Open House - Secret Westminster

We all love Westminster for its vibrant atmosphere, incredible buildings, and rich history. Being close to pomp and power attracts famous names. Let's move away from the well trodden tourist paths and take a quiet walk around some lesser-known areas to discover where these famous individuals lived and how central Westminster influenced the surrounding areas.

Indulging in the best of Westminster, our guides will unveil the rich history and the modern day of this vibrant area and everything in between.

As a bonus to the walks, Westminster Archives, where the walk begins, are hosting a Secret Westminster exhibition and opportunity to learn about services provided by the Archives centre.

As part of Open House, the City of Westminster Guides are leading 90 minute walks repeated throughout the day, every 30 minutes from 10.00 until 15.00. Covering 3 centuries of Westminster, you will recognise the names, see where they lived, and what they became famous for.

The Westminster Guides are the official guides of the City of Westminster. Our Association, also known as CWGLA, was established in 2007 and prides itself on quality assured training and support for our guides. You can recognise us by our distinctive yellow/blue badge bearing the City of Westminster's coat of arms.

Every year we ask for donations to support the Lord Mayor's charities, this year the Lord Mayor of Westminster is supporting the following 2 charities;

Hotel School - is a London-based charity founded in 2017 by Jeremy Goring, CEO of The Goring Hotel, and Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, London's largest voluntary sector homeless resource centre, investing in people who have experienced homelessness and other disadvantages to equip them with hands on experience within the hospitality industry, since its inception the programme has achieved a 70% success rate of graduates securing employment within the hospitality sector.

The Avenues Youth Project - a best-in-class youth centre who believe every child from 8 - 18 should have the opportunity to realise their potential, whatever their life circumstances, having built a safe-space youth centre in 1979 is now seeing 1,000 young people benefitting from their programmes each years.