Newham’s venues open their doors for Open House

Kay Atwal, Chief Reporter Friday, September 21, 2012
8:00 AM

As part of its commitment to Open House Newham has no less than 16 venues which will be opening their doors this weekend.

There are walks offering riverside views as well as tours on board the River Princess at Royal Victoria Dock in addition to opportunities to explore some of the borough’s iconic landmarks.

Among them is Theatre Royal Stratford East in Gerry Raffles Square, Stratford which will be providing tours on Sunday at 11.30am on a first come basis. There will also be talks given in the theatre’s auditorium at 12.30 by its archivist/actor Murray Melvin. The playhouse has undergone £7.5 million refurbishment with original Victorian auditorium.

The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium at Aldersbrook Road in Manor Park will be open on Saturday from 10am to 5pm and on Sunday from 10am to 1pm. Tours will run at 10am and 1pm on Saturday and at 10am on Sunday and will last two hours.

There will be a talk by the superintendent on the heritage of the site which is a Grade I listed 200 acre landscape designed and landscaped in 1856 to deal with the environmental/health issues of London’s cramped churchyards.

Once described as the ‘finest building in Essex’, The Old Town Hall Stratford is Grade II listed and has been restored to its Victorian splendour. It also features award winning plaster work. It will be open from 10am to 2pm on both days with regular tours lasting 30 minutes.

Not far from the Old Town Hall is Dane’s Yard at 133 High Street which has been newly landscaped and overlooked by a refurbished Victorian warehouse now housing a restaurant, exhibition space and office. It will be open on both days from 10am to 5pm with talks on the hour about development of the site.

Other venues also taking part in the Open House weekend are: Abbey Mills Pumping Station in Abbey Lane, Stratford; Canning Town Caravanserai in Silvertown Way, Canning Town; Cody Dock in South Crescent, Canning Town; Grassroots, Memorial Park, Memorial Avenue; St Mary Magdalene Church & Nature Reserve, in High Street South and Norman Road, East Ham; St Mary the Virgin, in Church Road, Manor Park; Stagecoach London, West Ham Bus Garage, in Stephenson Street, Canning Town; Stratford Picture House, Salway Road, Stratford; The Hub, Star Lane, Canning Town; West Ham Parish Church of All Saints in Church Street, Stratford; Royal Victoria Dock tours on board the River Thames, beside the south end of the footbridge, Victoria Place, E16 and the Starting Point Tour by Fundamental Architectural Inclusion at the Newham sign on steps to Westfield Stratford City.