Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past
Description
Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting medieval knights, body snatchers, Charles Dickens, an eighteenth century ghost, and William Wallace - aka Braveheart (and learn how he was in no fit state to shout "Freeeedoooommmm!" whilst being executed!) On our walking tour we'll visit the areas around Smithfield, for centuries London's site of both animal and human slaughter. We'll learn about how the city disposed of the tens of thousands of Black Death corpses in the fourteenth century, the execution methods used in the Middle Ages, and how the area became a notorious slum which Dickens used as the setting for Oliver Twist. The walking tour begins outside Barbican Station, ends near to Farringdon Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles. Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
A fourteenth century monastery and plague pit
A one thousand year old meat market
The home of the medieval Knights Hospitallers
A quiet alley with a noisy history
The memorial to William Wallace, aka Braveheart
London's oldest surviving parish church
The site where the Great Fire of 1666 died out, and of eighteenth century ghost hysteria
The site of the River Fleet, Victorian London's largest open air sewer
A hidden gem of a pub, hidden down an alleyway
The oldest surviving hospital in the country
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(284)
What a wonderful tour. I and my three children wanted to learn about the darker side of London history. We live in London and walk these streets without knowing the rich history behind it and this tour did not disappoint. So informative and captivating. My 26 year old, 14 year old and 10 year old thoroughly loved it, especially the gruesome parts. I highly recommend this to everyone
Wonderful guide with a lot of knowledge about London history. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and learned a lot of new things about the Smithfield area of London. Great experience, would definitely recommend.
A very informative tour with lots of literal quotes and poems read out along the way. Historic story telling at its best. Enjoyed the walk and the beautiful landmarks.
Such an excellent tour, with so many fascinating points of interest in areas of London a little off the traditional tourist path. Our guide Tom was very knowledgeable and at the same time entertaining, and delivered lots of great anecdotes to embellish the tour. The length and pace of the tour was just right. It was very reasonably priced.
We had such a wonderful time today on our tour of Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past. Tom was an exceptional guide who had a good rhythm of walking, not too fast and stopped at great spots to give us some great knowledge. There are some points which I will remember wherever I am. It was a good mixture of funny, history and London current events linked to the past. I would strongly suggest this tour. Great fun!
Tom was an excellent guide. He welcomed us all warmly and explained everything clearly. He was very knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. We learnt a lot and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
We’ve had a great tour through lots of places you normally wouldn’t find so easily. Tom was a great tour guide, he really knows a lot of interesting facts and details and was very friendly.
Such an interesting tour, Tom is so knowledgeable and very engaging. A wonderful part of London to explore, I highly recommend. Will definitely be booking another!
This was such a fun experience! Loved our guide, Tom, who made the whole thing interesting. He was well informed and very witty. I wish I had enough time to go through all his tours. My friends and I had a really good time on the trip!
Fabulous tour with Tom. Incredibly knowledgeable guide who had lots of fun facts . The time flew by even in the pouring rain! Highly recommend
