Booze, Brothels & The Bard: A Walking Tour of London's Bawdy Borough

Embark on a captivating walking tour of London’s bawdy borough, exploring its scandalous history, encountering famous figures like Shakespeare and Dickens, and uncovering hidden secrets of the past.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • St George the Martyr - The only remaining part of the Marshalsea Prison
  • Crossbones Graveyard & Garden of Remembrance - The final resting place for thousands of Southwark’s outcast dead
  • The Hop Exchange - The largest extant reminder of Southwark’s beer trade
  • George - London’s last surviving galleried coaching inn
  • Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret - Europe’s oldest surviving operating theatre
  • London Bridge - The world famous and iconic London Bridge
  • Southwark Cathedral - London’s oldest surviving gothic church
  • Borough Market - A one thousand year old food market
  • Winchester Palace - The remains of one of the most prestigious homes in medieval England
  • Clink Prison Museum - The site of the notorious Clink Prison
  • Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre - The reconstruction of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
What's Included
  • Walking Tour Guide included
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting William Shakespeare, medieval Winchester Geese prostitutes, Charles Dickens, the ghost of a nineteenth century pub landlady, and the wonderfully named Doorkins Magnificat!

On our walking tour we’ll visit the areas around Borough and Bankside, which being outside the jurisdiction of the City of London were for centuries the site of seedy goings on. We’ll learn how the area had been notorious for prostitution since the arrival of the Romans, visit the locations of Southwark’s two most notorious prisons of which parts can still be seen today, take in the sights of a millennium-old market, view the remains of a medieval palace, and find Shakespeare’s Globe Theatres both old and new!

The walking tour begins outside Borough Station, ends near London Bridge Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles.

Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.

Location
Borough
Borough High Street
We meet outside the exit of Borough Station. Please aim to arrive five minutes early as the tour will start on time. If you aren't able to make the tour or you will be late, please message me on +44 7783 401 129 so that I know whether to send you our live location on WhatsApp.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(57 Ratings)
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Nick_c_tp
Aug 20, 2024
Great tour - informative, interesting and well paced - Great tour - It was well paced, well researched and Tom was a great guide. Would definitely recommend and book another tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Linda_w
Aug 10, 2024
Don’t miss this! - Tom was a great tour leader and we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the tour. He shared so many colorful stories of the history and people of the London area/borough and their lives that we felt we were back in time with them. We highly recommend you join him for a really fun adventure.
Review provided by Viator
Galadriel_n
Jul 29, 2024
Lots of history! - This was a very informative tour. We really enjoyed learning about all the history of the area. Out tour guide was very knowledgeable and engaging. Our only wish was that we could have spent more time at places. It is more of a walk by and if you want to go back after the tour you can.
Review provided by Viator
Rosiemulford
Jul 3, 2024
Great informative and fun tour! - Amazing tour! Tom was so knowledgable, had so many fun anecdotes and facts to tell and we learnt so much in the two hours. It was the perfect amount of time, with a great amount of information but not an overload. Will definitely do one of his other tours at some point!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisanm2500qz
Jun 30, 2024
Fun, facts and a lot of London history - A brilliant informative tour around the Borough area. Tom was friendly and knew all the history in great detail. A really lovely way to see and hear facts and stories from the past. Would definitely recommend and would definitely book another tour or give as a gift.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew
Jun 29, 2024
Booze, Brothels & The Bard: A Walking Tour of London's Bawdy Borough. - First time we have done a walking tour in London and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Great way to spend a couple of hours. Highly recommend.... We will definitely book one of the other tours on offer next time we are in London.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarahog3802pn
Jun 9, 2024
Excellent value, informative and very knowledgeable guide. - Today’s walking tour was Informative, very interesting, funny in parts and moved at a very good pace. At the end, We were perfectly positioned to go into the Globe Theatre afterwards and still have plenty of day left. Really keen to join Toms other tours and would thoroughly recommend this tour to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
L4990rhalexs
Jun 5, 2024
Amazing - Amazing tour! Tom didn’t cancel even though me and my mum were the only ones who’d booked tickets for that day, and he’s a great guide, we were very impressed. The tour allows you to see parts of central London you’d normally not see or take notice of, and we loved learning about some of the darker parts of London’s history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport46621486065
Jun 3, 2024
Fun, Informative, Unique Tour - I've been to London a few times, so I was looking for something different to do. This tour - and Tom - offered a fun new perspective on the city. It was fun and informative, and Tom answered my questions. I would absolutely recommend it to see a new side of the city.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Safaa
May 5, 2024
A fun walk in the old borough district of London. - Tom is an excellent guide, friendly and knows his city well. I will definitely book another tour with him and will recommend his company to my friends.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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September 2024
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