Connected capital: London's communication architecture

Leon (outside), 12 Ludgate Circus, EC4M 7LQ

Join me on a walk through the architecture of entertainment and mass communication, exploring the stories behind a diverse range of iconic buildings and their role in asserting London's status as a globally connected, cultural powerhouse.

Getting there

Tube

Blackfriars

Train

Blackfriars, City Thameslink

Bus

76, 56, 55, 26, 25, 243, 133, 17, 15, 63, 40

Additional travel info

Tour end: Broadcasting House, Portland Place, W1A 1AA. Distance: Approximately 3 miles / 4.8 kilometres.

Access

About

About your tour guide

The guide for this walk, Andy Garland, has worked in creative production for TV, radio, social media and branded content for a career spanning over three decades and combines both his industry knowledge along with his passion for architecture to bring a unique and fresh perspective to this walk.

Golden Key Academy

This tour is led by a participant 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. It is part of a wider collection of tour events created by Golden Key Academy guides for the Open House Festival celebrating their conclusion of the eight month course. Further information on the Golden Key Academy can be found here https://open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy

Nearby

Drop in

St Bride Foundation

institution/profession, theatre, library, education, community/cultural

Built in 1893 as a printers' institute in the Anglo-Dutch style, with sandstone dressings, steeply pitched tiled roof and gables; many original features remain including the swimming pool and library reading room.

Robert C. Murray, 1893

Drop in

Stationers' Hall

event, historical house, livery hall

17C livery hall with courtroom and garden. Oak panelling and stained glass windows. Undamaged in WWII. Recently refurbished new rooms and air-cooling within. Selected items from the archives on display. Book binding exhibition in the Hall.

Robert Mylne, 1673

Drop in

The Temple Church

religious

Medieval architecture meets Wren's refurbishments in this inspiring building, the Mother Church of the Common Law. The Magna Carta exhibit: has William Marshal and King John where they would have debated and agreed clauses of Magna Carta.

Medieval, 1185

Talk

Fleet Street Heritage Information Project and Sundial

scientific, monument, walk/tour, art in the public realm

This new sundial faces East so gets only morning sun. It is 10 m. square and was opened in 2021, and is publicly accessible 24/7

Piers Nicholson, 2021

Drop in

Dr Johnson's House

historical house

Fine example of an early 5-floor Queen Anne town house with original panelling, open staircase and unique 'swinging panels' on the open-plan first floor. Johnson compiled his famous 'Dictionary of the English Language' (1755) here.

Richard Gough, 1690

Guided tour

The Old Deanery

religious, historical house

This Grade I Mansion House, close to St Paul's Cathedral was designed by Edward Woodroofe in 1669 and completed in 1673. The residence of successive Deans of St Pauls until the 1970's today it is the office to the Bishop of London

Edward Woodroofe, 1669

Guided tour

St Paul's Cathedral - Triforium Tour

religious

Guided tours of the Triforium space to see: items from the cathedral collections including Christopher Wren’s magnificent ‘Great Model’ made in 1673; the Geometrical Staircase and the stunning view from the West Gallery.

Sir Christopher Wren, 1710

Walking tour

Sensing space in the City

walk/tour

This sensory walk explores the art of moving mindfully through urban space – focusing on the rhymes, rhythm, volumes, and voids that normally flow past unnoticed. We begin in Inner Temple and wander west to Somerset House, through Trafalgar Square, ending at the Royal Academy.

Walking Tour

River Walk

walk/tour

London could never have existed without the Thames. For 2000 yrs it has brought power, prestige pageantry and the plague to this great city. Hear about the role of London Bridge, mud-larking, Billingsgate, historic wharves and river tales.

Drop in

City Information Centre

community/cultural

London's main tourist information centre is clad in a specially manufactured system of 220 pre-finished stainless steel panels. The subtly reflective surface provides a striking counterpoint to St Paul's.

Make Architects, 2007

Drop in

Temple Bar

monument

Temple Bar is a 350 year old gateway to the City of London, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It formerly stood in Fleet Street, and was the last surviving gateway to the City of London.

Sir Christopher Wren, 1672