Urban Geology in St Giles
Tottenham Court Road Underground Station, Exit 2 (meet outside the Dominion Theatre)
Guided by Ruth
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2024 | Tour du Jour | 2.30 pm | 4.30 pm | Summer |
Urban Geology in St Giles
This walk – guided by the distinguished Geologist Ruth Siddall– will look at the geology of building materials in the ‘Rookery’ of St Giles. Once a place associated with poverty and vice, this part of midtown London is now a thriving business and shopping centre. The walk will look at the history of building materials here from the 17th Century Church of St George’s Bloomsbury to the 2022 installation of street furniture as art: ‘Swivel’ by Sabine Marcellus.
This group of public seating in the form of swivel chairs in St Giles Square are made of a selection of particularly exotic and colourful stones sourced from around the globe.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Ruth’s the real deal – she’s a top-flight, award-winning, professional geologist.
John H –
Dr Ruth’s Urban Geology walk was fascinating from start to finish. We learned first of the formation of the three types of rock and their variations. Dr Ruth then explained the variety and geographic sources of the rock used in the St Giles area, Portland structurally, others as decorative cladding. We visited quite a number of sites, so saw a wide variety of material. It was remarkable to have the traces of fossils pointed out. A highlight was her explanation in geological terms of the “Swivel Chairs” art installation in Central St. Giles. Dr Ruth’s enthusiasm for her subject is contagious – I’m hooked !
Denis Gojak –
The prospect of going on this walk was something I’d looked forward to, and it didn’t disappoint at all. Dr Ruth was personable, engaging and highly knowledgeable. Maybe her voice was a bit soft at times to compete with Saturday afternoon crowds, buskers playing amplified music and sirens but aside from that, the tour and the knowledge she brought to it were excellent. Although she clearly knew so much much more that she could have told us, I think the content hit the right note in giving a broad, non-technical overview of the main building stones and the way that they were used, tying it back to both the geological origins and formation of the stone and how their use throughout history reflected London’s own growth.
I’d recommend this for anyone interested in London’s architectural history or history generally, or geology. It was definitely geared to people without a prior knowledge of geology, so don’t be intimidated that it may be too sciencey. There were lots of opportunities to ask questions. The walking was easy, but with a few steps to negotiate. If you have difficulty hearing with lots of background noise, then maybe Saturday afternoon in the entertainment district will make it hard for about 80% of the tour, but that would be my only reservation about recommending it as a definite must do. Its my first London walk, but makes me want to try others.
As the ultimate test of whether it was worth it, I was able to go back to my hotel confidently spotting Portland stone, lavakite, different marbles and paving slabs.
Sue –
This is the second walk that I have done with Ruth and again, it was brilliant. Lots of wonderful looking stones and details about their formation and usage. Fossil oysters to swivel chairs, pub stones to Portland limestone, it was all there. It will be hard to drop “pegmatite granite ” into a conversation, but I will try! Ruth is so enthusiastic about her subject, I am just about to book her June Westminster walk.
Huw –
The St Giles geology walk was absolutely fascinating. Ruth did a superb job of pointing out the geological details of the stones we saw at each site as well as providing interesting back stories for how the they ended up there. I’ll definitely be taking a closer look at the pavements and buildings next time I visit a new city …!
Mary Crossey –
A fascinating walk. And a really interesting guide. Will never look at London buildings – or pavements- the same way again!
Joseph Cowan –
What a wonderful guided walk. We learned so much. Ruth makes the experience great fun. I cannot recommend highly enough