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.
Peter Garrod –
We really enjoyed this walk. Rick is very knowledgeable about his subject and took us to a whole range of sites from Southwark to Moorgate associated with Shakespeare’s life in London. His lute recital in the Harvard chapel in Southwark Cathedral got us off to a good start! These walks are very good value and a great way to learn about London.
Daphne –
This was such a great walk! Rick was engaging and kept us going at a perfect pace, so we saw more than I expected we would in two hours. Maybe I shouldn’t say this but I actually preferred this tour to the one I took of the Globe itself. There’s just something magical about realizing how much history you’ve walked past without realizing it.
Sophie –
I learnt so much on this wonderful tour. The lute recital was such a highlight of my weekend and Rick was a thoroughly engaging guide. I will be going on his other tours ASAP. I would definitely recommend this tour!
Ted Engel –
Rick was an outstanding guide, and I’m grateful for his musical talents, the many things I learned on the tour, and the remarkable kindness he showed as he patiently answered my questions.
Gillian Waterhouse –
Thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating walk. It does your heart good to know that there are still people like Rick out there who are endlessly knowledgeable and willing to share their knowledge in such an open hearted and friendly way. Don’t hesitate- book it!
Mary Colvin –
My birthday weekend made so special by this tour. Rick was so engaging and knowledgeable. Learned so much. The following day my surprise was tickets to attend The Globe to see Much Ado About Nothing. It too was an amazing experience. Thanks so much Rick for all the pre knowledge about our most famous Bard
Carrie Barnett –
Our group loved the Shakespeare’s London tour with Rick Jones. He said some in our group were the youngest he’d had on the tour (kids 1, 4, 7, 10, and 12 plus 3 adults). We had a great time. We all enjoyed learning more about the Bard, where he lived and worked and his contemporaries. The 2 oldest kids had read Romeo and Juliet and enjoyed hearing more about its author. The little details shared, his knowledge and friendliness (remembering all of our names!) and lute playing all added up to a great 2 hours!
Ruth and Harris –
London Walks has never disappointed us. Rick’s Shakespeare tour helped bring the “Bard of Avon” alive. The information Rick relayed was presented in an interesting and informative way. His lute concert at the end of our tour was delightful.
Alan Lee –
Rick’s tour was fun and informative. We learned so much of the life of Shakespeare. He made him come to life as a real man with all the common issues of the time.
We loved his little concert at the end!
Ruth Casadei –
A very enjoyable Saturday morning spent walking through Shakespeare’s London with an entertaining and knowledgeable guide.