Bishopsgate Institute opens its doors on Sunday 23 September from 11.00am to 5.00pm for Open House London, a city-wide celebration of architecture, design and regeneration. This is a unique opportunity to come and explore our beautifully restored and historic Grade II* listed building in the City of London.

Founded in 1894, Bishopsgate Institute was one of three major public buildings designed by architect Charles Harrison Townsend (1851-1928), the other two being the Whitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum. It combines elements of the Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau styles, along with the typically Victorian, and Townsend’s originality can be seen throughout the building from the decorative façade and roof turrets to the grandeur of the Great Hall. Today the original aims and ethos of the Institute live on through our courses, cultural events, historic Library, archive collections and schools and community programme.

Guided tours of our Library, panelled boardroom and Great Hall will take place on the hour, every hour (last tour at 4.00pm).

No advance booking required.

‘C.A. Mathew, Photographs of Spitalfields a Century Ago’
To link in with this year’s Open House theme ‘The Changing Face of London’ we present an exhibition of photographs at Sandys Row Synagogue from 23 September 2012. The images, from one of Bishopsgate Library’s collections, are by a little known photographer, C.A. Mathew, who on Saturday 20 April 1912 walked out of Liverpool Street Station and with a camera in hand wandered the streets of Spitalfields taking photographs. Today the images offer a fascinating insight into that time and the ever changing face of London.

This exhibition has been organised by Sandys Row Synagogue, Bishopsgate Institute, the London Jewish Cultural Centre and Spitalfields Life.