5 alternative history walks in London
Take a look at a different side of the London story
Carnaby Street in the '60s and '00s (PHOTOS: Collage, Flickr)
1. Swinging 60’s: Carnaby Street, Rock, Mods and Models Walk
(From left) youths in Carnaby Street circa 1966; The Mini Cooper that became an icon of 1960s British popular culture (PHOTOS: Wikimedia Commons)
Oh, the sixties in London! With its music, fashion and art. Swinging London as it was popularly known, was a youth-driven cultural revolution in the 60s characterised by the flourishing art, music and fashion scene especially in the West End.
This aptly titled walk is led by historian Ian Porter (who leads all walks that are part of the London town walks) and takes you around the swinging London scene in Carnaby Street. From London’s pop and fashion exports like the British Invasion, Mary Quant’s miniskirts, fashion model Twiggy, the shopping areas of King’s Road and Kensington, the walk takes you around some of the most iconic spots that revolutionised culture in the 60s.
It promises to show you where Paul met Linda, John met Yoko and where some of the biggest pop stars hung out back in the day. You can even end the tour at the Jimi Hendrix Museum for a complete music experience.
Start: Tottenham Court Road
Finish: Piccadilly Circus or Hendrix Museum, Brook Street
Price: £9 (bookings up to 10 people)
Contact: London Town Walks
07849 759012
2. The Coffeehouse Tour
A sketch of Garraway's Coffee House in Change Alley right before its demolition in 1866 (Image courtesy Collage); Inset: Site of the location today (Photo: Ashley Winchester)
Prefer something even more original and entertaining? The critically-acclaimed Coffeehouse Tour by Dr Matthew Green is for you. Green’s live tour has been featured in the Guardian and BBC TV and Radio among others, receiving excellent reviews for the guide who also happens to have a PhD in the history of the mass media from Oxford.
The tour also features actors and musicians for the extra effect and immersive experience as Green takes you on a tour of London’s original – and best – coffeehouses. From Cornhill’s labyrinth of medieval streets to the weeping Walbrook, the tour has been described as “discovering how a bitter Mohammedan gruel transformed the face of the city, brought people together, and inspired brilliant ideas that shape the world we live in today”. The walk includes free shots of 17th-century style coffee specially imported from Yemen.
The tour lasts around 1hr 45 minutes. If you’re still not convinced, Dr Green has just written a book on 17th and 18th-century coffeehouses. Just saying.
Start: Steps of St Michael's Church, Cornhill (Nearest Tube: Bank)
Price: £14 (per person)
Contact: Unreal City Audio
3. Talented Women in the National Portrait Gallery Walk
Inside the National Portrait Gallery (PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons)
Want to know more about the amazing women that have been painted and displayed at the National Portrait Gallery? Then this one’s for you. The walk, led by historian Ian Porter, covers some of the exceptional women who have been painted for their individual accomplishment and breaking down barriers.
It starts with a short walk in Trafalgar Square (read more about Trafalgar Square here) where Porter takes you through the memorials laid out to Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell while narrating their stories.
From here, the walk takes you into the National Gallery to the upper floor showing you the paintings of women from centuries before 20th and sharing their stories, including the Bronte Sisters, Amy Johnson, Mary Seacole, Elizabeth Barrett Browming, Ellen Terry, Mary Shelley, Vanessa Bell, Jenny Lind, and Edith Evans among many others.
Start: Trafalgar Square
End: National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin’s Pl, WC2H 0HE
Price: £9 (bookings up to 10 people)
Contact: London Town Walks
07849 759012
Alternatively, check out this self-guided walk that lets you follow in the footsteps of the Suffragettes from the early 20th century, who changed the British political history.
4. Bengali Cultural Walk
Brick Lane in 2010 (left) and in 1895 (right) (PHOTOS: Wiki Commons [Left] and Collage -The London Picture Archive [Right] )
There are approximately 300,000 Bengalis that live in Britain. Most of them originated from the Sylhet region in Bangladesh, while the others came from West Bengal in India. Today, a large proportion of this community is concentrated in Tower Hamlets, where the community has contributed significantly to the landscape of the area, from culture, food and music to politics and architecture.
Take this walk to learn more about the Bengali community through the thriving streets of the modern East End of London, offering you a fascinating insight into the community’s contribution to London’s cityscape.
The walk begins at the St Botolph’s Church in Aldgate that has early links to Bengali
Settlers over 400 years ago, and ends at the Black Eagle in Brick Lane that has been home to modern Bengali underground music outfits like the Asian Dub Foundation, State of Bengal and Osmani Sounds, Nitin Sawhney and Talvin Singh.
Start: St Botolph’s Church,Aldgate
End: Brick Lane
Price: Free self-guided walk (Download guide here)
Contact: Tower Hamlets council
5. Jewish London
Willesden Orthodox Jewish Cemetery (Image courtesy London Cemeteries)
Join former journalist Stephen Burstin, on a journey to discover the fascinating story and rich heritage of London's Jewish community, one that has been passed down from his parents who gave him a unique insight into the story of Jewish life in London.
Burstin’s Old Jewish Quarter walk takes you through the narrow alleyways and backstreets of London’s famous East End. It begins with a visit to the oldest synagogue in Britain dating back over 300 years. There were apparently a staggering 156 synagogues in just two square miles of the East End at some point in history.
You’ll get to see the Jewish Soup Kitchen, lifesaver to thousands every day; the first Yiddish theatre in England; learn how the London Blitz devastated parts of the East End; and other enthralling tales of immigrant cultures in London.
If you’re not up for a long walk, Burstin offers a stroll and a gentler pace of the tour or his minivan. You decide.
Contact: Stephen Burstin
info@jewishlondonwalkingtours.co.uk
Price: £10 (prices vary)
Location: Determined on the day of the tour (more details here)
