walk/tour
Former US Embassy - Eero Saarinen, 1960
Leicester Sq Tube exit by Wyndhams Theatre, WC2H 0DA
Ever since the United States gained independence, Americans have been showing up again and again. This tour is about their influence on Britain from before the Revolutionary War to American heiresses marrying for titles to WWII to today.
Leicester Square
Charing Cross
24, 29, 176
Start - Leicester Sq Tube exit by Wyndhams Theatre/St Martins Court WC2H 0DA End Point - In Front of Selfridge's on Oxford Street
At various points in the walk, there will be toilets available.
This tour is approximately 3 miles and will be approximately 2-2.5 hours through busy parts of Westminster.
Meets Outside Leicester Square Tube Station Exit (Next to Wyndhams Theatre).
It ends on Oxford Street near Bond Street Tube Station.
1616-17 – Pocahontas comes to London with English husband
1738 – Future George III born in St James Square at Norfolk House
1757-1775 -- Pre-Revolutionary War - Ben Franklin in London for 16 years on Craven Street
1760 – George III begins his reign
1775-83 – American Revolutionary War
1785 -- John Adams lives in Grosvenor Square as first American ambassador
1808 – Aaron Burr in self-exile in England; lives on Craven Street
1824 – Ira Aldridge migrates to England for acting opportunities
1833 – Slavery Abolition Act passes & Aldridge plays Othello at Covent Garden
1842-45 – Republic of Texas embassy on St James Street
1849 – Herman Melville lives on Craven Street during time he was a sailor
1874 – Jenny Jerome marries Randolph Churchill
1880-1920 – American heiresses (dubbed Dollar Princesses) marry into aristocracy
1895 – William Waldorf Astor builds Two Temple Place
1906 – Waldorf Astor marries Nancy Astor given Two Temple Place & Cliveden as wedding gifts
1909 – Harry Gordon Selfridge opens Selfridge’s on Oxford Street
1919 – Nancy Astor becomes Member of Parliament
1936 – Edward VIII abdicates to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson
1941-45 – US enters the War following Pearl Harbor; Eisenhower made Supreme Allied Commander and oversees Operation Overlord from Grosvenor’s Square & St James’s Square
1949 – Actor/director Sam Wanamaker looks for Globe Theatre
1949-69 – Correspondence portrayed in the book 84 Charing Cross Road between Frank Doel and Helen Hanff – ‘Everyone finds the England they come look for’
1969-83 –Stanford University leases Cliveden as their overseas base
1997 – Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre opens
2006 – Ben Franklin House opens
2014 – Sam Wanamaker Playhouse opens next to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
2018 – American actress Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry; Meghan Markle and her mother stay at Cliveden the night before the wedding.
2021 – First American Royal Princess Lilibet Diana born to the Duke & Duchess of Sussex
Eclectic Tours is led by Lisa Lu. Holder of a Golden Key Badge as a trained tour guide from Open City/Open House London, Lisa is an American who has lived in London for 15 years. She holds a MA in Shakespeare Studies from King's College London and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Originally from Los Angeles, she has lived in New York and Chicago and has a background in theatre and film. Her interests are varied – even eclectic – as reflected in the range of tours. For information on more tours, please go to: eclectic-tours.com
This tour is led by an alumnus of Open City’s Golden Key Academy – a course training up insightful and engaging guides dedicated to explaining London and bringing its many stories to life.
Further information on the Golden Key Academy can be found here https://open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy
Drop in
institution/profession, historical house
A very good example of Georgian/Adam architecture. Restoration 2012 of Great Room (James Barry paintings), Benjamin Franklin room. 2019, restoration and installation of 1754-2018 mural in the Long Gallery.
Adam Brothers, 1774
