Walking Tour: Hidden Gardens of London

Join us for a special walking tour as we discover the City's unexpected green spaces and their fascinating history. 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, walk along the new garden in the air of Alphage Highwalk, see a churchyard said to be haunted by two quarrelling ladies and finish in a garden with a calming pool reflecting an inverted image of St Paul’s Cathedral. 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 90–120 minutes and will require both walking, accessing gardens via steps 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 near St Paul’s tube station. About your guide: Bridget Daly 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. We signed up to a walking tour of London called 'Drink, Death and Debauchery'. Had a brilliant 2+ hours with a wonderful guide called Bridget whose knowledge of the area and historical information was amazing! Learned so much and finished off at the museum which was included in the ticket price. Highly recommend! -Tripadvisor review, June 2024