Open House Festival

Empire City walking tour

walk/tour

Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, 1677

Old Billingsgate Walk, EC3R 6DX

A walk through the City of London from the Thames (at the pool of London) up to Lloyds of London, site of the former HQ of the East India Company, looking at buildings and architecture built during the time of British Empire.

Getting there

Tube

Monument, Tower Hill

Train

Fenchurch Street, London Bridge

Bus

388

Additional travel info

Meeting point: On the River Thames at Old Billingsgate Walk, EC3R 6DX, in front of Old Billingsgate market.

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

Tour ends: Lloyds of London, 1 Lime St, London EC3M 7HA

What you can expect

The route is likely to be busy as we make our way through the City with office workers and commuters. Traffic and dual-carriageways

About

Empire City

The history of the City of London is not well known. While we all know the City’s roots date back to the Roman Empire, we don’t know much about how this small port rose up during the British Empire. This Square Mile grew wealthy off the back of Britain becoming a maritime power. It turned away from the churches, and huge profits came from trading goods and people. Banks and insurance giants were created with a legacy that remains today. With its riches, it built prestigious buildings, symbolising architectural grandeur.

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 tours 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

Online presence

chalkmarks.co.uk

x.com/thechalkmarks

www.instagram.com/thechalkmarks

Nearby

Back to top of page