Walking tours of the lesser known London
The Square Mile of the City of London has nearly 400 streets and 2000 years of history. It has been home to many of the most interesting people that have ever lived, the location of world shaping decisions and the site of some seriously weird happenings. There are also a lot of hidden spaces with unique stories, just the turn of a corner from a busy thoroughfare.
I have lived in the world's greatest City for 30 years and after constant exploration, am still discovering new fascinating locations in the City.
As an official City of London Guide, I have a particular interest in History, Architecture and Art, and as an Internationally competitive quizzer, have appeared on BBC's Mastermind 13 times, my London specialist subjects being "The City Churches of Christopher Wren", "The theatres of Frank Matcham" and "Mayhew's - London Labour and the London Poor".
With a degree in Criminology, I also have an interest in True Crime. The City of London is extremely safe today, but it wasn't always thus and nearly every street corner has been the scene of a dastardly deed centuries ago.
Once you've seen the Changing of the Guard, photographed Big Ben and walked through Piccadilly Circus and want to see the less obvious side of London, join me on a Wideawakewalk.
Wren smorgasbord
Sir Christopher Wren's office rebuilt 51 churches after the Great Fire of London of 1666 and 29 of them (or at least substantial bits of them) remain. Every one of them is unique and in this walk, we look at what makes each of them different, as well as their history, their links to famous people and why they have such funny names.
Traces of medieval London
The Great Fire of London of 1666 destroyed 86 churches. Many were not rebuilt, yet there are traces - sometimes comprising whole parks - of these churches more than 350 years after they burned down. In this walk we look at the visible remains of the churches and talk about the famous and, often, strange people who were associated with them, the shows and inquisitions that took place within and, sometimes, their links to Shakespeare.
Foul play in Cheapside
In this walk around the western part of the City, we visit the locations of crimes spanning 300 years, including the lynching of a bishop, gang warfare, the slaying of an eel skinner, a trial 14th century trial of an escort who exercised their profession in more than one gender and the earliest London handgun murder.
Book here for Sunday, March 22 @ 1330:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984650257345?aff=oddtdtcreator
Carnage in Cornhill
In this walk, we visit the locations of several crimes committed in the Middle Ages, including one in which a rich man who literally gets away with murder by bribing the Mayor, a minstrel whose performance is not well received, a man who is mortally beaten for striking an Italian banker's dogs and a woman who stabs a clerk to death for shushing her in church.
Book here for Friday, March 20 @ 1400:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984650257345?aff=oddtdtcreator