Explore Royal Holloway, University of London 2025

Royal Holloway, University of London, welcomes you to explore our spectacular Grade I listed Founder's Building, Picture Gallery, Chapel and extensive grounds. Join us for a day of free talks and tours including fun activities for children.

The Founder's Building at Royal Holloway was home to one of the first higher education colleges for women and was opened by Queen Victoria in 1886. Modelled on the Château de Chambord, it is one of the most impressive university buildings in the world. Experts from the University will give short talks on our history and amazing architecture.

All talks and tours are free, and there will be fun activities for children and adults!  Come along to see our campus and discover the fascinating history of an exceptionally radical university.

Find out more about the talks, tours and activities below.

How to not burn down a Grade I listed building!

Opened in 1886, the Founder’s Building has been a workplace and a student residence ever since. But behind the grand façade lies a complex challenge: how do you keep a 19th-century safe, functional, and compliant in the 21st century?

Our Director of Health and Safety takes a look at what it really means to manage this iconic building. From navigating ever-changing legislation to installing the latest technology into a Victorian ‘castle’, this is heritage conservation in action.

Unlocking the Archives*

Delve into the archives, special collections and rare books held by Royal Holloway, including a behind the scenes tour of the archives store. Highlights include a wide range of documents and photos which explore the history of Royal Holloway and Bedford College, and special collections relating to women’s education and radical theatre.

Children’s Picture Gallery talk

We’re inviting our younger visitors to explore our painting collection in this fun talk and activity! We’ll look at some of our best-known paintings, and play art detective to try and spot some amazing architecture and hidden secrets in our art collection. 

Creating a collection

Explore the creative impulse behind Thomas Holloway’s purchase of the art collection. Discover how the pictures he chose engaged with Victorian debates about art, it’s purpose and the audiences it inspired. You’ll find out why Royal Holloway has a Picture Gallery, and discover the stories behind some of our visitors’ favourite paintings.

Tours of the historic Founder’s Building*

Join Royal Holloway’s student ambassadors for a guided tour. You will visit the Chapel, North and South Quadrangles, Founder’s Dining Hall, Reading Room and the University’s original lecture theatre, learning some of the history behind this unique Grade I listed building.

Open Stores: the things we keep

The Royal Holloway Art and Archive Collections contain thousands of objects, many of which are carefully stored away downstairs and rarely seen. Our stores hold countless stories waiting to be rediscovered.

For this display, we opened the stores and brought them upstairs – sharing a selection of works that aren’t often on public view.

Working with students, volunteers, and colleagues from across the university, we asked: Why do we keep the things we keep? Our choices reflect personal favourites, untold stories, overlooked objects, and what we could physically get out of the stores and onto the walls!

Heritage Open Day children’s trail

Take your family on a self-guided tour of campus, see some amazing sites, uncover some incredible facts about the university, and complete the trail for a goody bag.

* Free tickets for these activities will be available at the information desk in the Windsor Building foyer on the day (no pre-booking).

Parking is available in car park 12 and 14.