Disastrous London
Barbican Underground station, London
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Weekly | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Winter Summer | Reserve Online |
N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:
20-09-2025Short read: Fire, Plague, Bombing, Rebellion, Executions
Shorter read: Down, Dirty, Disastrous London
Short listen: Here’s Guide Citlalli talking about the walk.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Don’t just take it from us…
Long read: Bloody, Flaming, Poxy London. Plague, Fire & Revolution. The Black Death. Churchyards brimming with bodies. The harvest of Death.
The zombie apocalypse – but for real. What changes?
Everything. We start at an ancient Carthusian priory built next to a plague pit so the brothers could pray for the tormented souls of the dead.
We visit an execution spot. But not just any execution spot – THE execution spot – Protestants (yep, the big reboot) and Mel Gibson (ahem).
We visit the site of revolt – in effect tour a battlefield – a poll tax – not Maggie – this is 1381, a Lord Mayor, a king, a revolutionary.
Spoiler alert. It ends badly.
Fast forward to 1666 and the Great Fire (we’ll see several pre-fire structures), the Duke of York and 100 men, poised, a last stand – Cock Lane (yep, it’s exactly what it says on the tin) and then a peek at London’s great phoenix, St. Paul’s, raised from the ashes in all its glory. You’ll need to quench your thirst so how about a pint at Shakespeare’s gaff? And yes, he finally bought a place, in Ireland Yard, the Blackfriars gatehouse. His cellar is still there. It’s our pub cellar, our pints come up from Shakespeare’s cellar.
CODA: so it’s pubs, stunning vistas, historical alleyways, centuries-old architecture and, yes, ahem, filthy street names. What more from a walk? Violence, mayhem, fire, sedition, sex and booze. The London Walk that just keeps on giving. Guided by Andy or Citlali
The walk will include a brief pub stop en route.
DISASTROUS LONDON – THE PRACTICALS
The meeting point is just outside the exit of Barbican Tube.
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“the best London has to offer” Culture Trip
“London’s best city tours” The Telegraph
“London Walks has many copycats, but it’s the best” Frommer’s London by Night
“Simon, a true professional, extremely well read and dramatic, but understated leads a fascinating tour. THIS WALK HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: HUMOR, GORE, CINEMA, WAR, ARTS, COLORS, PLATES, Gates DETECTIVES AND EVEN THE CUMBERBATCH! This is truly a must see!!” T. Hobbes
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public Disastrous London walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Disastrous London Walk – 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 Peter or Niamh 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, indeed, unique gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
LONDON WALKS – STREETS AHEAD!
Don’t just take it from us or The New York Times
Fire, Plague, Bombing, Rebellion, Torture & Executions..
Gary McIver –
An excellent walk. Andy is a great guide, he is both informative and entertaining. The history of the area is really brought to life. I can heartly recommend Disastrous London.
Hugh Todd –
Andy = Amazing
Christine Saxton –
I have been on this walk before but because this area of London is packed with history throughout the centuries, I had to do it again! Citalli was a great guide, very knowledgeable and affable.
Ezra Raleigh –
I went with my family and friends (we were 4 children and 4 adults). We enjoyed this so much- Citlalli was excellent! The children were so entertained and informed about the places in London. Many we were with lived in London and still found the walk incredibly intriguing. Thank you so much.
K Grose –
Such an interesting tour around the City of London. As a Londoner myself, I thought I pretty much knew everything there was to know about London but our tour guide was thoroughly engaging telling us facts about the city I was unaware of. Would highly recommend. 2 hrs of walking but plenty of stops along the way and places to sit if necessary.
Jo Lloyd –
Excellent ‘Disastrous London’ walk with Andy. Full of knowledge, insight and humour. Highly recommend.
Chris –
A fantastic walk! Andrew balances history and entertainment perfectly 🙂
Nikki –
This was such a great tour. Andrew was friendly, super organised, very knowledgeable and fun. We packed so much into 2 hours. The time flew and I am still thinking about all the interesting facts. I would highly recommend it.
Ray Lockey –
Andy was excellent in every respect. His humorous, informative presentation of the history and architecture on the walk was brilliant and kept everyone engaged. A really good way to see and learn about London. Would recommend without hesitation.
Jackie –
Very interesting area in
London.
Andy was a brilliant guide.
Very enjoyable