Opening up on London's Westbourne Park Road is an unassuming hive of academia

Learning for the sake of it is often overlooked amongst the hustle and bustle of modern life, so we we’re bowled over when we heard about an Ancient Greek-style Academy opening in London.

Run by The Idler magazine, the Idler Academy is designed to rekindle our love affair with learning and treat broadening our minds as a leisure activity.

“In Ancient Greece, the word which turned into our word for school, scholee, originally meant ‘leisure’,” explains The Idler. “Education was a pleasure; it was a privilege freely chosen by the freeborn citizens of Athens. The Idler Academy brings this spirit of cultivated leisure to the 21st century, and crosses it with the lively atmosphere of an 18th century coffeehouse.”

Events taking place at this one-off hall of learning include masterclasses in mending and craft work, as well as lectures in economics and gang crime. You could even take a class in life drawing, or discover how to find wild food in the heart of the city with forager Robin Harford.

The Idler Academy’s wonderfully eclectic mix of subjects has us hooked. Let us know if you check out any of their events. See the full schedule.