Open House London: 18th-19th September

Open House London will run next weekend, an annual extravaganza of the capital's great buildings, many not usually accessible to the public...

There are some fantastic opportunities for interested students of Government and Politics:

Portcullis House will be open to the public both days between 10 am and 5 pm (free!). This is the modern building opposite the Houses of Parliament which houses the administrative offices of many MPs and their staff. Aside from building tours, published highlights will include architectural displays, showings by the team responsible for Big Ben and the Clock Tower, displays regarding the work of Parliament and an exhibition of the work of Simon Roberts, the official artist to the 2010 General Election.

For more details: http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/openhouse/

Also open is the opulent Foreign Office (with the adjoining India Office).... Now this is really something to see, a showcase of Britain's imperial past. Open during the same times as Portcullis House, also free (so why not see both on your day out?), visitors will be able to see the splendour in which Foreign Secretary William Hague and his staff work every day... Enter through King Charles Street, according to the web site.

http://www.londonopenhouse.org/public/london/find/detail.asp?loh_id=907