Open House Festival

Visionaries, Heretics and Ale Wives

walk/tour

outside Tower Hill tube, by the citizenM Hotel, EC3N 4DJ

Discover the lives of London’s women in the Middle Ages through plague and mysticism to early entrepreneurialism. Visit the site of an anchorite chapel and discover what led such women to turn their backs on the world for a life of solitude and prayer. And witness the final resting-place of the so - called Winchester Geese , medieval sex workers who lived and died beyond the City walls.

Getting there

Tube

Monument, Tower Hill

Additional travel info

The end point will be close to London Bridge tube on Borough High Street

Access

Facilities

Accessibility notes

Much of the walk is level but there are some steps ie up to London Bridge and the paving can be uneven.

What you can expect

The City and Southwark are busy, noisy places even at the weekends but I aim to use back streets where possible.

Create a free visitor account to book festival tickets

Activities

Sun 21 Sep

Walking tour

11:00–12:45

Visionaries, Heretics and Ale Wives

How to book

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

About

Historical Overview

How do you consider / understand the lives of Medieval women , so different to our own - and when records generally reflect only the wealthiest, or at least those with property? We’ll hear about the ale-wives and the Silkwomen - and use what remains of the medieval City to try to grasp why for some, spending decades locked inside a chapel in religious contemplation was an appealing option.

Golden Key Academy

This tour is led by an alumnus of Open City’s Golden Key Academy - an eight-month course designed to train insightful and engaging guides who bring London’s rich stories to life.

Learn more about the Golden Key Academy here: open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy

Nearby

Back to top of page