Things To Do Today In London: Friday 21 February 2020

The London Bookshop Crawl begins today

Things to do

CASK 2020: The Cask series of beer festivals has moved to a new venue this year to cope with demand. 30 breweries are serving up their best cask beers — many filling one-off casks specifically for the festival. Soak it all up with nosh from ‘artisanal food producers’, and enjoy talks from the brewers. Copeland Park (Peckham), from £35, book ahead, 21-22 February
LONDON BOOKSHOP CRAWL: ‘Like a pub crawl but with bookshops’ is how the London Bookshop Crawl describes itself. The three-day event celebrates and supports London’s local and independent bookshops through a variety of talks, tours and other events. Take the opportunity to discover as many new bookshops as possible, or just revisit an old favourite. Across London, free, some events require booking, 21-23 February
MAPPING THE WAR: Find out how maps and aerial photography were used in military operations in the first world war. New technology such as aerial photography was employed for the first time during the conflict — find out how it was used to improve the accuracy of maps and change military planning. National Army Museum (Chelsea), free, book ahead, 11.30am

Explore London’s queer landscape

RIPPER VICTIMS: In much coverage of Jack the Ripper, very little attention is paid to the victims. Author Hallie Rubenhold’s new book, The Five, wants to change this by telling their stories. Inspired by the recent book, Katie Wignall of Look Up London leads a walking tour around the East End, focusing not on murder, but on the 19th century lives of Polly, Annie, Kate, Liz and Mary Jane. Waterstones Leadenhall Market, £32, book ahead, 6pm
ELIZABETH NOW: Queen’s House celebrates the bringing together of the three Armada Portraits for the first time ever with a special talk about Queen Elizabeth I. A panel consisting of journalist Dame Jenni Murray, art historian Ferren Gipson, and Senior Curator at the National Portrait Gallery Charlotte Bond discuss Elizabeth I’s enduring legacy and her relevance to contemporary issues of gender, power and vulnerability. Queen’s House (Greenwich), £10/£8, book ahead, 6.30pm-8.30pm

Queen’s House celebrates the arrival of the three Armada portraits

LONDON’S QUEER LANDSCAPE: Museum of London pulls together a group of speakers to talk about the queer landscape of the city. Find out about locations which have long been associated with LGBT culture, from the 18th century pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, to the queer club scene of the 80s, and why these spaces are so important. Museum of London, £12, book ahead, 6.45pm
SCIENTIFIC PIONEERS: Hear a double bill of talks about scientific pioneers. Medical historian Dr Lindsey Fitzharris discusses when and how pioneering surgeon Joseph Lister transformed the harrowing practices common in Victorian operating theatre. That’s followed by Tony Warner from Black History Walks on everyday appliances which were developed by black people, that have gone unnoticed by the mainstream. Watermans (Brentford), £10 per talk/25% discount when you book both, book ahead, 7pm/8.30pm

See Old Dirty Brasstards perform live

OLD DIRTY BRASSTARDS: South London-based band Old Dirty Brasstards perform familiar tunes and party jams, switched up on brass instruments. Singing and dancing along is very much encouraged, and resident DJs keep the party going until the small hours. Blues Kitchen (Shoreditch), £5.67, book ahead, 8pm
BEATLES VS. STONES: Get Back to Satisfaction at this music night which pits The Beatles against The Rolling Stones. Hear several tracks from both bands, followed up by a live set of funk, soul and rock tunes. Blues Kitchen (Camden), £4.52, book ahead, 9pm-2am

London weather with Inclement Attlee

Our idiosyncratic weather forecaster returns, keeping you up to date on London’s skies.
There will be exactly 37 clouds over London today and literally countless winds. Temperatures will peak at 11 degrees centigrade, which is baffling in Fahrenheit. In summary: no.
Contact Mr Attlee with any weather-related thoughts or pictures by emailing hello@londonist.com; subject line «For Mr Attlee».

Tube ponderings with Barry Heck

Our resident tube fancier dishes out daily thoughts on the London Underground.

Owls on the tube. They do exist, even if they’re made from epoxy-resin. Momtaz Begum-Hossain sends us these photos of the owl at Canning Town, which presumably scares off pigeons. Ian Visits found a group at Wembley Park a few years back. But are they still there? And where else can you find these strigine statues? Let me know on Twitter-woo via @HeckTube.

Good cause of the day

Photo: Londonist

Severndroog Castle, a beautiful folly tucked away in south-east London, is looking for volunteers to keep things running smoothly. The whole building is volunteer-run, and roles currently available including visitor assistant, admin assistant and marketing assistant. Find out more and apply.

What we’re reading

• Don’t fence in our fun, say Hampstead’s wild swimmers.
• Fears for wildlife over plans for festivals in Epping Forest.
• The day Superman saved a London Underground train.
• Fans question Eastenders journey from Walford to the Thames.

Londonist - England