London Walking Tours

I think by now you know that I love London. I love the hustle and bustle of the people, the fact that London is steeped in history and of course it's hidden gems, that even after living here all my life I still haven't found them all.

So when Charlotte from best LDN Walks advertised a blogging event that mixed two of my other favourite loves, old London pubs and walking around London, I was there with bells and whistles on.

Charlotte has created a new breed of walking tours for the obsessively curious. I opted for the Secrets of London Pub Tour which priced at £10 is excellent value for money. 

Our meeting point was Blackfriars station, where I instantly saw some familiar blogging faces Little Miss Katy, Lulabelloves and Josies-Journal and some lovely new people that I hadn't met before. 

Have you ever sat in a pub and thought if only the walls could talk, what secrets would they share. Well London has some of the best and most historic pubs that I often wish could do just this.

My hope was that Charlotte could share some of this history. 

All board and let's go!

Our first stop was The Black Friar pub. The pub itself is named after the friars who unsurprisingly and as the name would suggest used to wear Black. 

The pub is situated in a grade ii listed building which means that the outside and inside will remain untouched. The inside is beautiful with gold ceiling,
wooden carvings and inscriptions.

The pub is opposite Bridewell Palace which at one time was the residency of King Henry VIII. The Palace was built in 1523, at a cost of £30,000 which is the equivalent of £10 million pounds in today's money. 

Our second pub was Punch Tavern serving over twenty varieties of gin.

Now I love my gin but even I found twenty varieties a little over whelming to pick from. 

In the end I settled for Gordon's Gin with Elderflower. It arrived in a huge glass/punch bowl (Get it Punch and Judy).  

As we ventured on Charlotte continued to share her wonderful knowledge of London. We passed what is fondly known as St Bride's Church which was built by Sir Christopher Wren. 

The top of the church is shaped like a tiered wedding cake. 

Our next stop was a 17th Century pub Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub (what a wonderful name).

Hidden down a wee little alley just off Fleet Street, the aptly named Cheshire Court. 

The pub was restored in 1667 shortly after the great fire of London. Many famous literary figures have frequented this pub including Charles Dickens, Alfred Tennyson and Dr Samuel Johnson. 

One very famous resident was Polly, who lived in the pub for over forty years entertaining guests with her chatter. When she died her death made national and international news. 

Down some steep and spiral stairs the pub has wonderful vaults and cellars where you can relax with a nice glass of wine or a pint. 

A stone's throw away from the pub on Gough Square is Dr Johnson's house and his very famous cat Hodge.

The statue was created by John Bickley which depicts Hodge sitting on a dictionary with oysters for his supper. In those days oyster was regarded as the food of the poor, so feeding them to a cat would have been a perfectly reasonable thing to do. 

I wonder whilst standing there what secrets and stories Hodge the cat would have shared if he could. Just when Little Miss Katy shows me, all is not lost, Hodge the cat can talk through Talking Statues. 

My last and final stop on the tour, was Ely Place. 

This is one of London's best kept secrets, passing through the iron gates one side is classed as London and the other Cambridgeshire. Ironically the area is known for its strong hold in Law, but beyond these gates the Metropolitan police have no jurisdiction to enter unless granted permission. 

The street itself is like stepping back in history and houses one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in England - St Etheldreda Chapel. 

Down a little alley it also holds the last and final pub De Olde Mitre. 

The pub has featured in a few 'well known?' movies 'Snatch' and 'The Deep Blue Sea'. It has a wealth of real ales and was a wonderful way to finish of a great night. 

Charlotte is good fun, very lively and full of beans. What she doesn't know about London's history probably isn't worth knowing. 

I was a guest of Best LDN Walks but I cannot recommend Charlotte's tours enough. 

If your a visitor to London or a Londoner who wants to learn more about your City you should definitely check out her tours. 

www.bestldnwalks.com