Join SAVE and Dr Tom Bolton on a walking tour of Aldwych. Behind the wide formal streets of Aldwych and Kingsway lies a very different neighbourhood. Clare Market and Drury Lane were a tangle of disreputable alleys until the new streets cut them in half. But traces remain, and this walk dives into the back streets to track the vanished lanes and recreate their past at the core of ancient London.

Have you ever wondered as you wandered what exactly led to a bench looking like that, why London's telephone boxes are red, what those green huts are, and why there are no public toilets anymore...? If the answer is 'YES!' then join us as we saunter around Temple and the Strand with these questions in mind, stopping to peek at parts of the city fabric that we often overlook – and learning about the designers and 'deciders' behind the scenes.

HMS WELLINGTON, moored on Victoria Embankment, is the last remaining Battle of the Atlantic Convoy Escort ship still afloat in Europe. In the 6-year Battle, she steamed close to a quarter of a million miles, escorted 103 Atlantic Convoys and rescued from the sea hundreds of civilian and seamen survivors who would surely have perished but for her efforts. This is a unique and fascinating warship.

Devonport Dockyard, 1934

Completed in 1895, Two Temple Place is a dazzling neo-Gothic gem on the Victoria Embankment, designed by gothic revivalist architect, John Loughborough Pearson, & commissioned by & built for William Waldorf Astor, as his estate office.

John Loughborough Pearson , 1895

The creation of new public realm along Strand, south of Aldwych, has been described as the one of the best things to happen to London in years. It is an exemplar of what's possible when road space is reclaimed for people and for nature.

LDA Design - Landscape Architect, 2024

We will be opening the Hall and Library of the Middle Temple on Sunday 15 September between 12 and 4pm for tours.

Architect - G.E Street's masterpiece and one of Victorian London's great public buildings. 13th Century Gothic given a Victorian interpretation. Commissioned by Queen Victoria to build the home for Civil Justice for the United Kingdom.

G. E. Street, 1874

Established by the Knights Templar in 1195, The Inner Temple has had a Gardener since 1307. Surviving The Great Fire of London, and the Blitz, the Gardens remain a secret and tranquil oasis. Today the Garden is managed for beauty and biodiversity, providing a haven for people and wildlife in the heart of the City.

Robert Marnock, 1870

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

A large multi-purpose building occupying a pivotal position at the southern corner of Lincoln’s Inn Fields. The building provides state of the art, flexible teaching spaces on the lower levels and faculty accommodation on the upper levels.

Grafton Architects, 2021

London's first fireproof building, built to house records of the Court of Chancery. Now renovated to house a fine university library.

Sir John Taylor, Sir James Pennethorne, 1851