Bishopsgate Institute and Library will be taking part in Open House London[url]http://www.openhouse.org.uk/london/home.html[/url] on Sunday 17th September10am to 4.45pm. Tours will be taken on the hour and all main rooms will be open.
An educational foundation that opened in 1894, the Institute provides a range of educational courses for busy city workers at Lunchtimes and earlyevenings.
Bishopsgate Library offers free public access to its unique andfascinating historical collections about London and the early labour, freethought and co-operative movements. Displays relating to the history ofthe Library and Institute will be on view along with a selection of itemsfrom the collections.
Bishopsgate Institute was the first of the three major buildings designedby Charles Harrison Townsend (1851-1928); the other two are the nearbyWhitechapel Gallery and the Horniman Museum in South London. His workcombined elements of the Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau styles, along withthe typically Victorian.
With its terracotta façade covered with stylised leafy trees and topped bytwo turrets, its impressive Great Hall, panelled Boardroom andrecently-restored Reference Library, this Grade II* listed building is oneof the very few in the area to have survived intact through the 20thcentury.
The Institute's halls and meeting rooms are available for hire.
Jeff Abbott
Library Manager
Bishopsgate Foundation & Institute
230 Bishopsgate
London
EC2M 4QH
T 020 7392 9270
F 020 7392 9275
E [mailto]jeffrey.abbott@bishopsgate.org.uk[/mailto]
W [url]http://www.bishopsgate.org.uk[/url]
Bishopsgate Library offers free public access to its world-renowned collections on London, labour and freethought.