Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past
Overview
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 circa ten attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.
Inclusions
- Tour
- Entry/Admission - Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
What to expect
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Charterhouse Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AN England
A fourteenth century monastery and plague pit
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Smithfield Market, 225 London Central Markets, London EC1A 9LH England
A one thousand year old meat market
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Cloth Fair, London England
A quiet alley with a noisy history
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, West Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS England
London's oldest surviving parish church
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: WIlliam Wallace Memorial, St. Bartholomew's Hospital W Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS England
The memorial to William Wallace, aka Braveheart
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Saint Bartholomew's Hospital Museum, Giltspur Street West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE England
The oldest surviving hospital in the country
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Golden Boy of Pye Corner, 35 Cock Lane, London EC1A 9BW England
The site where the Great Fire of 1666 died out, and of eighteenth century ghost hysteria
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Holy Sepulchre London, St. Sepulchre Without Newgate Church Holborn Viaduct Across a Crossroads from the Old Bailey, London EC1A 2DQ England
A church with a bloody history
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Holborn Viaduct, Holborn street, London EC1A England
The site of the River Fleet, Victorian London's largest open air sewer
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Ye Olde Mitre, 1 Ely Court Ely Place, London EC1N 6SJ England
A hidden gem of a pub, hidden down an alleyway
Duration: 10 minutes
Additional information
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
Cancellation
Very interesting tour, presented with great knowledge and humour by Tom. We will definitely take a walk with him again!
Very interesting tour, presented with great knowledge and humour by Tom. We will definitely take a walk with him again!Thank you Tom for a wonderful tour! We both really enjoyed learning something new about the city and visiting places we’d never been before. He was friendly and funny and really informative about all of the events and places.
Thank you Tom for a wonderful tour! We both really enjoyed learning something new about the city and visiting places we’d never been before. He was friendly and funny and really informative about all of the events and places.Very interesting to hear about the gruesome history of London. :-) We've learned a lot. Also very surprising to find out so much of the bloody history of London took place in the City of London. This tour is a great introduction and sets the basis for e.g. a visit to the Museum of London, which i...
Very interesting to hear about the gruesome history of London. :-) We've learned a lot. Also very surprising to find out so much of the bloody history of London took place in the City of London. This tour is a great introduction and sets the basis for e.g. a visit to the Museum of London, which is around the corner from where the tour ends!A good 2 hours well spent. Tom knows his subject very well and was always interesting. Have been on a number of walking tours throughout Europe and this was one of he best.
A good 2 hours well spent. Tom knows his subject very well and was always interesting. Have been on a number of walking tours throughout Europe and this was one of he best.Great tour - very informative and just about the right length of time. Tom knows his stuff. Highly recommended, whether you live in London or are just visiting.
Great tour - very informative and just about the right length of time. Tom knows his stuff. Highly recommended, whether you live in London or are just visiting.Tom knowledge and delivery is second to none. We have done many similar and this is the best of them. Top value, top presentation and excellent customer involvement. Do this tour
Tom knowledge and delivery is second to none. We have done many similar and this is the best of them. Top value, top presentation and excellent customer involvement. Do this tour