Beautiful Squares, Dangerous Ideas
Bloomsbury looks calm. Leafy squares, polite terraces, people reading books on benches. But don’t be fooled. For 400 years this has been one of the most argumentative patches of ground in the country.
Led by Dr Ann, a brilliant guide with a gift for making big ideas human and accessible, this walk introduces the men and women who came here to wrestle with the biggest questions of their age – war and peace, money and power, race and gender, faith and doubt, freedom and fear. Quakers and communists. Pacifists and planners. Philosophers, economists, writers and rebels.
A picturesque stroll through green squares while thinking outside the box
As we stroll through London’s most beautiful squares, we follow ideas as they collide with events: how people in Bloomsbury responded to terror and war, how they grappled with the threat of nuclear annihilation, and how debates that began here still shape the modern world.
It’s a conversation, not a lecture.
A conversation sparked by places, personalities and stories.
We finish, appropriately, with a restorative cup of tea in Russell Square café or one of the many nearby pubs, where Bloomsbury arguments have a habit of continuing.
A grandstand view of the history of modern big ideas – big ideas that explain so much about our lives today. Places associated with key thinkers and influencers.
Fighters for peace, liberty and equality.
Gandhi for one.
Here’s a taster. It’s Dr Ann introducing us to Gandhi. [Aside here – yes, c’est moi, David. I thought I “knew” Gandhi. Talk about labouring under a massive misapprehension. This is just a short extract from Dr Ann’s walk but it was revelatory. She guides like a gifted novelist. Her selection of biographical particulars couldn’t have been more telling. Let alone fascinating. The scales fell from my eyes. And “meeting him” here, in Tavistock Square. He’s right there before us (the statue). And in stereo as it were because he’s also “right there before us” in Dr Ann’s words. I loved it. The ProtoIndo European root of the word “learn” is “find” or “follow the track.” Goes back aeons to the hunter-gatherer era. Bottom line: thanks to the “guidance” of this brilliant guide, Dr Ann, we were able to “find” or “follow the track” and we “found” Gandhi. We “learned.” Learned in the best possible way in the best possible setting.]
Ok, back to hostess, Dr Ann: “We end in a Bloomsbury square with a mash-up of political philosophies that still shape our world.”
And what company he’s keeping.
PRACTICALS
Meeting point: Meet Dr Ann just outside Friends House, which is just across Euston Road from Euston Station*
Ends: Bloomsbury Square, which is near Tottenham Court Road Underground Station and Russell Square Underground Station
Walking distance: 1.3 miles
*Euston Station is both a mainline railway station and an Underground Station
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
Andrew –
Dr Ann was a fantastic guide round Bloomsbury. Warm, thoughtful and funny. Exactly what I hoped for on a left field tour like this.
Jon Swygart –
Ann really knows her stuff, but what makes it work is how easy she is to listen to. She gets everyone chatting without it feeling forced, and the whole thing just flows at a nice, comfortable pace. It’s a great way to experience a really interesting part of London.
Julia –
Fabulous Dr Ann! Brilliantly curated with strong themes throughout the walk, touching, insightful, reflective and all with such warmth, engaging everyone in the experience. Inspiring. We keep reflecting on what we learnt and saw over a day after the walk. Thanks Dr Ann, we shall join your other walks.
Janyce –
I thoroughly enjoyed the Bloomsbury walk yesterday with Ann as our tour guide. Wonderful enthusiasm and fun but also very informative and food for thought afterwards which is always satisfying 👍
Caroline –
We thoroughly enjoyed the walk and our guide, Ann, was entertaining, engaging and knowledgeable. Highly recommend.
Nadeem Khan –
Erudite, enthused and, of course, well educated. Ann provided a delightful overview of some great minds, their passions and in some cases, their principles. A lovely walk through the Squares and surrounds of Bloomsbury.
Marisa Plowden –
My husband, teenage daughter, and I all loved Ann’s walk around Bloomsbury focused on the people and the ideas, across philosophy, religion, science, politics, economics and literature that were born in that small area across centuries. Ann is engaging and informative, bringing historical figures and ideas to life and drawing on the life experience of participants in her tour. In our case we learned one of our tour mates had attended a Quaker boarding school – the first coeducational boarding school in the U.K. I’ve been recommending Ann’s walk to all of my friends.
Justin Whitmarsh –
Great walk. Hopefully they’ll become regularly scheduled.
Jane S –
Delightful look at the many bold and innovative ideas that have taken shape in and around Bloomsbury over the years, from the Quakers to Karl Marx, Jeremy Bentham to (of course) Virginia Wolff — and lots more besides. Ann brings deep knowledge and lots of enthusiasm to this terrific new walk. Another gem from London Walks!
Jonathan –
Ann is extremely knowledgeable, with a friendly and engaging manner that inspires conversation and opens up thinking within the group. She maintains a good pace, encouraging participants to contribute their views and to enjoy being in a very interesting part of London.