courses in Art History, Film Studies, Literature, and Science and Nature. Our tutors are experts in their fields and experienced educators; many have published, teach in universities or share their expertise in the media. Tutors share their knowledge and passion through presentations, readings, interactive discussion and exercises, analysis, and other activities. Many students return to take more courses, telling us they enjoy being part of our City Lit Learning community. Our popular courses often sell out quickly, so we invite you to browse and book your place now.Read less
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- Notting Hill: The Westway Walk
Beneath the gentrification of North Kensington and the image portrayed in the films of Hugh Grant lies a much more interesting story; the areas vibrant past beats any kind of fiction. Join professional guide Aiden for this two-hour walk to learn more.
Off Site
Sat 19 Sep 2026Aidan McManusFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - 'Half Sunk a Shattered Visage Lies’: Understanding the Statues of London
Explore the public statues and memorials that shape our cityscape. Discover who they commemorate, why they were celebrated, and how debates over memory, history and identity have reshaped attitudes to monuments today.
Off Site
Tue 22 Sep 2026Stephen GossFull fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - From Basket to Till: The History of Eating and Shopping in London
Off Site
Wed 23 Sep 2026Hazel BakerFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 
Streets of Horror, Streets of Hope: The East End 1888Because of the ‘Jack the Ripper’ killings, the late-Victorian East End can be read as a cityscape of poverty and fear. But there is another Whitechapel - a magnet for a variety of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds who sought to grapple with the problems of the modern city and to create a better life.
Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00- David Bowie's Soho
This tour visits sites around Soho that shaped and formed David Bowie in the 1960s/70s and enabled him to become the superstar he was, including the location of Album covers and recording studios.
Off Site
Thu 24 Sep 2026Aidan McManusFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Empire, War, and People: Walks Through London’s Past
Explore London’s past on foot: from monarchy and empire to protest, migration, war, culture, and modern identity. Discover how the city’s streets reflect and have shaped Britain across two thousand years.
Off Site
Fri 25 Sep 2026Stephen GossFull fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Gangland Soho
Since the arrest of a "Lewd Woman" in Soho Fields for a "Breach of the peace" in 1641, Soho has been synonymous with vice and its constant companion crime. Join us to explore the history of gangland crime in Soho on this two-hour guided tour.
Off Site
Sat 26 Sep 2026Aidan McManusFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - The Yoruba Civilisation at the British Museum
Explore the history of Yoruba civilisation, including the rise and fall of the Oyo Empire, using Yoruba material culture to understand evolutions in Yoruba life and customs. NB this is an immersive course using artefacts at the British Museum. Tutor: Apeike Umolu.
Off Site
Sat 3 Oct 2026Apeike UmoluFull fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00 - London Calling: popular music, society and culture 1955–2025
The sites, sounds and hidden stories of London’s music scenes from the dawn of the rock’n’roll era through the punk explosion to today, explored via walking tours of four musically rich neighbourhoods. Tutor: professional guide and music enthusiast Aiden Mcmanus.
Off Site
Wed 7 Oct 2026Aidan McManusFull fee £149.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £97.00 - The City of London: the Square MileExplore the City’s development from Roman and medieval times through to the Tudors and Stuarts. This course will consist of 8 guided walks starting with Roman London.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00
- Victorian Soho: Sex, Shopping, Tourism and Anarchy
The West End was a heady mix of glamorous shopping emporia, political refugees from Europe, street-based and brothel-based prostitution, and the general public just enjoying a day or evening ‘Up West’. Join Dr. Sarah Wise to learn more on this 2 hour guided walk of Soho.
Off Site
Wed 14 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Walking Westminster's Political HistoryA course of walking tours in areas of Westminster to show aspects of the nation’s political development since the late 1600s Restoration era. Bringing out the drama of the epic events and charismatic characters which have influenced that development and how London has evolved in those areas we focus on.
First meeting place: Outside Westminster tube, Bridge Street.Off Site
Tue 20 Oct 2026Richard WatkinsFull fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - The Black Death and the Bodysnatchers: From St Paul's Cathedral to Charterhouse Priory
On this 2-hour walk, we will stop off at several historic locations to consider about two very dark periods of London’s medical history. Separated by hundreds of years, but occupying the same sites, the deadly ‘Black Death’ and the London bodysnatching gangs gave the city two legendary terrors with which to contend.
Off Site
Wed 28 Oct 2026Sarah WiseFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Haunted London
From murder victims and a mediaeval plague burial ground; to phantom prisoners, demonic hounds and notorious frauds - discover the City’s dark history and meet some of the ghosts haunting London’s streets and alleyways.
Off Site
Sat 31 Oct 2026Stephen GossFull fee £39.00 Senior fee £39.00 Concession £25.00 - Covent Garden, a magnet for artists and art practice
Discover Covent Garden when it was the centre for artists to live, socialise and practice their profession. From the development of the Piazza in the 1630s to the1730s when William Hogarth established St Martin’s Lane Academy. Many artists involved in this went on to be the founding members of the Royal Academy, which from the 1770s was housed at Somerset House.
Off Site
Mon 2 Nov 2026Marilyn GreeneFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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