Nitty gritty first, mood music second… Iconic City buildings – the Gherkin, the Cheesegrater, Lloyds. London a world centre for business, finance, insurance, shipping – now, and across the centuries. Where to insure your voice, your hands, your next Space Mission. The secrets of the nation’s gold – and perhaps yours too? Churches where Londoners have worshipped for centuries. A1 walk. (Yes, we’ll explain what that means. Lots of takeaway nuggets on this walk, one of which is getting you au fait with City of London lingo.)
Meet your guide. Click here for Ann’s podcast. (Think of the walk as the Command Module; Ann’s podcast is the Lunar Module.)
Ok, mood music time: London. 2,000 years old. Higgledy-piggledy. History haunted. Secretive in the extreme. A labyrinth where the past lurks in the present. Aggressively modern when you look up. A tear in space-time when you peer round this corner or go down that alley. A city that preserves features – like so many geological strata – of its earlier selves. A city that’s not easy to figure out – you don’t reap London in one traverse. Why bother? you ask. Here’s why: 1) London’s of world-historical importance and 2) depths, intricacies and secrets are always interesting. Bottom line: this is a great walk. It’s the London labyrinth and London highlights and the shaping past. You’ll see both the hoary old City and today’s London. Best of all, you’ll see into them. N.B. the walk ends in Guildhall Yard, a very short walk from St. Paul’s Tube Stop.
LONDON WALKS PRACTICALS
The Heart of the City walk takes place every Saturday at 2 pm. The meeting point is just outside the exit of Tower Hill Tube (meet by the “Tower Hill Tram” coffee stall).
“WHAT WILL I SEE?” “WHAT WILL BE PARADED BEFORE US?”
Here’s a baker’s dozen, a sampling. Important thing to remember is it’s just a sneak peek. There’s lots more than this.
1. a dense network of small streets and alleys weaving between the main thoroughfares
2. Victorian palazzi, a streetscape “as peaceful as an Italian town at siesta time”
3. an unfurling panorama that demonstrates perfectly why, in the words of one historian of city planning, “the compactness of a 2000-year-old urban core is fortuitously well suited to the operation of a globalised financial service centre.”
4. one of the few City churches to survive the Great Fire
5. a hilltop in whose “stony soil lie some of the oldest bits of London”
6. the oldest arch in the City of London
7. the building that changed public perception of tall buildings in London
8. the first of the City’s railway termini (and its “air-rights” development)
9. London’s boldest piece of architectural art (properly integrated into the project rather than a pointless add-on)
10. “a welcome restatement of the City tradition of lanes and alleys
11. a cesspit “impregnated with putrid animal and excrementitious matter”
12. there’s seeing these buildings and “seeing” them. You “see” them when you understand the relationship they achieve with their neighbours. That’s another takeaway this walk serves up
13. this place: “even today one can sense the impact this structure must have had when new, towering over the mean timber houses of the city”
And that’s just for starters, a taster…
It’s the Sky Garden. Perfect “fit” with this walk. Apres walk. Free to go up. But you have to book.
Julie –
We did he Heart of the City walk yesterday with Ann. It was very enjoyable and Ann was a great guide with lots of interest stories and information about the area.
Doug –
My wife and I did the Heart of the City walk with Ann. She was punctual, polite and very informative. What I love about this walk and others we have done is that it brings history alive. Things don’t just happen. There is so much so see when you look up and Ann has the stories that are fascinating.
Casbar –
Jonathan was an excellent tour guide on 21st Sept. Very good pace, lots of info and plenty of opportunities to take photos and ask questions. Rather a large group but Jonathan managed to keep everyone on track. My sister and I had a very enjoyable afternoon. Highly recommended
Erik –
Anne has a wealth of knowledge about how the City has developed from Roman times to today’s insurance and banker buildings. Really enjoyed her selection of stories and enthusiasm in delivering them!
Michelle –
Highly recommend this walk. Heaps of great info, stories & history of the City of London. Simon was a great guide.
Garry Griffiths –
Informative walk around the city. Our guide, Jonathan, was extremely knowledgeable. Excellent value.
Kate –
We really enjoyed the Heart of the City tour led by Ann – a great mix of history with something to interest everyone. Ann is a hugely knowledgeable guide, as well as being a lovely person to spend a couple of hours with! We’ll certainly be booking another of her tours in future – thank you!
Sarah –
We really enjoyed our walk with Ann on Saturday – interesting and informative, and we very much enjoyed her company.
Sarah –
Another brilliant London walk on Saturday with Ann – she was very knowledgeable and brought to life the City of London. She was also able to answer all the questions we had with her incredible wealth of knowledge and all the research she has done! We have always chosen the London walks and they never disappoint!
Shankar –
Great walk with Ann. Went to places and learnt about things I wouldn’t have myself. Highly recommend