It is my aim for you to have the perfect tour. Choose from the wide selection below and I will do the rest – advise on meeting places, where to end and, of course, where to eat. The limit of 20 to 25 people on any walking tour is to ensure optimum enjoyment for everyone. I want you to enjoy London as much as I do.
Why not include a visit to an historic house or one of London’s museums? If you have a bit of extra time I can arrange for you to visit one of London’s top tourist attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, one of London’s famous art galleries or museums or maybe venture a bit off the beaten track to experience one of the lesser visited museums such as the Brands and Packaging Museum or the Old Operating Theatre. Details of some of my favourite visits are at Historic Places and Museums.
Select your Private Tour from the list below and then please use Booking a Tour to make your enquiry. New tours are always being added to the repertoire but are not always on the website immediately so do ask about a specific area if you do not see it mentioned.
If you wish to tailor-make your own, then you are welcome to send me your ideas and I will suggest an itinerary for you.
ALL CHANGE AT KING’S CROSS
This is the site that everyone is flocking to since the arrival of the Eurostar at St Pancras station. Explore the newly renovated station and unlock the secrets to the surrounding area’s history. Once London’s most notorious red light district this area has started to undergo a transformation. Two Victorian railway stations, the gothic splendour of the old Midland Grand Hotel, industrial buildings, regeneration projects, a German Gymnasium, film locations, a canalside walkway, literary connections and the church which gave the area its name with several notable burials.
AN EAST END VILLAGE
Walking from Mile End, Stepney Green always comes as a revelation to visitors with its attractive terraced houses and green spaces. Memories of the Jewish community remain with the old age home, Stepney Jewish School, Rothschild Dwellings, the Jewish Anarchist Club and so much more.
ARTISTS ABOUND – HISTORIC HOLLAND PARK
Creativity is the theme here – from diarists to a 1960s pop star this tour then takes you through Holland Park with is wonderful gardens and ruined Jacobean mansion, now home to an open air theatre. The tour continues through Melbury Road, an enclave of homes built for eminent Victorian artists such as Luke Filde and Holman Hunt and ends at Leighton House, a magnificent home and studio now open to the public.
ARTISTS, MUSIC AND MANSIONS – ST JOHN’S WOOD
Take a leisurely walk discovering the history and personalities who have shaped the historic London quarter of St John’s Wood. This area that was once the “wrong side of the park” became home to eminent Victorian artists and sculptors, top class cricket and not one but two studios where iconic songs of the 60s and 70s were recorded.
AT HOME WITH THE ROTHSCHILDS
Piccadilly became ‘Rothschild Row’ when they made their money in the City but spent it on opulent homes in London’s West End. Visit the sites and homes of Lionel, Leo, Ferdy, Alfred and their neighbours who included the Duke of Wellington and Disraeli and hear how the Rothschilds lived, loved and spent their leisure time.
BANKSIDE
With tales of brothels, Bishops and The Bard this riverside walk brings to life an area of London for a long time the City’s playground. You discover the original ‘Clink’ prison, a reconstructed Golden Hinde which has also sailed around the world and the new Shakespeare’s Globe which transports you back to the days of 17th century theatre going. You end at Tate Modern, a feast of architecture and modern art.
BATTERSEA
Walk through beautiful Battersea Park with its lake, Children’s Zoo, Festival Gardens and Peace Pagoda. Leaving the park we follow a riverside walkway to learn about the area’s bridges, past industries and recent regeneration. View new buildings designed by Britain’s two most famous contemporary architects, view the elegant 17th century house which has played host to a Hollywood star and finish with a visit to St Mary’s Church which has connections with two famous artists.
BATTLING BELLES OF BOW
Follow in the footsteps of Sylvia Pankhurst who chose east London as the starting point for her campaign for women’s suffrage and seeing the plight of the working women and mothers also established a creche, restaurant and model toy factory in the area. East End women were key to the success of the Suffragette movement and the route highlights their supporters and their workplaces including the famous Bryant & May Match Factory, site of the Match girls’ strike of 1888.
BAYSWATER
One of the capital’s lesser known districts it rewards those who choose to explore it. Discover a group of elegant squares, a zen garden, two of the most ornate places of worship in London and hear the tale of murder at ‘The Universal Provider’.
BEATLES’S LONDON
The Beatles arrived in London in 1962 and they gave their last public performance on the roof of the Apple building in 1969 before breaking up the following year. This walk highlights the London they made their own and sites en route include the psychedelic Apple store where the labels cost more than the clothes, homes of Paul and Ringo and briefly John, film locations and the registry office where Paul married Linda and broke so many hearts.
BESPOKE AND COUTURE – UPMARKET SHOPPING
This is a tour to keep your credit cards out of reach. In and around Bond Street discover the establishments which clothed the dandies of yesteryear and clothe royalty and celebrities today. In between are reminders of when Mayfair was for the rich and the poor with luxury hotels and public housing and a delightful garden where a workhouse once stood.
BLACK BATTERSEA – ‘A MUNICIPAL MECCA’
Centred in and around Clapham Junction Battersea plays an important role in the history of the London Afro-Caribbean community. This walking tour profiles the social development of the area including the innovative housing estates of Latchmere and Shaftesbury while weaving in the stories behind politicians such as John Archer, the first black mayor, sportsmen such as the Battersea Bomber and bringing you up to date with the vibrant Caribbean music and food scene.
BLOOMSBURY WOMEN
Long associated with the Bloomsbury Group who ‘lived in squares and loved in triangles’, Bloomsbury has also been home to many other women who lived, loved and worked there. On this leisurely walk you will ‘meet’ educational, medical, society and, of course, literary ladies including Virginia Woolf, Mary Kingsley, Christina Rossetti and Lady Ottoline Morell.
BRIXTON: REGGAE, RIOTS, MURALS AND MARKETS
Once London’s premier suburban shopping centre with a unique surviving set of arcaded markets and early picture palaces, Brixton was transformed in the mid-twentieth century by the vibrant Caribbean community. This walking tour follows its changing fortunes and recent transformation which has brought a wonderful series of public murals, cafe culture, and a even a new currency.
CAMDEN TOWN
Camden is an area that is full of contrasts from leafy crescents to “urban grunge”. Learn of this area’s development and the effect of the railways which was described graphically by ex Camden resident Charles Dickens. We’ll visit famous Camden Lock, home to one of London’s most popular weekend markets and we’ll stroll by the Regents Canal which flows past Camden’s industrial buildings and smart Victorian houses. Hear about the many famous personalities past and present who have made this area home.
CITY ALLEYWAYS AND COURTYARDS
This walk explores the hidden courtyards and alleyways of the City of London. Discover the site of London’s first coffee shop, churchyards now secluded gardens, historic pubs and hostelleries and end at one of the City’s glorious market buildings whose site includes a piece of Roman London still in situ.
CLERKENWELL CORNERS
The atmospheric winding streets and lanes of Clerkenwell rebound with tales of gin, clocks and crime. With a notorious prison now flats, a printing press the archives of London and Clerkenwell Green, once the radical and revolutionary heart of London a peaceful haven and home to the Marx Memorial Library this wonderful area is a joy to discover.
BOROUGH
Many people are now familiar with the sites of Bankside but this walk delves into another side of Southwark away from the tourist trail. Two small art galleries, a former chocolate factory that has recently been given a new lease of life, a delightful garden created by a Victorian philanthropist, two secluded Georgian squares, the wall of the prison where Charles Dickens’ father was incarcerated for debt and “Little Dorrit’s Church” all feature. Hear about a murderous married couple, a flamboyant fire chief and a local heroine while we wind our way round the lesser known corners of this intriguing district.
BRIXTON: MUSIC AND MURALS, ARCHIVES AND ARCADE
Brixton is full of surprises. Once London’s premier suburban shopping centre it was transformed in the twentieth century by the vibrant Caribbean community. A more recent transformation has regenerated the historic market and brought more music, murals, cafe culture, a new currency and the newly opened Black Cultural Archive.
CHELSEA
Not far from the vibrant Kings Road, there is a tranquil riverside village where you will find the famous Royal Chelsea Hospital, home of the scarlett-coated Pensioners, a hidden physic garden, the home of Sir Thomas More and Chelsea Old Church, the resting place of Sir Hans Sloane. Famous residents who made this area their home are numerous and varied including Mark Twain, Joyce Grenfell and Joseph Losey.
CLAPTON
Explore the delights of Clapton including the childhoods of Harold Pinter, Lords Levy and Sugar and Helen Shapiro, the memories of Lea Bridge Road synagogue and the close-knit Clapton Jewish community, neighbourhood Springfield Park, the stylish young Marc Feld and the current fast growing ultra orthodox community.
COSMOPOLITAN LONDON – BRICK LANE
The East End has always been known for its diversity. With its proximity to the River Thames the district has attracted numerous immigrant groups.On this tour we will discover how each group has contributed to the area French street names , Huguenot weavers houses and chapels left by the French Huguenots: old synagogues, a soup kitchen and an exotic indoor market building built by Jews from Russia, Poland and the Netherlands; Mosques, textile businesses and restaurants run by the current Bangladeshi Community.
CREATIVE SHOREDITCH
Once the furniture making centre for the world and the infamous ‘Old Nicol’, Shoreditch has once again become a creative hub for London. This tour traces the fascinating history of the area including the squares of Hoxton, the site of Club Row market and Arnold Circus, the first public housing estate in London. En route you discover the new designer-makers who are bringing back the clothing and furniture trade to the area.
DICKENS TO DIAMONDS: HATTON GARDEN
Crossrail and 21st century architecture are now transforming Farringdon station but behind, the original street pattern and fascinating historic tales of the area remain. Discover Italian immigrants, the original Fagin’s Den, diamonds of Hatton Garden and Elizabeth I’s favourite courtier whose name is commemorated as London’s jewellery quarter.
DOCKERS TO WHARFERS
From the modern towers of Canary Wharf, a dramatic contrast comes into view as you approach the original sugar warehouses of West India Dock. The backbreaking and dangerous working conditions of the dockers have been transformed into a vibrant financial and residential centre for London.Compare the worlds of the dockers of yesteryear with the wharfers of today.
DULWICH VILLAGE
This south London village is a delight. With the 17th century college and almshouses founded by Edward Alleyn, Soane’s Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich Park, Belair Mansion and the homes of personalities as diverse as Lord Haw Haw and Margaret Thatcher, this tour has something for everyone.
EAST END RADICALS
East London still evokes memories of the radicals and revolutionaries who worked tirelessly to improve the working and living conditions of the predominately Jewish community. The Sidney Street Siege, Rudolph Rocker and the doss-house that was home temporarily to Stalin and Jack London all feature on this tour.
FASHION, FOOD, ANTIQUES, AN ABBEY – HISTORIC BERMONDSEY
Once dominated by industry this area is now on the up with fashionable restaurants, riverside apartments and museums devoted to fashion/design. Hear about Bermondsey’s renaissance on this tour which takes in the site of an ancient abbey, one of London’s most atmospheric streets, the old Leathermarket and, if you take this tour on a Friday, an antique market.
FLEET STREET – ALLEYWAYS AND COURTYARDS
Once the centre of the UK’s newspaper industry where you could buy papers ‘hot off the press’ Fleet Street still provides a backdrop for the stories of the writers who lived in and around the alleyways. En route you will meet Samuel Pepys, Dr Johnson, Samuel Richardson Edgar Wallace not to mention the murderous Sweeney Todd.
FREUD IN HAMPSTEAD
Explore the memories of the Freud family in Hampstead. Sigmund Freud escaped Nazi occupied Vienna in 1938 to ‘die in freedom’ and his home in Hampstead became a magnet for other European refugees. But he was not the only Freud to leave his mark in NW3. This walking tour profiles Sigmund and his friends, his daughter Anna whose work with children continues to this day in Maresfield Gardens and his son, Ernst, an architect whose modernist houses remain as testament to his talent. The tour ends at the Freud Museum.
FULHAM
This West London suburb was once home to successive Bishops of London. The last Bishop left in 1973 and his home is now open to visitors, surrounded by a riverside park. On this tour we walk through the park and view the palace with its 17th century herb garden. You will see Victorian almshouses, a pottery kiln and the home of London’s oldest football club. With a church at either end of Putney Bridge the stories include the lives of bishops, an anti slavery campaigner and a crucial event in the English Civil War.
HAMPSTEAD VILLAGE
Discover the fascinating and varied history of Hampstead village. The street names evoke memories of the healthy air and spa waters which long ago attracted artists and writers such as Constable, Galsworthy and du Maurier. Many performers including Kay Kendall and Anton Walbrook are buried in the churchyard of St Johns and today the area is still a haven for creativity with a theatre in the disused workhouse mortuary and a cinema in the old drill hall.
HANS TOWN – THE CADAGON ESTATE
Named after the original landowner, the land in and around Sloane Square provides an opportunity to discover the varied history of Hans Sloane and the current landlord, the Cadogan Estate. Personalities who lived here included Lilly Langtry, Dorothy Jordan and Judy Garland and they provide a colourful background to the area which is also is home to a wonderful array of shops, a ‘cathedral’ to the Arts and Crafts and Cadogan Hall.
HIDDEN HACKNEY
Memories still remain of the old village of Hackney, with its ancient church tower, 16th century Sutton House, 18th century church and the Victorian Round Chapel and Hackney Empire music hall. This tour takes you from past to present unravelling the transition from rich City merchants to ‘fern mania’, immigration and recent regeneration.
HIGHBURY
With its green open spaces and Victorian villas, Highbury has remained a delightful north London suburb. Discover the literary, cinematic and artistic associations, a local nature reserve established on the site of ‘Inky’ Steven’s factory, the original Arsenal stadium (now an upmarket residential complex) before ending at the new Emirates Stadium.
HIGHGATE
Explore this historic North London Village and hear about some interesting inhabitants past and present. Stroll through Waterlow Park and view Lauderdale House where Charles II is reputed to have left Nell Gwynn.
HOLBORN
Once London’s Little Italy the back streets of Holborn still provide a wonderful backdrop to when the area was filled with Italian ice cream sellers, revolutionaries and skilled craftsmen who worked on the beautiful St Peter’s church. The tour also features the streets which inspired Dickens to invent Fagin’s Den, a courtyard with murderous connections, a 12th century church and a road that once belonged to East Anglia.
HOMERTON: MATCHBOXES, MEDICINE AND NON-CONFORMITY
Ofen overlooked, Homerton has a diverse and fascinating history. From being a hub for religious non-conformity it became an industrial quarter, home to household names such as Berger paints and Matchbox toy cars and is now experiencing a long overdue renaissance with its arts centre and vibrant street market.
ISLE OF DOGS – FROM MARSH TO TOWN
Discover how this unusual name came about on the walk which has one of the best views in London, historic Greenwich as pained by Canaletto. Starting at Millwall Gardens, previously one of London’s largest ropewalks, you continue down to the river joining the Thames path where you see the slipway from where Brunels Great Eastern steamship was launched and views across the river to Deptford. Continuing through the Millwall Docks the history of shipbuilding, ‘toe rags’, jam and granaries take centre stage before focussing on the recent regeneration of the area
JEWISH CITY – A WALK OF JEWISH FIRSTS
Set against the backdrop of the City of London we highlight the stories of Jewish Firsts, many of whom broke down the barriers of discrimination in Victorian England. We feature not only the first synagogues and the first Jewish MP but also a Lord Mayor, a Prime Minister and a Baronet.
JEWISH HAMPSTEAD
As the London Jewish community migrated northwards, Hampstead became a centre for those moving in intellectual and artistic circles. Walk through this leafy suburb discovering the stories of the German-Austrian refugees of the inter-war years who did not go east but settled in NW3, including Sigmund Freud, with his daughter Anna, and architect Erno Goldfinger.
JEWISH MAYFAIR
This tour highlights the stories of those who spearheaded the move west to Mayfair beginning with Montefiore and the Rothschilds. Many followed them including politicians Disraeli and Hore-Belisha, members of the Marlborough House set such as Sir Ernest Cassels, and Wolf Barnato, one of the Bentley Boys.
JEWISH WEST END
Discover Jewish connections in Soho and Fitzrovia where the rich social history includes the West Central Lads’ and Girls’ clubs, Westminster Jews Free School, synagogues and London’s most famous literary pub, once run by Jewish landlords.
JEWISH THEATRELAND
Explore the connections with Jewish actors, impresarios, writers and producers. The cast includes Lionel Bart, Lord Delfont, Barbra Streisand and many more. Credits are also due to Lyons for the refreshments, Moss Bros for the costumes and Freed for the dance shoes.
JEWISH WHITECHAPEL
In and around Commercial Road you can still find reminders of the vibrant Jewish community which lived and worked there. The streets and buildings evoke memories of local synagogues, street markets, medical missions and the Yiddish theatre. You will also visit Cable Street, the site of the battle against the fascists and home to Dr. Hannah Billig, the Angel of Cable Street.
KINGSTON: MARKETS AND MONARCHS
Riverside Kingston is full of contrasts. With the coronation stone of no fewer than seven Saxon monarchs and one of the oldest bridges in London this walking tour of historic royal borough is full of surprises. Elaborate shop fronts and the mediaeval market place provide a wonderful contrast to the contemporary theatre and sculpture.
Forever immortalised in song, the area in and around Lambeth Walk just south of the Thames has a host of delightful associations to discover. With a ragged school now an art gallery, the wonderfully ornate Royal Doulton HQ of yesteryear, mosaics commemorating past resident William Blake, the oldest building in Lambeth now a museum of garden history, tales of marine and pharmaceutical endeavour and Lambeth Palace this tour is full of surprises.
LEGAL LONDON
Weave in and out of London’s Inns of Court, a collection of attractive courtyards, cloisters and gardens, each with their own special history and personalities. Discover the past and present lives of bewigged barristers (including where they buy them!), tales of murder, the Wars of the Roses and early Elizabethan theatre.
LETS ALL GO DOWN THE STRAND
Not one but two hidden chapels are included on this pot pourri of a tour in and around the south side of the Strand. Ducking in and out of the alleys leading down to the Thames discover a disused Tube station, a centuries old public bath, a present day palace now home to works of art and the site of a palace now home to a hotel which is the by-word for luxury.
LIMEHOUSE – LONDON’S ORIGINAL CHINATOWN
Now the ‘Belgravia of the Docklands’, Limehouse was the original Chinatown and evidence of its seafaring past remains with the restored warehouses and ropewalk. Literary associations abound with Fu Man Chu and Narrow Street where Dickens set scenes for Our Mutual Friend. The tour ends with a riverside stroll to the old sugar warehouses, now the Museum of Docklands.
LITERARY LONDON – BLOOMSBURY
The Bloomsbury Set were described as people who lived in squares and loved in triangles. Stroll through the Georgian squares of Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia to see the places where the famous writers lived, worked and loved. Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey, George Bernard Shaw, T S Eliot, W B Yeats and Charles Dickens are just some of the writers you will meet on this walk.
LIVERPOOL STREET – WHERE THE CITY MEETS THE EAST END
Built on the site of Bedlam, Liverpool Street station and its hinterland straddles three very different worlds, the original City of London, the recent Broadgate development of offices and shops and the regenerated Spitalfields area. There is modern architecture to admire, public art to contemplate and a Turkish Bath that has somehow survived but poignant stories too, that of the Elephant Man and the 1930s Kindertransport.
LONDON ON FILM
Follow in the footsteps of Jude Law, Hugh Grant, Ralph Fiennes, Renee Zellweger and others to discover some of London’s most famous film locations. An increasing number of films are using London as a backdrop and this tour will visit sites for Four Weddings and a Funeral, Closer, Shakespeare in Love, Bridget Jones’s Diary and one of my favourites, Hue and Cry. In between you will hear about filming in the capital … should you be planning your own film!
LONDON’S THEATRELAND
This tour of Covent Garden and its surrounding area treats you to historical vignettes and anecdotes about the West End’s theatrical personalities. Among the treats of this tour, discover London’s oldest theatre, complete with ghosts, see the newly renovated Royal Opera House where there were riots when ticket prices were raised, hear the story behind the Stage Door Murder and re-live the opening scene of Pygmalion outside ‘The Actor’s Church’.
MARYLEBONE: ANTIQUES, BEATLES AND CRICKET
With a luxury hotel as protection from a busy main road the quiet streets of Lisson Grove behind Marylebone, London’s last main-line station, host a veritable ABC. From Alfies Antique Market, the birthplace of Lords, Octavia Hill housing, the expressionist HQ for anthroposophy to one of the most famous film locations from the 1960s this is a most surprising area to explore.
MEDICINE AND MISSIONARIES – IN AND AROUND THE MILE END ROAD
As we weave in and out of the streets of Whitechapel and Mile End we discover 17th century almshouses, old brewery buildings, tenements and the historic bell foundry which made the famous Liberty Bell and recast Big Ben. “Meet” some of the best known 19th century philanthropists including William Booth, Dr Barnardo and Samuel Barnett and hear stories of the Elephant Man, the “David and Goliath” of retailing and one of the bravest nurses of World War I.
MERCY, MISSIONS AND MEDICINE
For centuries, women have been involved with improving the health of the overworked poor in east London. Discover the sites associated with those who came to the East End to make a difference, including Alice Model at the Jewish Maternity Hospital, the Sisters of Mercy at Providence Row and home grown angels too such as Hannah Billig. Covering present day initiatives we also go further back to the original St Mary Spital and the Huguenots who pioneered improvements to medical and opthalmic instruments in the 17th century.
MILE END TO VICTORIA PARK
Not one, not two but three parks feature on this walking tour which takes you on the fascinating journey from Mile End, over the canal into Victoria Park, since the mid 19th century host to social activism, rock concerts and boating and leisure pursuits. With its lake, bridges and ornate drinking fountain it is still very much at the heart of the local community.
MONEY TALKS – A CITY SAMPLER
For almost two thousand years London has played a major role in world finance. This City tour will take you from the present financial institututions back in history to discover their origins and the colourful personalities who established them. In between the streets, alleys and churches remind us of the residential past of the Square Mile.
NOTTING HILL
Now an area of London associated with film locations and celebrity homes, Notting Hill also has a varied and surprising history including areas where pigs outnumbered humans, kilns for potteries and a racing hippodrome. The tour also includes the famous Portobello antique market and one of the oldest cinemas in the country, now a private film club.
OLD JEWISH EAST END
The Jewish community may no longer live in Spitalfields but the streets and buildings still evoke memories of the synagogues, schools and soup kitchens. Not forgetting Yiddish theatre and the street markets in and around Petticoat Lane. Stories of other immigrant communities of the area, such as the Huguenots and Bengalis are also woven into the tour.
PADDINGTON – HOME TO ‘THE HOLIDAY LINE’
With its canals, trains, trams and Underground, Paddington became a vast transport hub, home to Brunel’s GWR, nicknamed God’s Wonderful Railway. Nearby a messy laboratory led to the discovery of penicillin and today the maintenance and goods yards, for so long hidden from public view have been transformed with canalside walkways and three quirky but functional bridges
PIRATES, PEPPER AND PENTHOUSES – WAPPING
Alongside the River Thames this walk from the renovated St Katherine Dock along the cobbled high street of Wapping provides an evocative view of life in and around the London Docks. The spice warehouses remain,16th century pubs still provide a drink with a riverside view and memories abound of execution dock where pirates met a watery end and the underwater tunnel, Brunel’s ‘Great Bore’.
PEARLY QUEENS TO KINGSLEY HALL – BROMLEY BY BOW
For those of you prepared to go a bit off the beaten track this under-visited area of Bromley-by-Bow offers a wonderful variety of history and stories – suffragettes, almshouses and royal hunting lodges. The walk ends with a visit and tour of Kingsley Hall hearing of its associations with Doris and Muriel Lester and Mahatma Ghandi, who lodged here during his visit to London in the 1930s.
RAIL LANDS TO REGENERATION – Discover Stratford East
In 2012 this area of East London will take centre stage for the Olympics. Discover Stratford East before the crowds start flocking. Hear the plans for regeneration and also the history of Stratford which was once London’s bakery and perfumery. An impressive town hall, two Victorian theatres, an area which was once a trainspotter’s paradise and a new cultural quarter all feature on this tour and personalities you will ‘meet’ include the first Labour MP, a maverick theatre director, a poet and the gentleman who campaigned against slavery.
REGENT’S CANAL
Take a leisurely stroll along the towpath of the Regents Canal from King’s Cross to Camden Town. Discover the history of the canal an its influence on London while seeing a different perspective on the regenerating of King’s Cross with its Canal Museum in an old ice store, the gas holders, a nature park and two historic stations.
RIVERSIDE BATTERSEA
Discover the hidden riverside treasures of. The coming of the railways in the mid 19th century shifted the centre of Battersea inland which has left a wonderful sleepy village to explore. with Old Battersea House from the 1600s, Georgian houses now community centres and the historic Thomas’s School the buildings tell the tale of the changing fortunes of the area.
ROTHERHITHE – A RIVERSIDE VILLAGE
Steeped in maritime history the historic centre of Rotherhithe village, with its parish church, charity school buildings, cobbled streets, centuries old pubs and even the lock-up and mortuary is as if time stood still.
Also home to three Scandinavian churches built for the timber dock sailors there is also the tale of Brunel’s ‘Great Bore’, the Rotherhithe Foot Tunnel, the Mayflower Pigrims and the wonderful Sands Film Studios, housed in an old granary.
SALMON TO STADIA, MINTS TO MEDALS: HACKNEY WICK
This fascinating walk goes through the historic industrial complex of Hackney Wick and alongside Fish Island, both now home to one of the most concentrated artistic hubs in Europe. You will hear the stories of the Eton Mission Rowing Club, Clarnico sweets and Forman’s smoked salmon as the walk meanders along the tow path skirting the Olympic Park. You end at the Greenway with a marvellous view of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with its iconic stadia and observation tower.
SARIS SPICE AND SPLENDOUR: TOOTING BEC
Walking between Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway is a feast for the senses. From 1920s suburban tube stations, an elaborate 19th century pub, Indian saris and sweetmeats to the Mayfair cinema now an Islamic Community Centre this tour is full of surprises. If possible it ends with another treat, visitng the magnificent Tooting Granada cinema with its Moorish interior designed by the Russian emigre, Komisarjevsky.
SCIENCE, SUFFRAGE AND THE STAGE: WOMEN IN AND AROUND THE LSE
Celebrate the move of the Women’s Library to its new home at the LSE on this new walk. Discover an array of fascinating ladies who lived, worked, performed and studied in and around Covent Garden including the suffragettes Emmelines Pankhurst and Pethick-Lawrence, scientist Rosalind Franklin, actresses and royal mistresses Nell Gwyn and Dorothy Jordan at Drury Lane Theatre and Beatrice Webb at the LSE itself.
SHADWELL
This is the area know as Sailor Town where arriving at the Docks sailors found wine, women and song. In the shadow of the imposing Hawksmoor church you will discover Londons oldest surviving Victorian music hall which is still used for performances today, the Georgian Tobacco Dock with its old ships and tranquil canalside walkway, 19th century wool warehouses and a colourful mural telling of a famous battle in recent East End history.
SOHO
Explore the many faces of Soho – the 19th century of Marx and the Jewish tailoring trade, the clubs and theatres of the 1940s and the jazz and coffee bars of the 1950s. There was an eclectic mix of music, fun and gangsters too, making a creative atmosphere that has continued to today.
SPITALFIELDS: THE STORY
Discover the streets where fact has often merged with fiction. From ‘The Children of the Ghetto’ to ‘The People of the Abyss’ and ‘Chicken Soup’, the streets of Spitalfields and Whitechapel have inspired writers throughout the centuries to the present day. Included are short passages from writing by, amongst others, Israel Zangwill, Jack London, Arnold Wesker and Rachel Lichtenstein.
Note: This tour can be adapted to concentrate on Jewish writers. See Go Jewish London
STOKE NEWINGTON – ‘A MISTY VILLAGE’
For centuries this hidden London village was home to dissenters and radical writers such as Daniel Defoe and ‘gothic’ Edgar Allen Poe. This varied and fascinating tour follows this history, via a ‘castle’, hidden reservoir and an historic cemetery, through to present day ‘Stokie’, a vibrant and creative hub of north London.
SOUTH KENSINGTON
South Kensington has it all from grand museums to hidden mews and this tour shows you the contrast from imposing to intimate. The residents were both famous an infamous, a bigamous Duchess, a Hollywood movie stair, actresses and mistresses and penniless actors before their big break. Discover also the quiet backstreets, a disused Tube station, an impressive church and the story behind London’s top department store.
ST JAMES’S FOR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
Always associated with gentlemen, St James’s has a wealth of associations for ladies too. This tour profiles the historic shops and clubs and the fascinating personalities of the area including Beau Brummell, the man who invented the suit, Nell Gwynne, mistress of Charles II and Rosa Lewis, the Duchess of Jermyn Street.
STAMFORD HILL: A SQUARE MILE OF PIETY
Once a wealthy residential district for Rothschilds and Montefiores it is now home to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Discover the background to the various synagogues including Egerton Road, schools and shops, an historic sweet manufacturer, the difference between Bobover and Belz, Kedassia and Beth Din and taste some authentic rugelach.
STORIES BEHIND THE STORES
Napoleon called the British ‘a nation of shopkeepers’. Today we are also a nation of shoppers and our tour, in and around London’s premier shopping street, discovers how shopping has developed in London and how small shops from centuries ago have become household names across the world. The tour includes the first store in London to allow browsing, an ‘olde English sweet shoppe’ and how to tell if the Royal Family shops at your favourite store.
SUFFERING TO SALVATION
Walking tours of East London often focus on the horrific sites of crime and murder, and overlook the other spaces and places in which women lived, worked and campaigned. From Victorian prostitution to and charitable missions to the daily life for women, this walk takes in a range of women’s experiences in the East End and offers an alternative perspective on the area.
SUNDAY MORNING MARKETS
From newly regenerated Hoxton the tour visits the vibrant and colourful Columbia Road flower market. After time to browse hear the fascinating tale of the philanthropic development of the surrounding streets and from there, crossing Bethnal Green Road there is a selection of markets, old and new, Brick Lane, Cheshire Street, Up Market and Spitalfields all merging into one vibrant district of shopping and lunching opportunities.
TOTTENHAM: SEVEN SISTERS TO SPURS
Explore this under-visited multi-cultural area of London and discover the stories behind the Tottenham Outrage, Tottenham Cake and of course Tottenham Hotspur. The Home for Incurables brings back memories of the once vibrant Jewish community. Ends outside Tottenham Hotspur FC at White Hart Lane.
TWICKENHAM: RUGBY TO ROCK MUSIC
Today, best known as the home of English Rugby, Twickenham has many hidden treasures. The eccentricities of Eel Pie Island with its rock history, a tranquil riverside promenade, hidden gardens, a 17th century town hall with wood panelled rooms, homes of French aristocrats and art collectors, historic pubs and an old village street all feature on this tour of one of London’s lesser known suburbs.
UNIQUELY EUSTON
Somers Town, once one of London’s worst slums, underwent a transformation in the 1930s and now you can discover this hinterland of Euston before it is transformed again. With the art deco Carreras Black Cats, two historic hospitals, paper mache bugs, a new ‘Super Lab’, Dickens, Mike Leigh and Walter Sickert plus the best washing line poles in London, Somers Town’s history is indeed unique.
UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS
Belgravia is one of the most exclusive areas of London, but at the end of the 19th century it was also home to an army of domestic servants, most of them women and girls. The basement stairs and attic windows of the grand houses are a reminder of when those in service lived at the top but worked at the bottom. This tour gives centre stage to the work and lives of cooks, maids and tweenies.
UPTON PARK: THE GLORIES OF GREEN STREET
Travel eastwards to Green Street to explore the destination Asian shopping area of London with top quality bangles, saris, foods and a brand new Asian Shopping Mall. Nestling alongside are the Boleyn Ground, The Hammers’ current home before they move to the Olympic Stadium, memories of Trebor’s mints, the Carlton Cinema and the Dr Who Museum. An area full of surprises!
VAUXHALL: PLEASURE GARDENS TO SPIES
Discover one of London’s lesser known but upcoming areas which is rich in history and full of surprises – a famous cricket ground created on land owned by the Prince of Wales, a City farm standing on the site of London’s most popular 18th century pleasure garden, a home of modern burlesque, a secret square and the capital’s smallest houses.
VICTORIA – GATEWAY TO THE CONTINENT
Two stations, side by side, merged in the 1920s and for many, Victoria was from where they embarked for their first continental journey. With the Night Ferry, the Orient Express and Imperial Airways Terminal, Victoria had the glamour and excitement of foreign travel. In and around are delightful backstreets, almshouses, a restaurant to sample the talents of the celebrity chefs of the future and the Byzantine extravaganza of Westminster Cathedral.
VIEW THE SPORTING VISION
This walking tour leads you along the tow path that skirts the Olympic site area and also along the Greenway which goes through what will be the Olympic Park and from where you get a marvellous view of the Olympic Stadium. The area has a rich history and en route you will hear about the area’s fascinating industrial past and, of course, the plans for the 2012 Olympic Games themselves, the massive construction and remediation project and also the the legacy that the Games will leave behind.
WALTHAMSTOW
Explore the development of Walthamstow from its village beginnings in the twelfth century to the growth of suburbia. This tour takes in historic features from the sixteenth-century Monoux almshouses and the eighteenth-century Squires almshouses to the Vestry House Museum, originally used as a workhouse and ends at the home of William Morris, now a museum open to the public.
WESTMINSTER VILLAGE
Behind the bustle of Westminster Abbey there is peace and quiet where you can discover homes of society hostesses, a famous film director, a WWI poet and, of course, political campaigners. En route you will also see ‘Queen Anne’s Footstall’, famous schools both public and charitable and wonderful 18th century houses.
WHITECHAPEL AT WAR
Discover what the home front was like in Whitechapel during the First and Second World Wars. East London was a key enemy target during both World Wars with enormous effects on the local community. This walk recalls everyday life on the home front, the evacuation of women and children, the disaster at Hughes Mansions and the German wartime residents of the Whitechapel area.
WIMBLEDON VILLAGE
This buzzy hilltop village with its many cafes, pubs and boutiques has lots of fascinating past-residents and associations to discover. From an emperor in exile to the man who ended the ‘Great Stink’ and from Bill Sykes to the eccentric owner of Southside house you will find that there is more to Wimbledon than tennis and the Wombles.
WOMEN OF WORTH
Discover Jewish and non-Jewish women alike who made an impact on the Jewish community of the East End. Ending at the Kinderstransport memorial at Liverpool Street Station we will have visited en route sites of Whitechapel and Spitalfields including those associated with Alice Model and her maternity hospital, Miriam Moses and her youth work, the philanthropy of the Rothschild ladies and the actresses of the Yiddish theatre.
WONDERFUL WATERLOO
Described as being for a ‘better class of commuter’ Waterloo provides an opportunity to hear about not one but seven stations, and from one, The Station of the Dead, there were no return journeys. Behind the station today you will discover a variety of artisanal housing, the theatre that went from being a musical hall to temperance and adult education before becoming one of London’s pre-eminent theatre venues and the site of London’s Cans Festival.
WONDERFUL WOMEN OF WHITECHAPEL
This popular tour visits sites associated with women who have defined Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Hear the stories of such significant figures as Eva Luckes and Edith Cavell at the London Hospital; radical campaigner Annie Besant; and philanthropists Mary Hughes and Miriam Moses. The walk also explores locations related to influential characters in the contemporary cultural scene such as artist Tracey Emin and author Monica Ali.