Start the tour with an immersive sensory experience on the Outernet.
Then wiggle through the quieter nooks and crannies of this bustling area. Learn about the slums of St Giles and why they’re called the rookeries. Find an inner city garden with its own ecosystem.
How did Tin Pan Alley get its name? What’s the origin of “one for the road”? What grim stories lie buried in St Giles churchyard?
Hunt for the hospital that was run entirely by women during the first world war? And the street with a forgotten frieze, French hospital and Chinese church. Why is a cinema called “garden”? Who was the father of modern football and what’s his connection to Covent Garden? And what’s going on with Freemasons who claim they’re “not a secret society but rather a society with secrets.” End the walk in the heart of Covent Garden with time to shop, eat or revisit the quiet oases you’ve discovered.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Tine –
Great to do a tour getting to know the area better. Ann was doning a great job 🙂
Jane Garbutt –
Ann did a fantastic job with the nooks and crannies tour. We learned a lot as she provided the history and stories in a very matter of fact way, engaging the group in the discussion and making us laugh as well. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour
Andrew McDonald –
Excellent walk, wonderfully led by Ann.
Not a normal tourist walk round the usual Covent Garden highlights, but a much better history insight of how Covent Garden developed over the centuries.
Reet –
This was a very interesting walk. Loved all the out of way places. Ann is an excellent guide. She is very knowledgeable and I learned lots. Definitely recommend this walk
Viv Pyner –
A very enjoyable walk in the rain with Ann and three others. Taking me to many places I have never been to before and learning lots of new things. This was my second walk with Ann and it was just as enjoyable. I can highly recommend this walk, and any others which Ann leads.
Allison Loney –
We are longtime aficionados of London Walks This one is brilliant. Dr Ann shines a light into what can be a very touristy area. Loved the social history of St Giles and Covent garden and we were amazed by all the ‘Nooks and Crannies’ hiding in plain sight.
Mitch –
A wonderful walk – in the old sense – filled with wonders!
Hidden garden, alleys with secrets I could not have otherwise found, architecture, history, and more. Great fun – just steps from theatre land and the main streets we traverse while missing these gems. This walk is a must.
Stedman Ellis –
This is a walk , and Dr Ann a guide, not to be missed. Enjoyed learning a little more of the history of the fascinating St Giles and Covent Gardens areas. A great way to overcome some of the jet lag from the long haul from Perth.
Bill Dunsmuir –
David on Mrs Dalloway Walk. This walk is very special (assuming you are a fan of this magnificent novel by Virginia Woolf). It is a tour with a very erudite scholar who has clearly done a lot of additional and original research. He does a great job of contextualising the novel with the contemporary (1923) social and political history. Yes, a definite recommendation and a big thumbs up from me. Thank you David.
Christoph Karner –
This was really a very interesting walk.
Ann is a great guide. She obviously did a lot of research and provided us with a lot of new information.
I’m looking forward to another walk guided by Ann.