London calling.
London Walks connecting.
This… is London.
This is London Walks.
Streets ahead.
Story time. History time.
Top of the morning to you London Walkers. Wherever you are.
It’s Friday, July 25th, 2025.
Bit of a grab bag for you today. A Lucky Dip.
Let’s start with the day itself. July 25th.
It’s St James’s Day. The patron Saint of Spain.
St James’s Day was traditionally the opening of the oyster season.
I’m looking now at a 200-year-old edition of Chambers Book of Facts, the august reference book. Here’s what Chambers had to say about July 25th – about the opening of Oyster Season – way back when.
“’Whoever eats oysters on St James’s day will never want money.’ Such was the old saying. In point of fact, it is customary in London to begin eating oysters on St James’s Day, when they are necessarily somewhat dearer than afterwards; so we may presume that the saying is only meant as a jocular encouragement to a little piece of extravagance and self-indulgence. In this connection of oysters with St James’s Day, we trace the ancient association of the apostle with pilgrims’ shells. There is a custom in London which makes this relation more evident. In the course of the few days following upon the introduction of oysters for the season, the children of the humbler class employ themselves diligently in collecting the shells which have been cast out from taverns and fish-shops, and of those they make piles in various rude forms. By the time that old St James’s Day (the 5th of August) has come about, they have these little fabrics in nice order, with a candle stuck in the top, to be lighted at night. As you thread your way through some of the denser parts of the metropolis, you are apt to find a cone of shells, with its votive light, in the nook of some retired court, with a group of youngsters around it, some of whom will be sure to assail the stranger with a whining claim – Mind the grotto! by which is meant a demand for a penny wherewith professedly to keep up the candle. It cannot be doubted that we have here, at the distance of upwards of 300 years from the Reformation, a relic of the habits of our Catholic ancestors.”
And in the interests of making this one really bizarre, I’m going to recount a recent dream. The fascinating thing is the way it elides two very different cultures: the one I grew up in, on the other side of the Atlantic, and the one I’ve made my adult life in, here in London. The dream was so vivid and so bizarre I saw fit to send it to our designer, who, 1) is a very nice guy; 2) couldn’t be more English and 3) is a big football fan. That’s football in the British sense of the word. What we Americans used to call soccer.
Here’s what I sent to designer Steve, who, for his sins, is a Chelsea supporter. I don’t know for sure but I suspect what’s going on in this dream is east is east and west is west and the twain are meeting and the join is, well, a bit freakish. A bit of a Frankenstein operation.
Here’s what I said to Steve. This was a text message.
Steve,
Football. Your football not mine. No question but it’ll go down in history as the most spectacular goal of all time. And I scored it. I was a midfielder (I think). I was back around the 50 yard line (midfield). My lot were trying to score. Goalie saved it and booted a long ball toward midfield. Very very high it was. I got under it and gave it the most tremendous header. And damn if it didn’t go in. Dropped straight down from a great height, dropped straight down through the hoop. Yes, a basketball hoop. Paydirt. Headed in from 50 yards out. Stunned crowd roared. DT – that’s me – did a Victory Lap.
Where did this happen? Out on my deck. I was sound asleep on my recliner. It was a dream. Go figure.
Third item on the menu, I’m going to recommend one of our weekend Specials. The Charming Chiswick Walk. Goes this Sunday. I’m going to recommend it 1) because Alison is a brilliant guide and 2) because, well, it’s a great walk. It’s hard to go wrong with Chiswick. And I’ve got a third reason. It’s the advancer email Alison sends to all of her walkers. I wasn’t aware she was doing this. And my god, what she’s sending out to her walkers I was so impressed. It’s the platonic ideal of the legendary London Walks white glove service. And I thought, this kind of thing, nobody else is doing this. It’s not just brilliant guiding that sets London Walks apart. It’s also this behind the scenes stuff. This deserves a wider audience. And I’m going to make sure it gets one.
So this is what Alison’s Chiswick walkers get from her on the eve of the walk. She’s gone to a lot of trouble. It’s a class act.
Here’s what she says:
“Good evening,
This is your guide Alison for tomorrow’s walk. Thank you for booking Charming Chiswick. I just wanted to introduce myself and give you some further information. As you know the walk leaves from Ravenscourt Park tube which is on the District Line. If you arrive early, there is a coffee shop a few hundred yards from the station, turn left and it is on the right-hand side on the corner of Ravenscourt Road and King Street. If coffee is not required but a comfort stop is, pop into the Polish Centre two doors up from the café. The Polish Centre also has a café selling traditional Polish fayre, the dumplings are my favourite. There is usually a free art exhibition in the centre so lots to do if you are early.
Once we are assembled we will walk down to the River Thames which has been described as the silver thread that runs through London’s history. Our first view is of Hammersmith suspension bridge and a cluster of houseboats. There is always plenty to see on the river and the sailing boats and canoes will be out in force. No wonder this is where the annual Oxford and Cambridge boat race takes place.
We will then begin our walk past the world-famous Dove pub, frequented by many writers and artists. It was a great favourite of Ernest Hemingway and E M Forster. Continuing along the Mall we will pass more pubs and at the end of the walk you might want to come back and enjoy a pint.
We will pass elegant riverside houses including the London home of William Morris named Kelmscott Manor after his house in Oxfordshire that he loved so much. We will hear stories of visionaries, courtesans and even meet the odd ghost or two. Located by the river, Chiswick has a long history of fishing, basket making and brewing. There is still a brewery there today, Fullers, Smith and Turner and the shop will be open selling beer and related memorabilia. The oldest building, we will encounter is Saint Nicholas church with its fifteenth-century tower and stories of headless bodies in the crypt. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen, children and the original Father Christmas, we will hear how the tradition of hanging stockings on Christmas Eve began.
We then go up Church Street with its half-timbered houses with its tales of the highwayman Dick Turpin.
Now we begin to make our way to Chiswick High Road passing lots of independent shops on Devonshire Terrace, bursting with goodies. We will finish at the statue of one of Chiswick’s most famous residents, the seventeenth-century painter, engraver, satirist and social critic, William Hogarth. At this point you can see Turnham Green tube in front of you and it is on the same line as Ravenscourt tube.
Or why not make a day of it. Here are some suggestions of how you could spend your afternoon after the walk has finished:
Enjoy a Sunday lunch at one of the pubs we have passed. My favourites are The Dove or The Ship, and I do recommend booking. If you book for 1.30 pm, it will give you plenty of time to get there after the walk has finished. Alternatively, you may prefer a light meal at one of the many independent eateries on Devonshire Terrace.
After lunch there are lots of great shops on Chiswick High Road. If like me, you are fan of antiques and vintage, The Old Cinema is a must, it is an Aladdin’s cave of bygone treasures. Another favourite of mine is Foster Books specialising in rare and pre-loved books. Devonshire Terrace boasts lots of independent shops and on the High street there are the usual chains.
If you want to find out more about the personalities that you met on the walk, Hogarth’s House and Chiswick House will be open. Hogarth’s home is a warm and relatively simple family house full of Hogarth’s prints. There is an admission charge and it does not have a cafe. It is full of interesting information about Hogarth and the times he lived in.
In complete contrast and almost next door is Chiswick House, the perfect Palladian villa, built to house Burlington’s extraordinary collection of art. The grounds are worth exploring, particularly as the rosary, the first rose garden in England, has now been restored and designated a silent space. There is no charge for the house and there is a cafe. You can also see the famous Beatles tree that the Fab Four climbed on in the band’s 1966 music video for “Rain”. It has been nominated for the Woodland’s Trust Tree of the Year 2025 competition.
As you can see, Chiswick really is charming, and there is a lot to see and do.
I am really looking forward to meeting you. I will be holding a London Walks sign but you are looking for a small woman with long, light brown hair called Alison. If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me on this shared email and if you are running late on the day, phone London Walks or contact me directly on 07779 144252. Cash is always welcome but I do have a card reader.
Sending Best Wishes.
Alison”
You’ve been listening to This… is London, the London Walks podcast. Emanating from www.walks.com –
home of London Walks,
London’s signature walking tour company.
London’s local, time-honoured, fiercely independent, family-owned, just-the-right-size walking tour company.
And as long as we’re at it, London’s multi-award-winning walking tour company. Indeed, London’s only award-winning walking tour company.
And here’s the secret: London Walks is essentially run as a guides’ cooperative.
That’s the key to everything.
It’s the reason we’re able to attract and keep the best guides in London. You can get schlubbers to do this for £20 a walk. But you cannot get world-class guides – let alone accomplished professionals.
It’s not rocket science: you get what you pay for.
And just as surely, you also get what you don’t pay for.
Back in 1968 when we got started we quickly came to a fork in the road. We had to answer a searching question: Do we want to make the most money? Or do we want to be the best walking tour company in the world?
You want to make the most money you go the schlubbers route. You want to be the best walking tour company in the world you do whatever you have to do
to attract and keep the best guides in London –
you want them guiding for you, not for somebody else.
Bears repeating:
the way we’re structured – a guides’ cooperative –
is the key to the whole thing.
It’s the reason for all those awards, it’s the reason people who know go with London Walks, it’s the reason we’ve got a big following, a lively, loyal, discerning following – quality attracts quality.
It’s the reason we’re able – uniquely – to front our walks with accomplished, in many cases distinguished professionals:
By way of example, Stewart Purvis, the former Editor
(and subsequently CEO) of Independent Television News.
And Lisa Honan, who had a distinguished career as a diplomat (Lisa was the Governor of St Helena, the island where Napoleon breathed his last and, some say, had his penis amputated – Napoleon didn’t feel a thing – if thing’s the mot juste – he was dead.)
Stewart and Lisa – both of them CBEs – are just a couple of our headline acts.
Or take our Ripper Walk. It’s the creation of the world’s leading expert on Jack the Ripper, Donald Rumbelow, the author of the definitive book on the subject. Britain’s most distinguished crime historian, Donald is, in the words of The Jack the Ripper A to Z, “internationally recognised as the leading authority on Jack the Ripper.” Donald’s emeritus now but he’s still the guiding light on our Ripper Walk. He curates the walk. He trains up and mentors our Ripper Walk guides. Fields any and all questions they throw at him.
The London Walks Aristocracy of Talent – its All-Star Team of Guides – includes a former London Mayor. It includes the former Chief Music Critic for the Evening Standard. It includes the Chair of the Association of Professional Tour Guides. And the former chair of the Guild of Guides.
It includes barristers, doctors, geologists, museum curators, a former London Museum archaeologist, historians,
university professors (one of them a distinguished Cambridge University paleontologist); it includes a criminal defence lawyer, Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre actors, a bevy of MVPs, Oscar winners (people who’ve won the big one, the Guide of the Year Award)…
well, you get the idea.
As that travel writer famously put it, “if this were a golf tournament, every name on the Leader Board would be a London Walks guide.”
And as we put it: London Walks Guides make the new familiar
and the familiar new.
And on that agreeable note…
come then, let us go forward together on some great London Walks.
And that’s by way of saying, Good walking and Good Londoning one and all. See ya next time.