DON’T JUST TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT
Una McTernan went on the walk on March 9, 2025. Here’s her review (please be sure to note the penultimate sentence): “We had a wonderful time on this walk with Luisa. We thought we knew Soho but we learned so much in side streets and previously unnoticed historic buildings. This is a walk for locals or visitors: there is something for everyone and especially if you are interested in the history of medicine, social history, and juicy tales of “ladies of the night.” All in historical context from a former doctor and current journalist/writer. We have done regular London walks for many years and this is the best one yet. Do not miss it!”
BILL OF FARE TO THE FEAST
Meet madams of bawdy houses, body snatchers and benevolent doctors in a two-hour walk through the alleyways and past the elegant townhouses of the square mile that is Soho. Find out how Soho got its name, how death, debauchery and do-good doctors all rubbed along together in Soho in the 1700s and 1800s and how some of Soho’s residents had an impact far wider than these colourful streets.
Discover what links “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” with one of the best-preserved workhouses in Soho, hear how executed murderers advanced medical knowledge and how a brave doctor turned detective to discover how 500 people died of Cholera within a few streets in two weeks in 1854. Clue: it was linked to a popular water pump.
We cover just over a mile of Soho, from the Georgian lodgings of a Devotee of Venus to a picnic spot beneath which lies a secret, to the first anatomy school in London and the sites of the first speciality hospitals in London that cared for women and those with the ‘foul’ disease.
There will be some sexual content (historical and tasteful) and some gore. It will be funny and moving – sometimes at the same time.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Ready? Strapped in? Here goes. Life force. Particle-Accelerator. Dynamo. Operatic. One woman procession. Surgeon. Author. Distinguished journalist (columnist, Editor, A-List freelancer). “Thinking person’s media personality” (radio and television pundit). All-rounder. Medical doctor and artsy (English Literature First). Londoner. Professionally qualified guide. Friendly. Fun. Charismatic. Effervescent. Make buzz distilled.
Debbie Chazen –
Really fascinating walk with Luisa! She’s an excellent and engaging guide with plenty of wit and sass. Loved it, and so will you.
Christine Sugden –
Just been on this walk today and would certainly recommend it. Luisa certainly knows her stuff and presents it in an interesting, sensitive and humorous way. Would never have found all the places and blue plaques by myself; a delight to be shown all the mews and streets off the beaten path. A great way to find out about a particular London area and the subject matter. Thoroughly recommend it
Anne –
A most enjoyable walk in Soho with Luisa. It was terrific to hear about the challenges regular people faced, the medical heroes who fought to improve conditions and to see the workhouses and hospitals as well. Turning into alleyways and mews revealed hidden sights I would have never found on my own. Luisa is personable, engaging and witty. A great walk! London walks are always a highlight.
Irwin Greenspan –
Luisa leads an interesting tour on the subject of medical and health practices in historical London. She comes well prepared, and is most interesting.
Teodora –
A wonderfully amusing and informative tour with a superb guide! It’s a great way to learn the stories behind many of the plaques on some of the oldest and most important buildings in SoHo.
Christopher Drewell –
A thoroughly interesting and enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Luisa was a charming and knowledgeable guide who engaged with everyone in a very large group of walkers. We have been on over 50 London walks over the past ten years and I can honestly say that this trip around the alleyways and hidden corners of Soho and its asssociated stories would have to be in the top five of all our many walks.
Rachel and Louise –
Louisa was a fabulous tour guide, extremely knowledgeable and very engaging. We learnt so much about Soho, especially about it’s medical and social history – that we would never have known without doing this tour. Will be highly recommending to our family and friends.
Sue –
An excellent tour on a very hot day, where Luisa was very mindful of this! She was a very lively and informative guide who knew her subject well, making it an interesting and entertaining walk. I have often walked through the many streets of Soho, but knew nothing about them. I am keen to return to the area and explore some of the streets and places again in more detail. Highly recommended activity to while away a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon.
Nigel and Liz Bailey –
We went on Louisa’s Death, Debauchery & Doctors in Soho walk today. We have been on twenty-something London Walks and this is up there with the best. The walk is a fascinating insight into the medical and public health history of Soho. The research that has gone into it is impressive and she puts it across with a lot of wit. We even got to have a 10-minute break in a (relevant) pub.
Louisa was very thoughtful about the group’s welfare on an extremely hot day.
Nigel & Liz
Liza Hunter –
I’ve been lucky enough to have done Death, Debauchery & Doctors in Soho on quite possibly the hottest day of the year in London but all of that melted (excuse the pun!) into the ether ! Luisa is just a fantastic guide – she’s engaging, so incredibly interesting and knows her subject inside out and I can’t begin to say how much I enjoyed my time with her and how fascinating this walk was! She’s also an incredibly considerate guide, so very mindful of her clients and their wellbeing – I can’t tell you how impressed I am and how fascinating today was.