walk/tour
Tottenham Court Road, outside the Dominion Theatre, W1T 7AQ
The leafy Georgian streets of Bloomsbury were shaken up in the 1930s by a new wave of development, from great academic institutions to speculative flats for modern urban living, plus probably the most stylish car showroom in London. We'll explore the range of 1930s architectural styles used in some famous and not so famous buildings, and even take a peek inside where we can.
Tottenham Court Road
1, 24, 14, 19, 38, 390, 55, 73
The end point will be The Duke public house, Roger Street WC1N 2PB. Nearby buses 17, 19, 38, 46, 55 and 243. Nearest tube Russell Square.
The walk will be outdoors and as much as possible stick to quieter routes. However, there will be some traffic. A few public benches.
Walking tour
11:00–12:30
How to book
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Bloomsbury is famed for its Georgian terraces, but during the 1930s a new wave of development made its mark. Great institutions such as the University of London moved into the area, while modern blocks of flats offered housing for a new generation. We'll take a wander eastwards from Tottenham Court road to see how architects made use of major architectural styles of the era - Art Deco, Neo-Georgian, Streamline Moderne and even the Mock Tudor style more often associated with the suburban semi. The walk will take in famous London landmarks such as Charles Holden's great Senate House. It will also include interesting surprises, including the London base for Welsh bards and singers, and a rare chance to see inside a 1935 block of speculative flats built for the modern young woman about town, complete with cage lift as seen in the movie Mona Lisa. We'll end the walk at a perfectly preserved 1930s pub down a secret mews.
This walk is led by local resident Alison Porter, who graduated in 2022 from Open City's Golden Key Academy. She was born in west London, right across the road from the glorious Art Deco Hoover Factory.
This walk will cover a fairly flat area in central London, though there may be some small steps and cobbles.
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
