Londons Walking Tour Ale Ink and Justice

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By London Unlocked

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Features

Free cancellation available
3h
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Overview

What makes Ale, Ink and Justice different? It's led by a born-and-raised Londoner with a genuine love for the city, its characters and its countless stories. Rather than simply ticking off famous landmarks, we'll explore London's hidden corners and uncover the fascinating, unusual and sometimes surprising stories that bring its past to life.

From historic pubs and London's drinking culture to the characters, crimes and curious events that shaped the capital, this tour reveals a side of London many tourists miss. Expect quirky details, fascinating characters, humour and engaging storytelling, all delivered by someone who has grown up in the city and loves to share it.

This isn't a history lecture or a traditional pub crawl. It's a chance to experience London through the stories that make it distinctive.

Discover places you might otherwise miss and see the city through a local's eyes. And, of course, there's time to enjoy one of London's historic pubs along the way.

Activity location

Paternoster Square
- Just North of St. Paul's Cathedral,
- EC4M 7DX, London, United Kingdom

Meeting/Redemption Point

EC4M 8AB
- Saint Paul's Churchyard
- EC4M 8AB, London, England, United Kingdom

Check availability

Dates

Travellers

Londons Secret Walking Tour: Ale, Ink & Justice

3h
English

Language options: English

Starting time: 14:30

Price details

£5.00 x 2 Adults£10.00

Total

What's included, what's not

Local English-speaking guide
Guided walking tour of historic London
Live storytelling and historical commentary throughout the tour
Food and drinks purchased at pubs

Know before you book

- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transport options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialised infant seats are available
- Transport options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- In accordance with EU regulations about consumer rights, activities services are not subject to the right of withdrawal. Supplier cancellation policy will apply.

Activity itinerary

Paternoster Square

Begin in the historic streets beside St Paul's Cathedral, exploring the hidden corners around Paternoster Square. Discover the curious storey of the Panyer Boy, a centuries-old stone monument with a fascinating inscription, and explore the remains of Christ Church Greyfriars, whose history stretches back to a medieval Franciscan monastery. Hear how fire and wartime bombing transformed this part of London, leaving behind a garden that traces the outline of the former church. This opening stop reveals the remarkable layers of history hidden in the heart of the modern City.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Explore the streets surrounding one of London's most recognisable landmarks. Hear how successive churches stood on the site of St Paul's Cathedral, before Christopher Wren's magnificent cathedral rose from the aftermath of the Great Fire of London. See Temple Bar, the ornate gateway associated with the historic boundary between the City of London and Westminster.

The Cockpit

Step into London's historic pub culture at The Cockpit, where the name recalls the once-popular — and now outlawed — sport of cockfighting. Your guide will reveal how drinking establishments served as centres of entertainment, social life and local tradition. You'll also hear about the Ale Conner, a City official responsible for checking the quality and measure of ale, and discover how seriously Londoners once took the contents of their drinking pots.

Playhouse Yard

Discover a quieter corner of the City with connections to London's theatrical past. Around Playhouse Yard, hear about Shakespeare's life as a working businessman as well as a playwright, including his property dealings and the practical realities of running a theatre company. It's a chance to uncover the less familiar stories behind the cultural figures whose names still define London today.

Fleet Street

Explore Fleet Street, one of London's most storied thoroughfares, where historic pubs, literary legends, printing pioneers and the legal profession have left their mark. Discover how the street became the heart of Britain's newspaper industry, hear entertaining tales of Samuel Pepys and Dr Samuel Johnson, and uncover the stories behind historic watering holes such as Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and The Old Bell Tavern. Along the way, admire the distinctive spire of St Bride's Church, learn about London's changing drinking culture, and hear the legend of Sweeney Todd, the infamous fictional barber. From colourful pub characters to the traditions of Britain's courts, Fleet Street offers a fascinating glimpse into London's past.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Visit the area around Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub, one of Fleet Street's best-known historic pubs - perhaps quench any thirst you might have. Hear stories of the writers and notable visitors associated with its long history, alongside some of the pub's more unusual characters and traditions. As you explore Fleet Street, discover how historic taverns became meeting places where stories, gossip, business and London's everyday life came together.

Gough Square

Explore the colourful stories and characters associated with Fleet Street and London's legal quarter. Hear about the legend of Sweeney Todd, the fictional barber whose storey became part of London's popular folklore, and discover the connections between the area and Samuel Johnson, the celebrated writer and lexicographer. You'll also learn about the wigs and robes associated with Britain's legal profession, including the traditions that helped turn them into enduring symbols of authority.

Lincoln's Inn

Explore the historic surroundings of Lincoln's Inn, one of London's four Inns of Court, and discover the people, traditions and legal history that have shaped this part of the city. Hear about figures such as Sir Thomas More and the area's enduring appeal as a setting for film and television. The nearby Seven Stars, a historic pub dating to the early seventeenth century, offers a final insight into the close relationship between London's legal community and its traditional taverns and Inns.

Lincoln's Inn Fields

Conclude your walk at Lincoln's Inn Fields, a large historic garden square with a past that stretches well beyond its present-day green spaces. Discover how the area changed from open ground into part of London's legal quarter, and hear the storey of the Babington Plot and the role this part of London played in the history of public punishment. It's a thought-provoking finale to a walk through the city's hidden corners, colourful characters and changing ideas of justice.

Location

Activity location

Paternoster Square
- Just North of St. Paul's Cathedral,
- EC4M 7DX, London, United Kingdom

Meeting/Redemption Point

EC4M 8AB
- Saint Paul's Churchyard
- EC4M 8AB, London, England, United Kingdom

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