Hi, welcome to Plodwithme
My name is Colin, and I’ve long thought that visiting London without learning some of its history is like seeing Springsteen and not knowing any of the music.
It’s the stories about the people of London, and the historic events, that make it such an exciting place to visit, as much as the sights.
I have a selection of tours, showing some London history which is off the beaten track, throughout 2024.
Dates and tours in various parts of London can be found below at the Eventbrite link.
If you’re in London, or on your way, and would like to do a London walking tour and experience a different side of the city, then look no further.
I’m here to show you some of the well known sights, and some of the more unusual ones, and give you the background to what you’re seeing.
On my walking tours, I like to put the history of what you’re looking at in some context, give you some of the unusual anecdotes – and if where we happen to be passing has been used as a movie location, I’ll tell you that too.
Let’s start off with my first 4 tours listed below.
If you’d like to keep up to date with news of special offers, new tours, and my upcoming blog, then just complete the sign-up form.
Churches, Executions and Grave robbers Tour
Join me on the Hidden City Tour, which takes in one of London’s major sights, and a number of hidden and lesser-known ones.
The tour starts and finishes at St Paul’s station.
Along the way, you’ll hear about London’s oldest church, a hidden pub and the execution site of Braveheart’s William Wallace.
But you’ll also hear stories relating to a famous London ghost story, body snatching and a very foul mouthed parrot, as well as some places that have had an impact on modern day traditions, amongst others.
A mixture of history and anecdote, with some stories you can impress your friends with, and all at a leisurely pace.
Further details can be found here
The Hidden History of Spitalfields
Come with me on the History of Spitalfields walking tour, as we walk in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth the first and Jack the Ripper.
We’ll discover the Roman and medieval origins of the area, and along the way, we’ll see the origins of some Charles Dickens’ characters, and evidence of the Huguenot, Irish and Jewish people who lived there.
I should stress that this isn’t a Jack the Ripper tour, but we’ll see some of the locations of his victims, as well as some other famous people in the area.
We do this walk on a Sunday morning so that once you’ve finished, if you’ve still got the energy, you can have a wander around the indoor Spitalfields market, or Brick Lane market.
Further details can be found here.
Bankside: a walk in the outlaw borough
Our tour takes us around the South Bank, once known as the outlaw borough. As well as learning the history of the area, we’ll see evidence of Chaucer and Shakespeare, who both frequented the area.
There will be mentions of drinking, violence and prostitution, so that’s something to consider if you’re bringing children.
We’ll see Shakespeare’s theatreland, the remains of a royal palace, a Victorian operating theatre, inspiration for Chaucer and a paupers graveyard, amongst other things.
We’ll also pass a couple of movie locations, so anyone interested in Harry Potter or Bridget Jones will hear about those.
Further details can be found here
sleeps beneath the facade of a metropolitan London we see today. I highly
recommend you give these tours a try and see for yourself!”
“Great value for money, packed full of discovery round every turn and delivered in a captivating way with added humour. A must do walking tour.”