Welcome to our newsletter of walks and events for April 2026, with a number of walks for the month of April to tempt you out to explore Clerkenwell and Islington as the weather slowly improves, starting with a tour which offers some wonderful views across London:
Canonbury Tower guided 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 interiors and hear about the many notable characters associated with the building. Over the centuries these have included Thomas Cromwell of Wolf Hall fame, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, Francis Bacon and the writers Washington Irving (Sleepy Hollow) and Oliver Goldsmith (The Vicar of Wakefield). You’ll also have the chance to climb up to the rooftop which affords wonderful views over London in all directions.
Tours are usually available twice a month on the second Friday and the last Wednesday.
Canonbury Tower is owned by the Marquess of Northampton and has been in the same family since the 16th century. All visitors are guests of the seventh Marquess, Spencer Compton.
This walk takes place on the 10th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Cultural Clerkenwell – a walking tour
Walk in the footsteps of Shakespeare and Dickens and see contemporary art in London’s oldest parish church.
Since the middle-ages, when religious pageants were held on the banks of the River Fleet and entertainers performed at the annual Bartholomew’s Fair, Clerkenwell has been a part of London steeped in cultural history.
Theatre, literature, music, film, architecture, food, sculpture and visual art spanning the last 900 years are all covered as we wander the streets and alleys of this atmospheric neighbourhood.
In addition to following in the footsteps of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, along the way you’ll hear how William Morris, Agatha Christie, Vladimir Lenin, William Hogarth and Benjamin Franklin have all left their mark on Clerkenwell.
In London’s oldest parish church you’ll see a striking sculpture by one of Britain’s most controversial artists. Down hidden alleyways you’ll find out about one of London’s great 17th-century theatres, a pioneering architectural partnership and an unsung champion of classical music. You’ll also see why this historic area has been a location for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies. And you’ll get the chance to see close-up the site that gave Clerkenwell its name.
The tour lasts about 2 hours. It starts outside Barbican underground station (Hammersmith & City line) and ends at Farringdon station.
This walk takes place on the 15th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Look At The Estate We’re In
An architectural appreciation tour showcasing a variety of well-designed social housing estates in Islington.
We’ll start in Essex Road and make our way to Highbury & Islington station via Victorian, Edwardian and pre-WWII developments made possible by concerned and innovative benefactors. We’ll also look at early LCC estates and Islington’s own, more recent, schemes. It’s a delightful route that always surprises.
Find out about the philanthropists and the architects behind the schemes and how their cleverly designed and solid-built constructions brought about a sense of pride and well-being. See how these estates continue to look good today.
This walk takes place on the 16th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Islington World War Walk
Walk around Islington and discover its role in winning two world wars. The factory that saved Britain from invasion. The British soldier
turned wandering Buddhist mystic, where some of the most notorious bombs fell and where many of Islington`s biggest heroes and heroines
lived.
This walk takes place on the 18th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Caledonian Clock Tower
Discover the hidden history of the Caledonian Market Clock Tower, the last surviving structure of Islington’s vast Victorian livestock market. On this guided tour with Islington Guided Walks, you’ll explore how thousands of cattle, sheep and pigs once passed through this site each week, shaping the streets, pubs and daily life of north London.
Climb 178 historic steps inside the Grade II* listed tower to see the original Victorian clock mechanism, still wound by hand, and enjoy sweeping views across London from the upper levels. Along the way, uncover the dramatic rise, decline and survival of the market, and how this remarkable tower was saved and restored as a local landmark.
Please note: this tour involves steep, narrow stairs and requires sturdy footwear.
Geoffrey Fletcher’s Islington
Discover some of the Islington locations that the artist Geoffrey Fletcher captured so lovingly in the 1960s and 1970s and learn about the area’s long and rich heritage.
“Excellent walk – really interesting and a really great guide.”
Best known for his 1962 book ‘The London That Nobody Knows’, Geoffrey Fletcher’s sketches, paintings, books and weekly column in the Telegraph recorded the London he feared was vanishing in the decades after World War II.
He was especially fond of Islington, with its markets, Georgian terraces and varied Victorian architecture. Some of it has disappeared and the character of the area has changed.
However, Fletcher would still recognise many of the buildings and streets he drew or painted 60 years ago.
The walk will last approximately two hours. Please be prepared for all weathers!
Start: outside Angel tube station, Islington High Street, N1 8XX
Finish: Essex Road (close to Essex Road station)
“Great walk, Jonathan, thanks!”
“A fascinating walk through 60s and 70s Islington – or what remains!”
This walk takes place on the 25th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
The Slow Horses Stroll
Prepare to immerse yourself in the authentic London of Mick Herron’s Slow Horses novels and the acclaimed TV adaptation.
This walking tour takes you beyond the screen and pages, directly into the streets that inspired the stories and characters you love.
Your guides, Caroline and Nigel, will take you in the footsteps of your favourite bunch of MI5 misfits, and give you a whole new perspective on the city. You’ll see the actual Slough House and other real-life locations where memorable encounters with the Slow Horses take place. And along the way, you’ll discover the fascinating links between the series and London’s rich past — from the medieval heritage of its oldest parish church, to the Victorian grandeur of Smithfield Market, and the striking Brutalism of the Barbican.
The locations are brought to life with some of your guides’ favourite extracts from the novels and they’ll uncover the production secrets that transform this corner of the city into Lamb’s London.
The two-hour tour starts outside Barbican Underground Station (Hammersmith & City line) and ends near Old Street Station (Northern line).
Disclaimer: this walking tour of Slow Horses locations is in no way affiliated with Mick Herron or his publishers, See-Saw Films or Apple TV+.
This walk takes place on the 25th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Regent’s Canal, a walking tour of its industrial past & sustainable future
On this linear walk along the Regent’s Canal from Angel Station, led by qualified Clerkenwell & Islington guide and conservation architect Minerva, you will:
• Discover how Victorian industrial wasteland became London’s most desirable waterside living – and what this transformation cost some communities
• Learn why adaptive reuse of old buildings is the ultimate climate action – and which developers are getting sustainable regeneration right
• Compare two contrasting estate regenerations: Packington’s success story vs Colville’s cautionary tale of poor workmanship and displaced tenants
• Understand how the canal that once moved coal now moves gentrification – spotting genuine community benefit vs expensive window dressing
• Explore mixed-use developments and warehouse conversions that either honor or erase the area’s working-class heritage
” This tour was an incredible experience! The walk, combined with Minerva’s explanations, helped me rediscover the canal’s rich history and evolution. The tour highlights some of the key buildings along the canal, but it’s presented in a way that’s engaging and accessible, even for those who aren’t architecture enthusiasts. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to explore and learn more about this fascinating part of the city!”
This walk takes place on the 26th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Canonbury Tower guided 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 interiors and hear about the many notable characters associated with the building. Over the centuries these have included Thomas Cromwell of Wolf Hall fame, Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, Francis Bacon and the writers Washington Irving (Sleepy Hollow) and Oliver Goldsmith (The Vicar of Wakefield). You’ll also have the chance to climb up to the rooftop which affords wonderful views over London in all directions.
Tours are usually available twice a month on the second Friday and the last Wednesday.
Canonbury Tower is owned by the Marquess of Northampton and has been in the same family since the 16th century. All visitors are guests of the seventh Marquess, Spencer Compton.
This walk takes place on the 29th of April and can be booked by clicking here.
Our next newsletter will be on the first weekend in May, and until then, our website is regularly updated with new walks.
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