The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 271 No 7260 p161
2 August 2003

Society summary

Society takes part in London Open House weekend again

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's 1970s headquarters building will be open to the public in September, when it will be one of more than 500 buildings taking part in the annual London Open House weekend. The building previously opened during the London Open House weekend for four consecutive years until 2001.

The event, which this year takes place on 20 and 21 September, is London's biggest celebration of architecture, giving Londoners and visitors the chance to see behind the doors of Government, business and private premises that are usually closed to the public.

The Society's Lambeth headquarters building was designed by David Hodges of the Louis de Soissons Partnership in 1971 and first occupied in September 1976. The building will be open to the public on Saturday 20 September between 10am and 1pm with guided tours every 30 minutes (last tour at 12.30pm). Tours will take in the assembly hall, the Council chamber, committee rooms, the museum displays and the Council dining room. Visitors will also be taken on to the fifth floor roof terrace, with its views over London. There will be displays of architectural models for the building, including the original scheme for an 11-storey tower.

Briony Hudson, keeper of the museum collections, says: "The whole ethos of London Open House is to provide free entry to the capital's hidden gems. Visitors to the Society's building will be assured an enlightening tour, not only getting a chance to look around our headquarters but also at the museum's displays and all of the pharmacy history contained within them."

Further information about the weekend can be found at the London Open House website (www.londonopenhouse.org). A directory of participating buildings, available at the beginning of September, can be obtained by sending a self-addressed C5-size envelope bearing a 42p stamp to PO Box 25361, London NW5 1GY, with a cheque for £2 payable to "London Open House".