The Inns of Court – Legal London consists of the 4 Inns of Court in and around Holborn, the Strand and Fleet Street, where barristers have had their chambers since the 14th century. This talk describes the features of these historic parts of London and some of the characters who have frequented its courts and alleyways.
Wren’s City Churches – The Great Fire of London destroyed 89 City Churches. Christopher Wren was charged with rebuilding London including 52 of the churches in the Baroque style, and of course St Paul’s Cathedral. This talk outlines the distinctive features of the City Churches , and Wren’s masterpiece St Paul’s Cathedral.
Alleyways of the City (West) – The layout of the City of London is much the same as it was at the timer of King Alfred. Hidden in its many lanes and alleys are churches, livery halls, inns and relics of the early coffee houses, and more. This walk takes you through the alleyways and lanes around Blackfriars, St Paul’s Cathedral and Cheapside taking in landmarks like the Apothecaries Hall, the site of Blackfriars Abbey, various livery halls and Wren churches.
Alleyways of the City (North) – The layout of the City of London is much the same as it was at the timer of King Alfred. Hidden in its many lanes and alleys are churches, livery halls, inns and relics of the early coffee houses, and more.
Alleyways of the City (East) – The layout of the City of London is much the same as it was at the timer of King Alfred. Hidden in its many lanes and alleys are churches, livery halls, inns and relics of the early coffee houses, and more. This walk takes you from Cannon Street station through the alleys via the Bank and Leadenhall Market and ends at the Monument.
The Great Fire of London and Samuel Pepys – On 2nd September 1666, a fire broke out in Pudding Lane and spread over the next three days to engulf four-fifths of the City. Samuel Pepys lived close to the source of the Fire but his property was saved. This walk takes you from the source of the Fire through parts of the City affected and some of those that survived, including Pepys’s experiences.
The Georgian City – Although much of the City has been rebuilt a number of times since, there are still a number of Georgian buildings, from merchants houses to the Bank of England.
The Victorian City
Discovering Roman London –Londinium was founded by the Romans in 50AD. This walk will include some of the elements of the Roman City and will be followed by a visit to the newly-opened Temple of Mithras exhibition (I have a fixed number of tickets, so the first 25 only).
City Livery Companies –The City Livery Companies grew out of the Craft Guilds and are still a fundamental basis of the structure of the City. This walk starts from St Paul’s Cathedral and takes you past a number of Livery Halls ending at the Guildhall and will include an explanation of the history of the Livery Companies, their current functions and how they fit into the government of the City of London.
Fleet Street – Fleet Street will forever be associated with the Press and journalism even though the newspapers left the area nearly 40 years ago. This walk will explore Fleet Street and its surrounding alleyways to find its past.
