London History Courses & Guided Walks

Discover what London was like during the reign of the Merry Monarch Charles II (1660-85) with the reopening of taverns and theatres after years of austerity, closely followed by Plague and the Great Fire.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

The Thames runs like a silver thread through London’s history. It has been a muse & inspiration for centuries. This course examines its impact on our city, how it’s enriched & influenced our lives, both upstream & down.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

A look at the spectacular rise and fall of Londinium from c. AD 47 to its abandonment in c. AD 457.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

The artist John Constable rented properties in Hampstead with his family from 1819 until he made it his permanent home in 1827.This virtual walk looks at the Georgian and Regency Hampstead he knew and includes quotes from his letters and points out his favourite places he painted.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

A virual tour considering the history of the city which is largely under our feet, we will discuss the tube and post office tunnels, water conduits, hidden rivers, and archaeological remains from burials and buildings found in the city.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Royal scandals, fraud, hoaxes & crime, this city has always had a darker underbelly. This course looks at some of the events that shocked and shaped the city.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Come on a virtual trip through the old City and its borders taking in beheadings and brutality at the Tower, tales of cutpurses and con men, the rise of prisons and the ghastly punishments that were meted out to wrongdoers. We go on a journey to Newgate Gaol, the Bridewell Prison and the places of execution including the notorious Tyburn Tree to hear tales of brutality, escapes and the bloodthirsty crowds who watched executions. Our tour includes London’s atmospheric legal quarter taking in the Old Bailey, The Royal Courts of Justice and the Inns of Court to discover how London’s legal system developed .

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Look at the least known episodes in London's history, Lundenwic (AD 600-900) and Lundenburh (AD 900-1000).

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Follow in Charles Dickens’ footsteps in a virtual walk from Highgate to the hamlet of North End on the border with Hampstead and Hampstead Garden Suburb. We see houses that Dickens stayed in; learn about his friendships; see inspirations for David Copperfield and peep into Highgate Cemetery where several members of the Dickens family were buried. We will pay a visit to the Spaniard’s Inn featured in the Pickwick Papers and continue with Bill Sikes' journey in Oliver Twist from Highgate Hill across the grounds of Kenwood towards North End and Hendon.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Famous for being the station no-one can visualise Fenchurch Street is one of London’s oldest termini and gateway to the eastern side of the City. Stories include London's first railway murder, the birth of Monopoly and the diary of Samuel Pepys. In between, discover a sundial portraying London’s history, a piece of Roman wall, a graceful crescent once home to a hostel for Bengali immigrants, public art and one of the City’s most talked about office blocks, the Walkie-Talkie. Not to mention two of Rachel's ex-workplaces!

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

This one day course looks at a period that fundamentally shaped London as a city, from the laying out of a new town within the old Roman city wall, through the rapid growth of the 11—13th centuries, the impacts of the Black Death, and its subsequent revival.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Since the City opened up its river path, the lesser known north bank of the Thames between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations and beyond provides fabulous views of Bankside and on the City side you discover a hidden monument to Shakespeare, several historic Livery Halls, colourful mosaics at an ancient landing place, an art nouveau decorated pub, a famous boys’ school and more!

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.

Finchley Central contains three conservation areas. Starting at the oldest part of the former village of Finchley Church End , this virtual walk stops to admire traces of the old village, Edwardian and Victorian architecture before moving on to the delightful Finchley Garden village and College Farm, the last remaining farm in Finchley.

This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.