Courses of Walks

Please email elaineguide1@gmail.com if you would like to join us for the REMAINING WEEKS OF VILLAGE LONDON - FOURTH SERIES

More than any other world city London is a collection of villages. This assortment of villages, some dating back to medieval times, expanded, particularly, during the 19th Century. Today, those villages can still be identified, as having their own specific features, which may include a church, a high street, a market or a particular housing style.

Tuesday Schedule, June 17 - Southall,  June 24 - Little Venice 

Thursday Schedule June 19 - Southall,  June 26 - Little Venice

2025-2026 COURSE SCHEDULE

From September 2025 to June 2026 WLWU are offering the following three short courses of eight walks, on a Tuesday or Thursday morning with a midway break to coincide with the half term school holidays.  

All walks start at 11 am and last between 90 minutes and 2 hours, starting and finishing close to a public transport hub.

All courses cost  £140 per person for 8 walks. A discount is available for PREBOOKED WALKS as follows:

7-8 walks - £17.50 per walk, 4-6 walks - £18.50 per walk, 1-3 walks - £20 per walk

If you would like to attend the occasional walk or would like to bring a friend, please do contact us as we may be able fit you in. 

PLEASE ENROL HERE


Autumn Term - Georgians Revisited

Georgian Ladies2

For over a hundred years from 1714 to 1830, all the Kings who sat on the British Throne were called George. It was a time of transformation - London grew, its trade expanded and a taste for elegance fostered a great consumer boom. Thinking of the Georgian period one automatically conjures up extreme images from Jane Austen's parlour with polite society to the debaucheries of Hogarth's Gin Lane.

These walks cover many aspects of Georgian life: power and politics, leisure, architecture, slums, riots, fashion and the Georgian love of shopping. Come and make up your own mind - was it a miracle or a monster? and was Dr Johnson correct when he said "if you are tired of London you are tired of life.

Tuesday Schedule

September 30, 2025          Georgian Architecture - Bloomsbury Squares
October 7, 2025                 Georgian Chelsea
October 14, 2025.              Philanthropists and Foul Places
October 21, 2025               Georgian Ladies on Parade
November 4, 2025.            Gin Joints to Pleasure Gardens
November 11, 2025           Regent Street
November 18, 2025           Georgian Gentlemen - Politics and Power
November 25, 2025           Maida Vale to Camden Town - Along Regents Canal

Thursday Schedule

October 2, 2025              Gin Joints to Pleasure Gardens
October 9, 2025              Georgian Chelsea
October 16, 2025            Philanthropists and Foul Places
October 23, 2025            Georgian Ladies on Parade
November 6, 2025          Georgian Architecture - Bloomsbury Squares
November 13, 2025        Regent Street
November 20, 2025        Georgian Gentlemen - Politics and Power
November 27, 2025        Maida Vale to Camden Town - Along Regents Canal

Spring  Term - London's Lost Rivers

Fleet

There are over 100 miles of rivers in London, fed by over 100 springs and wells which once flowed through meadows and valleys on their way to the Thames. Villages grew up along their banks, but then suburban development turned streams into sewers. Most are now underground - put to use flushing the sewers and storm drains of our city and there are few traces overground. We can follow their routes today through the surprising “dips” in some roads, through the strange curving routes of other roads and through street names. We can hear the sound of rushing waters through gratings and follow lines of “stink pipes”. Join us to find out about the rivers hiding beneath our streets.

Tuesday Schedule

Thursday Schedule

Summer Term - Made in London

clocks

In the late 1700s, Britain was the first country in the world to make things in factories using machines powered by energy generated from coal. This Industrial Revolution heralded dramatic changes in manufacturing. For a time, Britain was the world’s largest manufacturer - labelled the workshop of the world.

From the late 18th to the mid-20th century London was a leading centre of UK manufacturing. In 1861 around one sixth of the country’s manufacturing workers were employed in the capital. However, unlike many northern towns, London was not dominated by one trade but was home to a diverse set of industries. These included jewellery, clock, lock, and garment making, food processing, leather production and motor car manufacturing. In this series of walks, which span areas both north and south of the river, you will learn about the trades and manufacturing that influenced London’s geography and its neighbourhoods. At the end of the series you will understand why London was once known as The Smoke !

Tuesday Schedule

Thursday Schedule