London Wildlife Trust - Largest London wetland reserve to open

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Largest London wetland reserve to open in October Walthamstow Wetlands, Europe’s largest urban wetland reserve, opens to the public on Friday 20th October. London Wildlife Trust has led on this ambitious project alongside London Borough of Waltham Forest and Thames Water, creating a 211 hectare wildlife haven just 15 minutes from central London. Our staff and rangers will be on site to protect the important wildlife, which includes large numbers of over-wintering waterfowl, and they will also be offering all sorts of exciting events and opportunities for visitors. Check out the new website (still under development) for all the latest news from Walthamstow Wetlands. London's spiders – separating fact from fiction At this time of year spiders seem more common, creating impressive webs in our gardens and tumbling into bath tubs. The tabloid newspapers love to spin tales of ‘huge, sex-crazed' spiders invading our homes, but is it all just a web of lies? Check out our new spider web page to learn the truth - you’ll be surprised how many hundreds of fascinating (and harmless) spider species there are, even in London! Donate your old pound coins and help us build our ‘hedge’ fund Your old ‘round pound’ coins will no longer be legal tender after 15 October. If you’ve got any hiding down the edge of the sofa, lying idle in your piggy bank or weighing down your pockets, why not donate them to London Wildlife Trust and help us build our ‘hedge’ fund. Just six old pound coins could help us create a metre of hedgerow – vital habitat that provides shelter, food and green corridors for wildlife such as hedgehogs You could bake some wildlife-themed biscuits and ask your friends and colleagues to donate their old pound coins then take them to your bank. Details of how to pay your fundraised donations to London Wildlife Trust can be found on our website Wildlife events this October Autumn is a great time to see and enjoy wildlife, and we’ve a cracking line-up of events across London to get you closer to nature. We’ve family-themed fun stuff for little ones, an evening bat walk, several fungi discovery walks and an Open Day at Gunnersbury Triangle, an important wooded nature reserve that is just a stone’s throw from Chiswick Park tube station. Almost all of these events are free, although donations are always welcome! Check out everything that is on offer – just visit our website! Image credits: Nadia Ward, Chris Maguire & Daniel Greenwood

Dulwich Picture Gallery - Feast your eyes on this!

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From 25 October, Moomin-mania is set to take over the Gallery as we celebrate the creator and inspirational woman behind these much-loved creatures - Tove Jansson. Yes, that does mean we have to say goodbye to Sargent, so reminisce about the warmer months while you still can with his summery, sun-drenched watercolours - on display until 8 October. Book here. Tove Jansson Tickets → Monthly highlights GALLERY LATE: Feast Feast 6 Oct, 6–10pm, £12, £10 Friends & Concessions Indulge all the senses with a night of immersive activities exploring the link between food and art. Sniff your way around our Collection with an aroma tour, take part in an edible installation involving lots of candy floss and master the art of food photography - and that's just for starters! Book Now→ SPECIAL LECTURE: Giles Waterfield Memorial Lectures In Memory of Giles Waterfield (1949-2016) 18 Oct In honour of the late Giles Waterfield, the Gallery's first Director, we're presenting two lectures covering topics we think Giles would have enjoyed. John Sheeran: Saving Dulwich Picture Gallery - 3.30pm, £12, £10 Friends Thomas Marks: The Witty Museum - 7.30pm, £16, £14 Friends Learn More → FAMILY EVENTS: October half-term October half-term 23–29 October Keep your little creatives entertained this half-term with our week of multi-media activities inspired by Jansson's most cuddly creatures - the Moomins! Enjoy drop-in sessions (children go free), two-day workshops and a special evening of Moomin-inspired performances as part of Museums at Night.  Learn More → Your month with us... LECTURES & TALKS InTown Lecture Series 5 & 19 Oct, 7.30pm, £12; £10 Friends A series of lectures about major exhibitions in other London galleries.  Learn More → InSight Lecture Series: 20th-century Art & Architecture of South America 4, 11 & 18 Oct, 10.30–11.30am, Series: £32; £26 Friends. Single lecture: £12; £10 Friends We examine key periods in the vibrant history of South American art and architecture, from the innovative buildings of Oscar Niemeyer to the artists of the 1930s, who created a distinctive and confident art movement.  Learn More → Contextual Lecture Series: Continental Culture: The Road to Europe 10, 17, 31 Oct, 10.30–11.30am, £12, £10 Friends  We examine facets of European development, social and political unrest and the remapping of the continent. Learn More → Tuesday Evening Lecture Series: Immigrant Artists 3 & 17 Oct, 7 for 7.30pm, £12; £10 Friends  We will be discussing the way in which foreign artists like Van Dyck came to influence art in Britain. Learn More → EARLY YEARS Mini-Masterpieces 3 & 19,10–11am & 11.30am–12.30pm, £12 per adult & child Inspire imaginations with our tailored workshops for toddlers because you're never too young to experience the joys of our Collection! Book Now → FAMILY EVENTS The Big Draw (Living Lines) 7 Oct, 10am–5pm, Adults standard gallery charge, children FREE Get those pencils sharpened and at the ready because the Big Draw is nearly upon us! To celebrate we're bringing your drawings to life with stop-motion animation in our one-day workshop.  Book Now → ADULT WORKSHOPS & COURSES  Sargent's Strokes 7–21 Oct, 10am–1pm, £30 per session or £85 for all three Celebrate the final weeks of Sargent: The Watercolours with three watercolour workshops focusing on fragments, reflections and landscapes - taking inspiration, as Sargent did, from the surrounding environment. Drawing for All 10 Oct–12 Dec, 10am–1pm, £130, £125 Friends If you're a beginner or a more seasoned drawer, brush up on your skills in this 10-week course touching on various techniques.  View All Courses → GALLERY FILM The Manchurian Candidate 9 Oct, 7pm, £9, £7 Friends; ticket includes a glass of wine Book Now → Gallery news IF_DO’s design for the first Dulwich Pavilion has been shortlisted in the inaugural AJ Architecture Awards under the category, ‘Budget Project of the Year’ Just announced: in spring 2018 we will present a major retrospective of works by Edward Bawden We recommend Quentin Blake & John Yeoman: 50 Years of Children's Books House of Illustration 6 Oct 2017 – 4 Feb 2018 Quentin Blake and John Yeoman have created more books together than Blake has with any other author, including Roald Dahl. The exhibition will include his very first illustrations for children’s literature from 1960, as well as work from their latest collaboration and 10 projects in between. Book now. Poster Girls Friday Late London Transport Museum 13 Oct Visit London Transport Museum this October for the opening of Poster Girls - a century of art and design, a major new exhibition celebrating 20th and 21st female graphic artists. Be one of the first to see it at the Friday Late launch evening on 13 October – book before 30 September for an Early Bird discount. Designs on Britain Jewish Museum 19 Oct 2017 - 15 Apr 2018 Explore the contribution of Jewish émigré designers to 20th-century British design and discover how much of the most iconic British design was produced by immigrants to this country. Book now.

Bishopsgate Institute - What's On This October - Events, Courses, Talks and Workshops

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This October London Talks and Jilly Blooper This October, the stunning Bishopsgate Library will play host to a talk exploring the contentious history of the East End, a night of comedy and music, and an evening of speed history with a theatrical twist. Don't miss our regular social dances and the Bishopsgate Ballroom Ball. LONDON TALKS   The East End - A Brief but Contentious History Wednesday 4 October | 19:00 - 20:00 £9, £5 conc. Professor John Marriott's illuminating talk questions the nature of the East End as an object of historical inquiry. Challenging the prevailing mythology of the area as a site of criminality and degeneration, he seeks to explore the interconnections among the origins, geographical boundaries and cultural landscape of East London. Book Now EAST END BACK PASSAGES Wednesday 11 October  | 19:30 - 21:00 £11, £7 conc. Ten storytellers. An audience divided into small groups. A bell rings every five minutes and you move onto the next table to hear another true tale. Speed history borrows from speed dating to present multiple mini-talks on social history from the East End of London. Authors, historians and local people with a passion come together to share their stories, often with a theatrical twist. Book Now JILLY BLOOPER AND PIANO BAR Saturday 14 October | 20:00 - Midnight £9, £7 conc. (free after 21:30) We welcome you to a night of comedy and music in the beautiful Bishopsgate Library. The night begins with a ticketed event featuring the comedy orgy of Jilly Cooper love, Jilly Blooper.“Super-sharp, Miranda-esque” - Time Out London.  This will be followed by an evening of drinks and show tunes at The Library Piano Bar featuring host Alex Young (Follies, Carousel) and Musical Director Jordan Clarke (Showstopper, Have I Got News For You). Book Now LONDON TALKS Duckie - Authentic London Honky-Tonk Wednesday 18 October | 19:00 - 20:00 £9, £5 conc. In this talk Dicky Eton, Producer, Duckie, takes a stroll through 21 years of playing records, smoking fags, jumping around and sipping tea. Founded at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in 1995, arts enterprise Duckie have been a part of London’s nightlife for over 21 years. Hear more about the history of this creative collective, along with the changing landscape of London's nightlife and queer culture over 21 years. Book Now DISPLAY: LEATHER ARCHIVE UK Leather Archive Display Saturday 21 October | 14:00 - 16:00 Free, drop-in Explore the collection of magazines, pamphlets, posters, ephemera, t-shirts and artefacts that form part of the UK Leather Archive at this free drop-in display in the Bishopsgate Library. This event celebrates the arrival of the MSC London/London Leathermen Archive at the Institute, a major addition to the ever-growing UK Leather Archive, and is part of London Leather Weekend which runs from 19 to 22 October. More Info DISPLAY: SISTER SOLIDARITY Women's and Feminist History 1970 to Today Wednesday 25 October | 18:30 - 21:00 Free, drop-in Join us for an evening exploring women’s history as shown in the archives of Bishopsgate Institute at this free pop-up display. Find out more about grassroots protests, everyday women's lives, and the campaigns that have motivated women from the second wave of feminism in the 1970s to today. More Info