Greater London Trip Overview
Within a distance of no more than 2 miles, this tour is crammed with variety. The tour starts with the Tower of London built 900 years ago by William the Conqueror following his conquest of 1066 and ends at the Tate Modern, an art gallery in a refurbished power station opened by the Queen in May 2000. And there is so much to be enjoyed in between! There is no comparison between the crowded docks of days gone by and the tranquil gallerias which have taken over the old wharves with their charming shops, restaurants and bars of today! Moving to Bankside in Southwark, we can still see the magnificent Southwark Cathedral, the ruins of what was once the lavish home of the Bishops of Winchester and the magnificent new Globe theatre. And then there are the views as the centuries old skyline competes with the modern giants of the age. This is a tour of contrasts, from history and heritage to medicine and drama, it’s a must. Oh, and there are coffee shops too so we can stop for a cuppa!
Additional Info
Duration: 150 to 180 minutes
Starts: Greater London, United Kingdom
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore Greater London Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Greater London, England, United Kingdom
Within a distance of no more than 2 miles, this tour is crammed with variety. The tour starts with the Tower of London built 900 years ago by William the Conqueror following his conquest of 1066 and ends at the Tate Modern, an art gallery in a refurbished power station opened by the Queen in May 2000. And there is so much to be enjoyed in between! There is no comparison between the crowded docks of days gone by and the tranquil gallerias which have taken over the old wharves with their charming shops, restaurants and bars of today! Moving to Bankside in Southwark, we can still see the magnificent Southwark Cathedral, the ruins of what was once the lavish home of the Bishops of Winchester and the magnificent new Globe theatre. And then there are the views as the centuries old skyline competes with the modern giants of the age. This is a tour of contrasts, from history and heritage to medicine and drama, it’s a must. Oh, and there are coffee shops too so we can stop for a cuppa!
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Pass By: Tower of London, St Katharine’s & Wapping, London EC3N 4AB England
Where better to start a tour of London than beside one of its most iconic buildings. The Tower has been a part of the City’s skyline for 900 years and many a tale can be told about its prisoners, particularly Royalty, and the executions which took place away from the baying crowds. Built by William the Conqueror following his conquest, the White Tower remains a reminder of how he feared being toppled by the British people – it gave him somewhere to hide! We will stop here for about 10 minutes for me to tell you about some of the Tower’s many stories.
Pass By: Tower Bridge Road, London SE1 2UP England
Walking across this splendid structure is the only way to enjoy and appreciate its Victorian artistry. It was designed to complement the style of its famous neighbour, the Tower of London, and its central span divides in two allowing both sides to be lifted for river traffic to pass. How many times a year is that, I hear you cry? We will stop on the bridge to enjoy both the views and some interesting snippets from the bridge’s history (including how many times the bridge opens!) for about 5 minutes.
Pass By: HMS Belfast, The Queen’s Walk, London SE1 2JH England
HMS Belfast has been moored here as a ship museum since 1971 but it was commissioned long before that in order to play a key role during the second World War. It is a fine example of a Royal Navy light cruiser built during the 1930s. We’ll stop here for about 5 minutes so I can tell you about some of Belfast’s exploits during the war.
Pass By: Hay’s Galleria, 1 Battle Bridge Lane, London SE1 2HP England
This tranquil space bears no resemblance to the hustle and bustle that was a part of dock life in the 17, 18 and 1900s. When the British Empire was at its height, this stretch of the River Thames was known as London’s Larder on account of the amount of food delivered to the quayside. After the demise of London’s docks in the 1960s and during the economic slump that followed, a group of developers called Michael Twigg Brown were hard at work planning the refurbishment of this whole area. You will be blown away by the result! We will spend a good 10 minutes sauntering through the Galleria enjoying a bit of window shopping and admiring the creative architecture of the modernised enclosed dock.
Pass By: Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret, St. Thomas’s Church 9A St. Thomas Street St. Thomas’ Church, London SE1 9RY England
This tour leads you through part of medical London starting with Guys Hospital built by the philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721. Moving on to the private London Bridge hospital, you can enjoy the architecture of its buildings as they used to be the warehouses in which tea brought by the beautiful clipper ships from the West Indies was stored. We wander past the Old Operating Theatre which is the oldest surviving surgical theatre in Europe where amputations were carried out before anaesthetics and antiseptics had been invented. The very thought makes you cringe, doesn’t it! We will stop here for about 5 minutes so you can hear more of the gory proceedings that went on inside the old theatre.
Pass By: Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TL England
This centuries old area used to be a raucous market place for the wholesale trading of cattle, fish and grain but just as supermarkets killed off the independent greengrocers, so the new Covent Garden market upriver, brought this wholesale market to a close. But not for long! During the 1980s, a new style of market emerged with artisan food businesses moving into the abandoned warehouses. Nowadays, the market enjoys its reputation as a food extravaganza of international renown. We will wander through the market and if you would like to make some purchases, maybe to sample after the tour has ended, we can take as much time as you would like! Or we can walk through without stopping, just enjoying the atmosphere, it’s your decision!
Stop At: Southwark Cathedral, 1 London Bridge Montague Close, London SE1 9DA England
This is one of the oldest churches in London which somehow survived the purge on churches by that most notorious of kings, Henry VIII. Designated a cathedral in 1905, nothing prepares you for the sheer beauty of the interior: soaring arches and a dramatic ceiling. There is much to experience here: a stained glass window dedicated to the playwright William Shakespeare who lived and worked in the Borough; a Diamond Jubilee window to celebrate Her Majesty’s 60th year on the throne; Harvard Chapel commissioned by alumni of Harvard University to honour its founder John Harvard who was baptised in St Saviour’s church (as the cathedral was then) and the most recent memorial to the 51 people who died in the Marchioness tragedy, a pleasure cruiser which sank on the Thames close to the Cathedral in 1991. Although entry to the cathedral is free, there is a small charge for photography which can be paid on entry.
Duration: 20 minutes
Pass By: Golden Hinde, St. Mary Overies Dock Cathedral Street Cathedral St., London SE1 9DE England
A replica of the ship which circumnavigated the globe in the 1570s stands majestically beside the River Thames. Once you have got over the fact that a boat this size could possibly have completed such a tough and challenging journey, it is interesting to catch up with a few fun facts about the voyage: what was the famous ship called originally, who was on board and how many of the original fleet made it back to England? You will find out the answers to these questions, and more, when we stop for about 10 minutes beside the ship.
Pass By: Winchester Palace, Clink Street, London SE1 9DG England
You will gaze on the ruins of what used to be the large and luxurious home of the Bishops of Winchester. In an area full of sleaze and narrow, run down alleys and yards, once stood this beautiful palace, proof that the privileged lived right next door to the poor. We will stop here for about 10 minutes as I tell you about the power of the Bishops, what buildings were within the palace’s extensive grounds and the meaning of the term Winchester geese – you might be a little surprised by what went on inside the boundaries of the Bishop’s lands!
Pass By: Globe Theatre, London England
Standing less than half a mile from the original Globe which dated back to the first half of the 1600s, this modern Globe is only here because of the perseverance and determination of one American actor called Sam Wanamaker. This is as good a replica as was possible to build at the time and it comes complete with polygonal sides, green oak wood and lime washed walls. It opened in 1997 and has been a star attraction ever since! We will spend 5 minutes here breathing in the beauty of this well thought out building.
