London’s Secret Village
St. Paul's underground station, London (exit 2)
Guided by Aaron or Peter G. or Philip or Sue
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Weekly | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
The ancient, hidden village of Clerkenwell clings to a hillside barely a stone’s throw away from St. Paul’s Cathedral. Its very name – the clerks’ or students’ spring – is redolent of antiquity. And this tiny hamlet serves up brimming draughts from the deep well of its history.
Mystery plays and plague pits; riots and rookeries; bodysnatching and bombing; jousting and jesters; bloodshed and burnings; monks, murder, and medicine: Clerkenwell has a tale or two to tell.
Tracing its narrow alleyways and ancient squares, we take in here a Norman church; there a magnificent Tudor gateway; round that corner venerable Charterhouse, London’s only surviving mediaeval monastic complex; let alone Hercule Poirot’s London flat and the trendiest house in town. Guided by Peter or Aaron or Philip
LONDON’S SECRET VILLAGE – THE PRACTICALS
London’s Secret Village takes place at 2.30 pm every Monday.
The meeting point is just outside exit 2 of St. Paul’s Tube. N.B. the walk ends at Farringdon Station (giving you the Circle and Metropolitan Lines on the Tube and a mainline RR station).
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“London Walks was acknowledged as the premier walking tour company in the entire world” Convention of American Tour Guides
“London’s best bargain….The highly respected London Walks organisation is famous for offering both general-interest walking tours of London as well as tours focused on specific neighbourhoods. The London’s Secret Village tour really reveals Clerkenwell’s character…it also covers many of the attractions featured in this article…[it is] one of the best deals in town.” Vanessa Chiasson, TravelAwaits (Feb. 24, 2020)
“What a great company…this is the company to use if you want a walking tour.” Claire1017 Wake Forest, North Carolina
“London Walks was perfect for us. We did 2 of the walks–Jewish London on one day and London’s Secret Village on another. Both were led by Steve, a charming, knowledgeable and entertaining guide. He did a great job of connecting with each person on the tour, speaking loudly enough for all of us to hear and with enough vocal color to engage us all. We learned a lot about London, saw fascinating sights, and had a great time.” JCT Annapolis, Maryland
“You haven’t seen London unless you do London Walks…Peter was my favourite guide” Bunny7475 Montreal, Canada
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Secret Village walk do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have London’s Secret Village – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. And – always with private London Walks and tours – we go to great lengths to make sure the guide-walker(s) “fit” is well-nigh perfect. Ring Fiona or Niamh or Peter or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a very special (and unusual) gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or get-to-know-your-new neighbourhood gift or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
“If this were a golf tournament every name on the Leader Board would be a London Walks guide”
Kate Baker –
London’s secret village walk was extremely well led by Philip. He knew so many interesting facts and stories it was very entertaining. He was friendly and you could ask him anything and he’d know the answer.
Dr. Thomas A. Underwood –
I recommend highly this miniature experiential course in Clerkenwell, its history, and its architecture. In all the times I have poked around Clerkenwell and Barbican, I clearly missed much of what surrounded me. Philip was articulate, learned, and a model of professionalism. In this fast-paced tour, one gets a real view of the area over the centuries. Philip brought back to life the Londoners, both common and royal, who created both the physical landscape and the cultural narrative that has defined Great St. Bart’s, Cloth Fair, The Charterhouse, the Order of St. John, and Clerkenwell Green for centuries. I now know why poet Sir John Betjeman made his home in this glorious corner of London. What a great walk!
Pam –
Learned a lot of history on this well paced walking tour on a cold January day in 2025, Nice group of 11 tourists from London, Australia, USA, and Wales. Nice to learn about the history of the buildings and areas that I would otherwise just merely pass by, or briefly stop to admire. Loved that we got some extra time added to make sure we hit all the sights, and especially loved that it ended at a historical pub…. to try some local food and warm up. Will be joining, as a new member, for more walks in the future.
Justin Whitmarsh –
Very good. Although London Walks always are.
Mr Warwick Haycock –
Excellent ‘Secret Village’ walk with Peter G. Steeped in fascinating history, clearly spoken and professionally conducted. I had passed many of these places without appreciating their importance or finding the secret by-ways around them. Time well spent.
Lisa Rutherford –
Wonderful, interesting and illuminating walk, Peter was a master guide. Loved it, we will be back. Thank you.
Lisa Rutherford –
What a wonderful, interesting and illuminating tour! Absolutely loved it, Peter was our guide and was so knowledgeable and entertaining. We will be back. Thanks so much.
John Harper –
Excellent tour round a fascinating area of London that I had never discovered before. Jonathan had intriguing stories to tell and made the two hours fly by too quickly.
Anne R –
Very enjoyable and informative walk on 30/09/2024 led by Jonathan. Love being shown and told about the old streets, passageways and fields as well as the people and the history of the buildings on the route. Even as someone who has lived in London for 50 years there is always something new to be discovered.
David Tucker –
Thanks for your review, Daniel. It’ll stand us in good stead. Re the Thameslink howler, it was a slip of the tongue (every human being makes them from time to time) – what Philip meant to say is it’s the only Thameslink station that links to the Elizabeth Line, which is both true and hugely important). Any other “mistakes” you picked up on it would be helpful if you could give us chapter and verse. Evidence is just as important in the rows we hoe as it is in your profession. Anyway, we’ll certainly make the necessary adjustments to that 34 year-old-blurb. As I’m sure you know (but a lot of people won’t) time and tide have now fitted ‘the secret village’ up with the most interesting, the most compelling ‘overture’ in London. Smithfield has always been London’s historical Machu Picchu – a tumulus of historical gold piton’d with London’s oldest surviving church and 800-year-old market and the second oldest hospital in Europe. And now cometh a Michelangelo creation of Adam moment (to mix my metaphors): the rebirth of the London Museum in the changed, changed utterly old market structures and the new Elizabeth Line being on its doorstep. It’s the double Big Bang, a London Castor and Pollux birth of twin stars moment. London’s centre of gravity is shifting before our eyes. It’s heading to Smithfield, will be there before the decade’s out. Some antechamber for ‘the Secret Village’ and of course going through there on the way to Clerkenwell we’re going to guide it. Be criminal not to. But for sure we’ll put the necessary corrective into the write-up we give that walk.