London’s Secret Village
St. Paul's underground station, London (exit 2)
Guided by Aaron or Jonathan 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 |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
06-07-2026The 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 or Jonathan or Sue
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”
Alexander Ellis –
A truly wonderful walk through the many centuries and many secrets that make London such a fabulous city. Jonathan is a brilliant guide and tells the story in such a manner that is both full of facts and thoroughly entertaining. Learned a lot and would definitely recommend this tour. Thanks so much Jonathan .
Sherrill Cohen –
I thoroughly enjoyed and can highly recommend the “Secret Village” walk led by Alan. It met and went beyond my expectations because the website description is about Clerkenwell, but Alan illuminated the history and ambiance of many interesting sites in Smithfield as well as Clerkenwell. Speaking as a historian myself, I can attest that he did an excellent job of conveying the social history of religious institutions, popular customs and gin consumption, and radical politics. His commentary ranged widely from the Middle Ages to the present day, delivered in an always entertaining and informative manner. The pictures he showed were well chosen and enriched the experience. He provided tips for ways to explore the sites we saw in more depth, and I intend to follow them up.
Jo Harle –
We spent a highly enjoyable afternoon in Philip’s company, very diverse and informative tour exploring the less known parts of London away from the typical tourist hot spots, Philip is full of local knowledge from ancient times right up to the present day including several film locations and modern architecture. Easy going and friendly guide with many stops along the way.
Rachel Furse –
We thoroughly enjoyed the London Secret Villages walk led by Peter. Whole areas of Clerkenwell were opened up which I never knew about – St Bart’s, Charterhouse, the Barbican, Smithfield Market, Clerkenwell Green. Peter was an excellent guide, full of fascinating historical details all told with great humour. Genuinely very interesting, and really brought history to life. I would highly recommend.
Sylvia –
Truly one of the best London Walk I’ve been on, and I’ve been on a lot. Jonathan is informative and amusing. And Clerkenwell is a revelation: one amazing sight after another. Highly, highly recommended.
Marilyn –
We had a brilliant time walking to Clerkenwell with Jonathon as our guide, peeling back the layers of history as we walked. Such an interesting part of London, and imagining bumping into Richard Rich, the Prince Regent or Vladimir Lenin!
Judith Halford –
This was a really interesting walk led expertly by Philip. I learnt so much about the history of the area of Smithfield and the village of Clerkenwell that I didn’t know before. Definitely an experience not to be missed.
Gail Gordon –
Jonathan gave us a wonderfully informative walk through this historically rich area of London. He had a depth of knowledge of the area coupled with great enthusiasm. I highly recommend his walk.
James Meikle –
Very interesting tour round an area Fiona and I thought we knew a lot about, but Alan gave us
a first look at new places and a second look at old ones we thought we knew plenty about.. Entertaining stories too.
Debby –
Jonathan did a great job. Very knowledgeable and made it very enjoyable.