What You Will Do
Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting medieval knights, body snatchers, Charles Dickens, an eighteenth century ghost, and William Wallace - aka Braveheart (and learn how he was in no fit state to shout "Freeeedoooommmm!" whilst being executed!)
On our walking tour we'll visit the areas around Smithfield, for centuries London's site of both animal and human slaughter. We'll learn about how the city disposed of the tens of thousands of Black Death corpses in the fourteenth century, the execution methods used in the Middle Ages, and how the area became a notorious slum which Dickens used as the setting for Oliver Twist.
The walking tour begins outside Barbican Station, ends near to Farringdon Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles.
Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
We meet outside Barbican Station exit. Please aim to arrive five minutes early as the tour will start on time. If you aren't able to make the tour or you will be late, please message me on +44 7783 401 129 so that I know whether to send you our live location on WhatsApp.
1
The Charterhouse
10 minutes
A fourteenth century monastery and plague pit
2
Smithfield Market
10 minutes
A one thousand year old meat market
3
St John's Gate
10 minutes
The home of the medieval Knights Hospitallers
4
Cloth Fair
10 minutes
A quiet alley with a noisy history
5
WIlliam Wallace Memorial
10 minutes
The memorial to William Wallace, aka Braveheart
6
Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
10 minutes
London's oldest surviving parish church
7
Golden Boy of Pye Corner
10 minutes
The site where the Great Fire of 1666 died out, and of eighteenth century ghost hysteria
8
Holborn Viaduct
10 minutes
The site of the River Fleet, Victorian London's largest open air sewer
9
Ye Olde Mitre
10 minutes
A hidden gem of a pub, hidden down an alleyway
10
Saint Bartholomew's Hospital Museum
10 minutes
The oldest surviving hospital in the country
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