squirmelia | Open House London 2007

Open House London Weekend 2007 happened on the 15th and 16th of September and it was then that I saw Vintners' Hall, 30 St Mary Axe, Old Turkish Baths and the Village Underground.

1. Vintners' Hall is also known as the spiritual home of the wine trade, but unfortunately photographs were not allowed, and actually, no-one seemed to be drinking wine. There were impressive chandeliers, old bottles, and labels that perhaps were once stuck to wine bottles (including "mouthwash").

2. 30 St Mary Axe is better known as the "Gherkin" and booking a ticket to visit the 40th floor during Open House Weekend involves pressing "refresh" a lot around the time when tickets are supposed to appear, but is worth it. From the top, there is an amazing view of London. The Gherkin itself is also impressive, so seeing it from the inside was interesting.

3. The Old Turkish Baths are now an Italian restaurant, Ciro's Pizza Pomodoro, but they have retained some of their original features, so interesting details and patterns can be found, as well as pizza. Since it's a restaurant, it's obviously open other times as well as Open House Weekend. (The next London Open House Weekend is apparently on the 20th and 21st of September 2008.)

4. The Village Underground consists of a number of artists' studios that have been made out of recycled tube trains. They have been painted and refitted and some even look like they are about to fly off the top of buildings.

(After that,

fluffymark and I headed to See for "ice dragon" ice-cream, as well as strawberry and balsamic vinegar ice-cream.)

More photos on Flickr: Open House London.