London History Tour: Shakespeare to Dickens

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: 24 hours
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…
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…

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
(93 Ratings)
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J9176dkjeanettec
Oct 12, 2025
Fascinating tour of the bawdy borough - We had a wonderful tour with Tom. He was a great guide, very knowledgeable and friendly. Really fascinating tour covering a lot of interesting social history. Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nigelpl2833gu
Oct 11, 2025
An experience not to be missed - A fascinating tour with a hugely knowledgable, friendly and humorous guide. We've frequently been to Southwark but had no idea how much history was literally beneath our feet, from superb Roman mosaics to piled-high bodies in a disused paupers' cemetery. Tom brought it vividly to life and will certainly be seeing us again.
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139ewenm
Oct 10, 2025
Fantastic Tour! - A really great tour. The guide was friendly, very knowledgeable, and timely. I learnt a lot about places I'd always walked by unthinkingly, as well as places mentioned in literature I'd never imagined I'd see in reality! Thoroughly recommend.
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Couch60
Oct 2, 2025
Excellent guided tour - Excellent tour with Tom. He is so informative and helpful. This is our third tour with Tom and won't be our last. We thoroughly enjoyed his delivery and information.
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Barrera63
Oct 2, 2025
Highly recommended. - Great tour, lots of interesting information and stories that were well told. I’m going to check out more of Tom’s tours.
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Gillianrj1968fq
Sep 27, 2025
Get to know the old "sleazy" part of London on the Booze, Brothels & The Bard Walking Tour. - Tom led the walking tour starting at Borough station and ending at the Globe theatre. He delivered the tour as promised, covering beer brewing, prison life, running brothels under church control, bear baiting, and the development of the theatre. All activities that were not allowed north of the river. He's very knowledgeable and delivers his information clearly.
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Jerryhc8806lu
Sep 23, 2025
Enjoyabe and informative - A most enjoyable an infomrtaive tour - Tom brings it all to life and seeks answers to questions quickly. Second tour with Tom and would recommned others to go
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Z8421ridavidk
Sep 21, 2025
Very entertaining history tour - Excellent tour guide as always. I learnt something new and interesting each place we stopped and would highly recommend to pass a couple of hours gentle stroll.
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Jane665
Jul 6, 2025
Highly recommended - Tom spoke clearly, knowledgeably and professionally. The tour was really interesting and we visited many places that I didn’t know existed despite having worked in Borough for many years. I’ll definitely be in touch to book another tour.
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Tour03660159026
Jun 21, 2025
Excellent Tour with Tom for my birthday - Love these tours with Tom. We’ve done two and are planning a third. He is interesting, very knowledgeable and his tours cover a short distance which gives you the chance to revisit places of interest after the walk. Would recommend this to anyone who likes history. Also love his weekly updates.
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From $26
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).