Course Overview

Successful completion of the award winning Clerkenwell & Islington Tour Guiding course leads to a professional qualification in tour guiding. The course is designed to enable students to develop the presentation skills required to be an excellent tour guide whilst discovering the rich and varied history and heritage of Clerkenwell & Islington. The skills gained on the course are transferrable to guiding elsewhere and can be a valuable asset in other walks of life. 

This course (accredited by Clerkenwell & Islington Guides’ Association – CIGA) will equip you with the skills to plan and give professional walking tours throughout the area. From its great Medieval monastic houses and handsome Georgian squares to its long-standing reputation as a centre for radical thought, lively entertainment and health-giving waters Clerkenwell and Islington is an endlessly fascinating place for guides and their clients.

Once you have qualified you will be invited to join the Clerkenwell & Islington Guides’ Association (which operates under the name Islington Guided Walks) and become one of the Mayor of Islington’s official tour guides. Our association was set up in 1988 and provides a supportive network of fellow guides and a platform for publicising your walks in the area. Membership also enables you to apply to become a guide at St John’s Gate in Clerkenwell and other Islington landmarks, to lead walks on behalf of Islington Guided Walks and to take visitors to see The Clerks’ Well (after which Clerkenwell is named).

The 2025 course begins on Wednesday 8th January and ends on Wednesday16th July.

If you are interested in applying for the 2025 course please complete the application form at the bottom of this page by Monday 28th October. Interviews will place in November.

In the meantime, on Wednesday 16th October at 6:30pm we are holding  “Meet the Guides” session. This is an opportunity to meet guides who have already taken the course and the course tutors to find out more about the course and guiding in the area. They will also take you on a short tour by way of a taster. Click here to book on our eventbrite site

The fee for the course is £1,095.

A very limited number of bursaries are available.  Visit janestrust.org to find out if you might be eligible and to make an application as soon as possible.

Course Content

This part-time course combines classroom based learning with practical guiding ‘walkshops’ on the streets of Clerkenwell and Islington and at an indoor landmark.

The classroom-based sessions will take place at Islington Central Library in Holloway Road on Wednesdays 6:30 – 8:30pm during term time. They consist of lectures on the the history of Clerkenwell & Islington and activities to support you in developing or improving your skills as a guide.

The practical sessions take place approximately every other Saturday (generally in the morning). For these sessions you take part in a guided walk with you and your fellow students as guides. You will each be allocated landmarks to research and then have a chance to practise your growing guiding skills with a short presentation to your fellow students and tutor at the relevant ‘stop’.

There will also be opportunities to take part in a number of optional visits. Some optional visits may incur a small additional charge.

Your progress and suitability for qualification as an accredited Clerkenwell & Islington tour guide is assessed at four points during the 28 week course. The assessment consists of 2 written assignments, one practical guiding exam at an indoor landmark and one practical guiding exam on the streets of Clerkenwell and Islington.

Who is the Course for?

The course is suitable both for people who are new to tour guiding and for experienced tour guides who want to develop their knowledge and skills further. It is aimed at anyone interested in leading guided walks whether it is for friends, family and workmates or for the general public and corporate clients.

Course Requirements:

• a commitment and potential to become a professional guide

• sufficient spoken and written English and the basic research skills to enable you to complete the course

• access to a smart phone and computer

If your initial application is successful, we will invite you for an informal interview, where you will give a short talk in English on a given Islington landmark or point of interest that  will be allocated to you in advance of the interview date.

Our Tutors

The course tutors are all qualified guides with lots of experience of guiding and teaching guiding skills:

Karen Lansdown: Karen is a former teacher with nearly 10 years guiding experience. She is an official City of London and Clerkenwell & Islington guide. She guides regularly at St John’s Gate, Clerkenwell, The Charterhouse, Smithfield, Caledonian Park and Clock Tower, Islington and the Guildhall Art Gallery  in the City of London. She also offers a variety of tours through Lansdown’s London.

Susan Hahn: Susan is a very experienced Clerkenwell & Islington Guide who has researched and developed many guided walks for the Islington Museum and other local institutions and landmarks on behalf of CIGA including the Charterhouse, the Union Chapel and the Cloudesley Charity.

Nigel Smith: Nigel has lived in Islington for more than 20 years. He’s a regular guide at Union Chapel and Canonbury Tower and leads a variety of walks in the area, often with a focus on social history, arts and culture. He also specialises in tours about the history of cinema and cinema-going throughout London. In addition to working in digital education Nigel is part of the team that produces Radio 4’s Screenshot.

If you have any questions that are not answered above please contact [email protected]