Medieval London Walking Tour Oxford PhD Historian Guide

We meet at the West end of St Paul's Cathedral near the grand stairs. This marvel was built by Sir Cristopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666. The Fire destroyed most of medieval London but there are plenty of places that survived close by. Sir Christopher plays a role in the other buildings we will see so we need to learn about him and London before 1666. It is an 18 minute walk to St Bart's.

On our way to St Bart's Priory we will stop at the memorial to William Wallace the Scot hero who fought for Scottish independence.

The Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great is a 12th-century gem. Much of it survived not only the Great Fire of 1666 but also the Reformation, Civil War, and The Blitz of WW2. the eastern side of the church retains stunning arches, columns, and tombs. It is an early Norman church and will be valuable to compare it with the other churches we will visit built in the later medieval centuries.

We will discuss the Medieval London's walls and stop at Newgate one of London's old entry points. It later gained fame as a prison. It is where the Old Bailey (London Criminal Court) was built and still used.

If you have seen or read The Da Vinci Code then you know about the Knights Templar. These medieval monk-knights were a wealthy and mysterious Crusader force. They had great wealth and built this church in the 12th century. This too survived the Great Fire but the Victorian restorers did most of the damage! Its incredible stone vaulted ceiling survived The Blitz when bombs rained down all around it. There is a great link here to the Founding Fathers of the United States - so it should not be missed!