Billy Roberts

Phil Piratin’s East End brand of direct action, involving luxury hotels, breaking into underground stations, and throwing dough at bailiffs, made fascists tear up their membership cards and helped thousands shelter from bombs. In parliamentary terms, Phil Piratin’s political career was not a grand success. As one of only two Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) MPs, major parliamentary breakthroughs would have been difficult to achieve.

Barry Gray, one of 35 Yeoman Warders at the Tower of London and a former Royal Marine, takes us behind the scenes of his living quarters at the Tower and explains why he’s campaigning for forgotten soldiers. While the Tower of London’s historical menagerie is well known, Barry Gray may have been the first person to live there with a pet parrot. Charlie, an African Grey, along with Barry’s wife, daughter, and German Shepherd, Royal, moved in with him when he became a Yeoman Warder.

From hydraulic power stations and floating homes to unfinished skyscrapers and unusual walking tours, these are our picks from the Open House London 2026 programme. Arguably London’s most wholesome festival, Open House is back to let the general public poke around historic, weird, and excitingly normal buildings which they’re usually not allowed inside. Open House is kind of like an architectural Edinburgh Festival, with an eclectic mix of buildings around London getting involved.