Step into a glittering Christmas card come to life as we wander through the West End in all its festive finery. This is the London where Christmas as we know it was born — where Victorians dreamed up the Christmas tree, the card, the cracker, and even Boxing Day itself. With fairy lights twinkling above and the scent of roasted chestnuts in the air, we’ll unwrap the stories behind Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the Queen’s Christmas message, and Albert’s tree.
Our route sparkles with yuletide splendour: Bond Street’s dazzling shopfronts, the timeless elegance of Burlington Arcade, the regal calm of St James’s Palace and Clarence House – and, of course, a stop at one of London’s legendary hotels for a touch of festive luxury.
Led by Andy Hotels – the man behind our two Secrets of London’s Luxury Hotels perambulations – this is a walk that glows with nostalgia yet brims with life: a celebration of light, laughter, and London at its most magical.
A walk around the West End of London discovering how the Victorians invented Christmas as we know it, from the first festive cards and glittering window displays to the tradition of Boxing Day. Along the way, hear the stories behind Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the monarch’s Christmas message and Albert’s tree as this the walk reveals how Britain’s seasonal rituals were shaped. A nostalgic yet living celebration of this most festive of times.
Sue –
Though a seasonally themed walk, I suspected a fine hotel to be surreptitiously included and was on the lookout. Nothing subtle about the first stop though, Brown’s! The understated Christmas decorations looked beautiful, as conducive to genteel guests now, as they were in past times, when frequented great writers like Kipling and Christie. Boxing Day, an odd name, not if you stayed at Brown’s! Onward to the glitz and tinsel of Bond Street, you can never have too much bling at this time of year it seems. Rolex, Cartier Lauren, take your pick and your photos. Peer down the ultra-posh Burlington Arcade, patrolled by beadles. What an upgrade from the rubbish dump and grocery stores of Victorian times. A store parading as a gigantic advent calendar that started from selling second hand candles, to a bookstore that almost ruined A Christmas Carol, we had the full details. Who knew that selling wrapping paper and crackers can get you a Royal Warrant? Well Andy did. Ever wondered about the chap called Ebenezer Scrooge or who had the bright idea to stick a pine tree in the sitting room in December? If you were a King who had problems writing his Christmas speech, there was even a fellow at Brown’s who could help!
Laura Hayden –
Well, well, well…Andy Hotel. Well thought out. Well presented. Well researched. You just can’t beat a great walk with a fun, caring and highly interesting guide. Andy’s enthusiasm is infectious and his delivery is spot on. We look for his walks because we know we’ll be well entertained and well informed. Well done, Andy! (As always)