Interesting and unusual things to do for a fiver or less this week.
Monday 5 August
PARIS: To accompany Wallace Collection's summer exhibition, The Discovery of Paris, author and historian Philip Mansel leads a lecture on Paris: World City of the Nineteenth Century. Free, just turn up, 1-2pm
OPERATING LONDON: Visit the Old Operating Theatre for a family workshop discovering the difficulties surrounding St Thomas’ hospital admission in the 19th century (also on Thursday). Free, just turn up, 2pm
Tuesday 6 August
WALK POPLAR: Discover more about Tower Hamlets' background on this guided walk around Poplar, courtesy of Tower Hamlets Local History. £4, prebook, 7pm
Wednesday 7 August
MUTE SOUND: Head to South London Gallery for Mute Sound — a screening of silent films which use rhythm, shape, colour, pattern and movement to create visual compositions that resonate as sound in our minds. £5/£3, prebook, 7pm
ART JAM: Speed networking meets artist collaboration at Merging Inks Collaborative Live Art Jam at Richmix, where artists from various disciplines are challenged to rapidly generate ideas and merge with other styles. Free, just turn up, 6-11pm
TRAVEL: Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler discusses his new book Darklands, where he encounters the challenges of travel, at Stanford's Covent Garden store. £5 (includes a glass of wine), prebook, 7.30pm
Thursday 8 August
DULWICH: Explore this South London area with Eccentric Dulwich, a guided walk courtesy of CoolTan Arts CoolWalks, where attendees can learn about the interesting characters and eccentric architecture of Dulwich. Free, just turn up, 12-3pm
NAMING MONSTERS: Author Hannah Eaton investigates the psychological function of creepy tales and how they are used to as a way to dwell upon otherwise unspeakable feelings. At The Old King's Head in Borough. £2.50/£1.50, just turn up, 8pm
EAST LONDON: Abadesi Osunsade, co-editor at Cloak & Swagger, has filmed a series on the best places to go in East London called East With Love. Head to a screening of film and accompanying live music at Genesis Cinema. Free, just turn up, from 7pm
Friday 9 August
OUTDOOR THEATRE: The National Theatre's Watch This Space series returns this month bringing free theatre to the steps of the National Theatre. Today you can watch a dance, circus and theatre fusion performance by Joli Vyann. Free, just turn up, 1.10pm and 6pm (programme runs until 31 August)
PEACE BEATS: An event at Rich Mix that aims to promote a culture of peace to young people, through spoken word, music and film. Free, just turn up, 7.30pm
Saturday 10 August
LITERARY LAMBETH: Explore the writers and poets of Lambeth on this new walk, led by Laura Reynolds. £3, prebook, 2pm
MUSICAL WALK: Take a musical journey from Borough to Bermondsey with musical storyteller Nigel of Bermondsey, with musical performances taking place at locations that have inspired him. We are told to expect mild terror, supernatural fairytales and songs of pathos. £4, prebook, 7pm
Sunday 11 August
FILM: A free documentary screening tonight at Dalston Social. Secrets of the Tribe is the story of how an indigenous Amazonian tribe became the most exhaustively documented tribe on earth. Free, just turn up, 2pm