Other London Tours

Charnowalks London guided tours

Though I guide chiefly in the City of London and the East End, my London tours go beyond these limits to other areas! These other London tours are listed alphabetically below by district. 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(s).

SOUTHWARK TOURS

BOOZE AND THE BOROUGH

At the heart of historic Southwark you will find the theme of drink. It is famous for its inns and its place in the hop and brewing trade. This is an unashamed celebration of hospitality, with some interesting stories along the way.

After this tour, pause as you lift your next glass and reflect appreciatively on the wealth of information and anecdote evoked by the contents!

 

WESTMINSTER TOURS

DANGEROUS SECRETS

Covert activities mean many things, but almost always they involve danger. This tour explores sites connected with spy rings and subversion, illegal agents and assassination. Also we see sites connected with the early days of covert activity by official bodies such as MI6, GCHQ and Special Branch.

Join me to uncover some of the big secrets of the twentieth century!

 

OF COMMONWEALTHS AND KINGS

At the heart of Westminster are its abbey and its palace. Established by Edward the Confessor, they are at the heart of the country’s seat of power. The nature of that power has changed, particularly after an eleven-year republic, but it has remained within this ancient area.

This tour engages with Westminster as a focus of government and monarchy alike.

 

PETER DAUBENY’S WORLD OF THEATRE

Theatre manager Peter Daubeny brought a world of theatre to the London stage in the post-War decades. From Spanish dancers in 1951 to the World Theatre Seasons from 1964 to 1975, he refreshed the world of British performance.

Illustrated with readings from Daubeny’s reminiscences, this tour celebrates a true theatrical hero.

 

IN SEARCH OF CHURCHILL

Winston Churchill is one of the most well-known of British statesmen. But how accurate is the public image? How have misunderstanding and half-truth created an illusion that fails to do justice to his achievements as a politician?

This circular tour visits sites in Westminster connected with Churchill’s political career.

 

SECRET SERVICE AND ST JAMES’S

This guided tour takes you through one of London’s more exclusive areas. As we go, we see places where secret service bodies have operated.

MI5 and MI6 feature, of course. But so do MI9 and the Special Operations Executive.

We finish at a hotel with strong intelligence connections where you can see a display of genuine WW2 covert gadgets!

SECRET WRITING

Join me on a walk from Soho to St James’s. On the way you’ll hear readings from a variety of authors who have engaged with the world of secrets.

John le Carré and Ian Fleming frame this literary exploration. But you’ll hear from others too – and some may surprise you!

 

SECRETS AND SPIES

With the creation of the Secret Service Bureau in 1909, British Intelligence entered a new phase. This is a story of the Security Service (aka MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (aka MI6), but also of Special Branch, the SOE and the Cambridge Spies.

We start with the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service and of the Security Service. We move on to penetrate a world of covert operations to reveal shadowy stories of secrets and spies.

 

THEATRELAND BY STAGES

Why is London’s Theatreland in the West End? And what has it contributed to the development of performance in Britain over the generations? Whether initiating development or reflecting prevailing trends, Theatreland remains at the heart of the British theatrical scene.

This is not a plaques-and-statues tour. We move from Patent Theatres to studio theatres in an appreciation of the value of London’s Theatreland.

 

 

All pictures sourced from Wikimedia Commons