Then and Now London Walks

The theme of this year’s festival which is one of the biggest community festivals in Europe is Small Steps and Giant Leaps.  This is to mark the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing in 1969.  Many exciting lunar events are planned including the wonderful Museum of the Moon in Holy Cross Church in Cromer Street & much more.  The festival is full of wonderful events to feed the imagination and excite the senses.  To launch the festival there is a  fabulous Street Party in Store Street on Friday 11 October “Moonlight on Store Street” and the finale is what promises to be a memorable party called Hello Moon! A 1969 Tea Dance.  In between there are talks, circus acts, family events, story telling, dramatic presentations and much else besides.  Most events are free but it is best to pre-book on line for events.  Don’t forget my walk Small Steps around St Giles on Sunday 13 October at 11.00 am or alternatively on Saturday 19 October at 2.00 pm  @ St Giles in the Fields

To find out more go to http://bloomsburyfestival.org.uk/  or #bloomsburyfest2019

Two fantastic opportunities to support the work of Amnesty International.

River Walk from Blackfriars to Westminster Sunday 29 September     2:00 pm.   

AMNESTY FUNDRAISER

We begin our exploration of London’s magnificent riverbanks by taking a walk along the north bank of the Thames.  This affords views of some of the most magnificent architecture in London including the Houses of Parliament, the National Theatre, Somerset House and Middle and Inner Temple.  We will have the chance to enjoy the cool and shady delights of the different Embankment Gardens.  We will hear the stories of the many great men and women who are honoured with memorials along the way.  This is a truly monumental walk in which we follow a route linking the great centre of business in the City of London to the centre of political power in Westminster.  It should be lovely in the rusty colours of late September.

The takings from this walk will be go to Amnesty International.  To join this walk click here

City of London River Walk:  Tower Hill to Blackfriars  Sunday 27 October   2:00 pm

AMNESTY FUNDRAISER

This walk will take you to the scene of some of the bloodiest executions in English history on Tower Hill.  We will touch on London’s great maritime heritage as we pass Customs House, Billingsgate and Queenhithe, London’s first harbour.  Our walk along the Thames as it flows past the City of London affords views of some of the greatest buildings in our city.  We hear the story of the great bridges that span the river and we end our walk for refreshments at one of London’s most extraordinary pubs dedicated to the Blackfriars or Dominican brothers who gave their name to a whole area of the City.

This is a fundraiser for Amnesty International.  To join this walk click here

The historical area of Fitzrovia, London, has a rich medical past and fascinating stories attached to its former hospitals and workhouse.

This walk starts outside Warren Street Underground Station. It explores the medical associations of the Fitzrovia area, including the first private hospital in London, a number of smaller hospitals that occupied grand houses in Fitzroy Square, the story of the birth of family planning, a major nurses home established by the famous Astor family, a Georgian workhouse known by Charles Dickens, and ending with a short tour inside the beautiful Fitzrovia Chapel which was part of the famous Middlesex Hospital.

The walk is presented by Camden Tour Guides together with the Fitzrovia Chapel. Your guide will be Richard Cohen. He will be wearing a Camden Tour Guides Association badge.

To sign up for this walk follow this link:-  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/medical-walk-of-fitzrovia-tickets-61527253672

There is a half marathon going on which takes in some of the most famous buildings in London.  It is a major charity event.  Huge amounts will be raised for many different charities.  There are free History tours taking place in Westminster and in the City of London run by trained guides.

To find out more follow this link:- 

https://www.llhm.co.uk/guided-history-tours

SUNDAY 7 APRIL 2019 at 11:00 am

CITY OF LONDON COMMEMORATION WALK FOR AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Meet at the Kindertransport Memorial outside Liverpool Street Station

Address:     Hope Square Liverpool Street Station London EC2M 7QH

This walk is part of a series of fundraisers for Amnesty.  The walk takes about 90 minutes and there will be plenty of places to enjoy refreshments afterwards.  Book through Eventbrite or turn up on the day.  The contribution is £10 per head.  Here is the link for bookings:-

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-of-london-commemoration-walk-tickets-57382995083

Join our wonderful walk to see some of the lovely gardens along the Outer Circle of Regent’s Park this weekend. We meet at Great Portland Street station at 11:00 am on Saturday 17 June and at 2:00 pm on Sunday 18 June. We finish near Camden Town after a walk that takes about 75 minutes. Our walk takes in the lovely gardens of the Royal College of Physicians which contain world class collections of medicinal plants, the open spaces of Regent’s Park and the extraordinary garden of St Katharine’s Danish Church which traces its origins back to the Middle Ages.
For further details about the many walks available in this wonderful programme visit:
http://www.opensquares.org/activities/guidedwalks.html

Glad to be Gay: Camden’s LGBT Heritage
A walk marking 50 years since homosexual law reform 1967 – 2017
Saturday 10 June 11:00 am
Thursday 22 June 6:00 pm
Saturday 24 June 11:00 am
Saturday 1 July 11:00 am
Starting at Goodge Street Station this walk led by Camden Tour Guides takes in places in Fitzrovia, Bloomsbury and King’s Cross which are part of Camden’s rich heritage of sexual diversity. We will visit pubs which were notorious watering holes for the Bohemian demimonde of the 1920s and 1930s.
We will pass a theatre which was in the vanguard of lesbian and gay theatre and a bookshop which has been at the heart of the LGBT community now since 1979. We will visit the homes of the writers and artists of the Bloomsbury Set who challenged Victorian codes of behaviour and see the house where the great genius of polari Kenneth Williams was brought up. We will hear about how the LGBT community rallied together to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and end our walk at Camden Town Hall where some of the first Same Sex weddings were joyously celebrated.
The walks are free but you must book online on Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/glad-to-be-gay-camdens-lgbt-heritage-tickets-33955440637

Themed Tours around the University of London Campus

This is a fantastic series of tours organised by Camden Tour Guides Association. You can learn about the beautiful squares of Bloomsbury or get an update on the fantastic buildings of London’s Knowledge Quarter or its Medical Powerhouse in Fitzrovia. You can learn about the street art and sculpture of the area or be informed about some of the wonderful clocks that grace this part of London.

These tours are offered by qualified Camden Guides and should be really interesting and informative.

To book visit www.camdenguides.com

This offers a fantastic range of events to celebrate over-65’s all over Central London and further afield.
I am running my “Explore the Secret Gardens of Regent’s Park Walk” at 2:00 pm starting at Great Portland Street tube station and finishing at Baker Street tube by 4:00 pm.
To check the events have a look at this site:-
https://issuu.com/westminstercitycouncil/docs/westminster_plus_magazine_sept_16_w

There are lots of great things to do. Have a go!

Saturday 8 October:
Explore some of London’s most interesting , provocative and dramatic works of public art in the company of local guides. Walks last up to 60 minutes and start on the hour every hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Just turn up!
Camden
City of London
Clerkenwell and Islington
Greenwich
Westminster
www.locallondonguidingday.com
@FreeWalksLLGD