The Golden Key Academy is a public speaking course developing the essential skills, knowledge and critical thinking required to deliver engaging walking and cycling tours unlocking complex architecture, heritage, and urban issues
Created by Open City, the charity behind the acclaimed Open House festival and a much-loved year round programme of public tours, the Golden Key Academy covers everything a skilled guide needs to create and deliver an insightful, entertaining, culturally-aware, critically-ambitious and financially successful outdoor event explaining the city and bringing its many stories to life.
The taught programme – running from February through to September – features a series of informative and interactive lectures covering core competencies including: editorial programming, critical interpretation, and the ethics of cultural production; guiding responsibilities and crowd safety; self-promotion and the use of technology and confidence in public speaking.
‘Open City draws on, and nurtures, our innate human curiosity. By revealing and explaining London’s hidden treasures it opens our minds to the value of our built environment’
— Alison Brooks, founder Alison Brooks Architects
What will the 2024 Golden Key Academy offer?
All course sessions take place during evenings or weekends to fit around jobs and other commitments. The first course sessions will take place on Saturday 10 February.
Lecture and Q&A sessions covering core guiding competencies, editorial programming: Turning a dull topic into an engaging tour, technology and self- promotion, setting up a tour guiding company, how to use tours to showcase your work, recommended reading
Session on tour practicalities: Risk Assessments/insurance/ legals/permissions/public safety/crowds/security/accessibility
Half day public speaking workshop to inspire engaging story telling
Group project focusing on developing tour concepts and delivery of your tour
Exclusive tour for the Golden Key Academy cohort with a post-tour discussion and appraisal
Complimentary tickets for Open City public tours and a Pocket London Tours subscription until the end of 2024
Step-by-step coursework brief outlining how to create and deliver your own high-quality tour focussing on any theme or location for your final assessment
Peer and mentor guide-facilitated practice walks for enhanced development of route, content, interpretation and delivery prior to final coursework assessment
Deliver a public tour to a real live audience as part of the 2024 Open House Festival for your final appraisal with written feedback by an expert guide or Open City team member
Graduation ceremony and Golden Key presentation and induction into the Golden Key Academy alumni network
View Golden Key Academy 2023 Open House Festival tour collection
View Golden Key Academy alumni Open House Festival tour collection
Golden Key Academy graduate interviews
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2023 graduate Debbie Kent
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2023 graduate Justin Manley
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2022 graduate Sarah-Jane Day
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2022 graduate Joe Brooks
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2021 graduate Alison Rae
“I really enjoyed meeting new people and discussing and discovering areas of London that were new to me. It was a fantastic opportunity to develop my own idea for a tour with the support from those with experience - my mentor Mike was really helpful and great to work with!”
How much does it cost?
The course fee of £800 is fully inclusive of all sessions, activities, assessments, and administrative costs.
If you are an Open City Friend you will receive a 15% discounts on a full price place on the Golden Key Academy.
Bursaries
Thanks to the support of our sponsors, we are pleased to offer a limited number of bursaries subsidising the course fee to just £650 with instalment payment options available. Please apply early and complete the relevant sections of the form below for consideration for the discounted bursary place which aims to open up the art of tour guiding to wider audiences and those suffering financial hardship.
How do I apply?
Applications will be accepted until Monday 15 January 2024
Applications open: Do you live in Thamesmead?
Open City are offering a free place to anyone who lives in Thamesmead.
With the support of Peabody we are accepting applicants from anyone who is passionate about the area and would be interested in developing the essential skills, knowledge and critical thinking required to deliver engaging tours unlocking complex architecture, heritage, and urban issues of the area.
Apply using the form below. Application must be available for the first session held in City of London on Saturday 10 February 10am - 5.30pm
Application deadline is 10am Monday 29 January 2024.
Get in touch with Adrianna with any queries at goldenkey@open-city.org.uk
“I loved delivering my tour on the day as part of the Open House Festival, it was really exciting to see it all come together and being with a big group on the day has a lovely effect. I really enjoyed working with my mentor Roz, who gave me a lot of insightful tips and was very supportive”
2023 Golden Key Academy London wide alumni
Andy Garland, Anthony Palmer, Brandon Jackson, Brian Jowers, Daniel Levin, Darren Leftwich, Debbie Kent, Emily McFadyen, Helen Longmate, Imogen Steinberg, Justin Manley, Kevin McNerney, Mary Crowley, Paul Steeples, Petra Cox, Rachel York, Rob Harris, Sally Itani, Sam Chen, Simone Kunisch, Susannah Ford, Vojta Nemec, Zoe Harmar
2022 Golden Key Academy London wide alumni
Adrian Gibbs, Alison Porter, Christopher Booth, Emma Keyte, Ian Kernohan, Irina Maliugina, Joanna Oyediran, Joe Brookes, Louise Vannier, Lynne Matthews, Olga Zilbershtein, Sara Probert,Sarah-Jane Day, Tony Ganio
2022 Golden Key Academy Royal Docks alumni
Anna Gibb, Danny Danquah, Emma Deba-Smith, Halima Hamid, Joanna Dong, Julia Omari, Matt Ponting, Miko Schneider, Momtaz Begum-Hossain, Tim Peake
2021 Golden Key Academy alumni
Áine Grace, Alison Rae, Courtney Plank, Evgeniya Petrova, Jack Chesher, Joseph Granata, Judith Nichol, Lisa Lu, Martin Scholar, Nic Durston, Noel Wright, Peter Burrows, Sarah Jackson, Stefan Cucos
Sponsor Golden Key Academy
The Golden Key Academy is part of our mission to create and deliver programmes which aim to open up the art of tour guiding to wider audiences and involve the public in conversations about the future and past of architecture.
If you want to find out about supporting this programme please get in touch with the Golden Key Academy Team at goldenkey@open-city.org.uk