Open House Festival

Taming the Thames: Londoners and London's river

walk/tour

Outside London Blackfriars Station, Queen Victoria Street, EC4V 4DY

Our walk explores the river that shaped London. As we follow the North Bank, we will uncover how the Thames sparked the city’s birth, powered trade, and supported daily life. From ancient monument, to medieval bridge building, Victorian engineering, to today’s iconic views and new super sewer – the riverside reveals Londoners' evolving relationship with the Thames.

Getting there

Tube

Blackfriars

Train

Blackfriars

Bus

40, 63

Additional travel info

The walk will finish at Old Billingsgate Walk, EC3R 6DX, in front of Old Billingsgate market. Nearest tubes Monument and Tower Hill.

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

Toilets are available at Blackfriars station (North Bank) and Cannon St station including accessible toilets accessed with a RADAR key.

What you can expect

The route is a flat walking path with lift access at the beginning. Seats at many points along the walk. Illegal cyclists can be a hazard.

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Activities

Fri 19 Sep

Walking tour

13:00–15:00

Taming the Thames - Londoners and their river

Walk from Blackfriars along the North bank of the Thames exploring Londoners' relationship to their river.

How to book

Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.

About

Walk the river that shaped London and its people

Join us on a journey to discover how the mighty Thames has influenced the city’s growth and the lives of those who’ve lived along its banks. From trade and industry, to royal pageantry to public health –throughout the centuries, the river has been central to London’s story. We will explore past, present and future, spanning the city’s founding right up to the newly completed Bazalgette embankment. Along the way we will visit an ancient dock, trace hidden rivers, admire iconic bridges and buildings. We will uncover how catastrophe and innovation have reshaped the riverside, and gain insight into the evolving ways Londoners work, play, and survive beside the Thames.

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

Nearby

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