The City of London : - the ancient square mile at the heart of Greater London. Founded by the Romans, ravaged by fire, bombed in both world wars and home to the biggest financial markets. It is the only area in any capital city where leading architects build epic towers on a medieval street-plan – a maze of tiny alleys and lanes once known to kings and queens, to Shakespeare and Dickens, to heroes and traitors. The beating heart of Britain, the City of London is unique in the world.
The City of London is wreathed in mystery. A treasure trove of eye-catching clues still mark ancient walls or lie unexplained on modern buildings. Evidence, buried for centuries, has emerged from beneath the streets. These clues are glimpses of a lost world, shaped by Roman generals, royal tyrants, merchant adventurers and medieval executioners. Explore secret gardens and alleyways that were home to people a world away from us. Look beneath the sparkle of gleaming towers and see plain truths that architects would prefer you didn’t know. In a city of gilts, gold and guilds, we’ll show you all that glitters beneath the everyday face of the most powerful corner of the capital.
We are a mixed bunch of friendly guides with a wealth of experience between us.
We come from a variety of professional backgrounds and we each have local knowledge of the City of London. Some of us work here, others live here, all of us studied here. Accredited by the City of London Corporation and the UK’s Institute of Tourist Guiding, we are qualified City of London guides with interests spanning from Roman London to digital-age architecture; from Dickens to treason and from ancient pubs to rooftop gardens – via alleys, galleries and ghosts.
Our walks can be booked by groups of six or more, £12 per person – concessions available.
Contact us here
Click on one of our featured walks below, or go to the Walks page to see all walks. Or click here for short, one-hour, strolls. Here for longer walks. Or choose a theme: Ancient London, Architecture, Open Spaces, Churches, Bit of Everything.
Alternatively, we design tours for specific interest-groups or special occasions. Just let us know the kind of thing you’d like to see and we will do the rest. We’ll entertain you and your guests to an insider’s view of the City. Previous examples include American Connections, Literary London, Fire and Plague – family tour. We love London and we’re ready to help with suggestions.
The genius courtier – Sir Christopher Wren and his churches
After the Great Fire in 1666, Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt 51 churches in the City of London. Many still stand, some were rebuilt after the destruction of WWII and one has even been transported 4,000 miles away! Discover Wren’s magnificent churches and the stories that lie behind them.
Read all about it! A walk down Fleet Street
Discover the characters and stories that once made Fleet Street the centre of the press industry. We’ll encounter influential writers and visit historic churches and classic English watering holes (pubs!) – and along the way we’ll see the buildings that were once central to the newspaper industry.
The Write Stuff
The journalists of Fleet Street were not the only wordsmiths in the City. For centuries, the ancient streets of London inspired plays, prose and poetry. From Bank to Blackfriars and beyond, seek out the haunts of the city’s writers – from Shakespeare to Grahame, Eliot to Dickens, with Chris WM.
Financial institutions in the City
The City is a leading financial centre and has the architecture to prove it. We start next to Cannon Street, where the Romans established London’s first centre of business, we take in Bank Junction and we explore the Liverpool Street area where the most exciting developments are taking place.
From Tiber to Thames – Italian influences on the City of London
We visit a haunting corner of the Roman fort, the site of London’s amphitheatre and the elegant Tivoli corner of the Bank of England. We take in the grand home of the Lord Mayor, inspired by Palladio; the Royal Exchange, influenced by the Pantheon and we finish at One New Change with fabulous rooftop views of St Paul’s Cathedral.
What was education for? City of London (East)
Focusing on education in the eastern half of the City, this walk starts at the ruins of Christchurch Newgate Street and takes in many stunning locations from the Barbican to the Victorian Bishopsgate Institute, with its wooden panelled library open to the public. With Sylvia M.