BEST FOOT FORWARD The magazine for ramblers and walkers
Where To Walk - The City Walking in the footsteps of Shakespeare - Blackfriars to The Monument Walking in the footsteps of Dickens - Tower Hill to The Barbican St Paul’s Circular Round Hill and Caesar’s Camp Ascot to Sunningdale
Vol 1 No 3
INDEX Articles East Hampstead House and Park 8 Wentworth Club
13
Where to walk - The City
14
Sights of the City
19
St Bride’s Library
20
The Guildhall
25
St Micheal Paternoster Royal
29
Walks Round Hill and Caesar’s Camp
7.5 miles
4
Ascot to Sunningdale
7 miles
10
St Paul’s Circular
2 miles
15
Walking in the footsteps of Dickens Towerhill to The Barbican
2 miles
22
Walking in the footsteps of Shakespeare 1.25 miles 26
We are always looking for articles, photos and descriptions of your favourite walks. Please send these to the editor at thereluctantrambler@gmail.com Please do not embed photos into a document, just send them as a attachment.
Get fitter and see the beautiful sights of the United Kingdom and Ireland Or for that matter any part of the world. We miss so much travelling around in cars that we quite often don’t realise the beauty and history on our own door steps. It doesn’t matter if we live in a city or the country there is always so much to see which can only be done by foot. Our ancestors spent most of their time walking even if they never travelled very far from the places they lived. We can now travel further but probably see less of our own immediate surroundings. It’s always very surprising what is on our own door step and how easy it is to see it. Most libraries will have guide books on walks in your local area and a list of any walking groups if you wish to join others. You don’t need any special equipment to get started just some flat shoes and sensible attire. A small backpack would be useful to hold such things as drinks, food and maybe a map. But that is it to join one of the biggest hobbies on these Isles. And at the same time you will get fitter whilst enjoying yourself.
Round Hill and Caesar’s Camp
7 1/2 miles (12 km) Easy Start and Finish Great Hollands Recreation Ground 51.389116, -0.778043 Because of various styles, this walk is not friendly to people with mobility problems. Dog friendly - but you may have to watch out for live stock in some fields. Taking you through Easthampstead park, Bramshill Forest, Swinley Forest, Caesars Camp and open countryside. This walk is fairly flat following well marked paths.
Start at the car park in Great Hollands Recreation ground, with your back to the playing fields, turn to your right and head down the road towards the East Hampstead Park Crematorium (1). Keep following South road Until you reach the T-junction at point 1. Turn to your right following the road as it swings to the left. As the road swings towards the left a second time, head straight ahead on to the footpath, with the golf course (2) on your left and children’s swings on your right. Continue along the path until the next junction at point 2, turn right so you still have the golf course (2) on your left and some houses on your right. Keep following the path Until you go through a gate at point 3, looking across the road you will see a sign saying public footpath, follow this dirt path, which after a short distance runs beside a road point 4. Keep following this path, going past Easthampstead Park Community School (3). When the road finishes, just keep following the path behind the houses.
When the path finishes at a small country lane, you will see a sign pointing towards Easthampstead Park Conference Centre, turn to your right. A short distance along the road you will see a kissing gate on your left (point 5), go through the gate and follow the dirt path through the woods. Continue along this path with the woods on your left hand side and Peacock Meadows (4) on your right. Keep following this path as it turns to the left (point 6) and cross over a small road. After awhile the path will turn into a tar maced road at the entrance to a farm and J & R Fabrications (point 7). Continue along the road until you reach the Old Wokingham Road (point 8). Turn to your right, a short distance on the other side of the road you will see a style, which is sign posted, cross the road and enter the field on the other side of the style. Looking across the field slightly to your left you will see another style, cross over that on to the Easthampstead road (point 9). Turn to your right and walk up the verge passing the Forest MOT & Service Centre (5). On the left hand side of the road just pass the MOT Centre, there is a entrance to a farm, just pass that you will see a small bridge over a ditch leading to a kissing gate (point 10). Go through the gate into the field, and head to your right, cross over the style into the next field and head slightly right across the field. Go over the small bridge with style (point 11) in to another field. Looking across the field you will see some houses, head towards the houses, where again you will find a small bridge with a style (point 12). Cross over the bridge on to a tar maced drive and follow
this too Honey Hill Lane (point 13). Turn left and continue along Honey Hill Lane until you reach Nine Mile Ride with St Sebastions Hall (6) on your left. Cross over Nine Mile Ride, looking to your left you will see a dirt path (point 14), follow this towards Hatch Ride (point 15). Head straight up Hatch Ride until you come to the end of the road where it joins the Old Wokingham Road (point 16). Turn right into the Old Wokingham Road, until you come to Brookers Row, the first road on your left (point 17). Turn in to Brookers Row on your right you will see a dirt path leading in to the woods. Go along this path until you come to another path on your left. Head down this path until you see a path on your right with a metal gate (point 18). Turn down this path and go through the gate on to Brookers Row again. Turn right and head up to the end of the road where it joins the Bracknell Road (point 19). Looking slightly to your left across the road you will see a small dirt track leading into Crowthorne Woods. Follow this path until you reach the end where it joins a wide forest track (point 20). Turn to your left and follow the track until you come to a large junction (you will see a pond just off one of the tracks on your right hand side) (point 21). Follow the second track on the right, which is marked as a public bridal way. Follow the track until you reach the end (point 22), just in front of you is a small path (can be a little over grown), go down this path until you reach another large track (point 23). This is the Devils Highway a old Roman Road (7). Turn left and follow the track, through a under pass (point 24), until you come to a gate across the track. Turn right and follow the wide track leading off your
right hand side (point 25). Keep following this path, you will pass a bench on your left hand side (point 26), until you see a path on your right running through pine trees (point 27). Follow this path until you reach the entrance of Caerse’s Camp (8). Go through the kissing gate into the camp (point 28), and follow the path straight ahead. When you come to a junction with one path going off to your right and another bearing off to your left, continue straight ahead following the Queen Anne Way (point 29). This will take you through the dirt ramparts of Caerse’s Camp and will turn to your left. Go over the style (point 30)and continue straight ahead towards Nine Mile Ride. Just before you reach the road you will see a dirt path on your left (point 31) which follows Nine Mile Ride. Follow this path until you can see a tar maced path on the opposite side of Nine Mile Ride (point 32). Cross over the road and continue along nine mile ride on the tar maced path. Cross over the Crowthorne Road at the round about (point 33) and continue following Nine Mile Ride, until you see a bus stop, just pass the bus stop you will see a dirt path (point 34). Follow this dirt path with houses on your right until you reach a main junction with a wide path leading off to your left. Follow this path until you reach a small road (point 35), turn right and follow the road back to the car park where we started our walk.
Easthampstead House and Park
Hampstead House and Park was a royal hunting ground and lodge since the
middle ages. Edward III built the hunting lodge in 1350, as it was a easy ride from Windsor Castle. Originally covering 5000 acres, it has now shrunk down to 60 acres. Henry VII used the lodge extensively, arranging the marriage of his eldest son, the then Prince of Wales Arthur, to Catherine of Aragon. And it was from here that the prince rode out to meet the princess on Finchampstead Ridges. The lodge was where Catherine of Aragon spent a number of years waiting to hear if Henry VIII would get his divorce from her, after his attentions turned to Anne Boleyn. James I enlarged the estate making sure it was well kept with deer for his hunting expeditions. Charles I gave the park to Sir William Trumbull on the 28 March 1629 in recognition of his service to the crown as ambassador to Archduke Albert of Austria and clerk of the Privy Council. He built a new mansion incorporating the old hunting lodge. During this period Alexander Pope was a frequent visitor, living only a short distance away in Binfield. Through various marriages the lodge and park ended up in the hands of the Marquess of Downshire, who would later be created Baron Sandys. In 1860 the Fourth Marquess demolished the old mansion, and built the present house. This was completed in 1864 with only a stable block being retained from the previous building. The sixth marquess made Easthampstead park his principal residence and this period was its golden age. With large numbers of staff specially gardeners being employed. During this period many of the mature trees, often of exotic species, found in the park were planted. Edward VII visited in 1885 whilst still Prince of Wales. During Royal Ascot week large numbers of guests would be in residence. The park contained a miniature steam railway, now moved to the south coast, of which the engine shed still survives. During the Second World War the house was used by St Paul’s school until 1945, and the army used the grounds, building a number of nissan huts. After the war the park was sold to Berkshire County Council and in 1949 after repairs a teachers training college for women was opened. In 1968 the college was amalgamated with Bulmershe College to form the Berkshire College of Education, the last students of the college moved from the park in 1972. From 1972 an educational centre was opened, comprising an adult residential college and Easthampstead Park School. In 1995 Easthampstead Park School moved to a new location nearby and the mansion is now used as a conference centre.
7 Miles - 11 Km Start - Ascot Railway Station 51.406342, -0.675858 Finish - Sunningdale Railway Station 51.391924, -0.632834 Dog Friendly Mobility Scooter and Wheel Chair Friendly (please note that some of the tracks are dirt, so in wet weather, they may not be easily used)
10
1 2 3
Ascot 7 6
8 9
13
14
12 11
To Sunningdale
45 The Barn
15 16
18
17
Make sure your at the Lyndhurst Road exit of Ascot Station. (Reached through the under pass). Turn left down Lyndhurst Road until you reach the second road on your right (1) All Souls Road, Turn up All Souls Road, passing the church on your left (2), until the road makes are sharp turn to the left (3). Just pass a bin you will see a dirt track leading into the woods, head down this track towards South Ascot Playground. When you reach the playground, you can either stay on the dirt track, which runs behind some houses, or walk through the play ground towards the top right hand corner (4) You have now reached Brockenhurst Road. Turn right up Brokenhurst Road a short distance. On the opposite side of the road there are some railings, at the end of the railings there is a dirt track leading into the woods (5). Follow this track, where it divides take the left hand track, until you reach lower Village
19
20
21
22
23
31 32
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
Road (6). Turn right and follow the road, going under a railway bridge, until you reach Coombe Lane on your left (7). Turn down Coombe Lane, a very quiet country lane, until you reach the London Road (8). Cross over the road and turn right up the London Road. After a very short distance you will see a dirt track on your left just pass Wellsbridge Cottage (9). Turn left along the track until you come to a T-junction (10) turn right here until you reach St Michaels Church. Go through the church yard, towards the back of the church, until you reach a small lane (11). Which divides the church yard from the burial ground. Turn left and follow the lane to its end (12) and go through the kissing gate. You will now find yourself on a grass path with fences on both sides. Keep following this path straight ahead, at one point you will see a lake on your left hand side, until you reach the Buckhurst Road (13) at the end of the path. Turn right and walk down the road until you reach Mill Lane (14) the first road on your left hand side. Walk down mill lane, there is no footpath, until you reach Blacknest Gate (15). Go through Blacknest Gate into Great Windsor park and go along the first dirt track on you right hand side (16) towards a bridge and Virginia Waters. After a short distance the path becomes a tar-maced path, go over the bridge and follow the path as it follows the bank of Virginia Waters (17).
Keep following the path until you see a gravel path on your right (18) just pass a information board. Follow this path into a car park. Go through the park car where you will emerge onto the London Road (19). Cross the road and turn right and head up the hill. Follow the London Road until the top of the hill where you will see a sign post saying Shrubbs Hill (20). Turn right here and walk straight ahead along the tar-maced bridal path. There are Polo grounds on your right, and a little further up a large house, Coworth Park, on your left. After passing The Barn Restaurant and some houses, church Lane leads of to your right, go straight ahead onto a dirt bridal way (21). Follow the bridal way until you reach the London Road (22)(not the same London Road you crossed earlier). Turn left and walk up the London Road until you reach West Drive (23) the first road on your right. (this is a private road, with signs saying no access, but it is a public right of way). Follow the road passing large houses and going over one fairway (watch out for golf balls) of Wentworth Golf Course. When you reach the second group of fairways, there is a house here with ‘SS’ on its gates, turn right (24)
St Micheals and follow the tar-maced footpath with a fairway on your left. Keep following the path crossing another fairway turn left (25) at the next junction then right (26) at the following junction. Cross over another fairway following the path straight ahead into some woods. Keep going until you see a green on your right hand side (12th hole) (27) turn left crossing a small wooden bridge and right on too forest path. Keep following the path until you reach Heather drive (28) turn left until you reach Onslow Road (29). Turn left and follow Onslow Road until the end where it joins Chobham Road (30) and turn right. Head straight down Chobham Road until it reaches the London Road (31), turn right and continue up the London Road until you reach Sunningdale Station (32) where our walk finishes.
Bridleway near Coworth Park
12th Hole Wentworth Golf Course
Wentworth Club Wentworth Club is a private golf club and health resort in Virginia Water. Founded in 1926 it has three 18 hole courses and one nine hole course. Wentworths was the home of the brother in law of the Duke of Wellington. In 1850 it was purchased by the Spanish Count Ramon Cabrera and his wife Catherine Vaughn-Richards. After the Counts death his wife brought up the surrounding land under the Cabrera Trust to safe guard it from development. In 1922 the builder W.G.Tarrant acquired the development rights to the Wentworth estates, and asking Harry Colt to design a golf course around Wentworth House, with large houses built around the golf course. Development ground to a holt because of the great depression and Tarrant had to declare bankruptcy in 1931. The ownership of the estate was passed to Wentworth Estates Ltd. In 2004 the club was purchased by Richard Caring who sold it to Reignwood investments in 2014. The headquarters of the PGA European Tour are situated at the club, with the PGA Championship tournament being played here each year. In 2005 Ernie Els redesigned the West course lengthening it by 310 yards and adding 30 bunkers.
Where to walk
The city The city also known as the square mile is now the main financial district of London. But for years was London, until the great rush to the suburbs, which started in the Georgian era and accelerated in the Victorian era. With its historical buildings going back to the medieval era, small winding lanes, and hidden green spaces. It is a walkers paradise with history at nearly every step. You can follow in the foot steps of Dickens, Shakespeare, Dick Whittington, Jane Austin and so many others. Eating in the same pubs and still seeing some of the sites they would have seen as they carried out their daily business. The city is full of walks some full of tourists and a lot where hardly any tourists will go. There are lots of books covering the walks in the Square mile (I review some in this magazine) ranging from a mile to longer distances. Covering the well known sites to the highly unusual and places where great events happened in the past. Go up nearly any alley way in the city and you will come across churches you did not know existed and buildings you may have though had vanished years ago. The three walks I cover will lead you down the road where Bob Crutchett slid down the ice in a Christmas Carol, pass the theatre where Shakespeare put on his plays, by the grave yard where mother goose is buried and around the church where Dick Whittington prayed .
St Paul’s Circular
Doctor Johnson’s House
via Postmans Park, The Old Bailey, St Sepulchre Without Newgate, Snow Hill, Ely Place, Gresham College, Doctor Johnson’s House, and St Brides 2 miles - 3 Km Start and Finish - St Paul’s Underground Station 51.514980, -0.097549 Because of stairs in a few places, this walk is not mobility Scooter or Wheel Chair Friendly Dogs will need to be kept on a lead
14 13 12 15
16 17
11 10 Entrance to Greyfriars Passage
The Old Bailey
9
18 19
7
20
21 27 22 23 24 25 26
8
28
29
30 36 31 32 35 33 34
2 5 6
3 4
37
Leaving St Paul’s underground station head down St Martin’s-le-Grand. Just before you reach St Botolph’s Without Aldersgate, you will see a path on your left beside the church (1). Walk along the path into Postmans Park. St Martin’s-le-Grand gets its name from the monastery that stood here from about 1056 to 1540. The precinct Provided the largest and safest sanctuary in England. Postmans Park was opened in 1880 from the churchyard of St Leonard’s, St Botolph’s, and the graveyard of Christ Church. It gets it’s name from the number of postmen who use to have there lunch here. Head straight across the park, stop to look at the plaques at the national hero memorial, coming out into King Edward Street (2). Cross over the road and turn to your left, keep walking until you reach Greyfriars passage (3), just before Christchurch Greyfriars Garden. King Edward Street was named in 1843 in memory of Edward VI, it’s previous names were Stinking Lane, Chick Lane, Blowbladder lane and Butcher’s Hall Lane, because of the number of butchers that use to have stalls here before 1720. Follow Greyfriars passage until you come out onto Newgate Street (4) turn right and walk along Newgate Street until you reach Warwick Lane the first road on your left (5). Turn down Warwick lane, just pass Cutlers Hall, turn left into Warwick Square. Head towards the bottom left where you will find Warwick Passage (6), follow this into Old Bailey (7). (If the gate is locked, head down Warwick Lane and turn right into Ludgate Hill, then the second right into Old Bailey.) The Worshipful Company of Cutlers was chartered in 1416 the present hall was opened in 1887 after their previous one was compulsorily purchased by the District Railway in 1882.
1
Turn to your right and walk up Old Bailey passing the Central Criminal Court on your right, known as The Old Bailey, until you reach the cross road just pass the court (8). The Central Criminal Court was built on the grounds where Newgate Prison had been situated and was opened in 1907. Turn left into Holborn Viaduct, on the left corner is St Sepulchre’s which is worth a visit if open also Londons first public drinking fountain, walk down Holborn Viaduct until you reach Snow Hill (9) the first road on your right. Walk down Snow Hill until it joins Farringdon Street (10). Farringdon Street follows the course of the Fleet river which was arched over in 1737 one of Londons lost rivers. Turn right and walk up to the traffic lights (11) then turn left into Charterhouse Street. Walk up Charterhouse street until you reach Ely Place (12). Turn right into Ely Place and then turn left into the passageway opposite No 33 Ely Place (13). Go through the passageway passing one of Londons smallest and not well known pubs, Ye Olde Mitre (definitely worth stopping here for a drink as Elizabeth I was suppose to have done), turn left at the end of the passage (14) and walk down Hatton Gardens towards Holborn (15). Ely Place even though it is situated in the City of London is officially part of the County of Cambridgeshire and is administered by commissioners under a act of Parliament. Turn right into Holborn and cross the road and walk past Fetter Lane. A short distance pass Fetter Lane you will see a passage way called Barnards Inn (16). Turn into the passage way and follow it, a number of the buildings along this passage way are part of Gresham College, until you come out into Fetter Lane (17). Turn right and follow Fetter Lane until it joins New Fetter Lane (18). Continue straight ahead down New Fetter Lane until you reach W Harding Street the first road on your left (19). Gresham College was founded in 1579 by Sir Thomas Gresham to help educate the general public. Public lectures in Divinity, Music, Astronomy, Geometry, Physics, Law and Rhetoric were started in 1597. Sir Christopher Wren at one stage gave the lectures in Astronomy. Public lectures are still given in Divinity, Rhetoric, Geometry, Medical science, Astronomy, Law, Music and Commerce. Walk down W Harding Street continue into Pemberton Row, where you will see signs pointing to Dr Johnsons House (20), follow these signs. After reaching Dr Johnsons House walk down Johnsons Court until you reach Fleet Street (21). Fleet Street became famous for printing, but had existed for years before the advent of the printing press, being the main royal route to St Paul’s. Famous for the homes of a large number of high ranking church members such as the Bishop of Salisbury and the Abbots of Faversham, Tewkesbury, Winchcombe, and Cirenchester. Cross over to the opposite footpath turn left and a short distance up Fleet Street you will find the entrance to Pleydell Court. Walk through Pleydell Court into Lombard Lane and continue straight ahead until you reach Temple Lane at the bottom (22). Turn left and follow Temple Lane into Bouverie Street (23) turn right and a short distance latter left into Magpie Alley (24). Follow the alley, as it swings to the right look over the railings where you will see a Medieval Crypt from the monastery of Whitefriars (there are some stairs which you can walk down if you would like a closer view), until you come out into Whitefriars Street (25). Whitefriars was the monastery for the Carmelites a group of monks who lived in virtual poverty, and were very popular with the people, during the peasants revolt whilst other monasteries were attacked Whitefriars was left alone. The first building was a small church built in about 1253 with a much larger one being built in the 14th century. Turn right and walk down Whitefriars Street until you reach Primrose Hill (26) the first road on your left. Follow Primrose hill and climb the steps into Salisbury Square (27) turn right and walk through into Salisbury court. Cross the road and enter St Brides passage, pass St Brides church on your left, continue straight ahead into Bride Lane (28). Walk down Bride Lane where you will come out into New Bridge Street (29). Cross over New Bridge Street (this is a busy road so you may have to walk up to the traffic lights) and walk down Pilgrim Street which is slightly to your left. Go up the stairs and continue down Pilgrim Street until you reach Ludgate Broadway on your right (30). Turn up Ludgate Broadway then take the first left into Cobb Court (31)(its a little passage so you may miss it) follow Cobb Court around to your right. Cross over Carter Lane then enter Church Entry (32) follow this until the end then turn left into Ireland Yard (33). Shakespeare use to live here in one of the gatehouses of the Blackfriars monastery. Playhouse yard which is to your right at the end of Church Entry was where the Blackfriars Playhouse use to be situated where a few of Shakespeare plays use to be Performed.
Walk down Ireland Yard until your reach Burgon Street (34), the second passage on your left, turn up Burgon Street and follow it to the end where it joins Carter Lane. Cross Carter Lane and enter Creed lane take the first road on your left Ludgate square (35). Follow Ludgate Square until you come out into Ludgate Hill (36) turn right and walk back towards St Paul’s (37). Follow Paternoster Row, which runs to the left of St Paul’s, back to St Paul’s Underground Station where we finish the walk. Paternoster Row was famous for its publishers and book shops, Robinson Crusoe was first published here in 1719, during the Second World War the row was badly damaged with over 6 million books being destroyed.
St Sepulchre’s Church
Playhouse Yard
Medieval Crypt
Londons first drinking fountain
Sights of the city
St Brides Library St Brides Library formally know as St Brides Printing Library is primarily devoted to printing, book art, typography, and graphic design. Opened in 1895 as a technical library for the printing school and printing trade it has about 60,000 books, pamphlets, and numerous artefacts. No charge is made for access to the reading rooms which are open to the general public on the first and third Wednesday every month. A charge of ÂŁ1 for any titles retrieved from the closed storage. The limited reading room study space does mean that potential visitors must email in advance to make sure they can be accommodated on open days.
Walking in Dickens footsteps Tower of London to the Barbican 2 miles 3Km
Start - Tower Hill Underground Station 51.510008, -0.076702 Finish - Barbican Underground Station 51.520310, -0.097512 Dogs should be on a lead. Mobility Scooter and Wheel Chair friendly.
1. Starting at Tower Hill Underground Station with the Tower of London on your left hand side. Walk towards Trinity Square Gardens which are right in front of you. You can either turn right into Trinity Square and follow that around the edge of the gardens or go straight ahead through the gardens.
4. Continue straight ahead through the market and cross over Gracechurch Street turn to your right and walk a short distance where you will see St Peters Alley. Head down the alley until you come to the rear of St Peters Upon Cornhill.
Lord George Gordon in Barnaby Rudge is held in the Tower of London until being found innocent. 2. Turn into Muscovy Street, then take the second turning on your right, Seething Lane, and walk towards St Olave’s Church on the corner of Seething Lane and Hart Street.
Samuel Pepys ,and as per a sign on the graveyard railings, mother goose are buried here. Elizabeth I held a thanksgiving service here after her release from the Tower. Dickens said that St Olave’s Churchyard was “One of my best beloved churchyard’s” 3. Turn left up Hart Street passing the Ship Tavern on your left. Turn right into Mark Lane and head up past the remains of All Hollows Staining on your left (just the tower remains). Just past this turn into Star Alley and follow this until you come out on to Fenchurch Street. Cross to the other side of the road and turn left. Take the second right into Fen Court, head through Fen Court Gardens, a small garden with some benches, gravestones and a tomb, head to the top right corner of the gardens where you will find the exit, and continue along Fen Court until you come out onto Fenchurch Avenue. Turn to your left and walk up Fenchurch Avenue towards the Lloyds building in front of you. Turn left into Lime Street then the first right into Leadenhall place. Continue straight ahead into Leadenhall market. Dickens mentions Leadenhall Market in three of his books Pickwick Papers, Dombey and Son, and Nicholas Nickleby. But he would have not known the present market as it wasn’t built until 11 years after his death.
Dickens in The Uncommercial Traveller calls St Peters the church of the “great golden keys” you can still see them on the gateway into the churchyard. In Our Mutual Friend he describes the graveyard as “...a paved square court, with a raised bank of earth about breast high, in the middle, enclosed by iron rails. Here, conveniently and healthfully elevated above the level of the living , were the dead, and the tombstones: some of the latter droopingly inclined from the perpendicular, as if they were ashamed of the lies they told...” 5. Continue along the alley as it turns too the right until you come out in Cornhill. In a Christmas Carol Bob Cratchit slid down the ice here twenty times in celebration as it was Christmas Eve. Turn to your left and walk down Cornhill until you come to Ball Court the second alley on your left. Head along Ball Court, passing Simpsons one of the few traditional City eateries opened in 1757, turn left into Castle Court and then turn right into St Micheal’s Alley opposite the Jamaica Wine House. In this group of alleys Dickens set Scrooge’s counting house. Continue down St Micheals Alley until your reach the entrance of the George and Vulture on your right hand side. A traditional City Hostelry the George and Vulture becomes the headquarters of Mr Pickwick after his landlady Mrs Bardell brings a lawsuit against him.
6. Soon as you pass the George and Vulture turn right into Bengal Court and then right into Birchin Lane. Continue along Birchin Lane until you reach Cornhill then turn left and continue down Cornhill until you reach Pope’s Head Alley the forth alley on your left. Walk through the alley where you will come out onto Lombard Street opposite St Mary Woolnoth the site of the apple riot in 1868.
8. Cross over Queen Victoria Street and then Poultry at the traffic lights and head up Poultry away from The Mansion House. Turn right into Old Jewry the second road on your right walk along Old Jewry until you reach St Olaves Court. Turn left into the court and walk through to Ironmonger Lane. Turn left a short distance down on your right turn into Prudent Passage. Walk along Prudent Passage then turn right into King Street. Head down King Street until it joins Gresham street. It was here at No 2 Lombard Street that Maria Beadnell Straight in front of you is the Guild Hall which is worth lived Dickens first great love. a visit. In a Pickwick Papers the court case Bardell v Pickwick 7. Turn right and walk the short distance to King Wilwas held here. In Dickens essay Gone Astray as a young liam Street turn left and a short distance up King Wilboy he had made up his “little mind to” seek his fortune liam Street on the right hand side you will see “My plans were first to see the giants in Guildhall, I St Swithian’s Lane. Walk up St Swithains Land and turn found it a long journey and a slow one, being very tired I right into Mansion House Place the first alley on your got into the corner under Magog, to be out of the way of right. Continue down Mansion House Place until it joins his eye, and fell asleep” St Stephens Row (the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London The mansion House is right in front of 9. Turn right and walk up Gresham Street continue until you). Turn Right and follow the alley round to the right you reach the end where it joins Martin-le-Grand. until it joins Walbrook. Turn right into Walbrook and walk back towards the Bank. Wood Street the second road on your left was where the Cross Keys Inn once stood which was where Dickens first arrived in London as a small boy. Turn right and walk down Martin-le-Grand continue into Aldersgate Street just a continuation of Martin-le-Grand until you come to a large round about. Opposite is the Museum of London which is definitely worth taking a look. There is a small Dicken’s display which includes the chair in which Dickens wrote A Tale Of Two Cities.
Dickens mentions in the essay Gone Astray how as a young boy he peeped into the window of the kitchens at the Manor House and “my heart began to beat with hope that the Lord Major would look out of an upper apartment and direct me to be taken in”
Go around the roundabout taking the second road off which is still Aldersgate Street. Keep going until you reach the Barbican tube Station where we finish the walk.
The GuildHall
is the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation. The term Guildhall refers to the building as a whole and also the medieval Great Hall. The name Guildhall comes from the Anglo-Saxon word gild meaning payment, gild-hall means the place where citizens pay their taxes. During Roman times this was a site of the largest amphitheatre in Britannia with some of the remains on display in the Guildhall Art Gallery. The oldest documentary reference to the Guildhall is from 1128. The present building began construction in 1411 and was completed in 1440. Over the years there have been some alterations through damage during the Great Fire of London and the Blitz and the present grand entrance was added in 1788.
Gog and Magog the two mythical giants associated with the Guildhall were supposedly defeated by Brutus and chained to the gates of his palace which was suppose to have been situated on the present Guildhall site. Earlier statues of the giants were destroyed in the Great Fire of London and the Blitz, the present ones were completed in 1953 and were carved by David Evans.
For a number of years the Guildhall was used as a court with famous cases being held here including the cases against Anne Askew, Francis Dareham, Thomas Culpeper, Thomas Cranmer, Lady Jane Grey and the Zong Case. In 1848 Frederic Chopin would make his last public appearance here on a concert stage.
Walking in the footsteps of Shakespeare Blackfriars to the Monument 1.25 Miles - 2Km
Dogs should be kept on a lead. Not suitable for Mobility Scooter and Wheel Chair uses as there are stairs in a few places. appear in court to bail out William Sampson a clock maker from Stratford-Upon-Avon. A number of well know Shakespeare scholars do believe this was Shakespeare’s brother.
1. Starting at the Blackfriars bridge exit to Blackfriars Underground station turn right and head up New Bridge Street. You will need to cross to the left hand side of the road. Continue along New Bridge Street and turn left into Bride Lane. Follow Bride Lane as it swings to the right and take the first left into St Brides Avenue. Pass St Brides Church on your left and turn right where St Brides Avenue splits into two parts. Carry on straight ahead into Fleet Street and turn right. Gilbert Shakespeare a haberdasher was listed as living in the parish of St Brides in 1597. There is no proof this gentleman was Shakespeare’s brother of the same name other than he did
2. Continue down Fleet street and cross over New Bridge Street turn right and walk down New Bridge Street back towards Blackfriars Bridge. Turn left into Pilgrim Street the first road on your left. Continue following Pilgrim Street going up the stairs until you reach Ludgate Broadway the second street on your right. Follow Ludgate Broadway straight ahead into Black Friars Lane. Turn into Playhouse Yard the first road on the left. Here stood the Blackfriars Playhouse opened in 1577 by Richard Farrant master of the children of the Chapel in Windsor. Public playhouse were not allowed in Blackfriars but Farrant got around this rule calling it a private theatre where the choir boys could practice “for the better trayning them to do her Majestie service”. Farrant died in 1580 and the theatre continued for a further 4 years before closing. In 1596 James Burbage brought the building intending to turn it into a
public theatre but he died before it was completed. Local residents objected to the opening of a public theatre and alterations had to be made to convert it into a private theatre. It had three tiers which could hold between 600 to 700 people. Richard Burbage, James son, leased the theatre to Henry Evans and Nathaniel Gyles, Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal. The boy actors proved very popular and rivalled the adult companies. In 1608 a performance of ‘The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron’ gave such offence to the French Ambassador that the company was suppressed by James I. Shortly afterwards Burbage with six fellow actors, including Shakespeare, went into partnership to run the theatre. The theatre was closed by the Puritans in 1642 and it was demolished in 1655.
7. Turn right at the top of Dowgate Hill into Cannon Street. On your left you will see Salters Hall Court and a little bit further along St Swithian’s Lane. St Swithians Church use to stand here, the graveyard now a public garden is where the wife of the rebellious Mortimer in Henry IV is buried. In front of St Swithians gardens is the London Stone where Jack Cade in Henry IV strikes the stone and says “Now is Mortimer Lord of this City, and here, sitting upon London Stone, I charge and command that the Pissing Conduit run nothing but claret wine this first year of our reign.” 8. Turn down Bush Lane the first street on your right then left in to Gophir Lane then left in to Suffolk Lane.
3. Continue straight ahead into Ireland Yard passing the Cockpit pub.
Here stood the Merchant Taylor’s School which produced Edmund Spenser, author of the Fairie Queene, and Thomas Lodge , author of Rosalynde, two works that influenced Where the Cockpit presently stands was roughly the site of the Shakespeare considerably in his plays Much Ado About Old Priory Gatehouse, the only London property Shakespeare Nothing and As You Like It. Another old boy was Thomas Kyd ever owned, though he never lived here putting it up for rent. who in 1593 was arrested on suspicion of inciting xenophobia. When the privy council searched his lodgings 4. Turn left into St Andrews Hill then right into Carter Lane. they found a incriminating essay questioning the doctrine of the Trinity. Kyd blamed his old flat mate Christopher Marlowe Just pass Dean’s Court you will see a blue plaque marking the for writing it, after Marlowe was exonerated, Kyd went to site of the Bell Inn. From this Inn Shakespeare’s son in law prison. Shortly after his release he died, during the time before wrote the only surviving letter addressed to Shakespeare asking his death he wrote a lost play called Hamlet which is presumed for a loan of £30. to be the basis of Shakespeare’s play. 5. Keep following Carter Lane until you reach Sermon Lane/ Peter’s Hill on your right, these two small Lanes have now been joined together as a wide pedestrian walkway, turn right down Sermon Lane then left into Distaff Lane. At the top of Sermon Lane stood The Paul’s Head tavern and next door was the booksellers Thomas Millington and John Bushy where Henry V was first sold in 1600. 6. Continue along Distaff Lane until you reach St Nicholas Cole Abbey on the left hand side of the abbey you will find Old Fish Street Hill turn down the street and continue down to Queen Victoria Street. Cross the road and turn left walking up this busy road until you reach Huggin Hill on your right hand side. Head down Huggin Hill and then turn into the first alley on your left Huggin Court follow this onto Little Trinity Lane. Turn left and follow Little Trinity Lane until it joins Great Trinity Lane. Continue along Great Trinity Lane over Garlic Hill then into Cloak Lane. Continue along Cloak Lane until you reach College Hill at the second cross roads. Turn right and walk down College Hill then turn left at the bottom into College Street. Walk pass St Micheal Paternoster, where Dick Whittington is buried, and turn left into Dowgate Hill. Here lived the poet Robert Greene who made his famous jibe at Shakespeare warning others against the “upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide, suppose he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse with the best of you”.
9. Continue along Suffolk Lane turn left into Laurence Pountney Hill then right into Cannon Street. Straight ahead of you is Monument Underground Station where the walk finishes. If you wish to see the monument turn right down Fish Street Hill on the other side of the station.
St Michael Paternoster Royal The original church was first mentioned in 1219 and was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. The present church was designed by Wren which was badly damaged during the blitz and was restored in 1966. The church is best know as the place where Dick Whittington is buried and its connection with the Whittington College he set up in its grounds now situated in Felbridge West Sussex. One of seven churches that were dedicated to the Archangel Michael in the City it gets it’s name Paternoster from Paternoster Lane, now called College Hill, were sellers of pasternosters or rosaries were based. Royal from the now vanished street Le Ryole, which was a corruption of the town on Bordeaux La Reole, where a number of wine merchants were
situated. Dick Whittington was buried here in 1423 on the south side of the altar near his wife Alice. During the reign of Edward VI the rector Thomas Mountain in the belief that he had been buried with treasure had the body dug up. When it was found not to be the case he took the lead shroud around the body and had it reburied. The body was dug up again during Mary I reign and was re-covered in lead and buried again. An attempt to find the grave in 1949 only managed to find a mummified cat. Where the grave is now is not known. Other known worthies buried here include the Lord Majors John Yonge, William Bayley, Peter Blundell, and the poet John Cleveland.