London Walks - News
This page contains news and updates about the group. The newest updates are at the top.
Posted on 5th February 2024
London Walks News - January 2024
Not wanting to stand on a windy street corner in London in January, the walk this month was an Indoor walk around the Victoria and Albert Museum. Some 98 people joined us on the 2 days we did the walk.
In the description of the walk, the Guides say: What you see – the route the guide takes and the selection they make – is worth the cost of the tour of the Victoria and Albert Museum all by itself. You don’t think those matters are important in a museum built in the Victorian era that covers 11 acres, has 145 galleries, and runs to seven miles of exhibits and five million objects? Dream on. And logistics and savvy are just the basics. The real thrill is what you see in the pieces Jan and Barry, both blue badge guides, show you. These are objects that contain their history – that braid together culture and art. That’s why they’re in “the world’s greatest museum of art and design …..
The Guides took us to around 25 exhibits where they explained the history and background of the objects, resulting in a much greater understanding of each item.
If you would like to join the London Walks group, register your interest by completing the contact form
Posted on 2nd January 2020
London Walks Group - Disastrous London
let you know that we have arranged our first one for 2020.
Bloody, Flaming, Poxy London. Plague, Fire & Revolution. The Black Death. Churchyards brimming with bodies. The harvest of Death. The zombie apocalypse – but for real. What changes? Everything. We start at an ancient Carthusian priory built next to a plague pit so the brothers could pray for the tormented souls of the dead. We visit an execution spot. But not just any execution spot – THE execution spot – Protestants (yep, the big reboot) and Mel Gibson (ahem). We visit the site of revolt – in effect tour a battlefield – a poll tax – not Maggie – this is 1381, a Lord Mayor, a king, a revolutionary. Spoiler alert. It ends badly. Fast forward to 1666 and the Great Fire (we’ll see several pre-fire structures), the Duke of York and 100 men, poised, a last stand – Cock Lane (yep, it’s exactly what it says on the tin) and then a peek at London’s great phoenix, St. Paul’s, raised from the ashes in all its glory. You’re going to need to quench your thirst so how about a pint at Shakespeare’s gaff? Yes, he finally bought a place, in Ireland Yard, the Blackfriars gatehouse. Shakespeare’s cellar is still there. It’s our pub cellar, our pints will come up from Shakespeare’s cellar.
We have booked a walk titled Disastrous London on Wednesday 15th January.
If you would like to join the London Walks group, click the London Walks - Contact Form
