--- title: "Three days of London through its studios and rooms" city: "London" country: "United Kingdom" lens: "Art & Design" duration_days: 3 experiences: 6 price_from: "from €3,250 for two" currency: "EUR" firm_prices: 3 prices_on_request: 3 published: "2026-09-01" canonical: "https://keystothe.city/london/3-days-art-design" source: "Keys to the City" license: "Free to quote and cite with a link to the canonical URL" --- # Three days of London through its studios and rooms London, United Kingdom · Art & Design · 3 days · 6 experiences · from €3,250 for two London is a city that guards its finest secrets behind understated timber doors and beneath ancient cobblestoned thoroughfares, waiting to be unlocked only by those who hold the key. ## Day one — The Bench Masters of St James's Begin your London immersion in June's soft morning light by stepping through an unbadged door on St James's Street into the subterranean workshop of John Lobb. Here, five generations of family artisans work at wooden benches lined with hand tools unchanged since the 19th century. Surrounded by the rich aroma of vegetable-tanned leathers and cedar wood shavings, examine the original hand-carved foot lasts of world icons—from King Charles III to Frank Sinatra—before observing master cobblers shaping bespoke footwear by hand. In the afternoon, walk just a few steps along historic St James's to Lock & Co. Hatters, the world's oldest hat shop established in 1676. Retreat into the Master Hatter's private heritage room behind closed doors. Experience an intimate fitting consultation using a rare 19th-century French brass conformateur machine to map your precise head shape onto card, followed by a private viewing of century-old order ledgers bearing signatures from Lord Nelson to Oscar Wilde. ### Master Bootmaker Bench Visit at John Lobb (9 St James's Street) - Morning, 1.5 hours · price on request · Private arrangement · quoted on request Exclusive invitation into the 5th-generation family basement workshop to view hand-carved wooden lasts of world icons and meet master cobblers. Provider: https://www.johnlobbltd.co.uk ### Lock & Co. Hatters Private Heritage Fitting & Vault Access - Evening, 1.5 hours · from €350 per group (verified Sep 2026) · 6 St James's St, London SW1A 1EF, UK · Limited release Enter the Master Hatter's private room in the world's oldest hat shop for head-conforming using an authentic 19th-century French machine. Provider: https://www.lockhatters.com ## Day two — Sparks of the Atelier & Candlelit Private Collection Your second day transitions from the dynamic, tactile heat of a working foundry to the quiet enchantment of a closed-door museum buyout. In the morning, enter the active studio atelier of Cox London, where over 65 master artisans melt, forge, and sculpt raw metals into fine art furniture. Accompanied by founders Christopher and Nicola Cox, watch molten bronze poured into lost-wax moulds and witness intense hand-patination while active production swirls around you. As dusk falls across Lincoln's Inn Fields, experience the ultimate private collection buyout at Sir John Soane's Museum. After public closing hours, step inside the dark architectural labyrinth, illuminated entirely by glowing beeswax candles. Accompanied by a senior museum curator, stand in quiet awe as the hinged walls of the Picture Room swing open to reveal Hogarth's original paintings, before descending into the shadowed Sepulchral Chamber for an atmospheric private encounter with the 3,000-year-old alabaster sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I. ### Bronze Foundry & Sculptural Lighting Working Atelier Tour at Cox London - Morning, 2 hours · price on request · 46 Pimlico Rd, London SW1W 8LP, UK · Introduction by the house · quoted on request By-introduction access to an active London foundry where 65+ artisans transform raw metals into fine art furniture using ancient lost-wax casting. Provider: https://www.coxlondon.com ### Private Candlelit Out-of-Hours Curator Tour at Sir John Soane's Museum - Evening, 2 hours · from €1,750 per group (verified Sep 2026) · 13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3BP, UK · Private arrangement Complete private buyout of Sir John Soane's architectural house illuminated solely by candlelight, guided by a senior museum curator. Provider: https://www.soane.org ## Day three — Subterranean Secrets & Mayfair's Historic Long Room The final chapter of your journey explores private historic spaces normally hidden behind locked doors. In the morning, descend beneath Whitehall into the subterranean warren of the Churchill War Rooms before any public visitors arrive. Accompanied by a senior Imperial War Museums historian, step past the protective glass lines directly into the Map Room and Cabinet Room. Feel the palpable history of 1945 as you touch Churchill's arm-rest and inspect original map pins in absolute quiet. In the afternoon, proceed to Audley House in Mayfair, the historic home of James Purdey & Sons gunmakers. Granted exclusive access to the private Long Room—where General Dwight D. Eisenhower secretly planned the D-Day invasion—examine original 1838 Royal Warrants, inspect exquisite hand-engraved locks, and discover how master gunsmiths undergo rigorous five-year bench apprenticeships in London. ### Private 'Behind the Glass' Director Tour at Churchill War Rooms - Morning, 1.5 hours · from €1,150 per group (verified Sep 2026) · King Charles St, London SW1A 2AQ, UK · Private arrangement Step inside the glass barricades of WWII history to touch Churchill's desk chair and explore underground nerve centers without public presence. Provider: https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms ### Audley House Long Room & Gunmaking Heritage Tour at James Purdey & Sons - Evening, 1.5 hours · price on request · 57, 58 S Audley St, London W1K 2ED, UK · Introduction by the house · quoted on request Private access to Mayfair's historic Long Room where General Eisenhower planned D-Day, exploring 140+ years of hand-craftsmanship. Provider: https://www.purdey.com ## The footprint from €3,250 for two — experiences only; flights and hotels are yours to choose. 6 experiences · 3 firm prices · 3 on request. --- Source: Keys to the City — https://keystothe.city/london/3-days-art-design. Prices are "from" figures per person unless stated otherwise, verified on the dates shown. Quote freely with attribution and a link.