I do various walks from time to time, nearly all for London Walks. (A list of all the walks. lectures, study tours I have given can be found here):
JANE AUSTEN’S LONDON
Jane Austen’s London takes place at 2.30 pm on Sunday, July 4th. The meeting point is just outside the Green Park exit (by the fountain) of Green Park Tube.
This is a London Walks Walk. To book click here:
The walk takes in the area of the London section of Sense and Sensibility. This is where Jane Austen frequented when visiting her banking brother, Henry. He lived here during his ‘successful’ period, after resigning as a Captain in the Militia and setting up a bank to help soldiers pay for their commissions. He then did what all good bankers do – went bankrupt and ruined himself, family and friends. His uncle lost 10,000 pounds; his rich brother, Edward Knight lost £20,000. (that is 2/5ths of the fortune of Willoughby’s wife, and equal to the income of Darcy, 100 times the annual income of Mrs Austen after her husband died) i.e. a heck of a lot of money. Jane lost £13.
But this area was also the centre of the Ton – the wealthy elite of Regency London. It was here that the French Royal family, in exile, hung out, and the haunt of Beau Brummel and Prinny, the Prince Regent, loungers in chief who were so well satirised in the figure of Sir Walter Elliot. This is where the Dandies lounged, leered and shopped. Here the rich could get their guns, swords, cigars, snuff, hats, shoes, tailored clothes, uniforms, wine, prostitutes, lovers. They came to visit art galleries, see panoramas of European Cities, to ‘see’ the invisible women living in her glass jar, to choose their Wedgwood pottery.
And what is astonishing is that this is still where the megarich do exactly the same things: hang out and shop. All the top brands are here, and instead of people like John Willoughy are to be found Russian Oligarchs, and the rich of the Emirates, and every other country in the world. And most marvellously many of the shops survive into the present day. The same shops and shop fronts still in use. They catered to the stupidly wealthy of the 18th Century are now catering for the stupidly wealthy of the 21st Century. This is where you can buy luxury yachts.
So we follow Jane and Henry, and see the ghost traces left by immoral Willoughby, sensible Elinor, overwrought Marianne, dull but nice Edward Ferrars, dull and horrible Robert Ferrars, stolid Colonel Brandon, vulgar but kind Mrs Jennings and her unforgivably vulgar daughter Mrs Palmer with her despairing husband; the Middletons, the Steeles gals ruthlessly working their assets. Plus we have a little look at the relationship between Prinny and Beau Brummel, and the terrible childbed of Princess Ch
THE REBIRTH OF SAXON LONDON ARCHAEOLOGY VIRTUAL WALK
Sunday 4th July 2021 6.30pm
An exploration of what happened following the Roman Period. How did a Celtic speaking Latin educated Roman City become, first deserted, then recovered to become the leading City in a germanic speaking Kingdom?
My first virtual walk took place every Sunday at 2pm in August 2020 and was:Myths, Legends and the Archaeological Origins of London in August 2020
and I have since done:
Sunday 25th October 2020 The Archaeology and Culture of Roman London Virtual Walk. For more details click here.
Sunday 1st November 2020 The Decline and Fall of Dark Age London Archaeology Virtual Walk. For more details click here.
Sunday 8th November 2020 The Rebirth of Saxon London Archaeology Virtual Walk For more details click here.
Sunday 22nd November 2020 Flower of Cities All – Medieval London History & Archaeology Virtual Walk For more details click here.
Sunday 29th November 2020. The London of Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell Virtual Walk For more details click here.
Sunday 6th December 2020 The Financial City from Slavery to Hedge Fund Virtual Walk For more details click here.
Sunday 13 th December 2020 Myths, Legends and the Origins of London Archaeology Virtual Walk . For more details of this walk click here.
Walks given recently:
Feb 22 2.30 Bermondsey – Archaeology & History. Bermondsey Tube
7.15 Southwark & Bankside Pub Tour. London Bridge Tube, Tooley St
Feb 1 2.30 Tower Hill to Rotherhithe Riverside Walk. Tower Hill Tube
Feb 2 10.45 Bishopsgate Ward Walk. Liverpool St Tube
Jan 25th 2.30 Wolf Hall London. Liverpool Street Tube
7.15 Blackfriars to Fleet St Pub Tour. Blackfriars Tube
Jan 26 2.30 Romans in London. Monument Tube
2019
Dec 21 10.30 London’s East End – The Peasants’ Revolt to Street Art. Aldgate Tube High Street Exit
2.30 Shakespeare’s London Locations – The places in the plays
Shoreditch High Street Overground Station
Jan 5 10.45 Myths & Legends & the Origins of London. Tower Hill Tube
Nov 23rd 2.30 The City and the Blitz. Moorgate West Tube. For more information
7.15 Hampstead Pub Tour Hampstead Tube For more information
Nov 30th 2.30 In Search of Saxon London. Moorgate Tube. For more information
7.15 Smithfield Pub Tour. Barbican Tube
Myths and Legends and the Origins of London on Saturday at Oct. 5 for details click here
City Backstreets Pub Tour at 7.15 Oct. 5 click here for details
The City and the Blitz on November 23
Decline and Fall of Roman London on Saturday at 2.30 Sept. 28 for details click here:
Chelsea Pub Tour Saturday at 7.15 Sept. 28 for details click here:
Jane Austen’s London 4 May 2019 7.15 Green Park Underground
For more details see blog post:
River Fleet Pub Crawl May 18