The Most Beautiful Walk in London
Stamford Brook tube station, London
Guided by Ann
Adult: £20 · Students & Seniors: £15 · Children: £5
Walk Times
| Day | Walk Type | Start Time | End Time | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 November 2026 | Tour du Jour | 10.45 am | 12.45 pm | Winter | Reserve Online |
William Morris, His Friends and His Thames
Short read: A glorious Thameside walk through the London of William Morris, the Pre-Raphaelites and the Arts and Crafts movement.
“If a chap can’t compose an epic poem while he’s weaving tapestry, he had better shut up, he’ll never do any good at all” William Morris
THE WALK
It has been called the most beautiful walk in London.
And it has a fair claim to the title.
This is London at its loveliest. Leafy lanes. Old houses. Riverside gardens. Historic pubs. Boats nosing along the water. And, for a wonderfully long stretch, the Thames beside us.
Hammersmith Bridge, one of the great Thames landmarks on The Most Beautiful Walk in London.
But beauty here is not just scenery. It is the whole point of the story.
Because the linchpin of this beautiful London walk is William Morris, the man who believed that beautiful surroundings, beautiful objects and beautiful workmanship could make life itself better.
Designer. Poet. Printer. Storyteller. Socialist. Dreamer. Bearded Victorian force of nature.
William Morris. Photograph published no later than 1896; photographer unknown. Source: The Bookman, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
Morris spent the final eighteen years of his life here beside the Thames. This was his London, his neighbourhood and his creative world. And what a world it was.
Edward Burne-Jones. Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Emery Walker. The Pre-Raphaelites. The Arts and Crafts movement. Bookbinding, calligraphy, stained glass, textiles, printing and political revolution. Beautiful things were imagined and made here. Some of the most remarkable people of Victorian Britain lived, loved, quarrelled and created here.
There was romance as well as revolution. Morris’s wife Jane was one of the great beauties of the nineteenth century. Her long relationship with Rossetti supplied the circle with a Victorian love story worthy of a novel.
Along the way we meet Morris the dreaming boy, Morris the bestselling writer, Morris the translator of Icelandic sagas and Morris the revolutionary who thought Parliament should be emptied of politicians and filled with manure.
And all the while, there is the river.
Hammersmith Bridge at dusk, glowing above the Thames on The Most Beautiful Walk in London.
A beautiful walk. A remarkable neighbourhood. And the extraordinary man who ties it all together.
Guided by Ann
Photo by Nick Sarebi
THE WALK IS BEAUTIFUL. THE GUIDING MAKES IT SING.
London Walks guide Ann
Meet your guide, sample the walk. Click here for Ann’s delightful podcast about William Morris and his circle, his work, his times and his Thameside places. And here’s Ann’s equally delightful podcast about “Mrs” William Morris, Jane, one of the great beauties of the 19th century.
APRÈS WALK
And when the walk ends, the day doesn’t. There’s the option of lunch in a much-loved riverside pub, followed by a visit to the house where Morris spent the final eighteen years of his life.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WALK IN LONDON – THE MEETING POINT
To go on The Most Beautiful Walk in London meet Ann outside the exit of Stamford Brook Tube.
Photo by Alex Muller https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hammersmith_Bridge_2008_06_19.jpg
LONDON WALKS REVIEWS
“the unfailingly fascinating London Walks… If you can’t find one [of their tours] that captures your fancy, maybe you really are tired of life.” San Francisco Chronicle
“London Walks offer the very best walking tours of the capital” The Travel Channel
“by far the most impressive series of walks that I have ever encountered are those offered by London Walks” Travel and Enjoy
LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS
If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, public walks do think about booking one as a private tour. If you go private you can have the The Most Beautiful Walk in London – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Peter or Niamh or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a very special (and unusual) gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
Fruit or Pomegranate by William Morris (1834-1896). Original from the The MET Museum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.
Breda and Diane –
A really interesting walk. Anne was a very knowledgeable and funny guide. Making it a walk I would highly recommend for any William Morris enthusiast.
David Harwin –
A really lovely walk! Just such an interesting part of London. Ann was a lovely host. Many thanks.
John Snelling –
This walk was excellent in presenting William Morris in relation to the people who were important to him and his work and also covered the continuing influence of Morris and his associates. Ann is a knowledgeable guide and a clear communicator. This is a walk I would thoroughly recommend.
João Borges da Cunha –
You should take this splendid walk for several reasons. I shall mention only four in due order: first, the guide Ann Jones; second Ann Jones; third Ann Jones; and last I believe it’s meant to be William Morris. The thing is, the school of amazing “morrisettes” you will be introduced to, though you hardly knew they existed, and also see, because Ann Jones carries with her such surprising visual devices (I won’t reveal which), will make you join a huge family of brilliant minds. And get to know more than a century old cutting-edge characters living in a more than a hundred years long groundbreaking London. Modern things never grow old. Ann Jones will tell you all about it. She’s the epithome of the old good modern types, modern illustration, modern binding, modern embroidering, you name it. Don’t miss Ann and Morris. Be watchful, Ann is a proficient walker, she will make you feel like in a Icelandic Walking Saga the ones Morris was so fond of. If you look back for a second you will miss Ann Jones feet ahead. Go!
Paul –
This was our second walk with Ann in two days. We would take a different walk with her every day, if that were possible. Today’s walk was one of discovery—about a charming, picturesque but less well publicized area of London; about the less well-known aspects of William Morris’s life and works (in addition to the more well-known ones); and about the lives and works of his friends, neighbors, and associates, most of whom are barely known at all. Ann brought all of these people, places, and activities to life with her own charm, dedication, and flair. Discover this walk for yourself!
Mary Wilson –
A really enjoyable and inspiring walk with our guide, Ann who has a huge hinterland of knowledge combined with the ability to tell a good story. Thank you.
Mark Allan –
Wonderful William Morris walk with Ann yesterday! Brought him and his circle and this fascinating area 150 years ago fully alive, with deep knowledge, and witty snippets about the often surprising personal lives of the people. Perfectly paced and structured and warmly presented. Strongly recommended.
Julian Gladwell –
Myself and a group of friends braved a cold Sunday afternoon to really enjoy this tour.
We learned so much about those fascinating times and multi-talented people whose lives are still touching ours today!
Ann is a great speaker. Her voice projects and she is great the way she engaged with us in a friendly and informative way. The walk experience was enhanced by her showing us some illustrations.
Do go on this walk!
Caroline Kerr –
A fabulous walk. Our guide, Ann, was friendly, inclusive and knowledgeable and the interesting route was very well structured. I learned a lot in an enjoyable way. Many thanks.
MSh –
I’ve been studying the Morris circle pretty closely for the past year or so, but this walk was a revelation in so many ways. Ann’s comprehensive overview of Hammersmith—places, personalities, their activities and legacies—was deeply informed by art history, social movements, graphic design . . . You name it! And she herself is articulate, congenial and energetic. We had a wonderful afternoon, Thanks, Ann!