London's Hidden History Tour

We begin our walk at St. Paul's tube station, a few minutes away from one of London's most impressive hidden sites. The remains of the western gate of the Roman fort that once stood here, something not normally accessible to the public, now incongruously sit within a parking garage. While here, we will look at the remains of the Roman city wall and the signs of its continued use up to the eighteenth century. We will then walk to the area near the church of St. Bartholomew the Great, an important part of medieval London. Here, we will view the church itself, a perfect example of twelfth-century Norman architecture that survived both the 1666 fire and the Blitz.

Next, we will walk to the western gate of the Roman and medieval city, Newgate, an area once infamous for its prison. From here we may take a short stroll to St. Etheldreda’s, another remarkable medieval survival where the crypt and chapel still stand. Depending on time, we may move to the Silver Vaults, which were built as a Victorian safe deposit but are now a set of underground silversmiths and shops, and are little known outside the silver-dealing world. 

Across the road lies the medieval Lincoln’s Inn, one of the four remaining ‘Inns of Court’ in London, where aspiring lawyers lived and learned their trade. This particular inn, which extends over a sprawling 11 acres, was constructed in stages between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, providing an overview of the many architectural styles that were popular during this period. Further along Fleet Street lay the large Carmelite and Dominican Friaries, now recalled in the street names Whitefriars and Blackfriars, respectively. We will see the remains of the former under a modern office building and again, a short walk away in a seventeenth-century pub. This pub, the Olde Cheshire Cheese, is notable for its age and its former regulars: Samuel Johnson, G. K. Chesterton, and Charles Dickens, to name but a few. You can have a drink or eat here, which will provide a suitably energetic end to the walk.

At the end of our walk, we will have explored some of the little-known and fascinating buildings and architectural remains of the city, and will have a deeper understanding of London's history.

It begins near St. Paul's tube station and ends at the Olde Cheshire Cheese pub. Your confirmation email will have the exact meeting point.

Yes, we don't visit any site that is particularly narrow or small, however, we do go down several flights of stairs and through some uneven pavements.

Absolutely yes!

The weather can be quite variable in London, so we suggest comfortable shoes and layers, possibly with some kind of waterproof item.