walk/tour
16 Cheyne Walk, SW3 5RA
This tour takes visitors around the haunts and homes of famous Victorian artists, both international and local, and explores the connections between these personalities and their work, the wider impact of their art on society then and now, and the excitement of the Victorian time period's prolific artistic output and invention.
Pimlico, Sloane Square
Imperial Wharf
170
Tour to end at High Street Kensington near Holland Park. Nearest transport: High Street Kensington tube & Olympia overground stations.
The tour will include access to one or more historic house museums, at least one of which has confirmed step-free access.
A walking tour outdoors on level paved surfaces. Wear walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. Outdoor noise from traffic and crowds.
Walking tour
09:00–11:30
Walking tour of the homes and neighbourhoods of Victorian art personalities around Kensington and Chelsea
How to book
Please create a free visitor account to book your festival tickets.
From the Chelsea Embankment and Old Chelsea, we will immerse ourselves in the Victorian era, stopping by the homes of famous artists and tracing their connections in the neighbourhood, winding our way down to Albertopolis in South Kensington and finally ending near Holland Park and High Street Kensington. Come explore this beautiful part of London!
We will be exploring themes of artistic invention, the works and biographies of great artists, scandals in the art world, societal change, and the city's transformation throughout the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s.
We hope for good weather, but this is London! Please dress for the day's forecast, and wear comfortable walking shoes. The walk will be on level, paved surfaces. There is no guaranteed seating at any of the locations we will be attending outdoors. Toilet facilities will only be available toward the end of the tour, not at the outset or mid section.
Ola is a local of Kensington and Chelsea, having lived in the neighbourhood for over a decade. She loves London history, and loves sharing it with others. While her formal education background is in ancient history, London in all its many forms is her vocation and special interest.
This tour is provided by a candidate in Open City’s Golden Key Academy – a training course for tour guides which focuses on making London accessible and intelligible to the public through the lens of architecture and community engagement. It is one of many tours by Golden Key Academy students for this year's 2025 Open House Festival as the culmination of the course.
For further information on the Golden Key Academy, please visit: https://open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy
Guided tour
health, museum, historical house, military, mixed use
Part of the Chelsea Heritage Quarter, the Royal Hospital Chelsea has housed the iconic Chelsea Pensioners since 1692. Join a tour led by a Chelsea Pensioner to explore its rich history and architecture, from Wren’s design to Soane’s legacy. Visit the new Soane Stable Yard, opened in 2024, and its interactive exhibition for deeper insight.
Sir John Vanbrugh, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Soane, Robert Adam, Samuel Wyatt, 1682
