London Festival of Architecture

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) will be back with a diverse and engaging series of public events and installations, aimed at anyone with an interest in London’s architecture and the spaces that surround us, running across the capital from 1-30 June 2023.

Aiming to bring a critical lens to city-making while looking forward with hope, so we can make our city greener, healthier, more inclusive and equitable - a London by and for all Londoners. The programme is people-led and curated by event organisers, featuring over 400 events across the capital.

LFA2023 invites organisers and participants to explore the theme of ‘In Common’, reflecting on what we share, including the finite number of natural resources we have left and the physical ‘commons’ public spaces we use. Festival-goers are also encouraged to examine what we don’t have in common, celebrating our differences and ensuring we shape and design our city alongside those with different lived experiences.

Showcasing new specially commissioned installations, talks and debates, performances and tours, workshops, and family events, LFA2023’s visitors are encouraged to take a fresh look at familiar places they may walk past everyday.

Featuring some of London’s most architecturally significant and diverse areas, the 2023 Destinations will range across Greater London, including central locations such as the City of London, Clerkenwell & Holborn, and South Westminster, and for the first time the outer London boroughs of Barnet, and Bromley (Penge & Palace), as well as the South London neighbourhood of Brixton in Lambeth and the Royal Docks in East London. Each LFA

Destination offers the public the opportunity to appreciate the architectural quality and culture of the area, as well as attend a wealth of events and activities.

Highlights of this year’s event include the Fleet Street Flower Press: a greening installation by Wayward of herbal and medicinal plants inspired by 16th century herbalist John Gerard and the area’s history of printing; and Vertical Farm-to-Fork at the Factory: an installation, tour and talk at the Factory Project in the Royal Docks showcasing the Vertical Farm-to-Fork project from Spacelab and Projekt, at its design stage using XR technology from Spheroid Universe.

The Studio Lates will also return to the festival offering the opportunity to see behind the scenes in London’s leading architecture and design practices in Shoreditch and Cambridge Heath, Southbank, Clerkenwell, Fitzrovia and Bloomsbury.

Rosa Rogina, Director of London Festival of Architecture, said: “It’s fascinating to see how this year’s programme is exploring and interrogating the theme of ‘In Common’. The experiences we do and don’t have in common are central to the evolution and development of our city; we are living in extraordinary times and have collectively become aware of a wide spectrum of systematic inequalities our cities hold, so I’m delighted the LFA2023 programme addresses many of these challenges with optimism, originality and curiosity while leaving a lasting legacy to London. I can’t wait for everyone to explore the sheer variety of events in June, from installations to workshops to tours and more, encouraging collaboration and supporting our key mission at NLA to bring people together to shape a better city.”

The Queen’s Reading Room

The Queen’s Reading Room charity, formed by The former Duchess of Cornwall in 2021, has released the programme and tickets for its inaugural literary festival to be held at Hampton Court Palace on the 11th June.

Gathering authors, experts, actors and literature lovers for a day celebrating the written word, guests will be able to enjoy shows from a number of stars including: Dame Judi Dench, Gyles Brandreth, Dame Harriet Walter, Philippa Gregory, Ben Macintyre, Ken Follett and many more.

There will also be literary themed tours, as well as the opportunity to take in the sights and sounds in the stunning grounds Hampton Court Palace where a variety of food and beverage options will be on offer.

The Queen’s Reading Room, relaunched as a charity by Her Majesty The Queen Consort in February 2023, works to advance education by promoting and providing opportunities for the appreciation of literature among adults and children in the UK and around the world. It seeks to close the gap between writers and readers through accessible, educational and free literary content available year-round through its social media and online platforms; and to connect more people with books which enrich their lives, turning them into lifelong readers.

Highlights from the festival programme, which runs from 10am5pm and 6pm-9.30pm include: the all-star cast of the awardwinning Austentatious improvising a hilarious new Jane Austen novel, inspired entirely by a title dreamt up by HM The Queen Consort. ‘An Eye for a Spy’: with Ben Macintyre, Ken Follett and Robert Harris - three of this country’s greatest writers of espionage, who will share their innermost spy secrets and reveal what it is like to inhabit the mind of a secret agent for 300 pages or more. And Gyles Brandreth in conversation with Dame Judi Dench, talking about her life, her career, and her special love for William Shakespeare.

The festival is a co-production between The Queen’s Reading Room and Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that cares for Hampton Court Palace.

Proceeds will go towards the ongoing work of both charities. Registered charity number 1201916. Tickets are available online. thequeensreadingroom.co.uk