walking tour east london

A Lady in London

And Traveling the World

Lady’s 3 East London walks with Maps

I want to share my picks for the best east London walks with you today. There’s no shortage of exciting places to discover in the East End, and I’m confident these self-guided London walking tours will entertain you as you explore the city. Whether you like east London history walks or artistic strolls, there’s one you’re bound to love.

East London walks

From Spitalfields to Shoreditch, my east London walks span neighborhoods, markets, streets, squares, and other unique places in the UK capital.

Some will take you along high streets and past street art, while others will show you back lanes and leafy squares.

Whatever you like, there’s a self-guided walking tour in east London that will fit your personal style and take you to explore some of the UK capital’s coolest neighborhoods.

You can see additional east London walks in the book London’s Hidden Walks , too. You can get it here . It’s perfect if you enjoy meandering through the city’s less crowded spaces. There are more ideas in my London walking books post, too.

If you’re after even more London walks, my blog post about self-guided London walking tours has all the ones I’ve published in one place.

I’ve also rounded up all my west London walks , south London walks , north London walks , and central London walks into blog posts. You can take a look at them to see routes and maps for other areas of the UK capital if you’d like.

1. East London Walk in Spitalfields

I’ll start my list of east London walks with the one in Spitalfields . This is a popular area for eating, drinking, and shopping.

This London walk goes through the area’s high streets and side streets, offering an overview of everything from Old Spitalfields Market to Brick Lane as it does. It also features some famous street art murals.

My self-guided Spitalfields walk is for you if you want to get to know an east London neighborhood that blends historic houses, hipster bars, and cutting-edge cafes in one place.

It’s one of the coolest parts of the UK capital, and it has a great mix of everything.

Given the best markets in the neighborhood are open on Sundays, I recommend doing this walk on a Sunday in London . The whole area comes alive that day, and it’s a great way to experience the local scene.

If you want to do this London walk, you can find the route, map, and photos on my Spitalfields walk blog post.

2. East London Street Art Walk

The next of my east London walks is a street art tour. This one goes through Spitalfields and Shoreditch and focuses on the colorful murals the East End is known for.

My self-guided London street art walk will take you down Great Eastern Street and along side roads like Hanbury Street. The latter has some of the most impressive murals in east London.

This walk is perfect if you like a tour that’s focused on a specific theme, but you also want to get a feel for the local area as you go.

If you want to do this east London walk, you can see the route, map, photos, and video on my blog post about a street art tour of London .

3. East London Walk in Shoreditch

Next on my list of east London walks is one in Shoreditch , which numbers among the coolest neighborhoods in the East End. It’s a popular place to explore.

My self-guided Shoreditch walk will take you down thoroughfares like Old Street, along colorful side roads like Rivington Street and Redchurch Street, and into parks and green spaces like Boundary Gardens and Hoxton Square.

If you’re interested in this self-guided east London walking tour, take a look at my blog post about Shoreditch walks for the route, photos, video, and map.

I hope my list of the best east London walks has given you motivation to get outside, stretch your legs, and find some new-to-you places in the city.

I’ll update this post and add new east London walks to it as I publish them, so make sure to bookmark it or pin it on Pinterest for easy reference. Happy walking!

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Hackney Tours: East LDN Creative Exploration

#hackneydifferent culture jam. artist-led local adventures & walking conversations, east london creative exploration since 2012, east london walking tours with hackney guide and artivist simon cole , a popular london tour guide with 17 years tourism experience ., writer & performer; award-nominated creator of london’s first women’s history running tour, hackney wick culture jam walks, social enterprise & sustainability walking tours and the hackney alternative statue tour ., scroll down for walks, go to news/blog ; listen to hidden history podcasts ; mailing list/contact ; . you missed (william) blake to (walter) benjamin but there’s plenty more going on., perhaps you saw in the hackney gazette that i was in ukraine delivering aid in feb, as one half of by hand ukraine or perhaps you’ve seen the netflix series transatlantic and caught me on walk listen create celebrating the brilliant lisa fittko as part of my search for walter benjamin’s mythical missing briefcase , i’ve worked for universities, companies, charities, hostels, language schools and more. i’ve also appeared at festivals and trained other guides. you can hire me privately as a writer, presenter, facilitator or guide. just get in touch here ., spring 2023, i’m busy doing ‘conventional’ tourism many days in central london but look out for ongoing free social walks courtesy of hackney council:.

Book here (scroll down to ‘Walks of Interest’) or contact Darren English ([email protected]).

Arts update, on the arts front, at the kent gem that is faversham literary festival, i brought a project to the stage about my walks into the world of walter benjamin and modern refugees. it’s a journey that has taken me volunteering from kent to calais and even to kyiv in ukraine., so how does the ‘radical hackney’ of the 1700s and william blake connect with this and the 1930s of benjamin well you’ll just have to come and see the show. or hire me to give this hour-long talk at your community group or venue. it’s still being revised, but it’ll look something like this (thanks to brilliant hackney illustrator sarah finke ):.

AUTUMN 2022

It’s the open house festival at grow hackney on saturday 10th september. come down and meet community partners, see the open studios and enjoy the vibe..

East London routes with psychogeographical roots…

SUMMER 2022

Look out for ongoing tours of the radical writers of abney park cemetery , special events with grow, hackney and the forthcoming london festival of architecture and open house. scroll down for tours new and old., radical writers of stoke newington and abney park, take a dive into the radical literary past of stoke newington and historic nature reserve abney park on saturday 16th april. what can we learn from those who used the pen to fight for a better world and how is the dissent of the past relevant to today’s struggles.

From Calais to Kyiv fundraiser

Join us at newington green meeting house on 19th april for a fundraiser where i’ll be sharing a mini version of my powerful (william blake to) walter benjamin story, soon to be a show. hear from a local artist illustrating it and explore what it says about us today. plus a talk about inclusivity towards refugees from a veteran activist plus **live music** from award-winning jelly cleaver book here ..

Blake to Benjamin – a Hackney Tours Walk in Hackney Wick

As brexit, covid and climate change conspire to keep us increasingly at home, how can the local help us explore the global, for over a decade, international walking artist simon cole has been tracing william blake’s golden thread through the streets of hackney wick – responding to place., how does walter benjamin’s famously unfinished arcades project connect with blake, the refugee crisis and our lifestyles today, a special event 4th april at grow as part of the hello again, hackney series of events..

Pilgrimage of Dissent

Join us 13th march on a collaboration between hackney tours, newington green meeting house and bunhill fields cemetery as we explore centuries of dissent with nonconformists of east london past and present. from william blake to mary wollstonecraft and the antifascists of the 43 group, we’ll walk in the footsteps of reformers and radicals..

NEW FOR WINTER 2021 AND #COP26…

Grow outside: east london changemakers bike tour, you may not know that hackney tours has been innovating in travel for a decade. how can tourism help us address global issues like climate change come find out as we rediscover local wonder and take inspiration from east london changemakers in hackney, past and present..

Abney Park & Stoke Newington Radical Writers Tour

Abney park and stoke newington are rich in literary history, much of it connected to hackney’s tradition of dissent. join us for a walk back through time to see how the radical writers of n16 helped shape our world today..

PREVIOUSLY…

What did you miss earlier this year there was the sold out gothic tour of abney park cemetery at halloween, but you can still catch the radical writers tour of abney park coming up on 27th november. stay tuned here for more., summer 2021:, what’s really going on in hackney wick check out this small group outdoor alternative walk that’s not like any other., #hackneywickculturejam:  a no censorship, deep dive – let’s deconstruct the wick you can also find my art walks for estuary festival 2021, london festival of architecture and open house at the same link ., did you miss the hackney wick community conversation tue 13th april with grow hackney and my #wickspeaks collaborators the people speak , as we asked where next after lockdown yes, it was talkaoke time in the wick, join me wed 10th feb with grow hackney as we explore what a walking artist may or may not be in hackney wick. then i’ll be co-hosting another talkaoke on thu 25th feb with my #wickspeaks collaborators the people speak ., during the long nights, we explored abney park after-dark . this magnificent seven cemetery is the perfect place to bring the gothic alive. join us for a virtual tour on wed 10th feb then a discussion. what’s the 2021 equivalent of frankenstein we’d love to hear your thoughts., 17th feb we explored psychogeography and how walking artists link to this with grow of hackney wick ., 25th february i co-hosted another #talkaoke with my brilliant #wickspeaks collaborators the people speak . catch me on their blog here . get involved, previously:, did you miss the open house walking tours (below) in hackney wick you could have joined in the exploration with a unique free ‘people’s tour’ sat 17th october, in collaboration with the east london international artists collective the people speak . , east berlin to east village – sat 26th 2pm and 4pm walks; sat oct 3rd 4pm ; new walk just added sun oct 4th 4pm ., cool east london hots up: arts under pressure – weds 16 sep & 23 sep walks full, hidden hackney, future london (see more below) – sat oct 3rd, covid-era wanders: doorstep wonder, local lifelines – tue 22 sep  online adventure, hidden london: life support –  sat 26 sep  online adventure, join the mailing list, or check out these other explorations, new for 2020 as we go deeper on our own doorstep:, back on the street on this unique walk, come discover hidden hackney, future london in our own backyard. get inspired, get involved, change the world – starting at home, book this *all outdoor* experience here ., explore the historic – and highly beautiful – river lea in this brand new collaboration with leaside canoe club (sun 11/10). join our small fun group tour on the water your custom helps this charity do good in the community. check them out in #extraordinarye5, it’s been a busy year, with lots to explore. previously:, new hackney tours is #hackneydifferent and brought you london’s women’s history running tour and now quite possibly the first alternative statue tour. who should be up there and why we celebrated hackney heroes past and present, joining the conversation about who we put on a plinth – and why look out for another one soon., hackney tours is social . discover social enterprise borough hackney., cliquez ici pour d é couvrir l’est de londres avec un anglais francophone., locked down in east london check out the blog posts to catch up on what you might have missed. see the instagram feed to see things #hackneydifferent., watch out for the return of changemaker walks or read how they offer insight into ‘shocks’ like corona ., read about hackney wick explorations and why the arts really matter in east london., find out what mary wollstonecraft’s birthday has got to do with marcus aurelius, stoicism and virtue, here’s what you missed last year, pre-covid, special edition of the changemaker walk sat 14th dec – fundraiser for hackney winter night shelter . finishes at the ethical winter’s fair at the exciting zero ldn project in gillett square. discover them now, before they’re famous.

World Changers in Hackney: free with Hackney Council Sat 19th Oct. Details of this and more FREE walks here .

‘Hidden Hackney Wick’ (for Hackney Wicked festival , Sat 27th & 28th July)

6th & 13th July:

Hidden hackney: walking in wonder with champions & changemakers., 15th june: ‘ follow me – i’m lost ’ free pyschogeography (or is it) dalston d é rive for antiuniversity . see news section or book here ., 9th june: stoke newington literary festival sold out..

28th May: East London Innovators, Embercombe Changemakers : an experimental sustainability walk. See blog post here .

Previously: by-donation fundraiser walk as part of the Commune Festival to Save Stour Space, 27-28th April. Leaves 1.30pm from Hackney Wick Overground station, Sunday 28th April. Arrives 3pm at Stour Space for the art auction.

You missed these events below too, but sign up here for updates for more Hackney walking exploration soon or read the latest blog piece :

Free walk to victoria park courtesy of hackney council 17th march..

Unconventional and alternative walks, from social enterprise to social history, radical politics to psychogeography, including 2019 collaborations with artist Louisa Albani.

Free walks, sat 2nd feb & sun 17th mar, courtesy of partners hackney council:.

Sign up details here at Hackney Walking .

And here’s just some of what you missed in 2018…, “one of the best experiences i’ve had in london for years.”, “we got such an amazing insight into the local area…”, “fascinating and inspiring…”, “…a brilliant blend of knowledgeable, friendly and interesting, … i learned a ton and i only live down the road in hackney”, exploring #hackneydifferent since 2009, social enterprise borough hackney, photos 2 & 3: frank da silva.

See the news page for updates or scroll down for previous tours…

Throughout 2018 we’ll be looking at Hackney with the help of a prism: the events of 1968, particularly Paris in May. Check out the Instagram hashtag #Hackney68 .

Missed Hackney Tours at Stoke Newington Literary Festival ? And at Antiuniversity ? Or the (even more) experimental Half Day Holidays offshoot at Margate Bookie lit’ fest’?

Check out the first collaboration with award-winning Clapton bookstore Pages of Hackney, as we search for the Clapton Beach along with the new Mobile Museum! Book here .

Want to join this family-friendly walk with the Wick Award?

Did you miss the alternative East London adventure #JustDontCallItBastilleDay ?

Did you miss our Situationist-inspired wander to the Spring Bookie , Margate’s new literary festival, as we looked for the beach not just metaphorically but literally too?

SAT 17th MAR: FREE WALK IN WOODBERRY DOWN ( sign up here )

WED 7th MAR: ABNEY PARK AFTER-DARK GOTHIC TOUR. SOLD OUT ( details here )

SAT 24th FEB: #IainSinclairSoldOut – FREE DERIVE ADVENTURE TO FAVERSHAM LITERARY FESTIVAL , WITH OUR FRIENDS DOOMED GALLERY DALSTON ( book here ).

FRI 23rd FEB: #DiviningDalston – FREE DERIVE ADVENTURE AROUND DIVERSE DALSTON’S RIDLEY ROAD, WITH OUR FRIENDS DOOMED GALLERY DALSTON (part of Terminalia Festival of Pyschogeography , you can book here )

SAT 10th FEB: FRANKENSTEIN, FREEDOM AND SUFFRAGETTES: FORGED IN HACKNEY. BY-DONATION FUNDRAISER WALK ON LONDON BOOKSHOP CRAWL WEEKEND: Book here.

PREVIOUS EVENTS:

SUNDAY 3rd DECEMBER: East End Trades Guild #IndieWknd special Clapton, in conjunction with Bernsteins Bar (price includes food):

Shop local, support your community, keep East London interesting –  all for #IndieWknd

From street art strolls to radical history walks, food market exploration to alternative running tours and photo walks, get in touch to hire us privately (version francais disponible ). Join the mailing list here for more new tours.

Listen why we get so excited about walking East London, read the blog or see this interview to get a feel for our Hackney walking tours and artistic explorations:

SUN 17th SEP: HEAR HOW HACKNEY LED THE WAY IN EDUCATION AND RADICAL POLITICS ( BOOK HERE ):

SAT 16th SEP: DISCOVER MILLFIELDS & CLAPTON ( BOOK HERE )

SAT 8th JULY: DISCOVER THE WONDERS OF THE WICK ( BOOK HERE ):

1st July: UNSEEN LONDON, UNUSUAL LOCATIONS, EXPERT PHOTO TIPS – ALL FOR FREE WITH ECHO ( BOOK HERE ):

20th May: GET ACTIVE, GET ENGAGED ON OUR FREE PHOTO WALKS WITH ECHO , ( BOOK HERE ):

10th June: AS THE ARTISTS THAT MADE HACKNEY WICK SO INTERESTING ARE PUSHED OUT, WE EXPLORE WHY ART, DIY AND WAREHOUSE CULTURE MATTER. PART OF ANTIUNIVERSITY 2017 AND IN COLLABORATION WITH SAVE HACKNEY WICK . BOOK HERE.

5th Mar: THE ORIGINAL LONDON WOMEN’S HISTORY RUNNING TOUR IS BACK FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2017. BOOK AT FUNZING .

GIFT VOUCHERS FOR FRIENDS AND FAMILY:

ART FACTORY COMING SOON – HACKNEY WICK WONDER WALK (BOOK AT EVENTBRITE OR FIND US ON FUNZING )

SATURDAY DALSTON FOOD TOURS (BOOK AT EVENTBRITE OR FIND US ON FUNZING )

SUNDAY 4th DECEMBER – EAST LONDON INDEPENDENTS’ DAY TOUR (BOOK AT EVENTBRITE OR FIND US AT FUNZING )

SATURDAY 3rd DECEMBER – EAST LONDON INDEPENDENTS’ DAY – FREE COMMUNITY STROLL FROM HACKNEY MUSEUM (E8 1GQ) 11am ARRIVING AT THE LAUNCH OF :

SUNDAY 6th NOVEMBER (BOOK HERE )

WEDNESDAY 26th OCTOBER (BOOK  HERE ) with 6heads

SATURDAY 22nd OCTOBER with Echo

Engaging East London experiences

(beta website revamp, content undergoing review)

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY: EAST LONDON DOES GOOD

Innovative community and sustainability projects making better cities.

HACKNEY WICK THE NEW SHOREDITCH?

Street art, diy culture, alternative living and future east london.

ABNEY PARK: IN THE MIDST OF DEATH WE ARE IN LIFE!

Social history & radical politics to crucial biodiversity: abney is london, subversive stoke newington: the hackney rebel tour, radicals, rebels, reformers, revolutionaries in n16, world changing women of hackney, feminism-founders, fame and infamy: the radical women of hackney.

EXTRAORDINARY E5: CLAPTON

Characters, controversy  & conservation; vikings to vertical take-off as history meets nature by the marshes.

Coming soon…

EAST LONDON DOES WEST

West end yin to east london yang: an alternative take on central london….

CONTACT & SOCIAL MEDIA:

You can: like Hackney Tours on Facebook ; email hackneytours @gmail.com; follow @ hackneytours ; call 07974 123 191…

…or use the contact form here .

#tours #walks #Hackney     google-site-verification: google1d3b1ab26156e77a.html

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The 15 best walking tours in London

Those boots were made for walking, so use them to explore London’s best sights

London’s one of the most walkable capital cities in the world. Indeed, in many ways, London is the anti-L.A.: here people think you’re mad if you do drive a car around town. Besides, nothing quite lets you get to know a city like a good walk around – after all, London existed long before there were any forms of public or private transport more sophisticated than a horse. Plus, after trekking across half the city, you have the perfect excuse to sit down with a pint (or two). 

Sure, bus and boat tours are good, but there’s nothing quite like a London walking tour. From basic sightseeing treks to specialised theme tours, whether you’ve got a day, an afternoon or just an hour, there’s some sort of tour out there for you. Buckle up, folks: here’s our pick of the best walking tours in London.

Need more sightseeing inspiration? Check out our list of 101 things to do in London .

This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click  here .

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London walking tours

1.  Food Walking tour: West to East

If you’ve got half a day to space and a burning curiosity to find out what exactly constitutes British cuisine (and then to eat it) this epic trek should be firmly up your street. Tuck into a six-hour walking tour that will take you from Buckingham Palace (where you'll witness the Changing of the Guard) past the Houses of Parliament and onto the Tower of London, where you'll surely be ready for the delicious British delights that await. Try fish and chips, scotch eggs, pie and mash and a so-called famous doughnut (not sure about that last one tbh), before venturing over the bridge to peruse the sights and smells of delicious Borough Market.

2.  Kensington Palace Gardens tour with Royal High Tea

If you're after an excuse to wear something other than wellies, visit the gorgeous Kensington Gardens on a guided tour before sitting down and nibbling scones at Royal High Tea. The two-hour tour is soaked in royal history and all the best bits of being British (tea and cake, mostly). Although entry to the buildings isn't included, you'll be walked and talked through the gardens, marvelling at the water features and Sunken Garden, with a visit to Princess Diana's statue and ending with an indulgent high tea in the surroundings of the Kensington Palace Pavilion. How marvy!

3.  Three-hour secret British food tour

Three hours of food and snacks? Yes, please! This three-hour guided tour includes eight delicious stops in the London Bridge area, giving you an insight into the history of British food culture (which is very cultured, might we add). Starting in the historic Borough Market, you'll eat your way through classics and end the tour with quintessentially British desserts and tea. Plus, on your travels, your tour guide will enlighten you on the history of each area and there'll be a secret surprise dish, too. Our tip: wear stretchy bottoms.

4.  Harry Potter walking tour

Anyone who’s seen or read the adventures of the Boy Who Lived (and if you haven’t, have you been living under a rock?) will know that London is a recurring character in both the films and books. Follow in Harry’s footsteps with this 150-minute jaunt, which goes from the ‘real’ Diagon Alley through to The Leaky Cauldron, Platform 9¾ and other fantastical locales. Being Muggles, there’s obviously a bit of a limit to what we can actually see – but that won’t stop you from soaking up the magical atmosphere.

5.  Westminster and the Churchill War Rooms

Few Brits have a bigger reputation than wartime PM and noted cigar smoker Sir Winston. So what better way to get a feel for the capital than via Churchill’s London? In two hours your Blue Badge guide will take you to see an array of major Westminster landmarks associated with the man, such as Big Ben and Downing Street, alongside the poignant Cenotaph war memorial. Walkers will then be led to Churchill's wartime bunker, where you can see several items that once belonged to big man, discover top-secret conversations that went on down there and soak up the drama of the room in which the fate of the world was shaped so long ago.

6.  Changing of the Guard guided walking tour

No experience is more quintessentially London than the Changing of the Guard: that is to say when one group of soldiers clock off and the next clocks on – with much ceremony – at Buckingham Palace. Your knowledgeable guide will also take you to see palaces, royal parks, royal residences and you'll even have an opportunity to march alongside the guards. The walk is aimed at all ages, with interesting insights for adults and plenty of fun for kids.

7.  Gangster walking tour of London’s East End led by actor Vas Blackwood

East London is definitely no Longer the gangland of yore: if the Krays twins were around today they’d probably own some sort of ironic theme cafe. But there’s a rich and thrilling not-so-distant-past there, and this tour is particularly special Led by ‘Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ actor Vas Blackwood (aka Rory Breaker), who'll share his wealth of knowledge about the villains – both fictional and real – of London’s murky underworld. Over the two-hour tour you'll hear tales of the notorious Kray twins around Whitechapel and see iconic ‘Lock, Stock…’ locations from the much-loved Brit gangster flick.

8.  Historic pub walking tour

You could probably spend years working through London’s endless array of pubs and not really scratch the surface. But this three-hour afternoon tour is a decent start. Discover storied alehouses and literary drinking dens on a journey that stretches from ancient Southwark to the shiny West End, on a walk guaranteed to visit at least four of the capital’s finest historic boozers. Hear the history of the buildings, learn the differences between Elizabethan coaching inns and Victorian gin palaces, and visit the watering holes frequented by Charles Dickens – and have yourself a pint, if that's how you’re inclined.

9.  Private Sherlock Holmes walking tour

Explore the world of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Great Detective – plus his beloved sidekick Dr Watson, of course – on this private three-hour walking tour of London. Visit the Sherlock Holmes Museum (entry ticket not included), located at Holmes’ home of 221b Baker Street with your personal guide. Explore central London sites made famous in the filming of the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring adaptation ‘Sherlock’, such as Russell Square or New Scotland Yard. Along the way, lap up behind-the-scenes stories from the set.

10.  Blood and Tears walk

If you’re in the mood for something a little gristlier, then why not set a couple of hours aside one night to exploore the capital's dark side? You’ll be taken on a journey through the darker bits of the city’s past that includes visiting execution sites, learning about grave robbers and meet London's most notorious murderers as you wander from Barbican to Holborn. Unsurprisingly, a few details in this one are a little ghastly, so it's very much open to ages 12+ only (plus the 7pm start is past the little ’uns bedtimes).

11.  Greenwich highlights half-day walking tour

Perhaps no London borough is quite so distinctive singular as maritime Greenwich, and this fun and educational half-day tour comes highly recommended. All the major venues are on the walk, including the Royal Observatory, National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark, Old Royal Naval College, Queen’s House and Greenwich Market. Put on your comfiest boots and join your knowledgeable guide to experience the majesty of Britain’s naval zenith and meet the spot where Thor had a fight with Christopher Eccleston in ‘The Dark World’. This tour is led in small groups, so there’ll be no pushing or shoving. 

12.  Jack the Ripper tour with fish and chips

No name gets shivers running down the spine quite like Jack the Ripper, the infamous, never caught serial killer who terrorised the foggy streets of late Victorian London. See the sinister side of the city as you follow the blood-soaked footsteps of Jack and Sweeney Todd, wandering down gas-lit alleyways on a very spooky walking tour of London. Arriving at each scary spot by coach, your guide will dish out shocking true-life details about these infamous London murderers. Get goosebumps at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the most haunted theatre in the city, and hear stories of the Ripper’s East End. Then polish the night off in style with a fish supper at a traditional East End boozer.

13.  Bowl of Chalk walking tours

The name? It's Cockney rhyming slang for 'walk'! So that’s 'Walk walking tours’, which admittedly doesn’t have quite the same ring. Maybe don’t quibble about that to Jonnie, the born-and-bred Londoner with a passion for taking people on walks around the city and sharing some of its secrets. His weekend tours are fun, laidback and – best of all for the budget conscious– delivered on a 'pay what you can' basis. Private weekday tours can be booked too: take a look on the website for further details.

14.  Unseen Tours

These alternative, extremely worthwhile tours are run by The Sock Mob, a social enterprise that works with homeless, ex-homeless or vulnerably housed people. And the guides who lead the four different tours of four very different bits of London – that’s Covent Garden, London Bridge, Soho and Brick Lane – have all experienced homelessness at some time in their lives. This absolutely doesn’t mean the tours are gruelling misery porn that dwells on the hardship of the guides’ lives – far from it! Actually they're fun, laidback journeys through each area's local history, with a few important details about social injustice thrown in too.

15.  East End street art walking tour

If you’re a Londoner, there’s a decent chance that you’re not so bothered about the historical side of walking tours. After all, you’re up to speed. You know it all. So here’s the chance to get to know a very different side to the capital. This two-hour tour takes attendees through the street art of the East End, wandering through alleys and markets and telling the stories of artworks through the artists that made them. Learn whose tags are whose and discover the history and meaning behind the art adorning the walls of this historic district.

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East London Tours

Charnowalks east london tours.

My guided walking tours in the East End of London are authentic – I’ve lived my whole life in Bethnal Green! The East London tours I’ve created so far are listed alphabetically below. Please click on the picture to get a more detailed description of each tour. (This will open in a new window.)

Please click HERE to go to the Schedule: it will tell you what tours are on offer at this time, and will you give links to follow in order to book your place.

All East London tours can be booked as a private tour: please contact me for details!

The Nichol slum 1889

THE BATTLE FOR BETHNAL GREEN

As London expanded in the nineteenth century to become the world’s biggest metropolis, it absorbed many small communities. This new urban context brought many challenges to these areas: housing for the huge influx of people, health issues caused by overcrowding and poor (and often non-existent) sanitation.

This tour explores how Bethnal Green faced those challenges; in many ways it continues to face the challenges of the urban context.

George Orwell 1940

BETHNAL GREEN IN SO MANY WORDS

This is a tour with readings. Through the words of authors such as Iain Sinclair, Arthur Morrison and Monica Ali, Bethnal Green is revealed. Most famously George Orwell used his experiences in Bethnal Green when writing one of the twentieth century’s most important novels.

The works selected range from 1896 to 2003 and include a fight scene at the very railway footbridge where it was set.

A Jamaica Plantation 1820

TO BLACKWALL AND BEYOND

The West India and East India Docks brought a new dimension to London’s maritime trade, ushering in the development which would make London the world’s biggest port. But what of the maritime hamlets of Poplar and Blackwall themselves?

This tour begins with the West India Docks, a marvel of public provision built on the back of slavery, and concludes in Blackwall, an ancient maritime settlement from which voyages once set out to reach the ends of the earth.

Neville Chamberlain leaves Berchtesgaden

BLITZ AND BEYOND IN BETHNAL GREEN

The East End was devastated by the Second World War, but the hardships of the Home Front weren’t the only impact on the area. Post-War development sought to create a brand new London, one which turned its back on the past and looked only to the future.

This tour explores the effect on Bethnal Green of wartime struggles and post-War ambitions, as well as the pre- and post-war political context. It’s a story of resilience and of disaster, of the darker and brighter sides of human nature.

One Canada Square

THE CHANGELING CANARY WHARF

In 1988 work began on the Canary Wharf development. This newly-designated enterprise zone was to become an extension of the City of London, given over strictly to business. But since then the nature of development has given rise to new imperatives.

This tour explores an area which is as much an art space and a focus of ecological diversity as it is a place of business.

William Cubitt

CUBITT WAKES THE ISLE OF DOGS

In 1842, with Euston Station and Covent Garden Market to his credit, William Cubitt undertook to develop the land on the southeast of the Isle of Dogs. It was a considerable project which required and exceptional developer, and was to bring the Island to new life.

Though much of Cubitt Town has been lost to post-War development, this tour takes in most of the surviving buildings to tell a curious story of successes and failures.

Boundary Street 1890

THE DARK SIDE OF THE GREEN

Bethnal Green is an old parish, and old sins cast long shadows. Why should you think twice before accepting a drink from John Bishop and Thomas Williams? Or before letting the Reverend Benjamin Russen teach your daughter? And just what did happen at the Bluecoat Boy in 1911, and at the Carpenters’ Arms in 1965?

These stories of crimes and misdeeds in Bethnal Green span the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

1868 – Aboriginal Cricket Team

EAST END SECRETS

So many clues get overlooked, though they are in plain sight and are passed by crowds of people everyday. That gateway could be a railway station or a cemetery; was that building a workhouse or an asylum? So many stories wait behind sometimes the smallest of details. They remind us that we are living in just one chapter of an ongoing narrative.

This tour takes in two very different settlements – Mile End Old Town and Bethnal Green – and gives tongue to the mute clues which tell of their pedigrees.

Weavers Cottages, Bethnal Green

HUGUENOTS AND OTHER WEAVERS

Once the East End was dominated by the silk weaving trade. Irish and French immigrants joined local craftsmen in producing silk cloth from hand looms in purpose-built weavers’ cottages. But competition combined with bad pay and conditions to bring about poverty and direct action.

This tour moves from Bethnal Green to Spitalfields and takes in weavers’ cottages and Georgian townhouses. We see the site of an armed confrontation, and two of the oldest shopfronts in London.

Coffea Arabica

MILLENNIALS IN THE MARKETPLACE

When the hipster came to town, suddenly to be un-hip was to be hipper than hip. The rejection of fashion norms became a fashion choice in itself. But it has also provided the impetus for a new air of creativity, and the means for creatives to thrive.

This tour takes us from Shoreditch and through Bethnal Green and Spitalfields to experience the new creative economy.

Site of the Marr Murders

PETER ACKROYD’S MONSTROUS EAST END

Starting out from Limehouse, this tour evokes the monsters created by Peter Ackroyd in his depictions of the East End riverside. We encounter the Architect, Frankenstein’s Monster, and of course the Limehouse Golem.

The tour features readings from three of Ackroyd’s novels, and from Limehouse we pass through Ratcliffe to finish in Shadwell.

Samuel Barnett – Pioneer Philanthropist

REACHING INTO THE ABYSS

With the nineteenth century development of London, new pressures were brought to bear on the already crowded areas of Whitechapel and Spitalfields. Very soon poverty and disease were turning this area into an alien territory of suffering and vice.

This tour sees how Victorian London reached out to the dark shadow clinging to the north-eastern corner of the City. We see wash houses, refuges and soup kitchens, as well as the evidence of slum clearance and educational outreach.

The ‘Dear Boss’ Letter

THE RIPPER ENIGMA

So deeply have the Ripper Murders touched our collective imaginations that they have passed into London folklore, but what actually happened between August and November 1888? And why do the murders grip us still?

This is no grim sideshow of a tour; rather it explores the five murders within their social context. Also we explore the public perception, and issues that arise from the murderer’s peculiar signature.

St Katharine and London Docks 1882

TIDEMARKS FROM THE POOL

Once maritime trade brought a vivid and exotic life to the riverside areas of the East End. Though in the 1970s this flood tide of trade ebbed downriver to Tilbury Docks, it left behind a wealth of heritage. These are the tidemarks which remind us of those exciting times when the world came to London.

From St Katharine’s to Shadwell this tour explores the Port of London and the experiences of the merchant seaman ashore. It conjures up the vibrancy of the riverside East End.

St George’s Lutheran Church, Alie Street

TRACES OF IMMIGRATION

Many groups have found either safety or hope in London. Over the centuries London has welcomed waves of immigration. But the East End has seen perhaps more racial and cultural variety than any other area of London.

From Aldgate to Bishopsgate this tour traces some of the various immigrant groups who’ve come to the East End. We consider their reasons for coming, and .

All pictures sourced from Wikimedia Commons, except St Anne Limehouse (detail) © 2018 Alan Tucker and One Canada Square and Weavers Cottages in Bethnal Green © 2020 David Charnick

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East End Walks Bringing London's radical history to life

• About your guide
• – Stories of the streets: Radical Hackney 1790s-1990s
• Battleground Brick Lane 1970s
• Life on the Boundary: Housing, poverty and resistance in Shoreditch and Bethnal Green
• People’s Power in Bermondsey
• Radicals, Rebels and Rioters in the Fleet Street precinct
• Rebel Women and Men of Poplar
• Stirrings from the South: The Battersea 4
• The Russian Revolution and the East End
• Anti-Fascist Footprints
• The Radical Jewish East End
• Activists, Militants and Pioneers: Women of the Radical Jewish East End
• The Spark of Rebellion
• East End combo walk
• No Gods No Masters:
• Visionaries, Rebels and Dissenters: A walk through Islington’s radical history
• Fighters for Equality
• Testimonials
• Booking and Schedule
• Buy David’s book – Rebel Footprints – second edition!
• Buy David’s book – Battle for the East End
• David’s Courses
• East End Calendar
• East End Timeline

Tours through radical times and places

Additional walks highlight the people and movements beyond the East End who played such an important part in campaigning for radical change north and south of the River Thames

“Your walk was interesting, instructive, moving and funny! Every lover of London and every lover of freedom should take it.” Prof. Carlotta Fontana – Milan, Italy

Who? Your  East End walks guide is David Rosenberg. Find out about David’s experience and expertise here .

What do the tours cover? They are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the fight for better lives for all. Find out about the tours here .

When? To find out when the next walk is taking place, click here .

Are the walks accessible? All the walks are accessible for people using wheelchairs/mobility scooters

He is also the author of Rebel Footprints: a a guide to uncovering London’s Radical history which has just published a second edition (with a foreword by Ash Sarkar, Pluto Press, 2019). To find out about the book or purchase a copy, click here

Newest Walk

Stories from the Streets: Radical Hackney 1790s-1990s Information here . Booking here

East End Walks is part of the “History From Below” international network of historian-activists, artists and agitators: https://www.facebook.com/history.from.below.net/

“Many thanks for the wonderful walk experience last Sunday. It was so informative, engaging and inspirational.”  Burçe C (north London)

Take a look at eastendwalks on Facebook:  facebook . com/eastendwalks

Thanks to the People’s History Museum for the website banner photo from the Battle of Cable Street on October 4th 1936.

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Kray Walking Tour of East London: 7 Free Spots You Can See Today

London’s East End had a few significant monsters in the last few centuries: the Ratcliffe Highway murders, Jack the Ripper, and the Kray twins. All were bloody, all were brutal, and all were notorious. But the Kray twins strangely leave a legacy more like Robin Hood than the bogeyman.

Come along on a free Kray walking tour of all the East London haunts notorious because of the Kray twins – the most famous london gangsters of all time.

Kray Walking Tour: Follow Along on My Map

Take a Kray walking tour with me through Bethnal Green, now part of the London borough of Tower Hamlets. At the time of the Kray twins, this area was comprised of Bethnal Green, Poplar and Stepney, and collectively is East London .

We’re near Jack the Ripper territory here but just a bit further north and east. The Krays and the East End are synonymous, and there are still places and people here who remember them fondly, and some who remember them as monsters.

The Kray Twins: East London’s Most Notorious Residents

Ronnie and Reggie Kray were famous London gangsters in 1950s and 1960s. They grew up in Bethnal Green, and went on to run a criminal empire that included protection rackets, gambling, armed robbery…and even murder. The Krays were known for their brutal violence and were feared by both their rivals and those who worked for them.

Despite their criminal activities, the Krays had a certain level of charm and charisma that made them popular with some members of the public, particularly those from working-class backgrounds. The legend of the Krays lives on in pop culture and in the streets we’re about to walk down.

1. Kray Walking Tour Stop 1: The Blind Beggar Pub

We’re beginning our Kray walking tour where their gangland empire effectively ended: The Blind Beggar Pub on Whitechapel Road.

On the 9th of March, 1966, George Cornell, member of the Kray’s biggest rival gang the Richardsons, was drinking in the Blind Beggar. Ronnie Kray and his associate Ian Barrie walked in and confronted the man in a verbal altercation. Barrie fired two warning shots into the ceiling, then Ronnie pulled out his gun and shot Cornell in the head. He died later in hospital. 

The beef supposedly started when Cornell called Ronnie a homophobic slur. Ronnie was, in fact, gay, but not ashamed of it. Everyone knew, and he didn’t try to hide it. And he wouldn’t abide anyone bashing him or his lifestyle.

In the years that followed the murder, it took police a long time to get witnesses to testify against the Krays. Eventually some witnesses caved, though, including the barmaid that day. Ronnie was sentenced at The Old Bailey in 1969 to life in prison. He died in 1995 while still incarcerated.

Rumor is you can still see those original bullet holes, though it’s unclear if they’re the real deal or reproductions. At any rate, it’s a hauntingly good pub with a dark past. Let’s not glorify the Krays over a pint here. Instead, remember the life of George Cornell who, no matter what he was up to, didn’t deserve to die. He left behind a family, who didn’t deserve this heartache either.

2. Kray Walking Tour Stop 2: The Repton Boys Boxing Club

The Kray twins, like many lads growing up in the East End, were keen boxers and trained here. Once they began their criminal empire, they supported the club with financial donations, and even today some Kray merchandise goes to support the club. 

The building was originally a Victorian Bath House, as you can see in the stone work, but opened as a youth and boxing club in 1884, making it the oldest and first boxing club in London. The murder of Ginger Marks by Kray associate Freddie Foreman took place outside the club in 1965.

</div> Learn More About the Kray Twins (affiliate links)

3. Kray Walking Tour Stop 3: The Carpenters Arms, Cheshire Street

In 1963, the Kray twins purchased this pub as a gift for their mother Violet. Violet loved this pub, and would hold court on weekends to all of the twins’ friends and associates, as well as her old East End pals. 

The previous owners of the pub claimed that the twins used an old coffin lid as a bar top, though it’s unclear if it’s still in use today. Google says the pub is temporarily closed and it was when I walked by; check before you head for a pint.

4. Kray Walking Tour Stop 4: William Davis Primary School

The Kray twins attended primary school here when it was Wood Close School. The boys were known to get into schoolyard scraps, so it was suggested they start boxing. There are supposedly bullet holes from the murder of Ginger Marks near the school sign on Cheshire street, but I couldn’t locate them when I visited.

5. Kray Walking Tour Stop 5: The Kray’s Childhood Home, Vallance Road

The Kray family lived at 178 Vallance Road, also called “Fort Vallance” by friends and associated. Charles and Violet Kray moved their family to this address when the twins were 5, and the couple later moved to Braithwaite House in Islington ( also on my map ) when the twins were grown. The original terraced houses were torn down and replaced by this block of flats in the 1980s.

Reggie later wrote of his time at the house in his autobiography Born Fighter : “ Number 178 was a lucky old house. It had a big oak door with a large knocker, and the people used to call it ‘Fort Vallance.’ It was a terraced house with a toilet out in the yard. Ron and I used to love the kitchen. We had a big coal fire and we used to sit around it while our mother used to be doing the ironing or making pots of stew or cups of tea. ”

This is a private residence. Please be respectful and mindful of privacy.

6. Kray Walking Tour Stop 6: E. Pellicci

The Krays met for breakfast daily in this Bethnal Green greasy spoon to go over accounts and give orders to their associates. Scenes from the Tom Hardy film Legend were also shot on location here, though in the film the green awnings are gone.

Reggie Kray later wrote in East End Stories : “ A memory popped into my head of sitting in Pellicci’s Cafe on the Bethnal Green Road savouring a coffee and talking to good friends. Does the cafe, which has been there since the turn of the century, still open its doors every day? Does pencil-moustache Nevis Pellicci still bustle around shouting orders trough to his wife Maria, or Mama as she was known? That place served the best food outside of your own mothers kitchen and it still makes my mouth water at the thought. “

7. Kray Walking Tour Stop 7: St Matthew’s Church, St. Matthew’s Row

We end our Kray walking tour where the Krays ended. All three Kray brothers had their funerals here in this 1743 church: Ronnie Kray in 1995, Reggie Kray in 2000, and Charlie Kray (their older brother) also in 2000.

Each time mourners lined Cheshire Street and the processions went all the way through the East End. Google Kray funeral photos and you’ll see how beloved they were to their community. However, the Krays are not buried here, but at Chingford Mount Cemetery in Waltham.

Remembering the Kray Twins: Fear and Fame

The Kray twins leave a strange legacy, both as notorious murderers who would deck you if you looked at them, but also as gentlemen, who would pay the tab for all the little old ladies dining at Pellicci’s. They weren’t Robin Hoods, but they didn’t go down as pure evil, either.

Kray Walking Tour: Final Thoughts

I hope you learned a lot about these East End haunts on my Kray walking tour. These were men who caused a lot of terror and heartache: they killed people, they maimed people, they ruined lives. But they are also still held in high regard around these parts, and those who remember them recall both that fear and the fawning.

It’s an odd legacy, and a fascinating one. There’s a news story here from after their deaths that explores their fame in the East End.

Sources on the Kray Twins (may contain affiliate links):

More on Crime in London

London Serial Killers: 11 Documentaries on YouTube to Watch Now

What’s the Oldest Pub in London? 13 Curious Contenders 

Gross Jobs in the 1800s: 10 Dirty and Dangerous Victorian Jobs

Bricks to Burberry: The 7 Worst Areas in London that are Now Super Posh

10 Ghastly Royal Deaths and What Happened to Their Corpses 

London Charterhouse Square: Are There 50,000 Bodies Buried in this Lovely Garden?

Temple Bar London: Why did this London City Gate Sport Rotting Heads on Top?

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Self-Guided Walking Tour London

Although we do offer several fully guided free walking tours in London, they run on a somewhat regular schedule, which means you might not always be able to join us.

That's why we compiled this list of free self-guided London walks, including self-guided food and theme tours, such as Harry Potter film locations.

We've broken up these tours into the following categories.

• Neighbourhood
• Themed Tours
• GPS-Guided Audio Tours
• Other Free Things to Do in London

And if you are considering a London hop-on-hop-off bus tour, then these self-guided tours will come in handy when you are off the bus. Read our reviews of the best London bus tours .

For more ways to save money, check out our London on a Budget Guide .

Self-Guided Neighbourhood Walking Tours

Though we love showing guests around London, we realize that not everyone has the time to take a guided walking tour.

If our tour schedule doesn't work for you, or if you would rather explore on your own, then take advantage of our totally free self-guided tours!

Self-Guided City of London Tour

This tour takes you through Old London. Classic sites include St Paul's Cathedral, London Bridge, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.

You can even watch a condensed virtual version of this tour right now.

Click on the map to enlarge it or download it to a smartphone

We also have a GPS-enabled audio tour version  (sample below) and a pay-what-you-wish live guided tour option . 

Royal London Self-Guided Walking Tour

You can't leave London without seeing many of the sites included in this list.

Some of our favorites are Buckingham Palace, St. James' Palace, Big Ben, Parliament, and Trafalgar Square. 

Click on the map to enlarge it or download it to a smartphone .

We also offer a pay-what-you-like live-guided Royal London Tour option  as well as a GPS-enabled audio tour version .

Camden Town

Once known as the Rock n' Roll capital of the world, Camden Town is now a popular tourist destination offering many great things to do.

This is a self-guided tour to show the visitor some of the many interesting things to see in Camden Town London.

Piccadilly and St. James Walking Tour

One of the most popular touristic areas located in London's West End, this self-guided tour will cover places like Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

We also offer two guided walks that correspond to this self-guided tour, our guided tour of Soho and our Rock N Roll London Tour . 

River Thames Self-Guided Walking Tour

The best tour for photography enthusiasts!

This picturesque tour takes you along the River Thames to see sites such as the Millennium Bridge, London Eye, and Shakespeare Globe Theatre.

This tour is a great option for an evening walk. In fact, we offer this as a guided tour , usually from April through October.

And check out our audio tour version. Here's a sample.

Be sure to check out our guide to things to do at night in London for even more ideas for nighttime activities.

Self-Guided Royal Borough of Greenwich Walking Tour

Enjoy a leisurely walk through this posh neighborhood that will take you to sites like Greenwich Park, the Queen's House, and the Trafalgar.

A great way to get to Greenwich is by boat cruise .

Hyde Park and Kensington Walking Tour

This will take you through beautiful Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, past a posh royal palace and picturesque art galleries and museums.

SELF-GUIDED THEMED TOURS

In this section, we list several tours based on individuals, bands, movies, or ghosts.

Harry Potter Self-Guided Walking Tour

Dive into the magical world of Harry Potter!

This particular tour will focus on film sites in the northern part of London, such as Leadenhall, Australia House, Platform 9 3/4 as well as many other famous sights.  

Click on the map to enlarge or download to a smartphone

We also offer a guided Harry Potter Tour  as well as a GPS-enabled audio tour version .

Guide to Beatles in London  

Although John, Paul, George, and Ringo hailed from Liverpool, there are plenty of London landmarks for Beatles-lovers to get their fix.

From recording studios to concert venues, shops to roof-top performances, London is filled with hot-spots for fans of the Fab Four. 

There are many guided tours of Beatles sites with live tour guides and other fans. We offer a twice-weekly Rock N Roll London guided tour.

We also have a post on how to get to the Abbey Road Crosswalk .

Self-Guided Walking Tour of Jack the Ripper Sites  

Try your hand at solving one of the most famous unsolved murder cases in history.

Our Jack the Ripper tour guides you through the area of London where the felon committed his most notorious crimes.

We've even included a photo from that era to give you a sense of how the city looked.  

We also offer a live-guided option for Jack the Ripper  as well as a GPS-enabled audio tour version .

Downton Abbey London Sights  

Downton Abbey exploded onto our screens in 2010 and people from all over the world watched the lives and exploits of the Crowley Family and all the characters surrounding them.

Although Downton Abbey has finished airing, it’s still as popular as ever.

For visitors who have traveled to the U.K. hoping to see some Downton Abbey locations and inspirations, here is our helpful guide to London’s Downton Abbey connections! 

Roman London Walking Tour  

Get a better sense of just how powerful the Roman Empire once was with this tour.

Sites include the Temple of Mithras and a piece of the Roman Wall, which dates back 2,000 years.

James Bond Tour  

Use your feet and the London Underground to visit sights related to James Bond in London.

You'll see a variety of historic sites such as Somerset, Buckingham Palace, and Whitehall, and you'll learn all about their connections to the character.

Literary Walking Tour - Hampstead Heath  

Hampstead was the birthplace of big names in the literary industry.

Hampstead is considered one of the more beautiful London boroughs and it is full of places for true literature lovers to explore.

Jimi Hendrix Sights  

London was an important city for this American rock legend. We offer a twice-weekly Rock N Roll London guided tour.

David Bowie Sights  

Born in London, David Bowie left an indelible mark on this city. We offer a twice-weekly Rock N Roll London guided tour.

London Ghost Tour  

Only for those bold enough to take a ghost tour on their own! Want some company? Join us for a guided ghost tour of London.

Wizards of London Game

This self-guided walking tour london app puts you in the shoes of a wizard to solve a mystery while discovering some of the most notable sites in the city.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Questo Experiences (@questoapp)

Haunted London Game

Discover the more frightening side of London's history as you attempt to solve a mystery during this haunted self-guided exploration game.

Queen: The Quest Must Go On Game

Fans of the band Queen may want to consider taking part in this self-guided exploration game which will task them with solving a mystery based on their music.

Get a taste of London with our free self-guided food tour: 

East London Food Tour  

It is possible to eat from any of the world’s cuisines when you are in the East End of London, but here is a small DIY tour that will have you sampling some of the best the East End has to offer those with a hunger for delicious food.  

Be sure to check out our pay-what-you-wish  tour guide led version  (watch video above).

Soho, Chinatown, and Piccadilly Food Tour  

Explore culturally and culinarily diverse neighborhoods of Soho, Chinatown, and Piccadilly.

We've curated a list of the best restaurants in the area to give you a real taste of London!

Exmouth Market Food Tour

Venture out to Exmouth Market, the “real” London that's tucked just far enough away from other touristy parts with the best street food that London has to offer.

Covent Garden Food Tour  

Try out the culinary delights in one of London's liveliest neighborhoods in the West End.

Borough Market

Discover the best eats you can find in Borough Market and get some ideas for what types of food you might want to get here. 

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East End of London Walking Tour

The  East End of London Walking Tour  explores some of the most vibrant and rejuvenated parts of London.

Historically the poorer part of London, this was where immigrants first settled. Hear about the different waves of immigrants from the  French Protestant Huguenots  to the  Ashkenazi Jews  to the current  Sylhet Bangladeshis .

The East End though has been  totally transformed  over the last 30 years. Now brimming with independent coffee shops, advertising agencies and boutique hotels, the East End is home to an ever growing number of creative and style conscious businesses and residents.

Explore the vibrant street art scene, bustling street markets and uber-trendy boutiques. This is a part of town for the young and  young at heart .

The itinerary for the East End of London Walking Tour would include:

• Spitalfields Market – a vibrant covered market with different stalls each day
• Brick Lane – home to a thousand curry houses as well as the best Beigels in England
• Jack the Ripper locations – his victims were murdered in the overcrowded East End
• Street art of Shoreditch (multiple locations) – best street art in England

Up to 4 hour

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Origin & history - Future passive participle of mīrō, Participle is which is to be wondered or marvelled at.

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Street art in brick lane, london: a self-guided walking tour.

Discover London’s alternative art scene with this guide to street art in Brick Lane

Perhaps you are visiting London and have been dazzled by the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London , wowed by the British Museum’s vast collection and have paid your respects to the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Where next?

Why not venture east to  Brick Lane  and see a very different side of the city and one of  London’s highlights ?

But Brick Lane wasn’t always the visitor magnet it is nowadays.

An ex-colleague who lived in the area when he first moved to London tells of evading muggers on its rubbish-strewn, rodent-riddled streets. Twenty-odd years later, it is booming with chic cafes, curry houses, vintage clothes shops and cutting-edge art galleries.

Brick Lane is also the epicentre of street art in London.

Building walls, hoardings, doors and shop shutters form the canvas for frequently changing artworks .  These creations assume many forms, from massive murals to small paintings to stickers and posters.

Some articles on this website contain affiliate links. This means that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases . Read the full disclosure here .

Exploring Street Art in Brick Lane: A Self-Guided Walking Tour

As East London is so rich in street art, it can be difficult to know where to start.

This Brick Lane walking tour, which focuses on streets that are artistic hotspots, should take you around  two hours . Exactly how much time you spend depends on how much exploring you decide to do and if you stop in one of the area’s many cafes.

It starts at  Old Street station  and finishes at  Aldgate East station . For help with getting around London, head to the  Transport for London  website.

Where is the Best Street Art in Brick Lane? A Walking Tour Map

As the artworks are ever-changing, don’t expect to find all of the art featured here when you visit. Hoardings are torn down, artists come and artists go.

But part of the fun is making exciting new finds.

Rivington Street

From  Old Street station , take exit 2 and walk a few minutes along Old Street, towards Shoreditch. Then turn left into  Rivington Street .

Although there is plenty of street art to admire along Rivington Street, the star turn is a  Banksy  just inside the Cargo beer garden.

Sclater Street

When you reach the end of Rivington Street, turn right onto  Shoreditch High Street  and continue along this main road until you reach  Bethnal Green Road . Here you turn left and then bear right into  Sclater Street .

Pass by the cool Rebel Alliance Motorcycle Company, and take in the artwork until you reach  Brick Lane .

Take a slight detour by turning left into Brick Lane to reach the  24-hour bagel shops  at this end of the street. These are a testament to the once-thriving Jewish community who arrived here in the late 19th Century.

Make sure you pick up a freshly made filled bagel.  At £2 for a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, it is likely to be the cheapest lunch you will have in London.

Grimsby Street

Munching on your fresh bagel, walk back along Brick Lane for three or four minutes and then turn left into  Grimsby Street . Continue along this street, admiring the art as you walk, until it you reach  Cheshire Street . Then turn left to head back to Brick Lane.

Hanbury Street

Continue along Brick Lane until you reach  Hanbury Street  on your left. Once associated with the murders of Jack the Ripper, this is now one of the top spots for street art in Brick Lane.

The well-known large Pelican mural by ROA has been there since 2010. If you are ready for a cup of coffee by this stage, I recommend  The Canvas Cafe  on this street

Princelet Street

Heading back onto Brick Lane,  Princelet Street  is your next street on the left. Take a look down here for further artwork.

Seven Stars Car Park

When you are finished in Princelet Street, continue along Brick Lane and you will reach an alleyway on your right-hand side that will take you into the  Star Yard car park . This is one of the top locations for street art in Brick Lane, attracting the very best artists and with a high turnover of content.

Fashion Street

Retracing your steps, continue along Brick Lane until you reach  Fashion Street  on your right-hand side.

Once home to some of London’s worst slums, this road connects Brick Lane and Commercial Street. Nowadays, it is home to vibrant street art.

You have now reached the end of your Brick Lane street art walking tour. At the end of Fashion Street, turn left and continue along Commercial Street until you reach Aldgate East station.

Guided Brick Lane Street Art Tours

Although I did my own thing, guided Brick Lane street art tours are available and are, reportedly, excellent.

The advantage of going on an organised Brick Lane street art walking tour is the insight that the guide can provide. This can make the difference between viewing a vibrant piece of art and learning more about what the artwork means.

>>> BOOK YOUR LONDON EAST END STREET ART TOUR HERE

Discover Your Own Brick Lane Street Art

Finally, don’t be afraid to go off-piste.

These places and pieces of art that I have mentioned aren’t the only kids on the block. Dive down some of the surrounding streets and keep your eyes peeled for hidden gems.

About Bridget

Bridget Coleman is a Londoner who has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.

Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.

To get in touch, email her at [email protected] or follow her on social media.

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15 Best Walking Tours in London

By Julia Buckley

London is full of history. Not that you’d necessarily know it; royal palaces and top-tier museums aside, it tends to be coy about its past. Between the shapely skyscrapers of the City of London—the business area—are churches that predate the Great Fire of London; the hipster East End was once home to immigrants that changed the country’s history.

But this isn’t a city stuck in aspic; it’s making history, too. A new breed of walking tours in London will show you a different side, whether the street artists who are making waves on the ground, or the people crafting the food and drinks of the future U.K. food scene.

There are common tours aplenty, too, but what London excels in is small-scale walking tours, done as a passion by the founders. From a lesson in black history to musicians, the emphasis on social history is strong. Lace up those sneakers—here are 15 of the best walking tours in London for your next visit.

Tales of Plague Arrow

Look for the man holding the rat (yes, rat) on the stick near Tower Hill Tube station when meeting up with your tour group, which spans anywhere between 4 and 25 people. The walk—about two miles over the course of two hours—is professional but fun, and there's not just a guide but an actor, too, who jumps in for various scenes. Booking is highly recommended, but last-minute arrivals are also possible (as long as the tour is running).

London Fire Walk Arrow

You'll meet at Monument—not the Tube station, but the Monument to the Great Fire of London the station takes its name from. This is a lovely, relaxed tour with David Steer, who calls the project his "baby." It's all on foot—two miles in two hours—and advance reservations are essential.

Jermyn Street Fashion Walk Arrow

A seriously professional private tour, curated to your preferences. They recommend groups no larger than eight, and it's all done on foot. Art History UK has a pool of 15 guides, four of whom lead the Jermyn Street walk. Most have a background of art or history, combined with fashion, and one even trained as a tailor.

Mayfair: A Spy's Guide Arrow

Detour is a revolutionary app that provides walking tours, narrated by real experts, on your phone, guided by GPS. One of 15 walks in London, this one is narrated by Annie Machon, a former MI5 operative (read: U.K. spy). The joy of it being app-based is that you can do it at any time you wish, although ideal times are noted on the app for each tour.

Arati Menon

Hannah Towey

Maya Silver

Historic Pubs, Food & Beer Tour Arrow

Think of this as a walk with friends rather than a tour (groups are capped at 12). You meet at a prime selfie spot—at Rotherhithe, overlooking the Thames—then catch the Overground to Wapping to hit the pubs. By reservation only. Five of London's most historic pubs in four hours is a blessed kind of endurance task.

Tour for Muggles Arrow

This is as delightfully bonkers as England gets. The tour starts near London Bridge Tube station and moves on to locations used in the Harry Potter films (and a couple of book locations). There's one Tube ride (London Bridge to Westminster) but otherwise it's all on foot, and a fair amount of ground is covered in 2.5 hours. Groups are capped to 20 and run the gamut from families to millennials, and even pensioners.

London Urban Adventures: Soho Historic Pubs Tour Arrow

This isn't the raucous gathering you'd expect—guests are there for the history of Soho as much as for the pubs. The two founders and guides (they will be taking on co-workers in 2018) are very knowledgeable about Soho—one was an archeologist before he took this up—and their enthusiasm shows. Rather than deliver a script to a set itinerary, they switch up their stops, tailoring the pubs they stop at to the group's interest.

Shoreditch Street Art Tours Arrow

An insider's guide to the London street art scene, with groups led by photographer and writer David Stewart who's been part of the scene for 15 years. It's all on foot, and takes 3.5 hours with a break in the middle. David is ingrained in the scene—and he'll take you past everything from Banksy works to stickers stuck on lampposts.

Walk Eat Talk Eat Arrow

The three guides who do this tour come from different backgrounds spanning writing, acting, and comedy, but all have a passion for London and know the area well. There's a set itinerary, but the guides tailor their talks to their own interests—and those of the group, of course. Forget Borough Market—this tour takes you to in-the-know places you won't have heard of, like Maltby Street Market and Jensen's Gin Distillery in Bermondsey.

SideStory Travel: The Actor's Stage Arrow

This super-curated private tour is led by Michelle Butterly, an actress who's trod the boards of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. It's a private tour so Theatreland is your oyster. Everything is accessible, though you should warn beforehand if you need adjustments. Anyone who loves theater or acting will love this tour.

Black History Walks: Notting Hill Arrow

This is a fascinating, professionally run tour—one of eight Black History Walks in London (the other walks include one around St Paul's and Bank). Reservations are essential; groups meet at the nearest Tube station. The tour dives deep into the background of the Notting Hill Carnival. It's also an eye-opener into a history that's far longer than many people realize.

Undiscovered London: Camden Markets and Musical Legends Tour Arrow

This is a major tour that you can just turn up for, though reservations are preferred. Led by a guide (plus a 'busker' who accompanies the tour) groups of up to 25 meet at music venue Koko, appropriately enough. The guides—drawn from a pool of 30 who work for tour agency Undiscovered London—are mostly actors, so they're good at engaging your attention.

London Loo Tour Arrow

Fittingly, you meet at Waterloo Station, beside the public toilets. From there you walk to the West End, via various public toilets—about 1.5 miles in up to two hours. Groups are capped at 20. The tour ends at an underground bar in a former public toilet. (Drinks are discounted.) People wanting to scratch a little deeper under London's surface will love this.

East End Walks Arrow

East End Walks is a collection of 15 tours run by one man, David Rosenberg. The tours are spread out across the month, but all cover the social history of the traditionally working class area. Groups are capped at 30; you meet near the Tube station. Rosenberg, whose grandparents emigrated to the East End as children, is passionate about the area and its social history—it holds the story of the working class, which is rarely told. His enthusiasm is infectious.

Royal London Full Day Experience Arrow

Context Travel calls on up to 12 experts (mainly historians) for this private tour, and everything is customized to your requirements (you get a pre-tour questionnaire). Plus, they'll pick you up from your hotel or meet you at Westminster Abbey, you're free to take a taxi if you get tired, and guides use iPads to bring things to life. Make sure to reserve at least 48 hours ahead.

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Posted on Published: 23rd June 2023  - Last updated: 15th November 2023 Categories London Travel Tips

By: Author Julianna Barnaby

20+ Cool London Walking Tours to Help You Discover a Different Side of the City

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Looking to discover the best that London has to offer? These cool London walking tours delve below the city’s surface to offer a different perspective. 

London is vast and sprawling – to the point that it can sometimes feel unknowable. 

Sure, you can see all the city’s biggest landmarks in a couple of days, but what if you want to get beyond that? 

There’s no better way to discover London than hearing the stories surrounding the places within it – but where do you start?

Walking tours are a great way to get to know any city and London is no exception. 

Even though it’s safe to say we know the capital pretty well , we love taking walking tours to help us discover new parts of the city, or look at the places we’ve passed a thousand times with new eyes. 

From Harry Potter to the Beatles or even discovering the role different locations have played in historical events –  a London walking tour is a great way to immerse yourself in the cool, curious and sometimes peculiar world of the British capital. 

The Best London Walking Tours 

Harry potter walking tour of london .

Real talk: it’s pretty much impossible to visit London and not get swept up in Harry Potter mania . 

Whether you were the kind of kid who stayed up all night to finish the latest book before your friends, or you’re more of a casual HP fan, this tour will surely bring a smile to your dial.

After all, it’s no average Harry Potter walking tour. Sure, you could just spot a few sights as you stroll the city – but why do that when you can go totally Potter-mad?

Discover filming locations, secret spots that inspired JK Rowling and even find out what house the sorting hat puts you in. All while discovering the main highlights of London town.

Whether you’re 5 or 85, this organised walk in London is great fun.

Pick up your wand and explore the world of Harry Potter with this magical tour

Or take our very own self-guided Harry Potter walking tour…

Jack the Ripper Walking Tour of London 

So, cute ol’ Paddington Bear and the quirky London phone boxes are good at all, but you know you want to find out all about the city’s dark side.

It doesn’t get much darker than the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper, who stalked London’s streets during Victorian times.

It’s one of the world’s most famous and intriguing unsolved crimes, and this London history walk will give you a closer look.

Not only will you take in some of the grim Ripper-related sights, but the use of a small projector recreates the scenery as it was back in Victorian times.

Learn more about the grisly and gruesome tales from the East End on this Jack the Ripper tour.

Sherlock Holmes London Walking Tour 

Do you love mysteries? Do you love putting your deduction skills to the test? Or, do you just really love Benedict Cumberbatch in a deerstalker?

Whichever it is, this Sherlock Holmes tour may be perfect for you. It’s a two-hour stroll around London, checking out everything related to the city’s favourite detective.

Check out scenes referenced in the novels by Conan Doyle. Then, spot some filming locations for the recent BBC show and movie remake.

This is a great way to discover plenty of Sherlock-related sights, as well as some of London’s top landmarks.

Sleuth your way around these Holmes-related sights on the Sherlock Holmes walking tour

CityDays’ Interactive Mystery Tours of London

Sometimes what we need when we’ve got a bunch of great options to choose from is a little more choice. If following in the footsteps of Harry Potter, or learning the ins and outs of just one subject doesn’t interest you, check out CityDays’ London Walking Tours.

They’ve got heaps of choices so that you can tailor your walk to exactly what you want to do. Don’t want to walk too far? They’ve got an option for that. Feel like exploring a certain part of London? They can help with that too. 

All the coordinates will be sent straight to your phone and you’re free to go at your own pace, exploring the best of London’s pubs, cafes and sites as you walk.

Book a CityDays London Walking Tour Here

Learn more about the grisly and gruesome tales from the East End on this Jack the Ripper tour

Half Day London Food Tour 

Take it from us – the food in our city is seriously exceptional. Wandering around is akin to taking a gastronomic journey.

The problem with this journey is that it’s easy to take wrong turns with so much choice on offer. It’s always a disappointment to waste a precious meal on a sub-par London eatery.

Avoid that predicament by taking this fabulous three-hour tour around the London Bridge area.

You’ll get the chance to stop at Borough Market before heading over to a local pub, where meats, cheese, and beer are on the menu. Round off the tour with a selection of British desserts. 

It’s a great introduction to London’s food scene. Plus, if you need any more recommendations then your guide will be happy to help.

Eat and drink your way around London on this half day food tour

City of London Walking Tour 

A city within a city, The City of London is the historical centre of London and is home to some of the city’s most important landmarks. Dating all the way back to Roman times, The City has been built layer by layer by the inhabitants of the past few millennia. 

Where better to learn about the history of London than the Square Mile? 

Learn about the stories of the Black Plague and the Great Fire of London as you wend your way between the area’s small lanes and alleys.

Learn about London past and present on this City of London walking tour

London’s Historic Pubs Walking Tour 

Now, we all know London has great attractions like Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge.

But you know what we think are London’s most iconic attractions? The pubs. From gloomy old boozers to flower-laden community living rooms, we just can’t get enough of them.

One of the (only) problems with London pubs is that the city just has so many of them, it’s hard to know where to start.

Well, a great starting point is this tour. It will take you to several historic pubs over two hours, and introduce you to the fascinating stories behind them. A great way to spend an afternoon, if you ask me.

B ook a place on the historic pub walking tour

Hidden London Walking Tour 

One thing we love about London is that hidden between the mega-famous attractions is a plethora of unknown gems.

Unfortunately, many visitors to London never get to see them as they just don’t know where to look.

That’s why we love this London history tour that focuses on the city’s hidden gems. 

Pop down little laneways, spy hidden courtyards and hear about the history behind some of London’s lesser-known attractions.

You’ll cover several hundred years of history during this tour, and hear plenty of weird and wonderful tales. So pop on those walking boots and get going.

Discover the hidden side of London on this walking tour.

London Night Photography Walk 

London is an awfully photogenic city. It seems around every corner there are views waiting to be snapped and hung on your wall – or proudly posted to Instagram.

To help you get some ah-may-zing photos of the capital, we highly recommend joining a photography walk like this one.

They’ll help you master your camera (whether it’s a trusty point-and-shoot, DSLR or even an iPhone) and get some great photos. 

It’ll help you unleash your creativity so you can get some unique takes on some of the world’s most iconic locations. All in all, we reckon it’s one of the best walking tours in London.

Explore London on a photography walk of the city

London Ghost Walk 

Do you love all things spooky? Do you wait anxiously for Halloween to roll around every year ? Are you constantly on the lookout for things that go bump in the night?

If so then you’ve simply got to book yourself onto a London Ghost Walk.

Head out in pursuit of the paranormal with a group of other ghostbusters. Along the way, you’ll find out about some of London’s creepiest and spookiest sites.

Sites include a forgotten plague pit, and Old Hallows Church – home to a spooky apparition.

Yeah, it’s probably best to leave the little ones at home for this one.

Get spooked on this London Ghost Walk

London’s Dark Side Walking Tour 

After you’ve seen the famous highlights (or before, we won’t judge), you might be itching to find out more about a different side of London.

Away from the royal pomp and pageantry or the glitz and glamour of Kensington, London has a serious dark side.

We’re talking murders, executions and taxidermy – yup, all that good stuff.

If you’re strong of stomach with even a hint of morbid curiosity, then I highly recommend heading out on this London guided walk.

Discover London’s gory history on this dark side walking tour.

Roman London Walking Tour 

When you think of the Romans, chances are you probably don’t think of London. However, trust us – the Romans were in London in a big way.

Yep, long before Parliament and the Palace were in charge, the Romans founded the city of Londinium. As you might have guessed from the name, it grew to be the city we love today.

While many of the Roman’s buildings have been lost, a surprising amount are still there – if you know where to look.

Luckily, to help you with that there’s this great tour. You’ll be an expert in Roman history in no time.

Explore Roman London on this walking tour

Exploring London’s Haunted Pubs 

Just in case London’s pubs needed any more character, there are plenty of stories of hauntings and other spooky sightings.

Yep, let’s be honest – “pub ghost” is almost as important for a good drinking haunt as a loveable “pub dog”.

This tour will help you discover several of London’s most haunted hangouts. You’ll also learn about the sordid and sombre tales that led to the spooky reputation.

Just be sure to hold onto your pint if anything suddenly goes bump in the night.

Drink your way around London’s haunted hangouts on this tour

Walking Tour of London’s Filming Locations 

It’s not just us who thinks that London is a pretty awesome city. Plenty of directors have flocked to the capital to feature it in films and TV shows.

In fact, being a London local it’s hard to watch a movie without spotting some local landmarks in the background.

To find out more about London’s film appearances, you can join this fun two-hour tour. You’ll be able to spot a range of famous backdrops from films including Batman Begins, Night at the Museum, and Wonder Woman.

Get behind the scenes on this filming location walking tour

Discovering London’s Soho Walking Tour 

There’s no arguing with the fact that Soho is one of London’s absolute coolest neighbourhoods.

But it’s not all about fabulous fashion and cocktails mixed to perfection. For decades, Soho has been the heart of London’s counterculture, youth protests and LGBTQ+ scene.

Yep, Soho is a neighbourhood with soul – one that is both brave, and seriously fabulous as well.

Discover it all on this walking tour. It will introduce you to the earliest history of Soho through to the present day, thrilling you with many great stories along the way.

Delve into Soho’s salacious history on this walking tour

A Naughty Side: Discovering Unsavoury London 

When it comes to the many walking tours London boasts, they often seem a little bit tame. 

Don’t believe all the pomp and properness of London’s galleries and museums. The scandals were a-plenty in historic London, and could be found all the way through to the top of the aristocracy.

Discover it all on this cheeky and eyebrow-raising stroll through London’s most notorious neighbourhood. No pearl-clutching allowed – we’re about to lift the lid on London’s naughty London.

Get naughty on this risque walk around London

London Sightseeing Walk 

Being short on time is no excuse not to see all the highlights of the capital. This is especially so with this short, sharp and shiny tour that takes in an impressive 20 sights.

And a trip around the London Eye to boot.

In the company of a fantastic guide, you’ll be marched around London taking in all the big-ticket items. 

Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Shard, the HMS Belfast and finally the London Eye… it’s all here in one well-organised package.

Explore London’s most striking landmarks on this tour

A Royal Palaces Tour

Enjoy a whistle-stop tour of three beautiful London Palaces, two royal parks, and finish off with High Tea on this brilliant London walking tour (well, technically there’s one black cab involved).

Kensington, Buckingham, and St James Palaces await you on this Royal guided walk. Enjoy sandwiches, tea, and scones in an exclusive Kensington Gardens location while you learn more about the Royal family’s history and, perhaps more importantly, why the British flippin’ love tea.

Explore London’s Palaces on this tour

London Cheese Tour

Are you a turophile? If, like us, you’re a little bit cheese-obsessed, why not take one of the best walking tours London has to offer.

With the help of a handy guide, you’ll be shown the best cheese spots in the capital. Rich stilton, classic British cheddar, and even an Italian “drunk cheese” pops up along the way.

The best part? This tour features samples galore – from the shop where Winston Churchill bought his cheese to the iconic Fortnum & Mason department store. You’ll also be able to test your dairy knowledge with a fun pop quiz on everything to do with cheese.

Say Cheese! On this foodie tour

Kensington Palace Gardens Tour with Royal High Tea

Fancy living the life of a royal? Well you can have a taste of just that for a few delightful hours on this tour of Kensington Palace Gardens. 

The tour takes you for a stroll through the beautiful gardens, filling you in on the royal history that surrounds them. You’ll take in sites like the statue of Princess Dianna and then finish up with high tea at the Kensington Palace Pavilion. 

There are options for sparkling wines in the pavilion if you really want to live it up. Why not treat yourself?

Live like a king on this Kensington Palace Gardens tour

British Museum Walking Tour 

One of London’s great attractions is its museums and they don’t come much greater than the British Museum. It’s undoubtedly one of the most interesting spots for any history buff to take a look around. 

The only issue is that there’s so much stuff. How can you take all that information in? Well having a tour guide explain it for you might help. 

That’s how it works on this guided tour of the artefacts. It takes you through a one-and-a-half hour spin of the best of the Roman, Greek and Egyptian worlds dropping gems of knowledge as you go. 

Discover the ancient world with this guided tour of the British Museum

The Beatles Walking Tour 

The band needs no introduction – they’re only the greatest rock ‘n’ rollers of all time. They also happened to spend a lot of time in our nation’s fair capital. 

With this tour you’ll be able to hit all the major sites. You’ll be in good hands too. It’s led by Richard Porter, author of Guide to the Beatles London. 

He’ll take you to Abbey Road where you can snap a pick on the crossing, round the houses of Ringo and Lennon, and help you recreate the opening scenes of A Hard Day’s Night. 

Beat the Beatle mania on this London tour

Go Behind the Scenes at Wembley Stadium 

Any football fans among you? If so they’re sure to love a look at Wembley Stadium’s inner workings. 

This guided, behind-the-scenes tour will take you through the locations that so many of football’s great players have been. You’ll walk the player’s tunnel, check out the press rooms and the trophy winner’s podiums.

You can even have a nosey around the Royal Box. 

Take an access-all-areas tour of Wembley Stadium

Practical Tips for Booking a London Walking Tour 

Free london walking tour vs paid tour .

Another option that you might have seen is the so-called free walking tours of London. If you’ve travelled around much of Europe, then chances are you’re familiar with how these work – you turn up, go on a tour, and tip what you think is fair at the end. 

These can be great fun if you’re on a budget, however, there are a few downsides: namely that they tend to be really crowded, and often they give a more light-hearted overview. 

We recommend choosing a guided tour as they are still affordable, but the group sizes are smaller and there are so many fun types to choose from.

Booking a London Walking Tour 

You might be wondering where the best place to book London walking tours is. While it is possible to book some tours directly with smaller providers, we recommend going through a respected site like Viator , Virgin Experiences or Get Your Guide . 

This way, you can compare lots of reviews, and also there is an independent customer service team to help you in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

Looking to Tour More of London?

• Want to Visit the Houses of Parliament on a Tour? Here’s How…
• The Best London Gin Distilleries for Tastings, Tours and Experiences
• The Ultimate Self-Guided Literary Walking Tour of London
• Eating Around the World in London: Your World Tour of London’s Restaurants

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London x London is the insider’s guide to discovering the best of London.

We delve into the cool, interesting and quirky spots that make London such a dynamic city, telling you the best things to do, eat and drink along the way. 

Tired of the same old dull suggestions? Want to know where to find London’s secret bars, tastiest eats and weirdest finds? We provide practical guides that help you do just that.

Find Out More

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The Street Art Tour

Liverpool Street underground station, London (Bishopsgate west exit, top of the escalator)

Guided by Fabrizio or Jackie or Laura or Leo

N.B. this walk will not take place on the following dates:

On Sunday March 24th this Walk will take place at 2pm and NOT 11am

Short read: Bombing with Banksy & Co.

Long read: “People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish… but that’s only if it’s done properly” – Banksy.

There’s no other London Walk like this one. It’s intense on the senses.

It’s a corkscrew of a route that pops cork after cork of east London’s vibrant, heady, dynamic street art scene.

It gets up close and personal with Banksy and Ben Eine and Shepherd Fairey and Invader and Co.

It decodes them. Like a great jazz musician it improvs (because this outdoor gallery – aka Shoreditch and Spitalfields – gets “rehung”* every few months). *Six months is the average lifespan of street art in east London. So the walk – true to the scene – changes all the time. Makes for a unique buzz. Okay, Banksy, here we come.

IS THE STREET ART TOUR RIGHT FOR ME?

Yes, if you’re curious, smart and open-minded

WHO ARE THE LONDON STREET ARTISTS?

They’re people who have something to say and a singular vision.

THE STREET ART TOUR – THE PRACTICALS

The Street Art Walk takes place most Sundays at 11 am . Meet David D., Leo, Laura, Jackie or Fabrizio just outside the Bishopsgate West Exit of Liverpool Street Tube. Meet at the top of the escalator. N.B. the Street Art Walk ends in Shoreditch High Street, a short walk from Old Street Station and Liverpool Street Station. 

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING

N.B., David D., Leo, Laura, Jackie and Fabrizio are all experienced, top-flight, professionally qualified (Blue Badge) guides – top-flight Blue Badge guides with a speciality in the East London street art scene. “If I’m going to have my brain operated on I want a neurosurgeon, not some schlubber with a scalpel and a copy of Gray’s Anatomy.”

Don’t just take it from us…

There is plenty more to learn about art in London so check out our artistic London tours .

LONDON WALKS PRIVATE WALKS

If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, The Street Art Tour it can always be booked as a private tour . If you go private you can have the The Street Art Tour walk –  or any other London Walk  – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Mary on 020 7624 3978  or email us at  [email protected]  and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk  – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS

A private London Walk makes a fab gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever.  Merchandise schmerchandise  (gift wrapped or not) – but  giving someone an experience,  now that’s special.  Memories make us rich.

LONDON WALKS – STREETS AHEAD!

Don’t just take it from us .

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Walkers' Reviews

14 reviews for the street art tour.

Irena – 13th February 2024

One of the best London Walks. Leo’s a fantastic guide – knowledgeable and funny. We had a great time.

Angela – 11th February 2024

Leo took us on a walk through the back streets of the “East End” showing us a range of colourful art, including short bios on many of the creators. She directed us to various murals and paste art, leaving you with a fresh perspective to keep an eye out yourself!

Sara – 11th February 2024

What a wonderful, educational guide Leo was today! The pace was great for such a large group and questions were encouraged. Would recommend, especially if your knowledge (like mine) is limited – Leo really brought it to life for us.

Vivienne Little – 7th January 2024

Fabrizio showed us street art we would never have seen. Together with his knowledgable and informative commentary it was a fascinating morning. Shame it was so cold.

Susan – 18th October 2023

This was an amazing experience! Our guide was funny, knowledgeable, and passionate about the subject. On our tour, he discovered that a once-stolen Space Invaders tile had been replaced with another, and his delight was contagious. This was one of the best tours of the city I’ve ever been on, and I can’t wait to do it again. The beauty of this tour is you can take it over and over; the street art is constantly changing. A must-do for everyone!

Sheila – 24th September 2023

I have been on dozens of London walks and have never, well maybe once, been disappointed but this walk was off the charts fantastic. Fabrizo made every stop mesmerizing. I saw Art I would never have discovered. He was so enthusiastic about the work, the artist, and the placement of the art. This was one of a kind. Thank you

Anne – 30th July 2023

Excellent tour, guided by Leo, really enjoyed it

Baruch Pinnick – 7th June 2023

Excellent. Fabrizio is passionate and extremely knowledgeable about the subject. He talks clearly and is full of interesting and amusing anecdotes. The street art that we saw was amazing.

Philippa – 26th February 2023

We LOVED this tour! Our guide was so knowledgeable about the street art scene and threw in some extra historical factoids about the local area. I’m already recommending it to everyone I know!

Matt – 21st February 2023

Leo gave us a fantastic tour of the amazing street art and graffiti in and around the vibrant area of Spitalfields, with fascinating and insightful stories of their background. Really enjoyable couple of hours. Thank you.

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Inspiring City

UK based art blog with the best street art and artist interviews

Free Walking Tour of the East End of London

For this walking tour of the East End of London we’ll explore a vibrant place. Home to many people from all over the world and packed with history. The streets and buildings all having stories to tell. From the Huguenots to the Bengali’s the area has been the destination of choice for waves of immigration. This has helped to shape this areas unique character

It’s also the creative and cultural hub of London. In addition to history the area is known for being a world epicenter of high quality street art . There are galleries all over the place and historically the area was one of the places to be in Shakespearean London.

A Walking Tour of the East End of London

This walking tour will take you around some of the streets of the East End of London. The aim of the walk is to give a flavour of the history and culture of the area. This will incorporate as much as we can in order to give as wide a picture as possible.

• Start – Liverpool Street Station
• Finish – Liverpool Street Station
• Length of Time – 2 and a half to 3 hours

Liverpool Street Station to Spitalfields

Liverpool Street station is where we’ll start our walking tour of the East End of London. Opened in 1874 it suffered damage in both World Wars. It also played a major role as the terminus for thousands of Jewish children fleeing from war torn Europe. Those children, known as the Kindertransport, are commemorated with a statue at the front concourse of the station. This is where we will start the tour.

From the station turn left along Liverpool Street to the junction with the busy road of Bishopsgate. Keep an eye out for a plaque on the left hand side marking the site of the former Bethlehem Hospital, or Bedlam as it was better known. Once at the junction with Bishopsgate turn left and pass by another entrance to the station. Keep going until on the other side of the road you see the ‘Dirty Dicks’ public house. This stands on the corner of Middlesex Street where you need to go down.

Petticoat Lane

The street used to be called Petticoat Lane. There is a plaque detailing the history of the area at the entrance of the street. The famous Petticoat Lane Market still exists. A long running market selling clothes and textiles. It has it’s history in the textile industry of the area. In the 1830’s the name of the street was changed to denote the boundary between London and the county of Middlesex. Victorian sensibilities also couldn’t cope with a road name referencing undergarments.

Artillery Passage and Sandy’s Row

Keep going down the street until (after only a few yards) it forks. You need to stay on the left and head down Widegate Street . This leads straight to a little alley directly ahead called Artillery Passage. The area is packed with history and very atmospheric. It is alleged that Artillery Passage was used as an inspiration for one of the settings for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. You’ll understand why when you go there. Separating the two lanes is a cross lane called Sandy’s Row. A slight detour to the left will take you to the Sandy’s row Synagogue. This is one of the oldest synagogues in the city. Originally constructed as a church for Huguenot settlers. It is just one of many examples of how the times of the East End for changed and evolved.

Old Artillery Ground

At the end of Artillery Passage you arrive at Artillery Lane . Immediately on the right hand side you can see one of the oldest surviving shop fronts in London at 56-58. Dating from 1756 this is a building that takes us straight back to the days of the Huguenot silk weavers. The shop would have been used to sell silk.

Many of the place names around this part of London also have military connotations. This is because we are at the edge of the Old Artillery Ground. Originally annexed by Henry VIII in 1538. It was used for people to train in the use of longbows, crossbows and other weapons. Turn left down Artillery Lane and immediately take the first right up Gun Street. This will lead you to Brushfield Street and Spitalfields Market.

Spitalfields Market

Continuing our walking tour through the East End of London. We come to the famous Spitalfields Market. The market itself is one of the best and oldest markets in London. Having initially being granted it’s charter by Charles II in 1682. It was entirely rebuilt between 1883 and 1893 resulting in the style of architecture we see today. The name Spitalfields is so called because this area was once indeed fields but also because it also played home to a priory and a hospital called St. Mary Spital. Hence the area was called the Spitalfields. The remains of the priory and a burial ground were discovered during extensive regeneration works to the area which completed in 2005. They can be seen to the left of the market in Bishops Square.

Christ Church Spitalfields

Looking right along Brushfield Street, at the end of the road you’ll be able to see an impressive church. This is Christ Church Spitalfields , designed by Nicolas Hawksmoor. It’s a grade 1 listed building. Work on the church begun in 1714 and it was one of many built to support London’s growing population. An act of parliament in 1711 commissioned up to 50 potential new churches but only 12 where built. The Christchurch was one of six built by Hawksmoor.

Spitalfields to Brick Lane

The tour continues along the street to the left of the church as you stand directly in front of it. Fournier Street betrays it’s roots as one of the streets founded by the Huguenot settlers to the East End. The Hugenots were French protestants fleeing religious persecution in their own country and settling in the East End. The houses that they built date from 1720 and the streets in this area have a really unique feel.

Before we move on take a look at the pub on the corner, The Ten Bells. For people interested in the macabre history of Jack the Ripper , this pub is a key backdrop to the story. Two of the murder victims would have known and visited this pub. Annie Chapman possibly had spent some time drinking there just before she was murdered. Mary Jane Kelly would have also known the are very well. She only lived just over the road in Dorset Street.

Huguenot Immigration

Walk along Fournier Street until it meets the junction with Brick Lane . A textile industry grew up in the area. This was as the Huguenots moved in having fled religious persecution in France. They would bring their knowledge with them. Many of the houses would operate silk looms. The area quickly become known for it’s textile industry. This was carried on by other people moving into the area including Jewish and Irish immigrants.

As you walk along the street take note of the bobbins that you may see hanging from doorways. These were placed there by the council to denote homes known to have been lived in by Huguenot Families. Many have since disappeared but traditionally bobbins would have hung outside the homes to denote a particular trade.

Jamme Masjid Mosque

At the end of Fournier Street is the Jamme Masjid Mosque. A truly unique place of worship given the fact that it started out life as a Huguenot protestant church. It then became a methodist chapel, then turned into a synagogue until finally becoming a mosque in the 1970’s. Nowhere in the East End can the ever changing communities of the area be more clearly identified than in this building. Look up and a sundial dating from Huguenot times can be seen. It has an inscription which says ‘Umbra Sumus’ meaning ‘We are Shadows’.

Now on Brick Lane. This area can clearly be identified with the most recent wave of immigration. Particularly Bangladeshi’s from the north eastern Sylhet region of Bangladesh. It has been described as London’s curry capital and now attracts food lovers from all over the world. Here we have one of the largest communities of Bangladeshi settlers in the country. They moved in mainly during the 1970’s. This was to help try and regenerate an area which had been badly damaged and depopulated by war.

Princelet Street

Turn left up Brick Lane and stop at the junction with Princelet Street. Turn left and walk down the street a little way until you come to number 19. It now houses the museum of immigration and diversity. However it’s only open at certain times and bookings have to be made to go in. Originally a Huguenot home, it was built in 1719 for silk weavers. A loom would have occupied the top floor. Then in 1869, the garden of the house was converted into a synagogue which only closed in the 1970’s.

Georgian Architecture

Carry on along the street until the junction with Wilkes Street and turn right. We are back in the heart of Huguenot London. The architecture here is unique and forms part of one of the largest conservation areas in Tower Hamlets. Here are some of the finest surviving examples of Georgian architecture. Soon you will come to Hanbury Street , turn right along it, heading back towards Brick Lane. Once you get to the junction, cross over and look around. We are now in the heart of the street art scene.

This section of Hanbury Street is known for it’s street art. Quality works from many artists can be seen there. One of the longest standing pieces is a giant work from Belgian artist ROA. It features an enormous black and white crane. The piece is well regarded by the local community. Cranes are revered creatures in the region of Bangladesh where many of the inhabitants of the area came from. Dotted around, you’ll see more street art by many different artists and it changes all the time.

Brick Lane to Shoreditch

Brick Lane has been around for a while, However it is unrecognisable now from it’s humble origins. Formerly just a field path running through open countryside on the outskirts of the City of London. It took it’s name from the clay pits along the lane where a brick manufacturing business began to develop. The lane would have transported the bricks to London, hence the name. The area around Brick Lane started to be really developed in the mid 1600’s. This was as a brewing industry moved into the area. It was also when the Huguenot refugees started to move in. Refugees fleeing the city after the Great Fire of London in 1666 also moved in. Looking to re-settle just outside the fire ravaged borders.

The Truman Brewery

Brewing played an important part in the history of the area. Many of the streets are named after people associated with the brewery. Eventually, it the mid 1800’s the brewery of Truman, Hanbury, Buxton and Co become one of the largest in London. As you’ve just been on Hanbury Street, there are no prizes for guessing who that particular street was named after.

If you are still on the side of Hanbury Street with the giant black and white ROA Crane. Turn right along Brick Lane and head up towards Shoreditch. This stretch of road is packed full of remnants of the brewing industry. The old Truman Brewery dominates the left hand side of the street. Now though it houses art workshops and exhibition spaces. Head up the street and you’ll soon see a sign depicting a black eagle. The black eagle was the symbol of the brewery. Once under the sign, look up and to the right, there you’ll see the old clock house. You’ll also see the towering chimney with the name ‘Truman’ written on. Brewing stopped at the site in 1988.

Brick Lane Market

Continuing our walking tour of the East End of London. Carry on up Brick Lane and you’ll notice that is a pretty busy place. Come market day it’s difficult to even walk down the street. This makes it even more bizarre when you see cars trying to get through. As you walk up Brick Lane there are plenty of detours if you want to see street art. Pedley Street, Grimsby Street, Scalter Street and Cheshire Street are all great places to look. Some of the best art around can be seen. You can read more about where to see street art here .

Jewish East London

Towards the top end of Brick Lane a further remnant of the Jewish presence in the area can be seen. This is in the form of the Beigel bakeries. Constantly with queues outside and food cooked in the Jewish style. These bakeries are a throw back to the time when this area was predominantly Jewish. The beigel was a key staple of the diet.

The first wave of real Jewish immigration to the area started in 1656. This was when Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews to settle. This was having previously been expelled from the country by Edward I in 1290. By the early 1700’s there was a sizeable population which expanded rapidly in the 1880’s. That was when persecution in Eastern Europe prompted more Jewish settlers to move into the area. The East End became known as the Jewish East End . If you look hard enough some of the evidence of these people can still be seen.

At the top of Brick Lane turn left and walk along Bethnal Green Road towards Shoreditch High Street station. Here you can really see the development of the area as the city expands. More and more people are moving into the area as it becomes more gentrified. New housing in the form of expensive flats are being built. Keep walking towards the station and try to glimpse what street art you can. There will be plenty to see from the left and the right. Soon you’ll come to BoxPark the innovative pop up shopping centre. This is home to many a trendy brand. It’s also where you’ll find the Shoreditch High Street Overground station.

Shoreditch to Liverpool Street

Walk to the end of the road and you’ll now be on Shoreditch High Street. Look left and the road eventually becomes Bishopsgate and enters the City of London. At one point, the entrance to the City would have been marked by an actual gate house. First built by the Romans it was expanded during medieval times until finally destroyed in 1760. The Bishopsgate would have been one of the seven main gates which entered the city. Look right and the road leads towards Cambridge and Lincoln and follows the route of the Roman Ermine Street, a major thoroughfare.

Cross over and look for Holywell Lane , a tiny little street with a Pret a Manger on the corner. Head up the lane until you come to a giant wall on the left.This is the Village Underground , an arts and cultural centre. If you look on the roof you’ll see four salvaged underground train carriages from the Jubilee Line. They now house offices and studio space for creative types.

Holywell Priory

This area is also rich in history and Holywell Lane takes it’s name from Holywell Priory . This was an Augustinian house of worship. It which would have stood here from around 1150 lasting until 1539 when it was dissolved by Henry VIII. The priory is believed to have been named after a Holy well which was within it’s grounds. The area would have had a number of natural springs given that it was marshland. It is from this area that those natural springs would also have formed the source of the River Walbrook . This is the river on which old Roman Londinium was founded.

Elizabethan Theatres

Walk to the end of the road and cross Great Eastern Street. Ahead is a big free standing car park. Walk towards the street called Curtain Road which is to the right of this and wander down. Here is a pub called the Horse and Groom. This pub is stood on the approximate location for the entrance to the Curtain Theatre. Built in 1577 it would have been contemporary with Shakespeare’s time. Indeed the likes of Romeo and Juliet and Henry V played there. Shakespeare himself is believed to have trod the boards as part of his troupe ‘The Lord Chamberlain’s Men’.

Shoreditch was at the heart of Elizabethan Theatre. About a 100 metres further down Curtain Road in the opposite direction to where we have been walking was another older venue called ‘ The Theatre ‘. The Theatre was built by the actor James Burbage and Shakespeare would have played here too. It is believed that the Theatre was dismantled on 28 December 1598. The timbers then transported to the South Bank to build what became the famous Globe Theatre.

Walbrook River

Continue down Curtain Road which actually follows the route of the Walbrook River. This is now hidden away as part of the city’s sewerage system. We need to turn left along Worship Street. However the old Walbrook would have continued straight forward towards Broadgate Circus. Then under the Bank of England and down by Cannon Street Station. At the end of Worship Street , cross the road and head to the right. This is Norton Folgate which will soon turn into Bishopsgate. Keep going, heading towards the towering view of the Gherkin. You will soon come to Liverpool Street which is where our tour started and where it now ends.

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16 Comments

Lots of good info here and well worth a tour!!!

And we didn’t bump into each other! Excellent tour – thanks.

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Great post. Finding ideas to write about is one of the hardest things about running a blog.

Thanks Stuart I’m glad you liked this one i’m planning to put another tour up soon 🙂

• Pingback: A Free Historic Walking Tour around Old Street and Moorgate in London | Inspiring City

Did this on Friday 13th Jan 2017, very good indeed, made a walk through the area much more interesting. The street art is definitely worth a look

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THE EAST END FREE WALK

Eastenders through the ages.

THE EAST END WALK

By Richard Jones

This walk is a journey for your imagination where the urban landscape bears little resemblance to the eastern quarter of the city that Dickens wrote of.

But the section that passes through Spitalfields, with its 18th-century weaver’s houses and memories of the varied groups of immigrants that have settled here, is genuinely enthralling.

The area was once renowned for its dire poverty, where children grew up surrounded by squalor and vice.

Dickens was all too familiar with the dreadful conditions that prevailed in the crowded slums and warned his readers that they ignored the dangers posed by this sordid underbelly at their peril. "Turn that dog’s descendants loose," he wrote, "and in a very few years they will so degenerate that they will lose… their bark – but not their bite."

His prophesy appeared to have been realized when, 18 years after his death, this area became Jack the Ripper's murderous hunting ground.

EXPLORE THE EAST END

Exit Aldgate Underground Station and go right along Aldgate High Street, passing on the right the church of:-

Although a church has stood on this site for over a thousand years, this building (designed by George Dance the elder) dates from 1740. The attractive internal ceiling is adorned with figures created by J.F. Bentley (1839-1902), the architect who designed the Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral.

On the wall of the right aisle is a charming 18th-century wood carving of King David playing his harp. Note the realistic miniature musical instruments on either side of him.

This is the ‘easterly parish church of Houndsditch’ where in Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities ‘Cruncher… on the youthful occasion of his renouncing by proxy the works of darkness… had received the added appellation of Jerry.’ In other words, he was christened here!

Keep ahead over the two sets of traffic lights and continue over Mitre Street. At the next lights, go left over Leadenhall Street and pause at the weathered Aldgate Pump.

The present stone pump with its dog-head spout, dates from only 1870, when it replaced the one that Dickens had written about (which actually stood a few feet to the west) in Dombey and Son, Nicholas Nickleby and The Uncommercial Traveller. Today it sits rather incongruously alongside its modern neighbours, a little piece of old London that many who pass hardly notice.

Backtrack, turning left along Mitre Street, then right into Mitre Square.

Here the flower-bed covers the site where the body of Jack the Ripper’s fourth victim, Catherine Eddowes, was discovered on 30th September 1888.

The building behind the gates is The Sir John Cass Foundation School, which was founded in 1669 to educate both boys and girls. In 1710, Alderman Sir JOhn Cass (1661-1718) agreed to make a financial grant to support the school, but while drawing up a second will to provide an additional endowmentm he sufferred a fatal hemorrhage, the blood from which stained the quill pen he was holding. This tragedy is still commemorated each year on founders day (early February), when the pupils are given quill pens, stanied red, that they wear in their coat lapel buttonholes.

Go diagonally left over the cobbled square, passing through Mitre Passage. Veer right along Creechurch Lane, and left along Duke’s Place. A little way along it becomes Bevis marks and on the left after the covered walkway are the gates to the:-

Bevis Marks Synagogue. Founded in 1701, this is England's oldest synagogue. It has been in continueous use, and its interior has changed little over the years. You can visit it on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11.30am to 1pm.

Backtrack along Dukes Place and cross it via the crossing. Carry on ahead onto Stoney Lane, right into White Kennett Street, and pass through the modern posts onto the cobbled through way.

Having ascended the ramp in the far-left corner, bear left onto St Botolph’s Street. On arrival at the second bus stop, swing left down the steps and go right into Aldgate Avenue.

Here stood the Bull Inn until 1868. It was from here that Mr Pickwick set out for Ipswich: ‘away went the coach up Whitechapel, to the admiration of the whole population of that pretty densely populated quarter.’

Turn left into Middlesex Street, known as Petticoat Lane until the 1830s owing to the second-hand clothes market that stood here.

In the 1820s Ikey Solomon, "the Prince of Fences", operated from Gravel Lane, the now featureless thoroughfare passed on the left. He is often identified (wrongly as it happens) as being Fagin’s real-life original.

Turn left along Middlesex Street and cross to its right side. Keep walking until you arrive at:

Frying Pan Alley. The frying pan was the emblem once used by braziers and ironmongers. It was the custom for ironmongers to hang a frying pan outside their premises as a means of advertising their business. The number of such businesses in this alley led to its being named Frying Pan Alley.

Continue ahead into Sandy's Row and go right along the wonderfully atmospheric Artillery Passage.

In the 16th century this area was comprised of open fields outside the city walls and was used primarily for recreational purposes. In 1537, Henry V111 granted a Royal Warrant to the Honorable Artillery Company and later permitted it to practice in these fields. Several of the streets hereabouts bear the name Artillery, derived from the Artillery narracks that once stod here.

Artillery Passage is a delightfully narrow throughway lined with 19th and early 20th century buildings and it truly has the ambience of the Victorian era.

Continue through Artillery Passage to reach Artillery Lane. Two doors along on the right pause outside:-

56 Artillery Lane. This building dates from 1756 and is widely regarded as the finest Georgian shopfront in London.

The large building opposite was formerly the Providence Row Night Refuge and Convent, built in 1868 and run by the order of the Sisters of Mercy. During the late 19th century the order provided lodging to the "destitute from all parts, without distinction of creed, colour and country." At the moment the building is in the process of being converted to upmarket flats.

Keep ahead to cross over Bell lane and enter White's Row. Go first right along Tenter Ground.

Until the 1820's this was a wide-open space used for drying fabric. The cloth was attached to large hooks and then stretched over wooden frames. It is from this that we get the saying 'to be on tenterhooks.'

At the end of Tenter Ground. go left along Brune Street and a little way along pause outside:-

The Jewish Soup Kitchen. OPned in 1902 (actually the year 5662 in the Jewish calendar, as you can see on the buildings facade) this kitchen provided meals to the Jewish poor of the area. It was at its busiest during the Great Depression when it provided meals for more than 5,000 people each week. Although now converted to flats the buildings impressive frontage can still be admired.

Continue to the end of Brune Street and go left along Toynbee Street. At its end go over the crossing off which bear left and continue ahead.

On the left you will pass Nicholas Hawksmoor’s masterpiece, Christ Church Spitalfields, which dates from 1720. On the corner of Fournier Street is the Ten Bells pub, built in the mid-19th Century. Inside, a fine tiled panel from that era, depicts the area’s more rural past.

Turn right along Fournier Street, which along its latter length is lined with many splendidly restored 18th-century houses.

Go left along Wilkes Street and first right into Princelet Street.

The buildings that you have passed and those that now stretch before you, have a genuine timelessness about them. Built in the 18th Century for the Huguenot silk merchants and master weavers, they had by the mid 19th Century become common lodging houses, offering miserable living conditions to the poverty-stricken and partly criminal populace.

Number 4, on the right, which has a distinctly down-at-heel look about it, does in fact preserve much of its 18th- and 19th-century paintwork and fixtures and fittings. Indeed, so unchanged is its character that recent television adaptations of Great Expectations; Nicholas Nickleby and Oliver Twist, as well as several biographical films on Dickens’s life, have been filmed here. However, it is a family home and not a film set so please respect their privacy.

Stroll along Princelet Street.

Number 19, on the left, dates from 1719. It became a synagogue in 1870 and remained so until 1980. Much of the interior still survives, from the candelabra suspended from the ceiling, to the panels of the ladies galleries inscribed with the names of congregation members who contributed to its upkeep. The building has the distinction of being the oldest purpose built "minor synagogue" in the East End, and is the third-oldest synagogue in England. Although it is rarely open to the public plans are afoot to turn the building into a museum of immigrant life.

Continue along Princelet Street. On arrival at the junction with Brick Lane, pause to look over at:-

No 106 which was the childhood home of Lionel Bart (1930–99), whose stage musical Oliver!, and its subsequent film, provided a melodious, foot-stomping score to one of Dickens’s best-known and best-loved stories.

Turn left along the bustling and vibrant Brick Lane. Cross to the right side, keeping ahead over Buxton Street. A little further along on the right is:-

No 160, which featured in Dickens's Pickwick Papers as the Mission Hall, where the Brick Lane Branch of the ‘United Grand Junction Ebenezer Temperance Association’ held their monthly meetings. Here the members ‘sat upon forms, and drank tea, till such time as they considered it expedient to leave off… ’

Backtrack along Brick Lane and keep going past Princelet Street. Pause at the junction with Fournier Street on the right, where the large building on the corner has a history that is reflective of the neighbourhood’s changing demographics.

Built in 1743 as a Huguenot School and chapel, the building was acquired in 1809 by the London Society – a group of evangelical Christians dedicated to converting Jews to Christianity. The society was one of several such bodies that offered £50 to any proselyte who would resettle in a Christian district. These societies became a joke amongst the ÈmigrÈ community, as it was well known that certain perpetual converts, were simply going from one society to another proclaiming their changes of faith and collecting their rewards on Earth rather than in Heaven! When the London Society disbanded in 1892, they reported having spent thousands of pounds on conversions, but could only claim sixteen bona fide successes. They were certain of these because they had sent them to China as Christian Missionaries. However, the Society had long before given up their tenure here, for in 1819 the building became a Methodist Chapel, remaining so until 1897, when it became the Spitalfields Great Synagogue. In 1975, it was converted into a Mosque.

Continue along Brick Lane, passing on the right:-

Fashion Street, which was the childhood home of writer and Hollywood scriptwriter Wolf Mankowitz (1924–98), who wrote the book of the Broadway musical Pickwick.

Keep going ahead along Osborne Street, and go left along Whitechapel Road.

The garden on the right was formerly the site of St Mary’s Church. It was from the lime-washed exterior of this church, known as the White Chapel that this area derived its name.

In the early 19th Century, Whitechapel Road, one of the poorest parts of London, was noted for its array of oyster stalls. In Dickens's Pickwick Papers, as Mr Pickwick and the loquacious Sam Weller make their way along here, en route to Ipswich, the latter comments how ‘It’s a wery remarkable circumstance… that poverty and oysters always seem to go together… Blessed if I don’t think that ven a man’s wery poor he rushes out of his lodgings, and eats oysters in reg’lar despration… ’

On arrival at the crossing, go over Whitechapel Road, veer left and pause outside the:-

Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which has been casting bells on this site since 1783 and is where Westminster’s Big Ben was cast in 1858.

Go right into Fieldgate Street and follow it as it sweeps left to pass the huge building, known locally as:-

The "Monster Doss House". Its looming bulk with its round turrets and soaring, dark brick walls, punctured by numerous tiny windows dominates this stretch of the walk. It opened in the late 19th Century as a hostel for the homeless, and now stands derelict, its future uncertain.

Keep walking ahead, passing several streets that retain the atmosphere of the Victorian East End. Go left into New Road and continue to its junction with Whitechapel Road, noting Mount Terrace on the right, which also has a 19th-century look.

Cross over Whitechapel Road at the traffic lights, and keep going straight along the continuation of New Road.

Nothing now remains of either the Whitechapel Workhouse, or Thomas Street in which it stood. It used to be further along on the right and it was here that, one cold night in 1855, Dickens chanced upon a forlorn group of women, ‘five bundles of rags’, who had been refused entrance to the workhouse. He didn’t believe one of them when she told him that she hadn’t eaten for a day. ‘Why look at me!’ she cried, then ‘bared her neck, and I covered it up again’. Dickens gave her a shilling for supper and lodgings elsewhere. ‘She never thanked me,’ he later recalled, ‘never looked at me – melted away into the miserable night, in the strangest manner I ever saw.’

Go first right into Durward Street.

The large building that dominates the far end was a 19th-century school that has now been converted into flats. It was a little beyond the left side of this building that the first Jack the Ripper murder, that of Mary Nichols, occurred in the early hours of 31st August, 1888.

Pass to the right of the building, turn right over the railway bridge and go through the passageway that brings you out onto Whitechapel Road.

Turn right and on arriving at the crossing, pause outside:_

No 259. It was in the shop that occupied this building in November 1884 that Joseph Merrick (1862–92), the so-called ‘Elephant Man’ was displayed in a freak show. A placard announced him as the ‘Deadly Fruit of Original Sin’. Dr Frederick Treves (1853–1923), a surgeon at the London Hospital, which stands opposite, was so appalled by the cruelty shown Merrick, that he befriended him and, in 1886, had him moved into the hospital, where he lived in isolated rooms for four years until his death. His skeleton is now preserved in the hospital’s museum, although this is not open to the public.

Backtrack along Whitechapel Road.

The street market held here on most days began in the 1850s when the road was widened. In those days the traders were mostly the Irish who had fled the 1845–48 potato famine. By the end of the 19th-century the majority of stall holders were Jewish. Today, they are mostly Asian.

The London Hospital on the opposite side of the road was founded in 1740. In 1866 Thomas John Barnado (1845–1905) arrived here to study medicine with the intention of becoming a medical missionary. However, he was appalled by the number of homeless children on the streets of Stepney, and began teaching part-time in one of the local ‘ragged schools’, where he learnt a great deal about the plight of these youngsters. In 1868, he founded his East End Juvenile Mission and two years later established a hostel. The notice above the hostel’s door read: ‘No destitute boy or girl ever refused admission’. Thus began the ‘Dr Barnado’s Homes’, which still provide both residential and non-residential care for thousands of children in several parts of the world.

Continue over Cambridge Heath Road at the traffic lights, and keep going ahead into Mile End Road, noting the bust of:-

William Booth (1829–1912) the founder of the Salvation Army, who commenced his work hereabouts in July 1865.

Keep going along Mile End Road, and a little further along on the left, are the:-

Trinity Almshouses. Built in 1695 for ‘28 decay’d Masters and Commanders of Ships or ye Widows of such’, these are thought to be the Titbull’s Almshouses ‘in the east of London… in a poor, busy and thronged neighbourhood… ’ into which, according to Dickens in The Uncommercial Traveller, you ‘drop… by three stone steps… ’

Retrace your footsteps along Whitechapel Road to Whitechapel Underground Station and the end of this stroll through London’s East End.