Welcome to the May newsletter of walks across Clerkenwell and Islington, and we have a wide variety of walks again this months, starting with one of the places where there is a combination of history and fantastic views across London:
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 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.
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. Islington Guides offer exclusive small group tours twice a month on Wednesday afternoons and Friday mornings.
Click here for the booking link for multiple dates in May, June and July.
MONASTERIES, MARTYRS, MURDER & MEAT
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 901 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; grave robbers and law enforcement; and the annual fair that became so riotous it was banned after 700 years. Discover medieval monasteries, the country’s oldest hospital and the City of London’s oldest house. See London’s most famous courthouse, on the site of its most notorious former prison.
The walk lasts approximately two hours. Please be prepared for all weather conditions!
Start: St Paul’s tube station, Exit 2 (signed to St Paul’s Cathedral)
Finish: Charterhouse Square (nearest tubes: Barbican, Farringdon)
“I really enjoyed Monasteries, Martyrs, Murder & Meat and felt that Jonathan brought the history of the City to life in an informative and entertaining way. I highly recommend and will definitely do more guided walks with London on the Ground.”
This walk takes place on the 11th of May and can be booked by clicking here.
EVOLVING ISLINGTON
In 1086 the Domesday Book reported that Islington contained just 27 households. Today its quarter-of-a-million residents live in an area that boasts world-class cultural venues but also less green space than any other London borough.
The story of how Islington developed over the centuries provides many tales of social, cultural and political history. The walk takes in many of central Islington’s most fascinating sites – some well-known and others even locals may not be familiar with.
You’ll see a Tudor house that’s been in the same family since the 16th century, the first church bombed in World War II and some of the pioneering homes built in the early 20th century as Islington’s population boomed. You’ll also find out how the world-famous Union Chapel got its name and why you should never graffiti in a library book… The tour lasts about 2 hours and starts at Highbury & Islington station.
This walk takes place on the 12th of May and can be booked by clicking here.
CLERKENWELL: LONDON’S FIRST SUBURB
**Book this tour for 11am on 18 May 2024 and you will be sent a discount code giving £2 off Bunhill: Barracks, Bone Yards and Baths at 2.30pm on the same day.**
———————————————————
On this circular walk from/to Farringdon Station, now one of the best connected stations in all of London, you will:
• Learn about Clerkenwell’s Norman and medieval heritage as the location of a Priory and a Nunnery in fields north of the City of London.
• Discover Clerkenwell’s tradition for radicalism, dissent and protest.
• Understand its growth from rural monastic quarter to the first area to be swallowed up by creeping urbanisation.
• Find out Clerkenwell’s history as a centre for makers of clocks, watches, jewellery and furniture; for brewers and distillers; and for crime and vice.
• See the site of the historic court houses of the lost county of Middlesex.
• Admire architecture from the 16th to the 21st centuries in a visually attractive village-like area.
• Have a rare opportunity to see the Clerk’s Well that gave the area its name.
The walk lasts approximately two hours. Please be prepared for all weather conditions!
Start: Farringdon Station forecourt (opposite Castle pub, Cowcross Street/Turnmill Street)
Finish: Farringdon Station
“Thanks for a great walk.” May 2023
“My wife, myself and a friend had a very enjoyable walk with Jonathan around Clerkenwell this afternoon and enjoyed the informative dialogue and the hidden places visited, all in all a great afternoon was had by the whole group, thank you.” May 2023
This walk takes place on the 18th of May and can be booked by clicking here.
ST MARY ISLINGTON – CHURCH AND TOWER TOUR
St Mary’s, Islington on Upper Street has played a central role in the history of Islington for a thousand years. During this time several different churches have stood on the site, leaving an eclectic range of architectural styles.
On this 90-minute guided tour you’ll learn about the 12th-century Norman church and its 15th-century medieval successor. In the 18th century it was completely rebuilt, lasting until 1940 when St Mary’s became the first London church to be destroyed in World War II. Only the tower and steeple survived the bomb; the main body of the church was rebuilt in 1956, a fascinating example of post-war reconstruction and design.
As well as providing a glimpse into the history of St Mary’s and how it has influenced Islington today, you’ll also have the opportunity to climb the 120 steps to the top of tower, giving you a bird’s-eye view over London.
BUNHILL: BARRACKS, BONE YARDS AND BATHS
**Book this tour for 2.30pm on 18 May 2024 and you will be sent a discount code giving £2 off Clerkenwell: London’s First Suburb at 11am on the same day.**
———————————————————
Discover nonconformist burial grounds, one of the oldest regiments in the British Army, a 90 year-old public baths and wash-house, the site of London’s first outdoor swimming pool and one of its most unusual churches.
“Another walk where you think you know the patch and Jonathan shows you the hidden stories!”
Sitting between today’s financial district and the Angel, Islington’s Bunhill ward is named after an ancient bone yard. Once marshland outside the walls of the City of London, for a while the area offered spas and outdoor leisure facilities. As urbanisation swallowed the fields, the area became industrialised and populated by tradesmen, the poor and the sick.
The legacy of the past is still visible, but this walk will also reveal some hidden architectural gems and tranquil open spaces.
The walk lasts approximately two hours. It will take place come rain or shine, so please be prepared for all weather conditions!
Start: outside Moorgate tube station, the western entrance on Moorfields (follow signposts to Exit 1).
Finish: close to Old Street tube station.
This walk takes place on the 18th of May and can be booked by clicking here.
ISLINGTON’S BIG SCREENS
A stroll through more than 100 years of Islington cinema-going; all between Angel and Essex Road stations. You’’ll encounter Victorian showmen, architectural wonders and tales of bad behaviour in the stalls. Come to discover hidden gems and hear what a night ‘at the flicks’ was like decades before multiplexes.
In addition to such landmarks as the Screen on the Green, you’ll see some buildings that were once cinemas as well as a few intriguing places where all trace of their cinematic past has vanished.
This walk takes place on the 26th of May and can be booked by clicking here.
Our next newsletter will on the first Sunday in June.
You must be logged in to post a comment.