Open House Festival
10am - 4pm
11 St Andrew's Place, Regent's Park, NW1 4LE
Interior of a building. A suspended staircase with orange carpet occupies most of the frame.
Photograph © Hufton+Crow

Explore Denys Lasdun's masterpiece from it's modernist exterior to dramatic interior spaces this September.

The Royal College of Physicians is one of London’s most provocative modern buildings. Designed by British architect Sir Denys Lasdun (1914-2001), the RCP is one of only a very small number of Grade I listed post-war buildings in England. The design was commissioned in 1959 with the doors opening in 1964 making it the Royal College of Physicians' fifth home since our foundation in 1518.

This September we will be opening our building as part of the Open House festival. 

Booking is now open

All the details about what you can do on the day are below.

Edit: Please note all tours are now fully booked. We would be delighted to welcome you for a drop-in visit between 10am and 4pm, use the link above to book your slot. 

Drop in 10am - 4pm

Denys Lasdun's striking masterpiece will be open from 10am to 4pm for visitors to explore. From the surprising historic interiors of the Censors Room and Dorchester Library to the dramatic façades and unique staircases.  

  • find out more about the design with glimpses of our architectural plans, papers and photographs from our archives in the Council Chamber
  • watch short film 'The anatomy of a building: Denys Lasdun and the Royal College of Physicians'
  • hear oral history interview snippets in the Censors Room
  • explore our museum and collections throughout the building
  • have fun with Lego and colouring in our family activities room

Let us know you are dropping in by booking online

Looking from above onto the marbel sprial staircase in the RCP. A visitor walks down the stairs holding onto the brass rail.
Photo by Xinyue Zhang

Take a guided architecture tour

There are several tours to join throughout the day but places are limited, don't forget to book your place.

11am - 12pm | Guided tour of the Royal College of Physicians - *Fully booked*

Join an expert from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Archives, Heritage Library and Museum team for a guided tour exploring the architecture of our Grade I listed home. Designed by modernist architect Denys Lasdun the RCP is one of London’s most important and provocative buildings. Discover key architectural features and the influences on the design of the post-war modernist structure.

1pm - 2pm | Martin Glover BSL tour: architecture of the RCP

Join Martin Glover, trained architect and British Sign Language (BSL) signer, for a guided tour of the Royal College of Physicians striking home on the edge of Regent’s Park for deaf visitors. Discover architect Denys Lasdun’s award-winning building from its modernist exterior to dramatic interior spaces. Opened in 1964 this is the fifth home of our 500-year-old institution and one of only a few Grade I listed post-war buildings in England. The tour will include an introduction to our historic collections on display throughout the building.

This tour will be led in BSL only, please only book if you are a BSL user. Please get in touch if you have any questions about this tour via: history@rcp.ac.uk

2.30pm - 3.30pm | Guided tour of the Royal College of Physicians - *Fully booked*

Join an expert from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) Archives, Heritage Library and Museum team for a guided tour exploring the architecture of our Grade I listed home. Designed by modernist architect Denys Lasdun the RCP is one of London’s most important and provocative buildings. Discover key architectural features and the influences on the design of the post-war modernist structure.

A mixed group of people stand in the car park looking up at the RCP building.
Photo by Xinyue Zhang

 

Join a tour of the Medicinal Gardens

From 11am our expert Garden Fellows will be available to offer guided tours of the Medicinal Garden. 

The myriad of stories they tell come from diverse cultures, different countries and from every age in recorded history. The real joy of the garden is in its unique and bespoke collection of plants that offer living examples of the history of medicine from ancient Egypt to the life-saving prescription drugs of today. 

No booking required.

Visitors on the left facing a Garden Fellow tour guide holding a plant on the right in the Medicinal Garden.

Try our virtual treasure hunt

Take a fresh look at our building and its history in our Open House treasure hunt!

On the day you will be able to link to our virtual set of treasure hunt questions, venture thought our building to discover all the answers. Everyone taking part who gets all the questions right will be entered into a prize draw for their chance to win one of our architecture merchandise bundles.

Look out for the QR codes and links on the day to take part.

Set of prizes including an open book titled 'Anatomy of a building', post cards and a greetings card plus a fridge magnet featuring the RCP building and a set of badges inspired by Lasdun's design.

Open House London

Open House London, is a two-week celebration of London’s homes, architecture and neighbourhoods. You can get inside some of London’s best known buildings, as well as some of its best kept secrets. 

This year's events run from Wednesday 6 – Sunday 17 September 2023.