Places in London that do talks and public events that I like (or might like) going along to

This post was updated and all links checked on 5 Jan 2026.

Since my old blog post (written in 2013, updated in 2016) has links that are out of date I thought it was time to give this a bit of a refresh and add some new venues. 

There are ~79 venues listed here and I seem to have been to events at 41 of them, so a few more to visit!

See also https://lectures.london/ but make sure to scroll down the page as at time of writing it's stuck on Nov 2025 at the top but scroll down a bit to find upcoming lectures.

Science and culture

• Academy of Medical Sciences: Events
  
• Barts Pathology Museum: Events | Eventbrite page
• Blackheath Scientific Society: Programme
• Chelsea Physic Garden: What's on 
• Geological Society: Public Lectures
• Gresham College: What's on
• Hampstead Scientific Society: Talks
• Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution: What's on
• Horniman Museum: What's on
  
• Hunterian Museum (surgery etc): What's on 
• Kew Gardens (the KMIS lectures are a treat, info about where they're held can be found on their Eventbrite page): What's on
• Imperial College: Events
  
• Institute of Physics: Events (filtered for public / family / STEM professionals)
• LifeFabs: Camden Based Biomaterials Workshops - Eventbrite
• Linnean Society: Upcoming events
• London Fortean Society: London talks on odd goings-on: blog
  
• Natural History Museum: What's on 
• Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garrett: Events 
• Old Royal Naval College: Homepage (scroll down for talks and events)
• RI - Royal Institution: What's on 
• Richmond Scientific Society: programme
• Royal Astronomical Society: Public lectures & events  
• Royal Geographical Society w IBG: Events / Upcoming events (London | online) 
• Royal Museums Greenwich (National Maritime / Royal Observatory): What's On | Planetarium shows
• Royal Society of Chemistry: Events (filtered for South East / schools etc)  
• Royal Society of Medicine: Events | Public Engagement Programme
• RS - Royal Society: Public events 
• Salter's Institute (chemistry): Events - page not found as of 2026
  
• Science Gallery London: What's on 
  
• Science Museum: See and do
• South London Botanical Institute: Events
  
• The Crick: What's on | Public events 
• UCL (University College London): Lunchtime Lectures
  
• Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Collection): What's On | Events
  
• Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London: Events list | Centre for Health Studies events

Music, film and arts culture

• Antique Beat / A Curious Invitation / Salon for the City: | Eventbrite page
• Barbican: What's on 
• BFI: What's on (inc IMAX and London Film Festival info) | Previews and events 
• Biggin Hill Museum: Events (a mix of science, e.g. history of radar and WW2 history)
  
• Blackheath Halls: What's on
• Blackheath Society: Events
  
• British Academy: Lectures
  
• British Library: What's on
• British Museum: Exhibitions and events 
  
• Cafe Oto: Events
• Cinema Museum: Homepage | Kennington Bioscope
• Centre of the Cell: Events
  
• Century Club: Events | The Soho Series (with Antique Beat and A Curious Invitation) - possibly a 2025 thing
  
• Conway Hall: What's on
• Cosmic House: Calendar
  
• Design Museum: What's on | Talks, courses & workshops
  
• Garden Cinema: Homepage / What's on
• Guildhall Library: Eventbrite page
  
• Horse Hospital: What's on 
• ICA: Upcoming 
• Iklectik: (now moved to Peckham Levels) What's on
  
• Interesting Conference: Interesting 2025 Interesting 2026
  
• In The Dark Radio - A celebration of stories told through sound
• King's Place: What's On
• London Month of the Dead (see also Antique Beat): Homepage (every October)
• Lost Lectures: Events
  
• Morley College: Events | Penny Lectures
  
• National Gallery: Events 
• National Portrait Gallery: Events
• QMUL (Queen Mary University of London): Events
  
• Regent Street Cinema: Homepage 
• Roundhouse: What's on 
• Royal Academy of Arts: Events | Exhibitions
  
• Royal Academy of Music: What's on
• Royal Albert Hall: What's on: everything 
• Royal Institute of Navigation: Community Calendar
  
• RSA - Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce: Upcoming events | Public talks
• Shakespeare's Globe & Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (candle lit): What's on
• Society of Antiquaries of London: Events 
• Somerset House: What's on 
• Southbank Centre: What's on | Creative Encounters (free)
  
• St Bride Foundation: What's on
  
• The Charterhouse: What's on 
• The Courtauld: What's on
• The Last Tuesday Society / Viktor Wynd Museum: Events & Exhibitions 
• V&A - Victoria and Albert Museum: What's on 
• Wallace Collection: Events 
• Wilton's Music Hall: What's on 

From the Boring Conference (interesting people talking about boring things), in 2012, which doesn't seem to be running at the moment (accompanying podcast).

"It was created in response to the cancellation of the 2010 Interesting Conference. It seemed like the obvious thing to do.

People have talked about sneezing, toast, IBM tills, the sounds made by vending machines, the Shipping Forecast, barcodes, yellow lines, London shop fronts, the television programme Antiques Road Trip and the features of the Yamaha PSR-175 Portatune keyboard."

 

Good to see a delicious buffet at @boringconferenc #boring2012 pic.twitter.com/i6b52sak

— Tim Johns (@timoncheese) November 25, 2012

 

Other event-doing venues 

• Art4Space https://art4space.co.uk/
• Kempton Steam Museum https://kemptonsteam.org/ 
• Kirkaldy's Testing Works (Southwark) https://www.testingworks.org.uk/ (Eventbrite)
  
• Lifefabs Institute: What's On (Eventbrite) - biodesign classes
• Ragged School, Poplar
  

 
 
 
 
 

Lovely plant-related talks at Kew Gardens - the KMIS lectures season

I've been attending the KMIS (Kew Mutual Improvement Society) lectures for a few years now. They take place in the Jodrell Lecture theatre (near Kew Bridge and The Botanist pub) and there's something lovely, genteel and other-worldly about them. Perhaps it's the lecture theatre, or the history. Anyway I recommend them and they're £2 each. Sometimes they have 'items of interest' before the lecture in which anyone can give a short presentation about something plant-related that's interested them. Bit like parish notices.

For some reason they publish the KMIS lecture programme as a PDF rather than an HTML page. More information about the series can be found here too.
On Twitter - @Kewlectures email: kmis@kew.org

How much / when / where
£2 / lecture starts at 6pm, Jodrell Lecture Theatre (entrance on Google view), Kew

SEPTEMBER 2016
26 September 2016
‘Keeping every cog and wheel – How can botanic gardens conserve all plant diversity for future generations?’
Dr. Paul Smith (Secretary General BGCI)

OCTOBER 2016
3 October 2016
‘Confessions of a show gardener’
David Domoney (Broadcaster, Writer and Show Gardener)

10 October 2016
‘Californian native flora – The wonder of Calochortus’
Solène Dequiret (Kew Diploma Student)

‘Living tree sculpture in the USA’
Joe Clements (Kew Diploma Student)

17 October 2016
‘The relocation & development of the University of Bristol Botanic Garden’
Nicholas Wray (Curator University Botanic Garden Bristol)

24 October 2016
‘Exploring Australian botanic gardens and plants in the wild’
Nicola Lloyd (Kew Diploma Student)

‘A botanical excursion to North and South India exploring the flora and its medicinal plants
Anna-Lena Tack (Kew Diploma Student)

31 October 2016
‘Ancient oaks in the English landscape
Aljos Farjon (Kew’s Conifer Specialist)

NOVEMBER 2016
7 November 2016
‘Education at Longwood Gardens – A continuum of learning’
Dr. Doug Needham (Director of Education)

14 November 2016
‘An illustrated tale of another Royal Botanic Garden: RBG Melbourne’
Richard Barley (Director of Horticulture RBG, Kew)

21 November 2016
‘Q and A session with; Head Gardener of the American Ambassadors House, London – Horticulture with diplomacy’
Stephen Crisp (Head Gardener Winfield House)

28 November 2016
‘Conservation in action- British Virgin Islands’
Miranda Janatka (Kew Diploma Student)

‘Ecuador, from the jungle to the Andes’
Mathew Rees (Kew Diploma Student)

DECEMBER 2016
5 December 2016
‘Acorns as food in human history: Myth or Reality?’
Béatrice Chassé (Plant Hunter)

12 December 2016
‘What do we mean by ‘natural’ planting?’ Fundraising lecture: £8 entry £4 students/staff
Dr. Noel Kingsbury (Garden Designer)

JANUARY 2017
9 January 2017
‘Botanic gardens in Central Honshu, Japan’
Misako Kasahara (Kew Diploma Student)

‘Bhutan, the last paradise’
Christopher Brown (Kew Diploma Student)

16 January 2017
‘Small bulbs in the winter garden - snowdrops and more’
Dr. John Grimshaw (Director Yorkshire Arboretum)

23 January 2017
‘No dig abundance; fewer weeds, save time’
Charles Dowding (Writer and Vegetable Grower)

30 January 2017
‘Collecting in the mountains of northern Vietnam’
Bleddyn Wynn Jones (Crûg Farm Nursery)

FEBRUARY 2017
6 February 2017
‘Is the nutrition in crops declining?’ - Fundraising lecture: £8 entry £4 students/staff
James Wong (Ethnobotanist, TV Presenter)

13 February 2017
‘Adventures in gardening’
Andy McIndoe (Consultant, Lecturer and Author)

20 February 2017
‘In search of hidden treasures in the woodland garden’
John Anderson (Keeper of the Gardens, Crown Estate, Windsor)

27 February 2017
‘Wisley - A new chapter for the RHS flagship garden’
Matthew Pottage (Curator RHS, Wisley)

MARCH 2017
6 March 2017
‘Rubus - wild raspberries and blackberries’
Barry Clarke (Botanist, Hillier Gardens)

13 March 2017
‘Remnants of the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest’
Will Spoelstra (Kew Diploma Student)

‘A desert in bloom – Journey through the Western Cape’
Tom Pickering (Kew Diploma Student)

20 March 2017
‘Placemaking and planting’ - Fundrasing lecture: £8 entry £4 students/staff
Tom Stuart-Smith (Landscape Architect, Designer)