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.
This taught programme – running from April 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 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 Golden Key Academy offer?
Lecture and Q&A sessions covering core guiding competencies, critical explanatory programming, legal practicalities and promotion, recommended reading
Half day public speaking workshop to inspire engaging story telling with an opportunity to bolt on extended workshop
Exclusive tour for the Golden Key Academy cohort with a post-tour discussion and appraisal
Complimentary tickets for two Open City public tours and a Pocket London Tours subscription.
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 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
All all sessions take place during evenings or weekends to fit around jobs and other commitments
Read an interview with Golden Key Academy 2021 Graduate Alison Rae
View tours by the 2022 Golden Key Academy cohort as part of Open House Festival 2022
View tours by the 2022 Golden Key Academy Royal Docks cohort as part of Open House Festival 2022
“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 do I apply for the Golden Key Academy 2023?
Course cost for 2023 tbc
Get in touch with any queries or register your interest for 2023 at goldenkey@open-city.org.uk
“I really enjoyed getting out with like minded people and enjoying London together.”
View tours by the 2022 Golden Key Academy cohort as part of Open House Festival 2022
View tours by the 2022 Golden Key Academy Royal Docks cohort as part of Open House Festival 2022
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