Walking Tour: London's Green Spaces

We usually think of the Square Mile as a maze of narrow, built-up streets and high-rise modern buildings.

However, there are in fact some 200 gardens here, oases of calm in the City’s busy life. They're big and small, public and private. Most of them came about because of two devastating events: the Fire of London in 1666 and the Blitz in 1940. On this walk we will visit some of these green spaces and learn their fascinating history.

Most of the green spaces are the churchyards of churches destroyed in one or both events such as St Olave’s, St Mary Aldermanbury, St John Zachary, Postman’s Park and Christchurch Greyfriars. We will also visit the public gardens of two Livery Companies - the Barber Surgeons and the Salters and walk along the new garden in the air of Alphage Highwalk, see the columns of a defunct portico of the Old Bailey and finishing at Christchurch Greyfriars churchyard, said to be haunted by two quarrelling ladies.

The meeting place will be outside the Lord Raglan pub near St Paul's, nearest tube St Paul’s on the Central Line.

The tour will last approximately 90 minutes and will require both walking and standing. Unless severe weather is forecast, the tour will be going ahead so please bring an umbrella/waterproof jacket.

Itinerary:

11am: Meet at the Lord Raglan, 61 St Martin's Le Grand, London EC1A 4ER

1pm: End at The Foundling Museum

About your guide:

Bridget Chandler is a tour guide who has been leading historical tours for a number of years for various museums such as The Charterhouse, The Foundling Museum and the Museum of London and organisations including the Art Fund and the Fine Art Society.

-Tripadvisor review, June 2024

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