in St John-at-Hackney Churchyard Gardens, is Grade I listed. Dating back to the 13th century, St Augustine's Tower is all that remains of the original medieval parish church, which was demolished in the late 18th century to build a larger church. It survived because there were insufficient funds at the time to add a bell tower to the new church. Take the opportunity to explore all areas including the roof and clock chamber, with a working late 16th/early 17th century clock.
Sutton House
2 and 4 Homerton High St, E9
Take a step back in time and visit the oldest house in East London. Five centuries of family history, changing styles and tastes are chronicled in this rare Tudor red-brick house. Sutton House was built in 1535 by Sir Ralph Sadleir, a rising star at the court of Henry VIII. It became home to successive merchants, Huguenot silk-weavers, Victorian schoolmistresses and Edwardian clergy and, although altered over the years, remains an essentially Tudor house. Oak-panelled rooms and carved fireplaces survive intact and an exhibition tells the history of the house and its former occupants.
For a complete list, opening times and further details visit www.openhouse.org.uk
Olympic tours
Don't miss your opportunity to tour the London 2012 Olympic Park site. Guided bus tours of the 2.5sq km site will show how clearance and demolition work has got underway since the Olympic Delivery Authority took over the site just over a month ago. For safety reasons children under 12 years are not permitted. Book in advance on 020 3023 6056.
For more information on the Olympics visit www.hackney.gov.uk/x-olympics
Page updated: 13 Sep 2007