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
(65 Ratings)
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Fab31169
Oct 23, 2024
Booze, Brothels & The Bard: A Walking Tour of London's Bawdy Borough - Booze, Brothels & The Bard: A Walking Tour of London's Bawdy Borough: We really enjoyed our walking tour with Tom. He was very knowledgeable and engaging, and the tour was a fabulous opportunity to explore some of the less well-known areas of London and learn about some of its quirky history. The tour was well planned and the pace was manageable for different fitness levels. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort56022068761
Oct 8, 2024
Top marks! - This was my first walking tour and Tom came recommended. He did not disappoint and 2 hours flew by very quickly. I learnt so much about the borough and Tom delivers his mini history lesson in a very engaging manner. He encourages questions and nothing seems too much trouble. What a nice chap! I'll definately be back to join in one of his other tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peterhs8549ww
Oct 7, 2024
Another excellent tour. - Another excellent tour which Tom led with his usual charm, enthusiasm and exceptional knowledge of the area and its history. Thank you Tom!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donnamg2039bo
Sep 29, 2024
Great Guide of Historic London and More - Have been to London and did a number of tours in the past. Guide Tom Currie was very knowledgeable on historical London. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the history of Southwark, especially the Ale Houses, the Clink and Cross Bones grave yard. We also enjoyed learning about the Borough Market area and experiencing the vibe. Tom clearly knows his stuff. Would thoroughly recommend this tour.
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Pioneer398842
Sep 21, 2024
Amazing - Amazing tour highly recommend. The host was very knowledgable It was pitched as a pace and the host/good looked like he enjoys his .
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Rfrisch
Sep 11, 2024
Favorite thing we did in London - Wow, Tom did an incredible job with this tour. I learned so much information that would have been easily missed by any walk through the neighborhood. He is a great storyteller who is able to help you picture London back in the old days through his tour. Would like to try his other tours next time we're in London!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richard
Sep 4, 2024
Best walking tour in London - Tom is so knowledgeable about the history of London it’s like walking around with Wikipedia! The tours are the best in town and would fully recommend him.
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Juliaannemartin
Sep 1, 2024
Authentic and fascinating. Even if you know London, you'll rediscover it through new eyes. - Tom is super informative and friendly, with an encyclopaedic knowledge not just of this area of London and its history, but its links to other parts of London too. We had a great time, could ask any questions and learnt so much. Cannot recommend highly enough and would absolutely book other tours with Tom. I'd be giving this tour five stars anyway, but I also think the fact he is a sole trader makes Historic London Tours something much better. The tours are clearly driven by a personal passion for sharing London's history, with outstanding historical knowledge and research that gives these something extra. If you live in London or know it well, you'll see it all with new eyes and interest. And if you're visiting from overseas, these tours give you the real, authentic London.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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
From $26
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).