Walking with Shakespeare – a performance, an invocation, a time machine
Barbican Tube Stop
Guided by Rick Jones
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Weekly | 11.30 am | 1.30 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
27-06-2026 08-08-2026
Shakespeare’s London still exists.
In hidden lanes and ancient churchyards.
In the shadow of the Barbican.
Across the river to the Globe.
And on this extraordinary walk, with songs, stories and live lute music, Rick Jones brings it thrillingly to life.
Step out of modern London and into Shakespeare’s world.
Guided by distinguished arts critic, Shakespeare scholar and lutenist Rick Jones, this remarkable walk follows Shakespeare through the streets he knew, from the City to the Globe. Along the way Rick conjures up the world of actors, taverns, playhouses, rivals, friends and forgotten corners that shaped the greatest playwright in the English language.
This is no ordinary Shakespeare tour. With music, quotations, drama, performance and the “lascivious pleasing of the lute”, Shakespeare’s London rises again around you.
Along the route we encounter Shakespeare not as a marble monument but as a working Londoner: actor, playwright, businessman, colleague, brother. And all around us modern London slowly gives way to the city he would have known.
“You haven’t walked Shakespeare’s London until you’ve walked this tour.”
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on”
Shakespeare’s London was noisy with music. Songs drifted from taverns and theatres. Ballads filled the streets. And on this walk the sounds of Shakespeare’s London return as well.
Across the river lay the playhouses: thrilling, dangerous, crowded, alive.
Stratford bred him. London gave him a stage, literally and figuratively, for his fortune.
And let us not forget the supporting cast. Rick tells the story of Shakespeare’s younger brother and boy actor, Edmond, his milkmaid Elizabeth Newcomen, his saddler John Bingham, his butcher Robert Harvard and his fellow actors John Heminge and Henry Condell, to whom we owe the survival of the plays themselves.
Not marble monuments, but actors, apprentices, milkmaids, musicians and friends.
Make no mistake, Shakespeare still inhabits this city.
SHAKESPEARE’S LONDON? IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Want more walks like this? Check out our other literary tours of London.
Neil Gilkes –
Rick’s guided tours are about as good as it gets.
Last year we went on his TS Eliot: The Wasteland tour which was fantastic.
Another marvellous tour today through Tate Britain.
Rick is incredibly knowledgeable, witty and he can also sing!
Highly recommended.
David Collier –
Very enjoyable, including the lute playing. Stories of London going back 400 years against a background going back 2000, all in the modern city of flats and skyscrapers.
Jeff Merrick –
I have experienced a number of London Walks during periodic visits over the years and all have been very good but Rick’s Shakespeare’s London is by far my favorite. Rick’s knowledge of Shakespeare and the City and environment in which he lived, wrote and performed is remarkable. Even more impressive and entertaining though is Rick’s ability to convey the passion he feels for the theatre of Shakespeare’s day. Through Rick’s storytelling, his recitation of famous lines from Shakespeare and his contemporaries and, most impactfully, his music played beautifully on his lute, Rick manages to bring Shakespeare’s London back to life.
Mary –
Four of us attended Rick’s Shakespeare walk together. What a wonderful experience! In addition to learning about Shakesapeare’s life and his plays, we were treated to the type of music played for the audience in his time before the plays started. It was glorious. Rick is so knowledgeable and makes Shakespeare and his work come to life. This was a real highlight.
Zelda Mckillop Weber –
Our 3rd tour with Rick and booked last minute because the other ones were so good. Oh my goodness, he is simply the best. He not only knows the names of the participants but makes you feel so welcome. And then, we really followed in Shakespeare’s footsteps – no mean feat as most of the places he frequented were no longer there. Rick was able to re-create them so that you felt you had seen them. The icing on the cake was his wonderful lute playing and some singing. We absolutely loved this tour.
Ian Wilkinson –
Fascinating dive into the life of Shakespeare in London guided by the poetry reciting, lute playing Rick. Highly informative and interesting. A great way to learn about the great bard in this great city!
Jenny B –
Another excellent and enjoyable walk with Rick. He shared his knowledge generously and modestly always in an interesting and accessible way. The lute recital in St Giles Cripplegate Church was an absolute joy and the highlight of my weekend. Thank you.
Ruby –
I really loved this walk! Very happy that I spent my morning listening to Rick, such a sweet and informative person 🙂
steve welch –
Six of us joined Rick’s Shakespeare walk on a cold January day …..simply amazing, it’s a must. I was put off Shakespeare at school!! but Rick’s changed all that! His knowledge passion delivery is quite outstanding, and then in a warm church Rick plays the Lute intertwined with poetry and story telling. We’ve done a few walks in London and other cities but none in Rick’s league…. Thanks Rick
Chris Caldwell –
Rick’s Shakespeare walk was superb! He was entertaining & engaging. If you’re not fascinated by Shakespeare before the walk, you will be after!
The best tour guide I’ve ever experienced!