Offices are a key part of our lives and millions of people in Britain work inside them. They have played a key role in technical innovation such as computing and the demand for offices has created a landscape of tall buildings.

The development of offices played a role in emancipating women and created a global office workforce. Offices dominated the square mile and have done for decades. But what really goes on inside these huge buildings which dominate the medieval pattern of streets and alleys? This walk will be an opportunity to explore why offices have got so much bigger, how speculative office building developed in the 1950s, where the money comes to build them and how they have driven technical and architectural change. We will also consider the sociology and psychology of what goes on inside offices and the hidden transcripts and secret histories.

Who is this tour for?

The walk is aimed at people who are interested in the social, political and architectural history of London and in particular, the world of work within the office.

It is for people who are interested in how the built environment takes the shape it does, and what forces are driving this.

It is for people who are curious to know what goes on inside the walls of the tall glass and steel buildings which surround us.

Practical information

You will need comfortable shoes suitable for taking part in a 2-hour walk (with several stops), and water for refreshment. This tour is fully wheelchair accessible.

The meeting point for this tour is outside the main entrance of the Bishopsgate Institute.

Image: North Paddington Community Darkroom Archive