London history and walks
From its Bronze Age beginnings to capital status, London has witnessed growth and destruction throughout its long history. Join us for lively classroom discussions and popular walks around the city and discover who and what has left their mark on the city.
Watch City Lit tutor Eleanor Jackson explore some of London's secret spaces:
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London and the Reformation
Course Date: Sat 2 Jun 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetThe Reformation had a profound effect on the landscape of 16th-century London as church buildings were transformed into stables, private houses, a wine tavern and biscuit factory! Nearly 50 martyrs were burnt or died in prison in London. Come along and find out more.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £25.00 -
Further village London: guided walks
Course Date: Wed 11 Jul 2018 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteA further five walks around London's former villages - Hampstead, Highgate, Archway, Fitzrovia and Soho. Why did these areas grow up as villages and how did they become swallowed up by the city of London? This is a continuation of 'Village London' (HLW24), but new students are welcome. The first meeting place will be just outside Hampstead tube station.Full fee: £89.00Senior fee: £71.00Concession: £39.00 -
The Old Father-River: the poetry of the Thames from 1500 to the present day
Course Date: Tue 17 Jul 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetBeginning with an idealised, semi-pastoral Thames, the course progresses via satirical 18th century evocations to the complex responses of Romantic and Modern poets, concluding with a meditation commissioned for the inauguration of the Millennium Bridge.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £22.00 -
Art Deco London walk
Course Date: Tue 17 Jul 2018 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetTravel back to the 1930s to explore the Art Deco style that influenced a variety of designs, from radios and cutlery to places related to travel, entertainment and commerce. In addition to looking at the architecture of the period, your guide will tell stories of life in London from the time these buildings were being erected. The meeting place will be outside Victoria Coach Station on Buckingham Palace Road.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £8.00 -
In and out the Angel: a guided walk
Course Date: Wed 18 Jul 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteWith its many watery, cinematic and theatrical associations, Angel is a delightful part of London to explore. Meander through its quiet backstreets and canal towpaths and hear stories of Starvation Farm, Disraeli's schooldays, Joe Orton, with his rather unusual visits to the local library, and London's first pub theatre. Meeting place: outside Angel tube.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £19.00Concession: £8.00 -
The 'Wyldes' of Hampstead: discovering Hampstead's northern hillside (a guided walk)
Course Date: Sun 29 Jul 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteDiscover the rural north side of Hampstead by walking across the Heath Extension to the hamlet of Northend, learning about its famous residents, its hostelry and the 17th-century Wyldes farmhouse. We return via the enchanting Hill Garden and Golders Hill Park. Circular walk starts and ends outside the main entrance to Golders Green.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £10.00 -
Discover Regent's Park: a guided walk
Course Date: Thu 2 Aug 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetWith a background briefing at City Lit in the morning and a guided walk in Regent's Park in the afternoon,you will discover the history, exuberant planting, sculptures and design of this fabulous Royal Park dating from the early 19th century. Special trees will be highlighted.Full fee: £49.00Senior fee: £39.00Concession: £22.00 -
Sex and the city: medieval London
Course Date: Fri 3 Aug 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetWhere were the red light districts? What was the going rate for a prostitute? Using the example of John Rykener, the cross-dressing sex worker who called himself ‘Eleanor’, we will explore attitudes to prostitution and how it was managed in the City before 1500 CE.Full fee: £39.00Senior fee: £31.00Concession: £17.00 -
Arts and Crafts of Hampstead Garden Suburb: a guided walk
Course Date: Sun 5 Aug 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteThe walk traces the early history and developments of Hampstead Garden Suburb and includes the Heath Extension, Central Square, designed by Edwin Lutyens, and the original Artisans quarter, designed from 1907 by Parker and Unwin. Starts outside the main entrance to Golders Green Tube station and ends at Temple Fortune on the Finchley Road.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £10.00 -
Brick Lane battleground 1970s: a guided walk
Course Date: Mon 6 Aug 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteTales of sweatshops and sweetshops, cultural change and conflict, housing struggles, racism and resistance, and the fight by young Bengalis for better lives, with tour guide David Rosenberg, author of 'Rebel Footprints'. Meet just inside the entrance of Altab Ali Park (corner of Whitechapel Road/Whitechurch Lane, E1). Nearest tube Aldgate East.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £8.00 -
Sex and the city: Tudor and Stuart London
Course Date: Mon 6 Aug 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetBridewell Prison was founded in 1553 for ‘disorderly women’. Southwark, with its long-established brothels and bear and bull baiting, became increasingly inviting for illicit activities. With the Restoration in 1660, West End theatres with actresses emerged and Covent Garden became notorious.Full fee: £39.00Senior fee: £31.00Concession: £17.00 -
Sex and the city: Georgian London
Course Date: Wed 8 Aug 2018
Location on this date: KS - Keeley StreetIn 18th century London, one in five women were sex workers. All tastes were catered for, from street walkers offering a ' threepenny upright' to high-class courtesans. For gay men there were molly houses, including the short-lived Mother Clap’s establishment in Field Lane, Holborn.Full fee: £39.00Senior fee: £31.00Concession: £17.00 -
Stoke Newington: a misty village (a guided walk)
Course Date: Wed 8 Aug 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteFor centuries, this north 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', a hidden reservoir and an historic cemetery, through to present day 'Stokey', a vibrant and creative hub of north London. Meeting place: outside Manor House tube, exit 3 on Green Lanes.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £19.00Concession: £8.00 -
Stream Form to Arts and Crafts: suburban architecture 1914-1939 (a guided walk)
Course Date: Sun 12 Aug 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteStarting at the Modernist East Finchley station, this walk goes back in time, looking at architectural styles from between the wars on the north side of Hampstead Garden Suburb and finishing with Arts and Crafts cottages. Starts outside the main entrance to East Finchley Station and finishes at Market Place on the A1 ( a short bus ride from East Finchley or Golders Green).Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £10.00 -
The East End’s Russian revolutionaries: a guided walk
Course Date: Mon 13 Aug 2018
Location on this date: OS - Off SiteTour guide David Rosenberg introduces intriguing individuals and describes dramatic events: a bloody siege, clandestine meetings, acts of solidarity, conflict with government, and the rebels who returned in 1917. Meet outside the Genesis Cinema, 93-95 Mile End Rd, London E1 4UJ. Nearest tube: Stepney Green.Full fee: £19.00Senior fee: £15.00Concession: £8.00