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Birkbeck’s architectural jewels shine at Open House London

Gordon Square and University Square Stratford to be showcased in annual architecture festival

Historical and modern aspects of Birkbeck’s estate will be showcased to the public this month, when the College participates in the Open House London festival.

Birkbeck School of Arts in the heart of Bloomsbury and the University Square Stratford building have been selected to be part of the capital’s largest annual festival of architecture, which takes place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September.

Visitors at the School of Arts, at 39-47 Gordon Square, will be offered the chance to tour the grade II listed building which was designed in 1820. Housed within its handsome walls are a diverse range of architectural styles and historically significant spaces including:

  • The historic interiors, originally occupied by the sisters Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell, where the Bloomsbury group of intellectuals (whose lives were recently dramatised in the BBC’s Life in Squares series) had its beginnings. The economist John Maynard Keynes and the dancer Lydia Lopkova later lived there, and The Keynes' Library (which houses three paintings by Vanessa Bell) will be a highlight of the tour
  • The Centre for Film and Visual Media, a strikingly modernised extension designed by Surface Architects in 2007, which houses Birkbeck’s 80-seat cinema

Across the city, University Square Stratford (USS) – a new higher education hub and shared venture between Birkbeck and University of East London (UEL) – will also be open for the public to explore.

Opened by HRH The Princess Royal in 2013, the £33m USS campus – designed by Make Architects – is the product of Birkbeck and UEL’s shared vision for widening access and encouraging progression into higher education for non-traditional students. Visitors on Saturday 19 September will get a chance to see USS’ state-of-the-art facilities up close, including its simulated courtroom, rooftop habitats, and performing arts spaces.

Dr Leslie Topp, of Birkbeck’s Department of History of Art said: “The terrace on Gordon Square is a fascinating mix of architectures, from the early nineteenth century to the early twenty-first, and a key site for literary history too.  Our team of Birkbeck History of Art students looks forward to showing Open House visitors the hidden riches of the building.”

Stephen Wilson, facilities manager at USS said: “Since it opened two years ago I have sensed that the building has become a special place for those studying and working here. Visitors and passers-by often pay compliments on the design or the facilities offered and it will be interesting to learn what Open House guests comment on.”

Open House London runs on Saturday 19 – Sunday 20 September 2015.

Birkbeck School of Arts (39-47 Gordon Square, WC1H 0PD) will be open from 10am to 5pm on both days. Hourly tours led by Birkbeck students run throughout the day on a first come basis, with the last tour at 4pm each day. Find out more about the Gordon Square activity.

University Square Stratford, (1 Salway Road, London, E15 1NF) will be open on Saturday, 19 September, from 10am to 4pm. Half-hourly tours led by architecture students run from 10.30am-3.30pm and operate on a first come basis. The last tour entry is at 3.30pm. Find out more about the USS activity.

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