The Mayor of Islington's Official Guides
Fascinating walks in Clerkenwell and Islington led by qualified local guides
Walks or talks for groups, schools, special occasions or business events
Guided tours of some of Islington and Clerkenwell’s most historic and captivating buildings and sites’
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The contribution to the day from Clerkenwell & Islington Guides is:
From Archers to Wizards
Meeting point: Outside Angel tube station, by the benches in front of NatWest bank, Islington High Street, N1 8XX.
Five hundred years of Islington history told through the people who influenced politics and culture. Meet the man who gave us drinking water and hear about an author who imagined a whole new fantasy world. Find out about a woman who gave away a great fortune, a pacifist MP, and a beloved princess whose untimely death changed the nation.
Clerkenwell & Islington Guides - Walks and Events Calendar
Canonbury Tower Tour
Canonbury Tower was built in the late 16th century and is a rare survivor of Tudor domestic architecture in London. The Tower was added onto a manor house built in the early 1500s as the country retreat of the Canons of St Bartholomew’s Priory in Smithfield. On this 90-minute tour you’ll see the existing Tudor ... Read More
Ghostsigns of Islington – make walking a pleasure
Remnants of advertising for bygone brands and businesses still cling to the walls along and above our busy streets. These are today commonly referred to as 'ghostsigns' and they offer a fascinating window into the past. Most of the ads we will look at on this tour will be the hand-painted variety applied directly onto ... Read More
Islington’s Golden Mile – drapery, corsetry and fancy goods
A wander along Upper Street looking at remnants of lovely old shop fronts in the form of doorway mosaics, curved glass and gilded signs harking back when this thoroughfare was known as Islington's Golden Mile, offering top quality products in beautifully presented surroundings – a truly A1 shopping experience. See evidence of, and hear about, ... Read More
The Trailblazer Tour: Putting the Poetry into the Place!
Who made it her mission to empower women and is linked to the first hospice in Europe for patients with HIV/ AIDS? Who stood up for Jewish women’s rights and was described as having ‘a touch of genius’? Who criticised Britain’s colonial project and defended the rights of animals in the 18th and 19th centuries? Traces of ... Read More
Caledonian Tower Tours
Tours take place on Saturdays and, during the summer, on some weekday evenings. The Saturday Tours cover the history of the Tower and Park while the weekday tours are shorter looking at the Clock and its mechanisms as well as affording the views from the top of the Tower. Our guided tours are led by ... Read More
Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat
St Paul's tube station, Exit 2 (signed to St Paul's Cathedral)From St Paul's via Greyfriars & Old Bailey to Smithfield, St Bartholomew's & Charterhouse. The Priory and Hospital of St Bartholomew were founded at Smithfield 900 years ago in 1123. London has a long and dark history of martyrs, public executions, body snatchers, crime and punishment - and butchery. Hear tales of hangings and burnings; ... Read More
Caledonian Tower Tours
Tours take place on Saturdays and, during the summer, on some weekday evenings. The Saturday Tours cover the history of the Tower and Park while the weekday tours are shorter looking at the Clock and its mechanisms as well as affording the views from the top of the Tower. Our guided tours are led by ... Read More
Promenades, Punks, and Pints of Port: Islington’s Lost Entertainments
Angel stationOn this two-hour tour we'll be walking through the many ways that Islington has met that most unusual of human needs: the need to have fun. Fun, like all culture, is subject to the whims of fashion, and Islington is littered with traces of activities and institutions that have gone from ubiquity to obscurity. We'll ... Read More
Clerkenwell’s Lost Monasteries
This year Bart’s Hospital is celebrating its 900th anniversary on the same site that it was founded in 1123. It was originally part of St Bartholomew’s Priory, founded by a courtier of Henry 1 in thanks for surviving a bout of malaria while on pilgrimage to Rome. St Bartholomew’s was only one of four great ... Read More
Caledonian Tower Tours
Tours take place on Saturdays and, during the summer, on some weekday evenings. The Saturday Tours cover the history of the Tower and Park while the weekday tours are shorter looking at the Clock and its mechanisms as well as affording the views from the top of the Tower. Our guided tours are led by ... Read More
Reviews Of Our Tours
I’ve joined two of the Association’s walks, one on Islington’s involvement in the Spanish Civil War and another on Activism in Islington in the 70s and 80s. Both walks were excellent; well researched; expertly led; and a wealth of local information relating to the topics. I would recommend the Association’s guided walks to anyone.
Had a very enjoyable guided walk in Islington today visiting places associated with artists who once lived in the area and painted local landmarks. Knowledgeable and friendly guide who shared many amusing anecdotes about former inhabitants of this fascinating part of London. An informative and fun walk. Will definitely book with them again.
I had the fantastic opportunity to take a tour of Canonbury Tower with an excellent guide. She was very welcoming, knowledgeable and smart. I was so impressed by this tour and guide that I look forward to participating in other tours.
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