Then and Now London Walks

I just can’t stop myself from exploring the wonderful artworks that are part of the World Reimagined project across London and several other cities across the country.  They are bright, moving and thought provoking and it is such a shame that they will only be in place till the end of this month.  I would love it if these glorious examples of public art became a permanent feature of the places they are only temporarily enhancing!

Have a look at the account I have written of the trail through my home area of the borough of Camden and the city of Westminster.

https://richardcohentraveller.wordpress.com/2022/10/06/the-world-reimagined-in-camden-and-westminster/

Do make your way down to the City of London during the month of October to look at a series of 10 wonderful and very moving artworks which discuss a range of themes arising from the long and tragic history of enslavement and its consequences for the world.    Read the brief account of what I saw when I walked this trail yesterday afternoon. It starts near the Bank of England and finishes out at Aldgate.

Have a look:- richardcohentraveller.wordpress.com/2022/10/04/the-world-reimagined/

Silver Sunday on 2 October 2022 is a national day of activities for seniors.  I am putting on a free walk in South Kensington to explore the wonders of Albertopolis.  We meet in the ticket hall of South Kensington station and finish for refreshments at the Bowling Green Café in Hyde Park.   Explore the wonders of the great museums, hear about the Great Exhibition and take a close look at the extraordinary Albert Memorial, more correctly known as the Prince Consort National Memorial.

Follow this link to join

The theme this year is Breathe and so I am putting on a walk called RUS IN URBE – the Countryside in the Town.  We will visit no less than 5 different Bloomsbury Squares to enjoy the calm and serenity that they offer in contrast to the busy streets of the city.  The walks are on Sunday October 16 and Sunday October 23 at 2.00 pm.  What better way to spend an autumn Sunday afternoon?  Booking through Eventbrite here.   

I am taking part in two great walks organised by the City Guides and the Westminster Guides that are taking place this every Sunday from now until mid-August.  The walks last two hours and cover the route from St Paul’s Cathedral to Trafalgar Square starting at 11 in Paternoster Square in the shadow of the great cathedral.  You will be with a City of London guide for the first half of the walk and then a Westminster guide will take over at the Royal Courts of Justice.

The walk passes through some streets at the heart of  the most dramatic events in our history. There’s some great royal gossip as well as we pass through some of the back streets of Covent Garden.

Press this link to register on Eventbrite:- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/monarchs-mansions-and-mistresses-walking-tour-tickets-360514317027

London’s LGBT Heritage in Covent Garden and Soho 

To celebrate Pride weekend I am leading a walk for Westminster Friend as a special fundraiser to give you a vivid snapshot view of London’s deep history of sexual diversity.  We will meet the Mollies and Macaronis of C18th Covent Garden. We take in the stories of John Wilmot, poet and libertine and Oscar Wilde.  We will hear the extraordinary story of a C18th soldier who challenged all the norms of gender identity.   You will discover how Soho developed into the heart of London’s modern LGBT community. The walk ends with the story of a Victorian scandal which rocked the establishment. Finally, we will take a look at the Bohemian sub-cultures of Fitzrovia looking at a notorious pub which attracted the literary and artistic demimonde of the 1920s and 1930s where festive Pride refreshments await.

This walk is a special fundraiser for the Disasters Emergency Committee Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine. Please give generously.  There is no upper ceiling for your contributions.

Booking is through Eventbrite here

Please give generously!

I’m presenting several walks in the London Festival of Architecture all through the month of June.  This is an exciting series of events which this year is featuring the Camden Cultural Corridor.  I am putting on walks in:-

Regent’s Park on 15 and 19 June:  Fantasy Terraces and Secret Gardens

Bloomsbury on 22 and 26 June:  London’s Medical Powerhouse

Hatton Garden 24 June:  Diamond Street

Why is there are plaque to Mary Prince on the side wall of Senate House on Malet Street?  Listen to this short video on YouTube to explain why this extraordinarily brave woman is commemorated there.

https://camdenguides.com/mary-prince/

Guided Walk:  Fantasy Terraces and Secret Gardens

Sunday June 12 at 11:00 am

Richard and Jo will show you the most beautiful Nash Terraces on the Outer Circle and the gardens of the Royal College of Physicians with their medicinal and poisonous plants. We will walk through the English Gardens, looking their very best in early June, and the impressive landscaping of the Broad Walk. We will hear about Prince Regent’s grand scheme to make London the most magnificent city in Europe. We will look at how the buildings, gardens and open spaces of Regent’s Park act to enhance our lives. What better way to spend a summer Sunday morning?  

https://londongardenstrust.eventcube.io/events/39861/guided-walk-regents-park-fantasy-terraces-and-secret-gardens

I have organised a walk in Mayfair on Sunday 8 May.  We meet in the forecourt of the Royal Academy at 2.00 pm and finish the walk near Bond Street.  Half the money raised will go to Amnesty International to support their work providing help for prisoners of conscience and defenders of free speech around the world.  The other half will go towards the DEC Humanitarian Appeal for Ukraine.

We have all been shocked by the events that have unfolded in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.  Millions have fled the country and millions are internally displaced.  The destruction and suffering has been dreadful.  There is a huge need for relief and supplies of all kinds to help those whose lives have been shattered by this war.

You may question why I have chosen Mayfair for this fundraiser.  There are a couple of strong connections with the current war.   We will pass a famous shop run by an extraordinary Russian entrepreneur who was lucky to escape with his life from Putin’s Russia to rebuild it in the West by establishing what is possibly the world’s most luxurious wine shop and we will end at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral.   These will both give ample opportunity to discuss issues of relevance to the current conflict.  Mayfair of course also offers much else of enormous historic and cultural interest.  We will meet some of the great characters who have made Mayfair their home, including Handel and Hendrix and we shall pass some of the most elegant squares in London.

Please register for this walk.  Payment is by contribution.  Please give as generously as you can.    Booking is through Eventbrite.    You can book here.