London history & walks

London Walks

Guided Walks Led By Expert Tutors

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 guided historical walks around London  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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We offer a range of long and short courses allowing you to choose between in-person and online learning.

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  1. Mews, monuments and museums: exploring SW7
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sun 28 Apr 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    This circular walk explores the alleys lanes, squares and delightful mews houses and passes a disused tube station in the mainly in the Knightsbridge conservation area and contrasts with the grand museums, institutions and monuments built in South Kensington (Albertopolis) developed with profits of the Great Exhibition held in Hyde Park in 1851.



    Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum. Meets outside the main entrance to the V&A ends outside the Natural History Museum.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  2. City gardens of the Blitz
    Last Few Places, Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 11 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Discover the delightful gardens of the City of London created from WWII bomb sites. Revealing the history of the sites - including past industrial buildings, Roman ruins, and the sites of a former Wren churches and a Roman bath house - this walk spans the length of the City.



    Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden. Starts Outside Café Nero Moorgate Station end St Dunstan in the East Garden.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  3. Exploring Conservation Finchley
    Weekend
    Course start date:  Sat 8 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Marilyn Greene
    Finchley Central contains three conservation areas. Starting at the oldest part of the former village of Finchley Church End , this 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.



    Meeting points: Start by the bike rack Station Road Exit of Finchley Central tube station, end Henley's Corner on the junction of Regent's Park Road by La Deliverance statue.
    Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
  4. Crime and punishment in Old London
    Course start date:  Mon 10 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Take a guided walk 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 .



    Meet outside St Paul’s Cathedral by the Statue of Queen Anne.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  5. The old Jewish East End
    Course start date:  Mon 6 May 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Today the London Jewish community is associated with areas to the North West and North East of London but this tour explores the area where Jewish people settled from 1656 onwards. Take a guided walk through the streets of the East End to reveal old synagogue buildings, a soup kitchen , markets, shops, businesses and homes associated with London’s Jewish community. We’ll hear about some of the personalities associated with the area from philanthropists to performers.



    Meets outside Liverpool Street Station , Liverpool Street Exit outside the upper concourse of the stationby the Kindertransport Memorial next to McDonalds.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
  6. Art Deco London walk
    Course start date:  Thu 20 Jun 2024

    Location on this date:  Off Site

    Tutors:  Diane Burstein
    Travel 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.



    Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station. Meeting outside St James’s Park tube station (Broadway exit) and finishing at the coach station.
    Full fee £19.00 Senior fee £15.00 Concession £12.00
    Rating:
    90% of 100
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