This one’s ablaze.
And the guiding? Incendiary.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
But don’t just take it from us. London Walker Robert Thistle (September 22, 2024): “Catherine brought the story of the Great Fire thrillingly to life with a range of fascinating facts and insights, excerpts from Samuel Pepys’ famous diary, and with her natural flair for storytelling and her obvious passion for the subject. I found myself looking at the buildings and streets in an entirely different light, as Catherine pointed out details, inscriptions and curiosities along the route that I would never otherwise have seen. A wonderful experience.”
‘The saddest sight of desolation that I ever saw’ Samuel Pepys
Short read:
Join Samuel Pepys. He’s on the scene. Middle of the night. September 1666. Smoke in the air. The City burning. We’re beside him.
Long Read: The Great Fire of London. Four days that changed the city forever. Thirteen thousand houses gone. Eighty-seven parish churches reduced to ash. St Paul’s Cathedral — destroyed.
And because of one man — the greatest diarist London ever produced — we have the fire live, hour by hour.
On this walk we follow the flames east to west. Landmark by landmark. As Pepys saw it.
His house near the Tower, where he first glimpsed the blaze — and went back to bed.
The Tower of London, which he climbed for a better view as the skyline turned red.
A hidden courtyard where a church once stood — its burning spire sending panic through the crowds.
The street where the Lord Mayor ‘cried like a fainting woman.’
We stand in Pudding Lane.
We examine the Monument — and learn to read it properly. (Deciphering it alone is worth the price of admission.)
We pass St Paul’s — lost, reborn, Wren’s masterpiece rising from the ashes.
And we finish within sight of where the fire was finally stopped — the moment London refused to burn any further.
And yes — you’ll hear the extraordinary story of what Pepys buried in his garden.
With Catherine, this isn’t just 1666.
It’s heat.
It’s panic.
It’s London on the brink.
And you’re in the middle of it.
Diana –
Really enjoyed the Great Fire of London Walk yesterday. Catherine is a brilliant guide – well informed and with an infectious enthusiasm. We heard detailed accounts of the fire’s devastating impact on Londoners, with many quotes from Samuel Pepys diaries – which really brought events to life. Thoroughly recommend this walk.
Wendy Bolt –
Catherine is as enthusiastic as she is knowledgeable about the subject; her tour this morning took us along the route of the fire from East to West, with many quotes from Samuel Pepys’ contemporary account in his diary. We had vivid descriptions of what was seen and experienced by Pepys and other Londoners, how they tried to save their valuable goods and papers, what was done to try and stop the fire, also many interesting details of London in the 1660s. And somehow, against a backdrop of sirens, horns, roaring traffic, clanging vehicles and two lots of church bells, Catherine could make her voice heard. Highly recommended.
Joanne –
Fantastic tour, we learned a ton about the fire of London and about Sam Pepys, as advertised–Catherine told us many interesting stories and a lot of interesting information about London at the time, all while walking around the various places that played key roles. We enjoyed it a lot! We highly recommend it!
Christine Newland –
Went on a other excellent walk yestetday with our guide Catherine. She makes history cone alive. I felt we were in the Great Fire as Catherine’s knowledge of its history is exceptional, and she makes it so much more interesting than it ever was at school. As a guide she involves everyone in the group which is great. In fact in our group we had two 7yr olds who had learned about the Great Fire at school and they were both enthusiastic about giving the rest of us little facts as we moved through the spread of the fire. Really enjoyed this walk, a d strongly recommend it to others. Thankyou
Roger Campbell –
Catherine gave us a wonderful tour of the route of the Great Fire of London. Always interesting and she even chased up a couple of questions and emailed them later.
Angela & Mike –
This was one of the very best London walks that we have done so far. We loved being taken to many of the quiet back streets as well as London landmarks, all connected to the Great Fire of 1666. Catherine’s enthusiasm for her subject shone through in her delivery. I now want to read the Samuel Pepys book, The Unequalled Self as well as The White Phoenix written by Catherine.
Jim and Kelly –
The weather was the only distraction on our Great Fire tour. Catherine put her Oxford education to work taking us from East to West along the fire’s path. Looking forward to our next walk.
Joanna McPhail –
We have done many guided walks over the years and this tops them all. Catherine’s expert knowledge was so impressive and her enthusiasm coupled with her ability to answer every question with another fascinating fact made for a most enjoyable morning. Our group was made up of all ages and everyone clearly enjoyed it just as much as us. Looking forward to booking another of Catherine’s walks on our return.
David Munves –
Catherine provided a great historical tour of a seminal event in London’s history. She was very knowledgeable, entertaining, and able to bring the events of the time to life. I’d highly recommend it!
Sally Stewart –
My granddaughter , aged 7 , and I really enjoyed the walk. Catherine is very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic. We will look out for other tours she may do