Explore Bromley’s architectural gems and historical neighbourhoods with Open House running from 14 to 22 September 2024 - for free!
Open House Festival 2024 will see an expanded Bromley showcase, with a former rockstar changing room, a theatre converted from a stable, and a history tour of Petts Wood joining the venue list.
Open House Festival is a London-wide festival that opens up and celebrates the city’s architecture, special sites and neighbourhoods, with open days and events taking place across all 33 London boroughs.
Originally introduced as a weekend long opportunity for visitors to enjoy places of architectural interest not usually open to the public, Open House has now expanded to a week-long celebration of architecture and open spaces across London. Each day, participating venues throw open their doors and welcome everyone free of charge to curious visitors keen to explore and appreciate places of interest often hidden from the public.
This is the 4 consecutive year that Bromley has taken part with over 19 eye catching attractions reaching each corner of the borough.
Bromley venues participating with Open House
Where booking is required, please visit the Open House website. To view all the venues in the borough, select ‘Bromley’ from the ‘all areas’ filter at the top of that page.
| Date/s | Times | Location | Event overview |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 11am 11:30am to 12:30pm 1:30pm to 2:30pm 3pm to 4pm |
Bromley and Sheppard's College - Bromley College, London Road, Bromley, Kent, BR1 1PE. |
Booking required: Guided tours - Founded to house the widows of clergymen, the original building consisted of 20 houses built around a classically-styled quadrangle. Captain Richard Ryder – one of Sir Christopher Wren's surveyors – was in charge of design and construction. |
|
Saturday 14 September Sunday 15 September Sunday 22 September |
10am to 4pm |
Bromley - Clockwise Offices at Bromley Old Town Hall, 30 Tweedy Rd, London BR1 3FE. |
Drop in: Bromley Old Town Hall has been painstakingly restored and repurposed to include private workspace and coworking for up to 750 members, a restaurant and bar by Dorothy and Marshall and a 23 room boutique hotel, BRAMA. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 4pm |
Bromley Little Theatre - North St, Bromley BR1 1SB. |
Drop in: Discovery day - Bromley Little Theatre (BLT) has an 113-seat auditorium that was originally a Victorian bakery and stables built in 1888. The first production was in December 1937. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 10:45am 12pm to 12:45pm 2pm to 2:45pm 4pm to 4:45pm |
Bromley Archives Tour (Bromley Central Library) - High St, Bromley BR1 1EX. |
Ticketed: Learn about Bromley Historic Collections and see the Archive for yourself. Our items range from the 17th century to the current day and showcase the history of what is now the London Borough of Bromley. Guided by the Senior Archivist, this is your chance to go behind the scenes, learn more about the archive and view some highlights of the collection. Join us for a guided tour of Bromley Archives. With access to the archive store, usually closed to the public, visitors will get a behind the scenes look at the collection and service. |
|
Saturday 14 September - 9:30am - 5:00pm Sunday 15 September - 10:00am until noon
|
Various |
Bromley - St Mary's Church, Bromley - 63 College Rd, Bromley BR1 3QG. |
Drop in: A Victorian church set in a wooded churchyard, with a vibrant and striking set of murals around the altar and the choir. Beautiful stained glass and a good quality well used organ in good condition with excellent acoustics. A variety of events have been planned on most days to discover this lovely Victorian church. |
|
Saturday 21 September Sunday 22 September |
Hayes - St Mary the Virgin Church - Rectory, Hayes St, Hayes, Bromley BR2 7LH. |
Pre-booking and drop In: The historic Church of St. Mary, Hayes, Kent is open to all on Saturday 21 September (from 10am to 4pm) and Sunday 22 September (from 2pm to 4pm) for a series of bookable events, self-guided tours, all accompanied by tea, coffee and cake. Records show that the church's first Rector arrived in around 1175. By about 1200, a nave, a short chancel, and the lower two-thirds of the west tower had been built.; the top third of the tower was in place by 1400. The building was enlarged to designs by George Gilbert Scott (north aisle, 1856) and John Oldrid Scott (south aisle, 1879). | |
|
Tuesday 17 September |
2pm to 3:30pm |
Beckenham - Bethlem Royal Hospital - Monks Orchard Rd, Beckenham BR3 3BX. |
Booking required: History Tour - Guided walking tour of the grounds of Bethlem Royal Hospital, taking in the Hospital's historic Chapel, its beautiful grounds, Bethlem Museum of the Mind, and Bethlem Gallery. |
|
Sunday 15 September |
11am to 3pm |
Beckenham - The Clubhouse at Dorset Road Allotments - Dorset Rd, Beckenham BR3 4EA. |
Drop in: Rock ‘n’ roll legends such as Lou Reed, Elton John, Pink Floyd and many others prepared for their shows in this former park keepers hut. In 1997 the hut was moved to the allotment site to become a community hub. Join the Open Day to celebrate the recent refurbishment. |
|
Saturday 14 September Monday 16 September Tuesday 17 September Saturday 21 September |
|
West Wickham Library - 77 Addington Rd, West Wickham BR4 9BS. |
Drop in: Art Deco building designed in 1934 by Leslie Kemp and Tasker in International Moderne style. Now the temporary home of West Wickham Library. Join us to find out about the history of this property from 1930s until today. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 4pm | Orpington - Crofton Roman Villa - Crofton Roman Villa, Crofton Rd, Orpington BR6 8AF. | Drop in: The Crofton Roman Villa house was occupied from about AD 140 to 400 and was the centre of a farming estate of about 500 acres View the remains of ten rooms of a masonry Roman villa-house with evidence of opus signinum and tessellated floors. Details of channelled and pillared hypocaust systems. The Villa was the centre of a farming estate of about 500 acres. |
|
Sunday 22 September |
2pm to 4pm | Petts Wood - suburban landscape - Station Square, Petts Wood. | Ticketed: This guided walk of the London Suburb of Bromley aims to offer an overview a history of the area initiated by Basil Scruby in 1920/1930's. The walk will start at Station Square, Petts Wood and will be a gentle walk for approximately one and half hours. We shall conclude at The Daylight Inn function room where we will offer tea and coffee plus availability of toilets. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 4pm |
Chislehurst - Church of the Annunciation - 42 High St, Chislehurst BR7 5AQ. |
Drop in: Fine Victorian church with large mosaic and painted reredos, screen and wall paintings and some unusual glass. Arts and crafts decoration by Nathaniel Westlake and Salviati Bros. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10:30am to 2pm |
Chislehurst - Bullers Wood School for Girls - St Nicolas Ln, Logs Hill, Chislehurst BR7 5LJ. |
Drop in event: Typical mid-Victorian stucco-fronted house built on a grassy hillside, extended in 1888 by Ernest Newton with William Morris redesigning the interiors. The library, formerly drawing room, has a unique William Morris hand-painted ceiling. The school itself has a range of older and newer buildings, including Inglewood House. The grounds will be open during the Open House festival. |
|
Saturday 14 September Sunday 15 September |
2pm to 5pm |
Chislehurst - Scadbury Moated Manor - Old Perry St, Chislehurst BR7 6PT. |
Drop in: You will see the original moat still filled with water, go on to the island to see the foundations of the brick Walsingham house including the site of the kitchen and hall, and then return from the island and pass the farm buildings to see the exterior of the bunker used as an air-raid shelter and Home Guard centre in World War II. You will also see our current excavation at the site. |
|
Tuesday 17 September |
11am to 12pm |
RAF Biggin Hill Museum and Chapel Tour - Main Rd, Leaves Green, Westerham TN16 3EJ. |
Booking required: Guided tour - Join us for an internal and external tour of Biggin Hill Museum and Chapel. Come along and immerse yourself in the history of Biggin Hill from the establishment of the airfield to the events of the Battle of Britain. |
|
Saturday 21 September 10:30am to 4pm Sunday 22 September 12pm to 4pm |
Various times - See the Open House website |
Biggin Hill - St Mark's Church (the Moving Church) - 10 Church Rd, Biggin Hill, Westerham TN16 3LB. |
Drop in: The Moving Church - on his appointment to Biggin Hill in 1951, Rev Vivian Symons had the vision to bring the materials for a new church building from the disused All Saints, North Peckham. But first, he had to deconstruct a huge Victorian church, and bring it by himself to its new site. However, St Mark's is Grade 2 listed, not because of its origin, but due to its style. |
|
Saturday 14 September Saturday 21 September |
11am to 1pm |
Crystal Palace Park Dinosaurs - a tour with a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide- Thicket Rd, London SE19 2GA. |
Booking required: Guided tour - the 30 Grade I listed, life-size statues of dinosaurs and other extinct animals at Crystal Palace Park that have thrilled visitors for 166 years. However, they are now in danger and have recently been added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register. Led by Aaron Hunter who is an academic and palaeontologist. |
|
Saturday 21 September |
10am to 11am |
Dinosaur Swing Bridge in Crystal Palace Park - Thicket Rd, London SE19 2GA.. |
Booking required: Guided tour - The team that brought the Dinosaur Swing Bridge to life will describe the process of the bridge’s inception, evolution, and construction, how the design emerged and improved, and how a community deepened their relationship with this pivotal structure that bridges heritage old and new. |
A complete list of all the venues and events can be viewed on the Open House website.