The Old Royal Naval College

• Doughnut, the first ever festival of its kind taking place on 5 September, is a day of events exploring the changing face of Outer London
• Will Self, writer, broadcaster and patron of the festival will participate in a discussion with award winning writer Hanif Kureishi
• Writers and producers of The Inbetweeners, Iain Morris and Damon Beesley host a Q&A session and special screening of an episode from the hit series, set in the suburbs
• Doughnut will bring together performers, politicians, architects and businesses to celebrate and debate the development of London’s fringes alongside music performances, pop-up food stalls and family friendly activities
• Queen Anne Court, the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
• Tickets are available here www.ornc.org/doughnut priced at £10 - £25
• For further information ornc@kallaway.com or call +44 (0)20 7221 7883

On 5 September 2015 Greenwich will welcome Doughnut, the outer London festival dedicated to the changing face of London’s fringes. Hosted and curated by the Old Royal Naval College and The Architecture Foundation in partnership with the University of Greenwich, this one-day extravaganza of music, food, film and debate in partnership with author and TV journalist, Will Self. The event is hosted by the University of Greenwich.

Over the next decade, the population in London is due to increase by a figure equivalent to the population of Birmingham. This growth affects Londoners old and new. The gentrification of the city’s heritage is driving out creatives, and many Londoners are being priced out of its centre contributing to housing shortages that are subject to popular debate.

Doughnut will be the first event of its kind – an adventurous exploration of all things Outer London and a critical reflection on the challenges and opportunities that face London and Londoners. 

Renowned speakers will debate some of the major changes that are taking place in London’s outer areas and green belt over the next decade and discuss the distinct qualities that define of the suburbs and the creativity they inspire. Speakers will include the award-winning authorHanif Kureishi, writer, commentator, broadcaster and patron of the event Will Self and.the writers of the television comedy series The Inbetweeners, Iain Morris and Damon Beesley (See full programme in notes to editors).

Will Self, Patron, The Doughnut Festival says:
"Outer London is the crucible of new developments in both the metropolis's built environment and its sense of itself - conflicts over development, transport and social identity are all being played out around London's periphery, where the elision of the global and the local is producing entirely novel phenomena. Doughnut festival is a timely response to a vital yet neglected aspect of our world city.”

The Architecture Foundation says:
"Central London is increasingly the exclusive domain of big money and big tourism. By contrast Outer London boasts a rich mix of cultures, industries and built fabric presenting complex opportunities and challenges for the city. This festival is about celebrating and interrogating the unique conditions of London’s urban and cultural doughnut.

Working in partnership with Will Self, and the Architecture Foundation, the Old Royal Naval College is proud to host the Doughnut festival as part of their new series of events Architecture for All."

Doughnut is the fusion of critical debate and family-friendly fun taking place in and surrounding the buildings designed by London’s most famous architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

Tickets go on sale today.

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Notes to Editors and Programme Information:

PROGRAMME

11.00 Outer London Landscapes and the Future of the Greenbelt

Andy Groarke | Lynn Kinnear | William Mann | Barney Stringer | Tom Holbrook

London is currently developing plans for the transformation of a number of major landscapes on its periphery, notably Rectory Farm in Hounslow, Walthamstow Wetlands and the Lower Lea Valley.  Bringing together industrial and recreational activities in new combination, these projects seek to radically expand the definition of the London park.  The city is also facing increasing demands to relax the definition of its greenbelt, in order to accommodate much needed new housing.  This session will consider the hotly debated future of the territories that lie on the boundary between London and its surrounding countryside.

14.00 Suburbia and the New Life: Reflections on the Essexodus 

Patrick Wright | Gillian Darley | Ken Worpole

This session will consider some of the ideas, both idealistic and pragmatic, that have  driven and shaped the exodus from London since the 1890s. Using examples from the city's north-east, we will consider both the informal visions of self-sufficiency informing many of the ‘plotland' developments of the early twentieth century, and also the  larger scale exercises of contingency planning and architectural programming that have produced such places as Romford Garden City (1910-11), Harlow New Town (early 1950s) and South Woodham Ferrers (late 1970s).

15.00 Future of Housing in the Periphery 

Wouter Vanstiphout | Michelle Provost

You can tell a lot about a city from its edges. The periphery can be a test bed for social and urban experimentation but also a challenging territory fraught with tension and socioeconomic challenges. In this session Wouter Vanstiphout and Michelle Provoost explore the potential of London’s edges drawing comparisons from their extensive experience working with European cities and a radical reading of London’s post-riot landscape.

17.00 Will Self | Hanif Kureishi

Hanif Kureishi's The Buddha of Suburbia set the parameters for a new literary consideration of London's peripheral areas, and established a new poetics of the outer-urban. In conversation with Will Self, another suburban Londoner, Kureishi will attempt to trace the lineaments of London's suburban consciousness over the past four decades.

19.00 The Inbetweeners 

Iain Morris | Damon Beesley

Set in dull suburbia, the hit Channel 4 comedy The Inbetweeners follows the lives (and embarrassing antics) of four schoolmates Will, Simon, Neil & Jay as they grapple with adolescence. The comedy ran for three series before reaching the big screen in two hugely successful films. 

This special showing of a selected episode from the series will be introduced by the writers Iain Morris and Damon Beesley who will also take part in a Q&A session after the screening. 

TICKETING

The Inbetweeners tickets will be sold separately at £10. The rest of the day ticketing will be divided into £25 day tickets and £10 single session tickets 

Day Tickets
140 tickets available

Session One
Greenbelt | Outer London Landscapes
40 single session tickets available

Session Two

Suburbia & the New Life | Future of Housing
30 single tickets available

Session Three

Will Self & Hanif Kureishi
20 single tickets available

The Inbetweeners

120 single tickets available

About the Architecture Foundation

The Architecture Foundation is a not-for profit think thank which campaigns for a better built environment in London. For over 20 years, the Architecture Foundation has brought together professionals and public debate and act on issues which intersect with design and society.

About the Old Royal Naval College:
The Old Royal Naval College (ORNC) in Greenwich was established as the Royal Hospital for Seamen by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1694. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, it is one of the most important ensembles in European baroque architecture. From 1705, the Royal Hospital provided modest, wood-lined cabins as accommodation for retired sailors, housing as many as 2,700 residents at its peak in 1814. The last naval pensioners left in 1869, when the site became home to the Royal Naval College, an officers’ training academy, until 1997. When the Navy left, an independent charity was established to conserve the site for present and future generations, and create enjoyment, learning and unique cultural experiences for everyone. The Painted Hall is the greatest piece of decorative painting in England and has been described as ‘the Sistine Chapel of the UK’. The walls and ceilings were painted by Sir James Thornhill between 1708 and 1727.

The ORNC is free to all visitors. 
The grounds are open from 8.00am daily and the attractions are open from 10.00am daily. Closing times vary – for further information please visit: http://www.ornc.org/visit/getting-here/opening-times