Classic London Mews & Hidden Passageways
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Earl's Court Tube, Earl's Court Road exit
Guided by Stephanie
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2023 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| 15 October 2023 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Summer | Reserve Online |
| 5 November 2023 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Winter | Reserve Online |
This is a thread-the-needle walk. By that I mean it’s possible to walk from Earl’s Court to Kensington with hardly ever having to “deal with” – “put up with” – main roads and busy streets and the general philistinism of the automobile culture.
You can side street-it. Alleyway-it. Best of all, mews-it.
Pretty maids all in a row. Well, not in a row – rather, strung along Steph’s thread-the-needle route. But yes – BIG YES – pretty-as-a-picture mews cottages. Lots of them pastel-splashed.
Lots of them decked with flower boxes. Urban coves, havens of 19th-century tranquillity. And, always always always, the pleasure of the route – of the way it “connects up”.
Well, the way Stephanie has pieced it together. Connected it. Some of them – the connections – you wouldn’t know were there. They’re secret. They’re hidden. They’re through doors in walls and around a corner and up steps – that kind of thing. Very very satisfying. And visually – does this really need saying? – a huge treat. This is eye candy London.
But not just eye candy. Because the whole thing is buttressed with lots of fascinating history. Some of it will catch you by surprise (might even give you a case of the giggles).
There are about 250 mews in London. Where they are, what they were for, how they came about, who they served – well, they’re one of the crucial pieces in the social puzzle of 19th century London. And not just London, but Britain, really. And for that matter, 20th and 21st century London. They’re not just a series of “pretty faces” – they “map” both the past and the present. Map them in important ways. Ways that help us to better understand the place. Better understand our city. Guided by Hilary, OBE or Stephanie.
CLASSIC MEWS & HIDDEN PASSAGEWAYS – THE PRACTICALS
Classic Mews & Hidden Passageways takes place at 10.45 am on the following Sundays: September 30, October 10 and November 5.
Meet Stephanie or Hilary OBE just outside the Earl’s Court Road exit of Earl’s Court Tube.
Phillip –
Wonderful walk with Stephanie today in Earls Court, so much history again and wealth in the Mews properties. The origin of Earls Court date back to Saxon times. The stories from Stephanie (aka elephant zoo keeper) were superb with a wicked sense of humour and we were over 20 walking which is very good news.