City and Dockland Walks – Pudding Lane Tours

CITY & DOCKLAND WALKS

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FOOTWEAR

Most walks go along paved roads and paths but the following walks go over some un-made paths which can be a little muddy after rain. Be shod accordingly:-
– Barbican, Docklands North Bank

LEVEL ACCESS

Most walks are on the flat but the following Walks involve steps, rough ground, abundant cobbling or narrow pavements:-
– Barbican, Blackfriars, Docklands North Bank, Fake Facts Folklore and Fraud, Great Fire Resistant (City north-west), Garlick Hill.

CHILDREN

Accompanied children are welcome and discounted rates are available in some cases. Please note, however, that whilst the Walks contain nothing inappropriate they are not geared towards youngsters. Older children may enjoy them – though you might end up answering questions like “What’s a lady-of-the-night?”!

DISCLAIMER

On all Walks you come at your own risk and no responsibility is accepted for any injury, illness, mishap, delay nor financial loss.

The Walks

Places mentioned for each walk are only a sample to indicate the general route.
Unless otherwise stated, walks take around 90-120(ish) minutes approximately.
The Guildhall, St Pauls and Tower of London are all worthy of tours in their own right so only highlights will be mentioned.
All walks finish near to underground stations, often national rail stations as well.
Booking is via Eventbrite.

ALL WALKS MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE

Short Walks

Three short walks of an hour each and priced accordingly. One of them may be free! These are always held on the same day so that you can do more than one.

CORNHILL – Cannon Street station to Walbrook (Bank underground & Cannon Street station)
Postal service, a Welsh connection, Coffee Houses, Wren church, a mysterious stone and more.

GARLICK HILL– begins and ends at Cannon Street station
Discover the story of Swan Upping, maybe meet a disgruntled ghost, hear the true tale of Dick Whittington and perhaps some Royal bells, also the connection between aero engines and the medieval City.

LUDGATE HILL – St Paul’s tube to New Change (handy for St Paul’s tube)
More than one Great Fire, bird of prey, clairvoyant cat, a reflective look at the cathedral plus a big nail.

For dates and bookings please visit Eventbrite

City Walks

Unless otherwise stated, these last around 2 hours. See Eventbrite for schedule

BARBICAN – St Pauls tube to Cloth Fair (Barbican/Farringdon stations)
Roman remains lurk amongst the Brutalist Barbican. What links bees and embalming? Iconic City architecture and a livery company or two before we finish on the ancient streets of Cloth Fair to see the City’s oldest house.

BARTS & BAILEY – City Thameslink station to St Bartholomew the Great (Barbican/Farringdon stations)
Early education; the fate of the Friars, crime and punishment; ghoulish goings on; City’s oldest hospital and maybe its oldest Church.

BISHOPSGATE – begins and ends at Liverpool Street station
City Wall, Livery Companies, Austin Friars, Skyscrapers, Medieval Churches, Roman Girl, Synagogues, Victorian Bath-house

BLACKFRIARS – begins and ends at Blackfriars station
Playhouse Yard, King’s Wardrobe, St Pauls, Green spaces, Blade Of Light, Blackfriars station and bridge.

CITY ESSENTIALS – Monument to Cornhill (Bank underground)
Old churches, new towers, fire and plague, livery companies, slave trade, Loch Ness monster(!), 11,000 virgins(!!), prominent City characters plus how a sewage worker got rich.

FAKE FACTS and FOLKLORE
Monument to Postmans’ Park (St Paul’s tube, City Thameslink)
A foray into some of the City’s folklore, fictions, fake facts and fraud plus a medley of misconceptions, misinformation and myth. Stories about the Great Fire, Plague, a pair of mice, the City’s first recorded streaker, a brave but fictional clergyman and how a bubble burst in the 1700s.

GREAT FIRE – Monument to Paternoster Square (St Paul’s tube, City Thameslink)
Treading the embers of the Great Fire – and discovering some less fiery features along the way.

GREAT FIRE RESISTANT (City East) – from Liverpool Street station to All Hallows by the Tower (Tower Hill underground)
Buildings and structures surviving since before 1666.

St Pauls from New Change shopping centre (with thanks to Melanie L)

GREAT FIRE RESISTANT (City North-West) – from the Royal Exchange to Postmans Park (St Paul’s tube, City Thameslink)
Buildings and structures surviving from before 1666.
We may finish with a meal or drink afterwards at the Rising Sun (Smithfield)

GUILDHALL & CHEAPSIDE – St Pauls tube to Postmans Park (St Paul’s tube, City Thameslink)
Cheapside markets, City’s oldest tree, Cockney bells, the Royal Mint on trial and, of course, Guildhall – centre of City Government for 600 years.
We may finish with a meal or drink afterwards at the Rising Sun (Smithfield)

SECTS IN THE CITY – from Moorgate underground station to Blackfriars station
Examining various religious and quasi-religious places and organisations. Welsh and Dutch Churches, Scientologists, Indian Orthodox, Freemasons…and more
This is a longer walk than usual, around 150 minutes but with a coffee and snack stop along the way.

TOWER HILL – Tower Hill station to All Hallows By The Tower (Tower Hill underground)
Roman wall, Trinity House, Fenchurch Street station, East India company, Great Plague, Samuel Pepys, Tower Of London, Tower Bridge (and tunnel!), All Hallows church.

Part of James Greathead’s tunnelling shield

WALBROOK – Moorgate tube to Walbrook Wharf (Cannon Street station)
Finsbury Circus, London Wall, Austin Friars, Telegraph Street, Tokenhouse Yard, Bank Of England, Royal Exchange, Mansion House, The Underground, Dowgate Hill and Livery Companies, Dick Whittington, Southwark Bridge.