Discover the landmark Post-War and Postmodern structures
of the City of London
Join Open House for a walking tour discovering some of the foremost Post-War and Postmodern buildings within the Square Mile
This insightful walking tour from Broadgate to Bank — led by acclaimed architectural historian Jon Wright — chronicles how the stark and sometimes heroic forces of 1960s modernism were superseded by a more contextual architecture in the 1970s before the hi-tech and postmodern (po-mo) styles took over as the de-facto forces in commercial architecture in the 1980s and 90s.
Buildings featured on the tour – such as Exchange House by SOM, Arup Associates’ Broadgate Circle, and Milton Gate by Sir Denys Lasdun & Partners – chart that shift and give glimpses of the architectural richness and fluidity that continue to define the City today.
The City of London, one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing urban centres anywhere in the world contains buildings from the middle ages to now. Constantly morphing and adapting, the City is the ultimate place to see the big forces of architectural history side-by-side.
This walking tour is part of a series of events responding to the core themes of the last Open House festival and the wider Open City programme. The tour will examine the success of these buildings to date while also looking ahead to what the future for the City of London might hold.
Meet: Exchange House, 12 Primrose St EC2A 2HS. Duration 2.5 hours approx. Tour ends at No1 Poultry/Bank. Cost £14.50 / £9.50 concessions (students/unemployed)
This tour does not incorporate the use of Zoom. Get in touch with Adrianna at tours@open-city.org.uk with any queries.
A pocket London of this tour is also available to purchase on our shop page
Meet the tour guide…
Jon Wright works for Purcell Architects as a Twentieth Century Heritage Consultant, specialising
in the history and conservation of modern buildings. He believes it's a
fascinating area as many of the principles for how we look after
these buildings are not yet fully formed. He is a former caseworker
for the Twentieth Century Society, where he fought to get many
buildings of the period listed and now works with architects to
help look after them.
Jon Joined the Open City team in 2017.