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Guided walks through the City
of London and Westminster
London City Walks: March to September 2010
Alphabetical
List of Walks - See Homepage for Full List of Dates
A Very Special Relationship
Celebrating
a number of
remarkable Americans who have had a decided impact both on London
and on Britain,
this walk
begins on the forecourt of Charing Cross Station outside
the Charing Cross Hotel
and ends at Bond Street Station (Central and Jubilee Lines). Among the colourful (or
should that be
‘colorful’?) characters
featured on this
walk are: the socialite who became the first woman to take her seat as
a Member
of Parliament; the inventor who made himself a set of wooden false
teeth and
used to sit naked at his front window; the general who spearheaded the
Allied
invasion of Europe in World War II; and the US President who shares a
Bond
Street bench with a British Prime Minister.
All Hallows to St Paul’s
Threading
its way through the
lanes and alleys around the Tower, we then strike out westward, ending
at St
Paul’s Underground
Station. Along the
way, we: visit a
secret garden where palm trees flourish in the midst of the City;
follow a
river that netted a catch of Roman skulls; talk about a temple that
once ran
with blood and a mighty church that arose from its ashes after the
Great Fire
of London; stand on the site of an ancient Speakers’ Corner;
see St Paul’s
Cathedral through a gateway that was once topped with human heads; and
visit a
monument to six million burned books.
Betwixt God and Mammon
Starting from
All Hallows, this walk steers a course between many of
the City’s notable places of worship and several of the most
iconic buildings
of London’s
financial district. As
well as including
some stunning architecture, the walk offers a chance: to meet a
half-virgin,
the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street and a group of naughty nuns; to see
a
church whose crypt is now a station ticket hall and another which had a
problem
with bad language; to visit London’s oldest synagogue and the
‘Westminster
Abbey of the Square Mile’; to discover where the Great Fire
of London started;
to hear about a giant and a ghost; and to learn what Londoners call
‘the
Gherkin’.
Blood,
Fire and Pestilence: The Dark History of the City
This
walk, which starts from All Hallows,
sets out to uncover
the City of London’s
unhappy associations with plague, fire, murder and execution. En route, we encounter:
plague pits, the
Devil’s ill-starred visit to a City bell tower, a Jack the
Ripper murder site,
a multiple axe killing, a man who was hanged drawn and quartered long
after he
was dead, the City’s most notorious execution place, and a
fire that came close
to destroying the capital completely.
Celebrating the City
The City of
London
is exceptionally rich in curious ceremonies, many of them centuries
old. Where else would you find rents paid in
roses, fish and horseshoe nails, a statue that gets a new quill pen
every few years,
or an annual sermon inspired by a lion?
This walk sets out to track down the sites of some of the oddest of
these customs.
Christmas Lights
& Sights
Everyone
knows about the Christmas illuminations in Oxford Street and Regent Street, but
the West
End has a lot
more to offer than
these, as you will discover. Starting at 2.00 p.m. from just under
the clock outside the main entrance to Selfridge’s (nearest
underground stations Marble Arch on the Central Line and Bond Street on
the
Central and Jubilee Lines), we shall
be concentrating on the less
well-known and more fashionable areas on both sides of Oxford Street,
where
hidden boutiques surprise and exclusive stores compete to attract
customers
with window displays that range from subtle to dazzling!
Along the way, you will also encounter some
of the more curious features of this fascinating part of London.
Our destination will be Piccadilly - just in time for tea at the Ritz,
in case the walk has given you a taste for the high life!
City Belles
As
its name suggests, this walk
tells the stories of some of the remarkable women who have left their
mark on
the Square Mile. Starting from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral,
we follow a circular route, taking in a variety of sites linked to: a
royal
murderess; three ghosts; a Roman emperor’s mother; a
half-virgin; a number of
angels; and many others, some saints and some sinners but all
exceptional.
City
Churches 1
Starting at 2.00 p.m.
from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral close to the statue of
Queen Anne,
this walk wends its way through the winding mediaeval street pattern of
the City to explore the varied architecture of Sir Christopher
Wren’s greatest London churches and find out more about their
earlier history. Along the way, you will discover some of the
secret places of the capital and learn about how the City churches link
Dick Whittington to a bunch of killers.
City
Churches 2
While “City Churches 1” examines the exteriors of
Sir
Christopher Wren’s City churches, this walk, which begins in All Hallows by the Tower
Church at 11.00 a.m.,
delves into the interiors of some of the most fascinating churches on
the eastern side of the City to uncover their hidden treasures and
discover some of their curious stories.
City of Vice: Covent Garden
Covent
Garden hasn’t always
been the vibrant and fashionable meeting place it is today, and this
walk, which starts at 7.00 p.m. from the
forecourt of Charing Cross
Station just outside the Charing
Cross Hotel, explores its varied history from Anglo-Saxon
times to the
present. On our
way, we shall be
exploring: what linked a group of gardening monks and a famous harlot;
how
cabbages gave way to café culture; where London’s
first Punch & Judy show
took place; why an actor haunts the underground station; who was the
‘City of
Vice’s’ most unusual thief; which Poet Laureate
saved Covent Garden, and which
one was beaten up there; and what was discovered under the Opera House.
Cry Me a River
The
River Thames has been
described as ‘liquid history’, and on this walk
from All Hallows the history of
the Thames and the part it has played in the life of the City will be
explored
as we make our way from All
Hallows along the north bank between the Tower of London and
Blackfriars
Bridge. City
churches will feature
prominently, as will the various Livery halls we encounter along the
way, and
you will hear a number of decidedly fishy stories.
On the river itself we shall see bridges
and
wharves as well as the river traffic, and, in addition to the buildings
and
other sights on the northern river path, we shall see the Globe
theatre, Tate
Modern and other features of the south bank.
Downstream
The Thames runs through the heart of London, and this walk, starting at
11.00
a.m. from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral close to the
statue of Queen Anne,
follows the course of the river as it flows east towards the Tower of
London and Tower Bridge. On the way, we shall encounter: a
notoriously wobbly bridge, a church dedicated to a former pirate, a
mansion that once hosted a banquet for five kings, and even the site of
London’s first public lavatory.
Guildhall
to the Tower
This
walk largely follows in
reverse the route of The Tower to
Guildhall. For
fuller details,
please see that entry.
Hangings,
Burnings & Hauntings
Starting
at 7.00 p.m. on what we hope will
be a dim
and oppressive evening from the
steps in front of St. Paul’s
Cathedral, this walk follows a tortuous and bloodstained
route through the
streets and alleyways of the City.
On
our way towards London’s
biggest meat market, you may encounter two ghostly murderesses and the
loathsome Black Dog of Newgate. You
will
certainly learn about: a famous and feared execution site; the
City’s most haunted
pub; a street where grave-robbers and doctors traded in dead bodies; a
church
built by a court jester; and a place notorious for centuries for
hangings,
burnings and torture. Join
us, if you
are bold enough, for this walk.
Hiss
the Villain
This
circular walk, which starts from the steps of St Paul’s
Cathedral
close to Queen Anne’s statue, concentrates on the seamier
side of
London, and invites walkers to encounter a range of cheats, frauds,
thieves, whores and cold-blooded killers. On it, we shall be
passing a notorious no-go area where life was cheap, one of the
mediaeval City’s worst red-light districts, the site of a
prison
described as ‘an emblem of Hell itself’ and the
court of
law where for a hundred years Britain’s worst criminals have
been
brought to trial. We shall also be hearing about some of the
most
chilling monsters connected with our route, from Dickens’s
fictional Fagin to the possibly real Sweeney Todd.
I Spy Strangers: Foreign Presences in
the Square Mile
Since
its foundation, London
has been a cosmopolitan city, and this walk from
All Hallows maps the contributions made to its development by people
whose
birthplace lay outside England. Leaving
All Hallows, you will find out: what the Romans taught us,
and
what Roman custom is still practised on the Thames; what a group of
sixteenth-century Germans did with the heads displayed on London
Bridge; who
got blamed for the Great Fire of London; why London businessmen owe
such a debt
to Turkey and the Netherlands; why a City church is dedicated to a
Scandinavian
king; and how a whole island won a medal.
Icon
to Icon:
This walk, which begins at 11.00
a.m. from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral close to the
statue of Queen Anne,
follows the course of Fleet Street and the Strand, with frequent
excursions into the neighbouring lanes and alleyways to hear the
stories of their famous (and infamous!) former residents, from Doctor
Johnson to Sweeney Todd. It ends at Trafalgar Square, the
focal
point of national celebration and for many people the symbol of
Britishness.
Let’s All Go Down the Strand
After
meeting outside Temple
Underground
Station (District and
Circle Lines), we follow the Strand from the boundary of the
City of London
to Trafalgar
Square.
On the way, you will learn about: the
engineer who saved a city; the nobleman who demolished a church to
build
himself a mansion; the revolting peasants whose appetite for sweet wine
led to
their death; the cat who is the most frequent diner at the Savoy Hotel;
and the
oddest street name in London.
Londinium: The Roman City
We
begin with an introductory session in the Crypt
Museum
of All Hallows Church, outlining the main events of Roman
rule, which
covered nearly 400 years and using the city model there to give some
notion of
the geography of Roman London. From
All
Hallows the walk will take in some of the best-preserved stretches of
the Roman
city wall before heading for the sites of the Forum and Basilica, the
Amphitheatre and the Fort, before ending at the Museum of London
(where there is a very good café which is open all day!). Because this walk will
cover a slightly
longer distance than most of our programme and will include a visit to
the
Amphitheatre remains under Guildhall Art Gallery, it will begin at 10.30 and is likely
to take two and a half to three hours.
London
Heroes 1
This
is one of a series of
walks celebrating men and women whose courage, humanity and talents
have
changed life in London
for the better. From
our meeting point on the steps of St Paul’s close to the
statue of Queen Anne, we make our way along a circular route,
encountering on the
way firefighters, martyrs, explorers, reformers, inventors, public
benefactors
and a whole host of ordinary Londoners who performed acts of
extraordinary
bravery.
London in
Print 1
This
walk starts outside St
Paul’s
Station (Central Line), close to the former centre of London
publishing and bookselling. It
goes on to follow in the footsteps of
Shakespeare, Dickens, Dr Johnson and many others who have left their
mark on
the City in printers’ ink, finishing at Temple Station
(Circle and District
Lines).
Londoners
in Love
Celebrating
St Valentine’s Day with a look at London’s lovers,
both
real and fictional, this circular walk starts from the steps of St
Paul’s Cathedral, close to the statue of Queen Anne, and
heads
off, appropriately enough, to the church of St Bride’s, Fleet
Street. Proposals en route are encouraged but not compulsory!
London
Pride
To celebrate St George’s Day, this walk combines the
highlights
of “Walking Whitehall” and “Parks and
Palaces”
to show London at its splendid best. Setting out at 10.30 a.m. from the forecourt
of Charing Cross Station, just outside the hotel entrance,
the walk will take us through the very heartlands of power and pride,
from Whitehall to Buckingham Palace and from Trafalgar Square to
Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament.
Mayfair
Ironically,
one of London’s
most exclusive,
expensive and stylish districts is named after an annual May fair
described as
“a disgrace to the Creation” and finally suppressed
as a “public
nuisance”. This
walk, which begins just inside the entrance to
Green Park next to the Ritz Hotel (nearest station Green Park -
Jubilee,
Piccadilly and Victoria Lines) follows a circular route that
reflects both
the seedy past and the glittering present of this fashionable and
fascinating
area. It leads past
mansions and
five-star hotels; embassies and leafy squares; exclusive clubs and
luxurious
restaurants and bars.
Meet
the Royals: the Stuarts
After
meeting on the forecourt of Charing Cross
Station just outside the Charing Cross Hotel, we shall follow
the story of
one of Britain’s most troubled and colourful Royal Families,
the Stuarts, who
came to power when King James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth I. During the walk, you will
learn about a
variety of scandals, plots and intrigues, ranging from the amorous
activities
of King Charles II to Guy Fawkes’s Gunpowder Plot and the
mistakes that led
King Charles I to be executed. Along
the
route, we shall see a famous London
palace, the site of Charles’s execution, the military
headquarters whose guards
still wear the uniforms of the 1600s and the great park founded by the
Stuarts
where two Royal brothers had a celebrated disagreement.
Mincing, Seething and Staining: the
Lanes and Alleyways of the City
The
City is famous for its
mediaeval street plan of narrow, winding lanes and alleys, which has
survived
the Great Fire of London and two World Wars, retaining both their
oddities of
layout but also their often very strange names.
Hence this walk’s title! Leaving
All Hallows at 11.00 to explore
the twists, turns and curious secrets of the City’s hidden
byways, the route
will introduce, amongst other curiosities: Dick Whittington’s
London address,
the Livery Companies always at ‘sixes and sevens’,
the grave of Mother Goose,
the mice that were said to have killed a man, a corpse in a cupboard,
and the
drug that fuelled seventeenth century business and was almost banned by
a king.
Parish Bounds 1
This
is a central feature of
our programme. All
over the cities of London
and Westminster
there is evidence of parish boundaries.
“Parish Bounds 1”
will be centred around the City parish of All Hallows,
starting in the church itself, and will then explore the physical and
historical limits of its boundaries.
Parish Bounds 2
All
over the City and Westminster
there is
evidence of parish boundaries. “Parish
Bounds 2” starts from the steps
at the front of St. Paul’s
Cathedral, and goes on to feature the City parish of St
Mary-le-Bow, famous
for its elaborate tower and the iconic Bow Bells, and to explore its
physical
and historical boundaries. We
visit a
Norman crypt, discover St Mary’s links with Norway
and Australia,
learn about two scandalous murders and find out what happened to a
queen who
visited the parish for pleasure. Be
warned! The walk,
which touches on a
wide range of history, architecture and tradition, is more than a
pleasant
stroll. It could be
the beginning of a
fascination with the City and its parishes.
If so, you may want to join us on some
of our other walks with this
title, each one centred on a different parish.
Do contact us if you have a special
request.
Parks and Palaces
For
almost a thousand years,
since Edward the Confessor built his palace here, Westminster
has been at the centre of Royal
London. Around
and between the Royal
residences of this area has grown up a vast area of parkland. Originally intended for
hunting, these parks
are now public pleasure grounds, and this walk, which
starts at from outside the Charing Cross Hotel on the
forecourt of Charing Cross Station, leads from the sites of Westminster and Whitehall Palaces towards Buckingham
and St
James’s Palaces across some of London’s
loveliest open spaces. On
the way, you
will learn about: a drunken elephant; a crane with an artificial leg; a
game
that gave its name to a street; two old ladies who changed a
king’s building
plans; and the most famous orange seller in English history.
Piccadilly
and St James's
Like
the Mayfair walk, this walk sets out from
just inside the entrance to Green
Park
next to the Ritz Hotel (nearest
station Green
Park
- Jubilee, Piccadilly and Victoria
Lines). Exploring
both sides of
Piccadilly, we shall discover: some of London’s finest and
most selective
gentlemen’s clubs; a famous foodstore founded on the profits
from secondhand
candles; Sir Christopher Wren’s only West End church; a great
art gallery in a
splendid mansion; and a fashionable shopping arcade where you are not
allowed
to run, whistle, sing, open an umbrella, wheel a pushchair or carry a
parcel!
St.
Botolph: The Traveller’s Friend
St.
Botolph is the patron saint
of travellers. He
also has an enviable
reputation for dealing firmly with marsh monsters (whatever they may
be!). It should
come as no surprise, then, that a
church dedicated to St. Botolph stood beside no fewer than four of the
mediaeval City gates. This
walk, which
begins from the entrance to the Museum of
London
(nearest underground station St Paul’s on the Central, DLR
and Northern Lines),
generally follows the course of the old City Wall past a number of the
ancient
gates, and offers an introduction to the communities that grew up
around them,
the traffic that passed through them, and the changing roles of the
churches
that served them.
Saving the City
Some may
say that nothing can save the City but this is
all about Conservation! On this walk, we
look at conservation areas, successful examples of preservation and
some total
disasters. You can choose your own candidates for demolition!
Planners and architects have often found
solutions to respecting the past without standing in the way of
progress, and
thoughout the ages builders have recycled materials and made good use
of the
resources available to them. The walk will start in the east of the
City
concentrating on the built environment and the defences which have
indeed saved
the City.
Signs of the City
This
is a walk full of interest and detail, aimed at City
enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Along
our route you will encounter bollards, coats of arms, pub signs,
weathervanes
and much more, and by the end of the walk you will feel equipped to
interpret
the City via its signs, symbols and pointers – everything, in
fact, needed to
navigate the Square Mile.
Stations and the Cross
This
walk is all about
transport and the City. It
will include
important London
stations, both underground and overground, and the crosses of its title
are
Crosswall and Crossrail. The
walk will
incorporate the history of London Transport as well as considering
future
developments including plans for 2012.
As to our method of transport, it will
be on foot! We hope
that every step of the way will be
full of interest and provide great exercise in good company.
Summer
in the City
The traditional view of London is that of a city shrouded in fog or
lashed with rain. This walk, though, celebrates summertime in
the
city, and introduces walkers to the delights of a sunny London at
leisure. After meeting at 11.00
a.m. at Temple Underground Station (Circle and District Lines),
we move from the riverside to explore how Londoners relax and enjoy a
summer’s day. That at least is the theory, but,
just in
case, don’t forget to bring an umbrella!
The
Tower to Guildhall
This
walk, which starts in All Hallows,
links
two (often opposed) centres of power in the City of London. The Tower of London was built by William
the First, after his
invasion of England
in 1066,
not so much to defend London
as to intimidate the City, whose own centre of government is Guildhall. On our way between the
two, we shall examine
Royal links with the City as well as a number of City customs and
institutions
dating from Roman times to the present.
You will hear stories of some of the
most colourful Lord Mayors
(including a killer and a pantomime hero!), follow a Royal Coronation
route
through the City, and visit a range of memorable sites, including
Mansion
House, St Mary-le-Bow of Bow Bells fame, and Guildhall itself. The walk will begin in All
Hallows by the
Tower and end on the steps of St. Paul’s
Cathedral.
Time and Tide
In
the City of London time is money. Time is even measured on
the
face of the new Stock Exchange by its famous Noon Mark.
However,
on this leisurely stroll, which begins
on the steps of St Paul’s
Cathedral close to Queen Anne’s statue and will
include a stretch
of the City’s waterfront, we shall be taking time to consider
the
importance of time and tide to Londoners through the ages. We
shall also be taking a timely look at some recent additions to the
north shore of London’s tidal river, checking our watches
against
a fine sculpture which is also a sundial, and hearing stories about a
punctual Lord Mayor, some not so long-winded vicars and a poet who went
out without his tide tables and lived to regret it. Finally,
no
walk is complete without an appearance by Sir Winston Churchill, and
this one is no exception.
Things
Are Looking Up
If you keep your eyes on the pavement, you may pick up a few pennies as
you walk along, but if you look up as you pass through the streets of
this exciting and extraordinary city, you could make some astounding
discoveries. Join us at Temple
Underground Station (Circle and District Lines) at 2.00 p.m.,
and discover such surprises as: a flying horse, a flag-waving lamb,
some very prudent squirrels and no fewer than five giants.
Towering Inferno
The theme
for this walk is the Great Fire of London, which
took place in September 1666. Starting
at 10.30
a.m.
at All Hallows
Church, the spot
where the eastward spread of the fire was halted, we head west to the
Monument
and then on to trace its course into the heart of the City.
Much of its extraordinary story will be told
in the words of Samuel Pepys and other eye-witnesses, and the walk will
end at
the Museum of London, which has
a major exhibition
featuring the Great Fire.
The
Victorian City
The
nineteenth century was
perhaps the most exciting period in the history of London,
and this walk aims to reflect that
excitement. Starting
from the east side of the Monument at 11.00,
we shall be following a winding course through the City, looking at
reminders
of the enormous achievements of the Victorian age in art, science,
finance,
architecture and transport, and considering also some of the many huge
problems
and challenges that Victorian Londoners had to face.
The walk will end with a free visit to
the
Victorian collection of the Guildhall Art Gallery.
Walking Whitehall
After
meeting in the ticket hall of Westminster Station (Jubilee,
Circle & District lines), we make
our way through the heartland of British
Government to follow a thousand years of history from Westminster Abbey
and the
Houses of Parliament to Trafalgar Square where the walk will
end. On our way past important Government
buildings and the great ceremonial site of Horseguards, we shall be
telling the
often odd and frequently funny stories of kings, queens, politicians
and
protestors.
Westminster Women
This walk,
which celebrates the many extraordinary women
who have lived and worked in the City of Westminster,
starts from the
forecourt of Charing Cross
Station outside the Charing Cross Hotel,
and follows a winding route to end at Westminster Underground Station
(Circle,
District and Jubilee Lines). Among the
stars of the walk are: the clever actress who said yes to King Charles
II; the
beautiful duchess who said no; the group of campaigning women who
wouldn’t take
no for an answer; three princesses; four queens; the American
parliamentarian
who had a celebrated war of words with Churchill; Britain’s
most famous nurse;
and an Iron Lady.
What the Dickens?
London
was vitally important to Charles Dickens. He wrote:
‘A day
in London sets me up again and starts me. But the toil and
labour
of writing day after day without that magic lantern is
immense.’ London is also a central character in his
novels:
sometimes exhilarating, sometimes confusing and sometimes downright
sinister! This walk, which starts on the steps of St
Paul’s
Cathedral close to the statue of Queen Anne, interweaves the
complicated story of Dickens’s whirlwind and often troubled
life
with the locations of many of his novels. With Christmas in
mind,
not to mention the recent Disney film, we shall be concentrating most
on A Christmas Carol, but we shall be hearing too about other, darker
books in which London plays a significant part.
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