A walk exploring White City's hidden history

Discover how a Hungarian impresario, who'd wowed America with spectacular shows, went on to transform farmland and brickfields into London’s biggest entertainment and sports venue.

In 1908 Imre Kiralfy realized his dream and built a 140-acre complex for exhibitions and amusements, including the first purpose-built stadium for the Summer Olympics. It was called the Great White City and had a strong imperialist theme.

This area of London has, ever since, been associated with entertainment and leisure. On this walk you’ll see Television Centre with its iconic 1950s architecture; the UK's first public Japanese garden, built for the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition; the White City Estate; and the memorial to the 1908 Olympic Games.

It is easy to join the walk from almost anywhere in London - it starts and ends minutes from tube stations for the Central, Hammersmith and City and Circle lines.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "What an extraordinary walk we had today! I learned so much about White City and it’s really sparked my interest to do more walks in the future. I was sad when it came to an end. Thoroughly recommended" Jan Lancaster (Google)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"The Iya tour of White City was truly wonderful. I learned a huge amount. Joanna was an amazing host, teacher, and tour guide. Her tour highlights a huge amount of fascinating historical information, in a completely accessible way - especially for non-British participants! She has expertly woven this together, while still engaging with contemporary issues affecting the community. If you are a visitor, or a London resident - I would highly recommend this walk and I cannot wait for the next tour!" Miranda Russell (Google)

Host or Publisher Iya London Walks