Soho & Chinatown: A Tale of Refugees, Radicals, Revolutionaries & Social Rebels (Some Adult Themes Not Suitable for Younger Children)
Want something a little deeper than the London popular culture tours? I'm a former teacher, economist, analyst and a lover of history, books and ideas. If you just want to take photos to put on social media, have little interest in history and don’t really like walking, then PLEASE BOOK A DIFFERENT TOUR!!! If you are intellectually curious and like to think, then let me take you through the streets of London, from the City (the old Roman town of Londinium), to Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames and then to Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair & St James’s (6 different walks in total). I'll explain how London came from being a European backwater in the 1500s to the largest city in the world in the 1800s. Today, London surpasses New York in diversity and has become a playground for the rich. From clean money to dirty money, I'll tell you the back story behind London's rise, not just the official version! The good, the bad and the ugly: you'll hear about it all. During my tours, I will give you a lot of book and podcast recommendations. So if you don't like books and you don't like podcasts, then my tours are probably not for you. My goal is to mix fun with learning, and based on this mix I've secured over 2,000 five-star reviews on GuruWalk. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, then please join me!
Pickup
I will meet you outside of Boots at Piccadilly Circus (Exit 1 of Piccadilly Circus Underground station on the Piccadilly or Bakerloo lines). I'll be carrying a yellow umbrella and wearing a black hat or cap.
Description
Soho & China Town: A tale of refugees, radicals, revolutionaries and sexual rebels, from Karl Marx, to George Orwell, Oscar Wilde and beyond
Welcome, I'm Justin. But some friendly advice! If you just want to take pretty pictures to put on social media (and don't really like walking much), I am the wrong tour guide for you! My tours attract people who like ideas, history and books. If that is not what interests you, book another tour :)
I have 6 walking tours on GuruWalk: 1) The City, 2) Soho, 3) Covent Garden, 4) the South Bank, 5) St James's & Mayfair and 6) ArtLand, which together have over 2,000 reviews averaging 5 stars (the highest on GuruWalk).
Highlights of the tour include:
- Site of the old Red Lion pub: Where Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels were instructed to write the Communist Manifesto, a document that changed the world
- The John Snow Memorial Pump: The place where Dr Snow demonstrated the link between dirty water and cholera
- 22 Dean Street: The apartment where Marx started work on Das Capital and three of his children died in conditions of extreme poverty
- The Dog & Duck Pub: Where George Orwell celebrated the publication of Animal Farm
- St Anne's Churchyard: Resting place of a Corsican king who died in poverty in London in exile
- Old Compton Street: Centre of Soho's gay community, underground until 1967, when homosexuality was legalized in the UK
- Kettners: The famous restaurant where the author and playwright Oscar Wilde dined with his aristocratic lover Bosie and unfortunately became the target of Bosie's rabidly homophobic father
- 1 Greek Street: Home of Richard Beckford, one the wealthiest men in London, whose money was made from slave plantations in Jamaica
- Soho Square: Home to waves of immigrants and now the centre of London's creative industries
I do have a card reader so can can take credit/debit cards for tips.