This weekend, hundreds of buildings of all kinds will open their doors to the public across the capital.

Open House London will see historic houses, City financial institutions, skyscrapers, churches, and even small private homes offer free access – and give visitors an insight into issues surrounding buildings and architecture, such as the design of homes, climate change, the role of architects and regeneration. In addition, there will be events such as neighbourhood walks, cycle tours, talks and debates taking place.

Properties opening their doors include Forty Hall, in Enfield, which will open on Saturday and Sunday, giving visitors the chance to see the listed 17th Century house before major restoration work begins next year. There will be displays showcasing the proposed changes.

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge, in Chingford, a timber-framed building commissioned by Henry VIII, will be open on Saturday and Sunday, offering tours and displays.

The Dominion Centre, in High Road, Wood Green, was formerly the Gaumont Palace Cinema, and later a bingo hall. It is now being restored as a church, but with much of its Art Deco interior still intact. It will be open on Saturday for tours.

The Priory Hospital, Southgate is well known for treating mental health problems. The hospital is housed within a Grade I listed villa, set in attractive grounds, and there will be tours taking place on Sunday (pre-book).

You can take a guided walk through Wanstead, looking at ancient chestnut trees, St Mary’s Church and the historical remnants of the Grade II historical landscape that formed the grounds of Wanstead House. Meet on Sunday, 10am, outside Wanstead Station.

Gunpowder Park, in Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey will be hosting a tour, at 11am on Sunday. You can see how the old Royal Ordnance manufacturing and testing facility now offers a green space, part of the Lee Valley Parks, and one of the designers will be on hand to explain more.

At Alexandra Palace you will be able to visit the BBC studios from where regular, scheduled television was first broadcast in the UK.

On Saturday you can enjoy a walk around Muswell Hill, taking in Victorian, Edwardian and 1930s buildings. Meet at Muswell Hill Library on Saturday at 2pm.

King George V Pumping Station in Enfield, was built to to pump water from the River Lee into the George V reservoir. It is open on Saturday for regular tours, when you can see the two electric pumps currently in service, as well as disused gas pumps.

A tour of Tottenham Green Conservation Area will reveal Georgian houses, a 19th Century Jewish hospital, Prince of Wales Hospital and Holy Trinity Church, the old Swan pub, Edwardian town hall complex, and more recent additions, including housing developments, the Bernie Grant Arts Centre and a recent Banksy mural. Meet Sunday, 11am, outside the old Tottenham Town Hall.

You can also visit Walthamstow Town Hall, or there’s the Gurdwara Karamsar in Ilford, a Sikh temple built of sandstone shipped from Rajasthan.

Open House was created 18 years ago in London by architecture organisation Open-City. The concept has since been copied by other cities including New York, Dublin, Tel Aviv and Barcelona.

Victoria Thornton, director of Open House, says: “Experiencing architecture in the flesh helps everyone become more knowledgeable, engage in dialogue and make informed judgements on the buildings, places and neighbourhoods where we all live, work and play. Seventy-three per cent of our visitors say Open House made them feel differently about London’s architecture.”

Details: www.londonopenhouse.org