This excursion will be back soon. In the meantime we’d be happy to organise a private tour for you. Please contact us on 020 7624 3978 | [email protected] to make a booking.

In Focus: Fleet Street

Temple underground station, London

Guided by Adam

Streets Ahead! More trail blazing by the best urban walking tour guides on the planet. In Focus walks are an extremely detailed look – "what I love about London Walks is the degree of granularity you get" (as that American visitor memorably put it) – at the most famous streets and squares of London. And their tributaries. Today's In Focus walk explores Fleet Streetthe Street of Ink (or, if you prefer, of Shame). It's been created and is curated (guided) by superstar guide (and national journalist) Adam.

For a soupçon, how about this? Fleet Street has been called 'a double street' because there was as much going on its alleys and passageways as on Fleet Street itself. Protruding signboards were mounted above every doorway; one of these fell down in 1718 and killed four people, including the king's jeweller. it's another Tarot deck of great names, ranging from Hanging Sword Alley to Alsatia. (Yes, that's right Alsatoa. after thar part of the Continent where France meets Germany. It's caused a lot of trouble throughout history. As has Fleet Street, not least because of its denizens – lawyers at one end, journalists at the other. Troublemakers both. And not forgetting the origin of the name – it's because the area is "extramural London" – outside the walls, where London meets Westminster. Alsatia. Makes perfect sense.