Spitalfields Walking Tour: Discover 2000 Years of Culture in the Heart of London

Embark on a captivating walking tour of Spitalfields in London, exploring its 2000 years of culture and the fascinating stories of its diverse community. Join us now!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Christ Church Spitalfields - Nicholas Hawksmoor’s masterpiece of English Baroque
  • Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor - We meet people whose lives were bound up with with this institution to minster to the needs of Jewish immigrants who came from East Europe, the area now known as the Ukraine
  • Old Spitalfields Market - We learn the story of…
What's Included
  • Tea and coffee provided
Additional Information

Embark on a walkabout of narrated exploration, crafted by the top blogger of London and directed by a local community representative in Spitalfields.
Wander amidst two millennia of culture in central London and meet some individuals and venues that render this old neighbourhood unique.
Unearth Spitalfields’ abundant and varied past of ingenuity fuelled…

Location
Christ Church Spitalfields
Commercial Street
Our tours begin and conclude outside the entrance to Christ Church, Spitalfields in Commercial Street. The meeting point is a 10 minute walk from Liverpool St Station. Please be early or on time as we cannot wait for latecomers.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(100 Ratings)
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Hungrybutchoosy
Nov 17, 2024
2000 years and more of historic London - I thought I knew quite a bit about this fascinating area but was intrigued enough to book. Turns out I knew about 1%, and the other 99% was delivered with style, aplomb, great story telling skills and an impeccable ability to link the past with the present. His manner was always empathetic to, and culturally respectful of, the characters whose lives, existences and deaths he drew for us in magnificent detail . What’s more, I could hear him, which was a challenge on a busy Saturday afternoon. I was totally engrossed, charmed and fascinated by the whole experience, which ended with tea and cakes and follow up notes by email. Can thoroughly recommend this activity and can’t wait to try the walking tour of the City.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ben
Nov 17, 2024
Informative and entertaining walking tour - Great walking tour, with a focus on stories and social history. Our guide was warm and friendly and we learned lots about this diverse area of London
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Penruss
Oct 14, 2024
Dynamic and knowledgeable tour of this historic area - This was a really fascinating and moving tour of the Spitalfields area. The Gentle Author populates the streets with the people who lived here over the centuries, some gathered directly from the people he’s talking about. It’s not stuck in a cosy past though, and the stories showed the continuing changes in the area (many not for the best!) - a real social history tour. I have nothing much to compare it to - I wouldn’t normally do a walking tour like this, but The Gentle Author is a Spitalfields resident and expert and it’s my favourite part of London, the tour really lived up to my expectations and more. Obviously I also enjoyed the tea and 18th century cake at the end! I’d definitely recommend it to anyone visiting London as well as already living there.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Extraordinary65250
Oct 2, 2024
Incredible—modern and historic tour of Spitalfields, London. Get to know this very important area of London. BRILLIANT! - Absolutely one of the best things I have ever done in London! And I have been going to London for over 39 years! The Gentle Author brings the area of Spitalfields to life with his stories of the people who have lived, worked and died in the area throughout history. He brings history to life and relates it to today's Spitalfields. Wonderful!!! Will go again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lindsaye407
Sep 4, 2024
Fascinating and enlightening - The Gentle Author is deeply rooted in the Spitalfields area and eloquently conveys his passion for the history and people of this vibrant part of East London. It was a real privilege to spend two hours in his company and share his insights. My companion and I found it not only informative but also very moving. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in getting a more in-depth feel for Spitalfields and its place in the ongoing story of our great City of London.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
451kate
Aug 19, 2024
Walking Tour around Spitalfields - My daughter, sister and I greatly enjoyed the walk around the streets around Spitalfields from Georgian terraces to modern towers. The three of us have lived in "E" postcodes for many years and although we have a broad feel for the area and my daughter now lives here, the Gentle Author has an in depth knowledge of the area and over time had researched people who lived and worked in the area in the past including Beer Bottlers and bare foot children receiving charity from the Quaker mission. This dive into social (as well as architectural) history brought the stories vividly to life. Looking forward to other tours in the future! Thank you
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Explorer635345
Aug 17, 2024
The Gentle Author - a wonderful guide you will never forget. - The Gentle Author’s tour was original knowledgeable fascinating shining a whole new light on East End history. He never forgets that history is about people and he brings to life the stories of the those who have lived and continued to live in the area. The two hours passes in a heartbeat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Catherinemccallum
Aug 11, 2024
Enlightening and Enriching - What an amazing experience this was! Our guide (The Gentle Author) captured the history of this small and vibrant community with a vivid sense of detail, using oral recollections, photographic and audio material. It’s entirely captivating. You will be humbled and enriched throughout the story-telling, and left profoundly changed. Chronology is skilfully woven into each step, and pause along the way. At the end of this remarkable journey through time, as we stood on the magnificent steps of Christ Church, looking down at the vastness of the human experience to which we had just been witness, it was hard to suppress a small well-spring of emotion. Having no ties to this place, I now felt deeply connected. We had all found ourselves as we travelled together. Unforgettable. The tour is well-supported by a helpful range of resource material for further, in depth exploration and discovery. Highly Recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wanderer550970
Aug 6, 2024
Gentle Author’s tour of Spitalfields - We both thought it was brilliant, the gentle author combined an historical survey of Spitalfields from the Romans onwards through all the waves of refugees that settled here, laced with many stories of individuals throughout the ages who lived or worked here from Shakespeare to Tracey Emin and ordinary working class children living with poverty. He also spoke about the various campaigns to save the area from developers and ugly facadism. He packed an awful lot into the 2 hours. We ended by sharing tea and cake in one of the Huguenot houses
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mirandamw8538ut
Jul 28, 2024
The Gentle Author’s Spitalfields tour - The tour was really interesting, The Gentle Author really brought Spitalfields to life, and told us many stories. I would definitely recommend this as a very entertaining and informative tour the two hours whizzed by, the tea and cake at the end was very welcome.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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