London History Tour: Portrait of a City

Discover the city's development from Ancient Roman times to today
From US$510 privately
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Tour Details
Duration
3 hours
Product Type
Tour
Venues
  • Guildhall
  • All Hallows by the Tower
Photos & Highlights
  • Immerse yourself in the narrative timeline of how London expanded from a settlement on the banks of the Thames to modern metropolis
  • Led by a historian, we'll discuss the city's remarkable architectural development and global trade's importance to the city's history
Select a date
Tour Description
Uncover London's tumultuous 2,000-year history in the company of a local historian on this walking tour, broadly covering the history of England's capital. Providing an overview of London from Roman outpost to cutting-edge world capital, this walk is history-focused, tracing the city's long, turbulent history and rise to prominence while visiting quintessential landmarks like the Tower of London, All Hallows-by-the-Tower, and the Monument, which marks the spot at which the Great Fire, which nearly consumed the city, is believed to have originated.
Experts
Paula Paula
Local Guide
Zozo Daniel Zozo Daniel
Historian
Imogen Imogen
Historian
Alan Alan
Archaeologist
Amber Amber
Local Guide
Don Don
Local Guide
Aaron Aaron
Archaeologist
Ruth Ruth
Art Historian
Melissa Melissa
Local Guide
Barry Barry
Local Guide
Alex Alex
Local Guide
Marc Marc
Art Historian
Jenny Jenny
Local Guide
Karen Karen
Local Guide
Caroline Caroline
Architectural Historian
Tim Tim
Historian
Andrew Andrew
Archaeologist
Janice Janice
Local Guide
Fiona Fiona
Tour Guide
Chris Chris
Architect
David David
Local Guide
Laurence Laurence
Local Guide
Rob Rob
Historian
David David
Architectural Historian
Sue Sue
Historian
Alice Venessa Alice Venessa
Food Writer
Peter Peter
Political Scientist
Sarah Sarah
Local Guide
Clare Clare
Local Guide
Mike Mike
Local Guide
William William
Local Guide
Jane Jane
Local Guide
Laura Laura
Historian
Jane Jane
Social Historian
Emily Emily
Blue Badge guide
Harry Harry
Historian
Lawrence Lawrence
Anthropologist
Alexandra Alexandra
Local Guide
Emanuela Emanuela
Local Guide
Laurence Laurence
Local Guide
Jenny Jenny
Local Guide
We will begin at the Tower of London, one of the primary symbols of London, which was built in 1078 to protect the city from invaders. Here we will discuss the Norman invasion and separation of the City of London from the monarchy, delving into one of the most interesting periods of British history. We will continue the walk with a visit to one of the few sites that escaped the fire (though not the Blitz), All Hallows-by-the-Tower. The church is the oldest known in the City of London area and contains remnants of the Roman, Saxon, medieval, and modern periods. It was also the place where Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire spread across the capital, where William Penn was christened, and where John Quincy Adams was married.

As we leave the church, we will pass some of the remains of the Roman and medieval wall and fort that was situated in this area. While making our way in the medieval streets of the city, we will discuss the architectural development of the square mile, from St. Andrew Undershaft Church which survived the Great Fire, the Blitz, and a Victorian refurbishment, to the Lloyd's Building and the controversial Gerkin. We will continue our walk with a visit to the fourteenth-century Leadenhall Market, where we will discuss the importance of trade to the history of the city and to the flourishing coffeehouses in this part of London. If time allows, we will veer off to Guildhall, the medieval town hall and the only pre-1666 secular building that survived the fire and the 1940-41 Blitz. This site is also home to a Roman amphitheater situated on the ground level of the structure, whose remains we may examine. 
Depending on the day and your interest, we may take a short walk to the third-century AD Roman Mithraeum, or we could proceed to walk through Eastcheap, in the heart of the City. From here, we will walk to the Monument, a large monolith, which commemorates the believed starting point of the Great Fire of London in 1666. The fire consumed many of the ninety-six churches that existed in this part of London, and the job of their restoration was given to Sir Christopher Wren, whose masterpieces are still a feature of London today.
Will we see the Tower of London on this tour?
While we do not go inside the Tower of London on this tour, we start the walk very near it, and we briefly discuss its role in the creation of the City. If you are interested in visiting the Tower, please see our Tower of London tour.

Is this walk accessible to wheelchairs?
Yes, the City is fully accessible, so wheelchairs are not a problem.

Do we need to bring cash for entrance to sites?
Most sites we visit are free, however, they welcome donations. For this reason, we recommend carrying some local currency.

What if it’s raining?
Tours operate rain or shine, but in the case of inclement weather, your guide will modify the tour so more time is spent indoors. It never hurts to have an umbrella on hand.

Is this tour good for kids?
Yes! We have some excellent family-friendly experts who can appeal to the learning styles of children. Please book privately if you have children under 13. Feel free to provide us with information about your children such as favorite school subjects, and hobbies. This way we can match you with the best possible guide.

Is this a walking intensive tour?
The tour covers about 2 miles. All of this is on even ground
Where You'll Start
(4.7) 187 Reviews

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Alan’s tour was perfect! Seeing the oldest and newest parts of London and everything in-between. We learned a lot and had a wonderful time. Loved all the Roman ruins!
Emily was just wonderful. She was so knowledgeable about the history and buildings of the city of London, and accommodated our interest in the architecture around us. In spite of 40F degrees and drizzle, we had an amazing time!
We enjoyed an excellent tour with Melissa. The tour was well researched, well organized, and well executed. We enjoyed interacting with Melissa who fielded our questions and added fun anecdotes along the way.