Guided Walks
Get walking and uncover London’s secrets!
From ancient ruins to modern day facades, London is a city of many stories. Join experts from the Museum of London and professional guides as they lead all kinds of special walks and visits with something in the programme for everyone. So put on your walking shoes and find out where a Museum of London walk will take you!
Walks in October
Walks in November
Book your place on a guided walk by calling 0870 444 3850.
Sunday 5 October
Early black writers & radicals
This walk takes us on the trail of well known activists such as Marcus Garvey, who used London as a base, as well as lesser-known writers such as the 19th century editor Celestine Edwards and the publisher Duse Mohamed Ali. It also focuses on late 18th century and early 19th century Black revolutionaries and writers, including Robert Wedderburn and William Davidson, and examines the part they played in the revolutionary and abolitionist struggles of the time.
2-3.30pm, Fee £6, Advanced booking required
Monday 13 October
Paddington: trains, boats, buses - and bears
Continuing our exploration of London's Victorian suburbs: once a hamlet nestling around a green, close by the River Westbourne, and surrounded by farms, Paddington didn't become part of London until the 19th century, when the arrival of the railway, the canals, the first London horse drawn omnibus service and the world's first underground railway all contributed to its dramatic growth. Our walk will take in Brunel's magnificent station, the Regent's Canal and Paddington Basin, and the stuccoed terraces alongside Little Venice. There's a chance to see the extraordinary regeneration at Paddington's Waterside and of course, there is that bear who is 50 this year!
2-4pm, Fee £7.50, Advanced booking required
Sunday 26 October
The Great Fire Anniversary Walk
In 1666 most of the medieval City was destroyed by one of the most catastrophic events in London's history. See the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane where the fire started during the early hours of September 2nd, follow the route of its spread and meet the heroes and villains of three days of mayhem: Samuel Pepys who left us the best records in his diaries; Sir Christopher Wren who rebuilt the ancient churches and St Paul's Cathedral; and the Lord Mayor who took to his bed. The walk finishes at Pye Corner where the fire was extinguished. You are then free to go on to the Museum of London for a look at the London's Burning exhibition.
11am-1pm, Fee £7.50, Advanced booking required (walk starts at Monument tube station)
Friday 31 October
Smithfield: hauntings, burnings & murder most foul
Join us for a spooky Halloween stroll through Smithfield looking at the darker side of London. Uncover tales of hauntings, coffins, murder in the churchyard, half-starved inmates, body snatchers, public executions and burnings at the stake. Find out where a Scots Patriot was executed more than 700 years ago, where a ghostly monk still haunts his church and about The Black Dog of Newgate. All accompanied by the clatter of horses' hooves!
6-8pm, Fee £7.50, Advanced booking required (walk starts at St Paul’s tube station)
Sunday 2 November
Purchasing and pleasure
After the Great Fire of London the King's Court moved westward to St James, and so the area became the one favoured for shops of quality and exclusive clubs. Over the centuries these shops and clubs, some famous, some infamous, have continued to provide clothing, food and drink to the rich and famous. This walk highlights the many different types of shops that continue to flourish, such as milliners, shoe, cheese, perfume, cigar and fine wine, alongside the famous historical characters that have purchased these goods. You'll also find out where the exclusive clubs are even though they cannot be spotted from the exterior of their buildings!
2-3.30pm, Fee £6, Advanced booking required
Friday 7 November
Turn Again Whittington
The Mayoralty dates back to 1189 and today the 681st Lord Mayor will take up office. This guided walk follows in the footsteps of London's most famous mayor, Dick Whittington, who was Mayor of London four times in the 14th and 15th centuries. Discover the church where he was buried (three times) and see the church of St Mary le Bow whose bells famously told him to 'turn again Whittington'. Visit his Livery Company and hear stories of how his fortune still benefits people today. Once the walk has finished you may want to have lunch and then wait for the new Lord Mayor to emerge from the Guildhall after taking office in the Silent Change ceremony. This walk is hilly in places.
11am-1pm, Fee £7.50, Advanced booking required
Sunday 16 November
St Pancras Station: old and new
To celebrate the first anniversary of the re-opening of St Pancras as the new Eurostar terminal, this walk explores the history of the station, its neighbour King's Cross and the surrounding area. As well as the stunning design, both Victorian and modern, of the actual station and its famous hotel, we also look at the impact of the coming of the railways, the armies of men who actually built them and the efforts being made to preserve the architectural and industrial heritage of an area previously known as one of London's most deprived inner-city neighbourhoods.
11am-1pm, Fee £7.50, Advanced booking required
Saturday 22 November
Londoners at large
This walk takes in a small stretch of streets and alleyways in the city that have witnessed the stories and deeds of millions of Londoners; some heroic and horrible, some sad and silly, and some thrilling and thought-provoking. Learn about the hangmen and their grisly trade. Find out about one of the few victims of the Great Fire. Get to know the heroines who campaigned for unfortunate prisoners and for a woman's right to vote. Uncover the history of our language and those who printed it, those who put it into a dictionary, and those who went to prison and worse for the freedom of speech. The stories will include Elizabeth Callier, Sweeney Todd, Jack Sheppard, Dr Johnson, the Knights Templar, William Shakespeare and more many more people, both famous and obscure. So come and hear about the lives of Londoners from medieval times until now. Walk leader: Cwti Green
2-3.30pm, Fee £6, Advanced booking required