Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past
Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past
Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting kings and queens, body snatchers, Charles Dickens, an eighteenth century ghost, and William Wallace - aka Braveheart (and learn how he was in no fit state to shout "Freeeedoooommmm!" whilst being executed!)On our walking tour we'll visit the areas around Smithfield, for centuries London's site of both animal and human slaughter. We'll learn about how the city disposed of the tens of thousands of Black Death corpses in the fourteenth century, the execution methods used in the Middle Ages, and how the area became a notorious slum which Dickens used as the setting for Oliver Twist. The walking tour begins outside Barbican Station, ends near to Farringdon Station, and will take around two hours.
Total distance is about two miles.Ticket sales will be limited to circa ten attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.
Book This ExperienceA glimpse of the journey
Your Itinerary
A curated journey through the experience
The Charterhouse Charterhouse Square
A fourteenth century monastery and plague pit
10 minutesSmithfield Market
A one thousand year old meat market
10 minutesCloth Fair
A quiet alley with a noisy history
10 minutesChurch of St. Bartholomew the Great
London's oldest surviving parish church
10 minutesWIlliam Wallace Memorial
The memorial to William Wallace, aka Braveheart
10 minutesSaint Bartholomew's Hospital Museum
The oldest surviving hospital in the country
10 minutesGolden Boy of Pye Corner
The site where the Great Fire of 1666 died out, and of eighteenth century ghost hysteria
10 minutesHoly Sepulchre London
A church with a bloody history
10 minutesHolborn Viaduct
The site of the River Fleet, Victorian London's largest open air sewer
10 minutesYe Olde Mitre
A hidden gem of a pub, hidden down an alleyway
10 minutesIncluded
- Tour
- Entry/Admission - Church of St. Bartholomew the Great
Not Included
- Gratuities
Good to Know
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Tickets & Cancellation
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.