Secret Old London Walking Tour

London’s modern City hides a grim older world beneath its office towers. On this 90-minute walk, you’ll trace plague pits, execution grounds, medieval churches, a Roman amphitheatre, and a church gutted by wartime bombing. The setting changes quickly, from quiet green space to streets tied to some of London’s harshest stories.

I like the way the tour reaches places you could easily pass without noticing, especially Charterhouse Square and the remains of the Roman amphitheatre. I also like the guides’ storytelling style. Rosie, Jess, Jeremy, and Pepe have all been singled out for lively, clear talks that cover architecture, politics, language, and old London customs, not just dates and kings.

The main drawback is the pace. Ninety minutes is short for this much material, and one recent participant wished the guide had spent less time showing pictures and more time walking on a cold day. The tour is best for curious walkers who enjoy a steady stream of stories rather than a slow, detailed look at every site.

Key points to know before you go

• Start at Barbican Underground Station: The tour begins in one of London’s most modern districts before turning toward medieval streets and churchyards.
• See Charterhouse Square: This peaceful open space once served as a dumping ground during the Black Death.
• Walk through Smithfield: Learn about medieval jousts and public executions, including the death of William Wallace.
• Visit St Bartholomew the Great: This remarkable medieval church has appeared in Four Weddings & A Funeral and Sherlock Holmes.
• Find wartime and Roman London: The route includes a Blitz-damaged church shell and the former Roman amphitheatre site.
• Plan for an atmospheric history lesson: The stories involve plague, torture, executions, sacrifice, and war, so this is not a light sightseeing stroll.

From Barbican’s concrete towers to medieval London

The meeting point outside Barbican Underground Station gives you an immediate lesson in London’s layers. The Barbican is associated with concrete towers, arts venues, and postwar rebuilding. Within minutes, the tour turns toward older streets and quieter corners where the City’s medieval past remains easier to sense.

That contrast is one of the walk’s best features. You do not need to travel across London to see different eras. In this compact part of the City, modern office blocks rise near churchyards, old squares, and sites linked to Roman Britain.

The route is designed for atmosphere as much as information. You may pause while the guide uses photographs or other visual material to explain how a place once looked. That can make vanished buildings and old ceremonies easier to picture, though it also means you are not walking continuously for the full 90 minutes.

The guides are the heart of the experience. Jess has been praised for humor and strong local detail, while Rosie is known for lively talks that connect history with architecture, politics, and language. Jeremy and Pepe have also received warm praise for making difficult material easy to follow. Since guides can vary, expect an engaging English-language presentation rather than a fixed performance delivered word for word.

Charterhouse Square and the memory of the Black Death

Charterhouse Square is a good early stop because its calm mood clashes with its past. Six hundred years ago, this area was associated with the disposal of victims of the Black Death, one of the worst plague outbreaks to strike London.

Today, the square offers open space and a pause from the traffic. That quiet is part of the point. You are not looking at a dramatic ruin or a large museum display. You are standing in an ordinary London setting and being asked to imagine how fear and illness changed the city.

This is where the tour’s darker tone becomes clear. The stories are not softened into a tidy version of the past. You’ll hear about death, public punishment, and the way earlier London dealt with people who had little power.

If you prefer a gentle introduction to the city, this may feel heavy. If you like history tied to exact places, it is effective. The guide helps turn a pleasant square into a location with a human story.

Smithfield, where sport and executions shared the same ground

From Charterhouse Square, the walk reaches Smithfield, a large open area with a long connection to public spectacle. In medieval London, it hosted jousts. It also became one of the city’s principal execution sites.

That mix tells you something important about medieval public life. Entertainment, punishment, commerce, and religion often sat close together. A public square could host a tournament one day and a grim execution on another.

The tour places you near the locations where condemned people made their final appearance. William Wallace, the Scottish hero associated with Braveheart, was executed here. The walk does not treat this as a distant fact in a textbook. It connects the story to the ground beneath your feet.

One practical point is worth noting. The advertised highlights include William Wallace, but one participant felt this subject was not covered clearly enough on their particular tour. If his story is the main reason you are booking, ask the guide about it when the group reaches Smithfield. That simple question may help ensure you get the detail you want.

Smithfield is also a useful place to think about how much London has changed. The present-day surroundings can feel functional and urban, while the guide’s account brings back crowds, noise, ritual, and fear. You will need to use your imagination, since the tour is about historic locations rather than reconstructed scenery.

St Bartholomew the Great, a medieval church with a film career

Between Charterhouse Square and Smithfield is St Bartholomew the Great, one of the most rewarding stops on the route. It is described as London’s outstanding medieval church, and its age gives the walk a stronger sense of place than a simple street-side explanation can provide.

The church is also familiar from the screen. It was used in Four Weddings & A Funeral and Sherlock Holmes. That connection gives you an easy way into the building, but the tour’s purpose is broader. You’ll hear about the church’s place in the old religious world of the City and the institutions that once surrounded it.

The route also touches on monasteries and tucked-away gardens. These details matter because London’s religious houses once shaped much of the area. Even when the buildings disappeared, their boundaries and odd pockets of open space often remained.

I especially like this part of the walk for visitors who think they already know central London. One local participant had lived in the city for years and still found new information here. The experience works because it points out details that are easy to ignore when you are focused on major attractions.

Do not expect a full interior tour with a long period for quiet viewing. The whole experience lasts only 90 minutes, and the church is one part of a much wider route. Still, it gives you a strong sense of why this corner of London matters.

A bombed church shell and the marks of the Blitz

Later, you’ll pass through the shell of a church destroyed during the Blitz. This stop shifts the story from medieval violence to the twentieth century, but the theme remains the same: London has repeatedly been damaged, rebuilt, and adapted.

A ruined church can tell you more than a wall covered with dates. The missing roof and open structure make destruction visible. At the same time, the site shows how a place of worship can survive in memory even after its original building is gone.

The walk does not focus only on ancient London. That is useful if you want a broader view of the City’s past. Roman, medieval, Tudor, and wartime stories appear close together, giving you a practical sense of how one district has changed over many centuries.

As with the other stops, the power comes from the guide’s explanation. The shell itself may take only a moment to see. The story gives it weight.

A touching memorial and a lost Roman amphitheatre

The route also passes through a park containing what is described as one of London’s most touching memorials, honoring heroic self-sacrifice. The precise memorial is not identified in the tour details, so you should expect the guide to explain its story on site rather than arrive with a fixed name or set of facts in mind.

This stop provides a welcome change from executions and plague. It keeps the walk focused on individual acts and human choices, not only on famous rulers or major battles. The best city tours do this well: they make room for small, moving stories alongside the headline events.

Near the end, you’ll locate the perimeter of London’s long-lost Roman amphitheatre. There is no intact arena waiting below street level. Instead, the guide helps you understand where the Roman structure once sat and how its footprint fits into the modern City.

That requires some imagination, but it is also the appeal. You begin to see London as a city built in layers, with later streets and buildings covering older plans. The amphitheatre stop is especially useful for visitors who want Roman London without spending hours at a museum.

Taken together, these last sections give the tour a good range. You move from personal sacrifice to war damage, then back to Roman public life. The subject matter is varied, but the compact route keeps it connected.

How the 90-minute format works

The stated duration is 1.5 hours, and the walk covers a lot. You should expect regular stops, short stretches of walking, and plenty of spoken explanation. The pace has generally been praised as comfortable, with enough time to take in the information, but the amount of material can be hard to remember afterward.

That is not a serious flaw, but it affects how you should approach the tour. Do not try to memorize every name and date. Pick two or three stories that catch your interest, then use the walk to get your bearings in the City.

Cold or wet weather also changes the experience. One participant enjoyed the tour on a cold winter day but felt that extended stops while looking at pictures made it harder to stay warm. Comfortable shoes are required, and sensible clothing will make the walk easier in London’s changeable weather.

The tour is wheelchair accessible, and it is suitable for anyone over 12. Dogs are not allowed, except guide dogs. Large bags and luggage are not permitted, video recording is not allowed, and refreshments are not included, so arrive ready to walk and bring anything you need within the stated restrictions.

Is the $26 price good value?

At $26 per person, this is a reasonable price for a guided introduction to several difficult-to-find sites in central London. You are paying for the guide’s interpretation, not entry to a major museum or a long attraction visit.

The value is strongest if you care about context. You could walk past Smithfield, St Bartholomew the Great, or a Roman amphitheatre marker on your own, but you might not understand what you were seeing. A good guide turns scattered remains into a connected story.

The price is less compelling if you want lots of time inside buildings, extensive photography stops, or a slow architectural study. The route covers several subjects in a short period, so it favors breadth and storytelling over close inspection.

There is also practical value in the meeting point. Barbican Underground Station is easy to reach, and the tour keeps you in one historic part of London instead of sending you between distant attractions. You can pair it with other City sights before or after, though the tour itself does not include refreshments.

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start and the option to reserve now and pay later reduce the risk of fitting it into a changing London schedule. Check the available starting times when booking, since the duration is fixed but the departure time can vary.

Who should book Secret Old London?

I would choose this walk for anyone who likes dark history with a strong sense of place. It suits first-time visitors who want something beyond the standard Westminster and Tower of London circuit, and it works just as well for London residents playing tourist for an afternoon.

It is particularly good for:

• Visitors interested in plague, executions, Roman London, and the Blitz
• People who enjoy stories about churches, monasteries, memorials, and old streets
• Repeat visitors who have already seen the major sights
• Small groups looking for a lively team or weekend activity
• Anyone who prefers a guide’s explanation to reading plaques alone

I would hesitate if you dislike gruesome subjects or want a relaxed stroll with little commentary. The material includes death, sacrifice, public punishment, and wartime destruction. It is suitable for people over 12, but parents should decide if that tone fits younger teenagers.

Should you book this London history walk?

Book it if you want London to feel stranger, older, and more human than it does from a sightseeing bus. The best parts are the sharp contrast between modern Barbican and medieval London, the atmospheric churchyard at Charterhouse Square, the stories at Smithfield, and the chance to locate Roman and wartime remains in ordinary city streets.

Keep your expectations realistic. You will not see a complete Roman amphitheatre or spend half an hour examining every corner of St Bartholomew the Great. You will get a fast, story-led walk with an English-speaking guide, a lot of historical ground in 90 minutes, and several places you might otherwise miss.

At $26, it is a solid buy for curious adults, older children, repeat visitors, and London locals who want fresh stories about familiar streets. Wear comfortable shoes, dress for the weather, and ask about William Wallace if that detail matters to you.

FAQ

Where does Secret Old London Walking Tour start?

The tour starts outside Barbican Underground Station in London.

How long does the walking tour last?

The tour lasts 1.5 hours, or 90 minutes.

What language is the tour in?

The tour is conducted in English with a live English-speaking guide.

Is the tour suitable for children?

It is suitable for people over 12.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

Can I bring my dog?

Dogs are not permitted, except for guide dogs.

What should I bring, and what is not allowed?

Bring comfortable shoes. Luggage and large bags are not allowed, video recording is not permitted, and refreshments are not included.