London history & walks

London History Walks & Courses

From its Bronze Age beginnings to capital status, London has witnessed growth and destruction throughout its long history. Join us for lively classroom and online discussions as well as our 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:

Courses available both in-person and online

We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between online and in-person learning. All our courses are live, interactive, and taught by expert tutors. No matter how you prefer to learn, we've got the class for you. See our guide to online learning for more information about accessing our live online courses.

Filters

Items 1-15 of 30

Page
per page
Set Descending Direction
  1. The many sides of London's West End
    Last Few Places
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Richard Watkins
    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.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
  2. Unreal city: the history of London through literature from 1800 to today
    Course start date:  Tue 3 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Sarah Wise
    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.
    Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00
    Rating:
    95% of 100
  3. The London of Bram Stoker and Dracula
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 31 Oct 2023

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Although born in Ireland, Bram Stoker came to London to work with the great Actor Manager Henry Irving at the Lyceum Theatre and spent the rest of his life here. While working at the Lyceum he published his most famous and enduring novel “Dracula” in 1897. This virtual tour takes us to the London locations of that novel so we cover a wide range of ground from Hendon to Hampstead and Piccadilly to Pimlico tracing the footsteps of the fictional vampire and his creator. Learn about the places Stoker visited, the people he knew, the library where he researched and the history of the book on stage and screen.



    This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  4. German history: 1923 - existential crisis and miraculous survival of the Weimar Republic
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 18 Nov 2023

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Rudolf Muhs
    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.
    Full fee £49.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £32.00
  5. Jews in London from the 1650s to the 1950s: a closer look
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  David Rosenberg
    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.
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
  6. London 1919-1939
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Mike Berlin
    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?
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
    Rating:
    93% of 100
  7. Transports of delight: London's railway stations
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    Tutors:  Eleanor Jackson
    London's stations see over 1 billion journeys annually, but the buildings themselves are often ignored. Explore a different station and environs each week, discovering the architecture, history, stories and future of these lifelines of London. The course starts with an initial zoom lecture followed by a series of walking tours.



    This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £199.00 Senior fee £159.00 Concession £129.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  8. South Bank and the Festival of Britain
    Evening
    Course start date:  Tue 9 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    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.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £19.00 Concession £12.00
  9. The Stalin Regime: 1928-1941
    Course start date:  Wed 10 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Online

    Tutors:  Nick Morgan
    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.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £99.00 Concession £64.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  10. City of words: further adventures
    Course start date:  Thu 11 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Eleanor Jackson
    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.
    Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £135.00 Concession £110.00
    Rating:
    100% of 100
  11. Discover North London through walks
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 13 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    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!).
    Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £183.00 Concession £149.00
  12. The making of Norman London
    Course start date:  Wed 17 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Keeley Street

    Tutors:  Michael Bloomfield
    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.
    Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00
  13. London's quartiers
    Course start date:  Fri 19 Jan 2024

    Location on this date:  Blended (learn both online and in-person)

    Tutors:  Sue Jackson
    Through 1 lecture and 7 guided walks, explore some of London’s quartiers – Soho, Mayfair, Covent Garden, Spitalfields, Clerkenwell, St James and Bloomsbury and understand how their very distinct characters were formed. The first session will be delivered via Zoom and other sessions will be guided walks.



    London guide: Sue Jackson.



    This course will be delivered online and in person. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
    Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
  14. Diverse Docklands
    Course start date:  Tue 6 Feb 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Rachel Kolsky
    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.
    Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
Page
per page
Set Descending Direction

Can't see a course you want?

Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.

Add me to waiting list