London History Walks & Courses

A course of walking tours of London’s West End showing its development from the seventeenth century, how its profile has ebbed and flowed, looking at it through specific themes.



First meeting place: Covent Garden tube, outside exit on James Street.

Fiction writers are often the first to identify and analyse a social phenomenon. We will examine two centuries of London history through the eyes of novelists and poets, from William Blake to Zadie Smith.

1923 was a crucial year in the history of Weimar, with multiple existential challenges making it an annus horribilis while it can also be regarded as an annus mirabilis as the Republic survived almost against the odds.

This course will provide an exploration of 300 years of Jewish life, culture and history in London from the small scale resettlement in the 1650s through to the 1950s when the borough of Hackney was home to London’s largest and most diverse Jewish community.

Explore in this interactive lecture course how did the 'Roaring 20s' and the Great Depression impact on London? What was the social and economic experience of Londoners as suburbs grew and modern buildings arrived, along with political and financial uncertainty?

On this virtual tour we go back to 1951 when the Festival of Britain took Londoners out of post war austerity to marvel at the latest innovations in art, design, industry and technology at a festival to celebrate the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851. Find out how this event was a catalyst for the regeneration of the entire South Bank which is today famous for its arts centre. We trace the surviving remnants of the festival including a mural by artist Topolski, two sculptures and the recently restored Royal Festival Hall. We view the post festival arts centres such as the National Theatre and finish with a great riverside panoramic view from the Oxo Tower.



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

This is an introduction to the history of the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1941. Students will learn about key events during the Stalin years and how historians approach them.



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

London luxuriates in literary references. We follow the footsteps of the authors, poets and playwrights, and some of their creations, as we walk a brand new neighbourhood each week, exploring the literary connections.



London guide: Eleanor Jackson. First meeting point at Green Park tube station, street level, Piccadilly South side.



London guide: Eleanor Jackson.

Uncover the history of North London’s historic districts including Highbury , Friern Barnet and North Finchley, High Barnet, Tottenham, Muswell Hill, Wood Green, Golders Green and the Northern Heights, Hampstead Garden Suburb, Kentish Town, Camden Town and Belsize Park







First meeting place: Saturday 13 January at 11am: Meet outside Highbury and Islington Tube Station (this could be altered if there are engineering works on the Victoria Line. The line closure list for weekend engineering work is only published six months in advance so doesn’t yet go up to January 2024!).

The course covers Norman history of London from 1050 to 1200, in the context of the wider history of England, drawing upon written sources, archaeological evidence, art and selected artefacts to understand the London’s development.

Explore the ever-changing face of east London through four different dockland neighbourhoods: Canary Wharf, Limehouse, Shadwell and Isle of Dogs.







Meeting Place - first walk only



Dockers to Wharfers: Canary Wharf



Canary Wharf, Elizabeth Line station, Canada Place exit.