BLOOMSBURY
HOLBORN
ST GILES
FREE
Explore
Midtown!
Myth, murder, riot, plague, art and
literature. A lot happened in this area
from the 17th century to the present
day. And it’s all here for you to explore.
Guided
walks
October – December 2016
Wednesday 5 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Visit several sites in
Holborn and Bloomsbury
linked to the struggle for
votes for women.
Great Plague
Friday 7 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Want to feel happier? Well,
why not visit the area
where the Great Plague
of 1665 started.
There’s nothing like hearing
about the plight of
Londoners at the time to
make you feel like things
aren’t so bad today.
Where to
join our walks
To and through
Victoria House
Wednesday 12 and
Friday 14 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
If you’re feeling a bit nosy,
this is the walk for you.
Victoria House is opening
its doors to reveal its modern
and listed architecture,
with a tour that encompasses
ninety years of British
craftsmanship.
Nada, zilch, nothing. That’s
how much our guided walks
cost. Don’t book, just show
up at the starting points
(unless the walk’s description
says otherwise).
Starting point for 10am
and 1pm walks
You can’t miss it. It’s our
bright orange information
kiosk outside Holborn tube
station, 88 – 94 Kingsway,
WC2B 6AA.
Booking is required and
admission to the walk is
by ticket only.
Starting point for 11am,
2pm and 5.30pm walks
Find the red sculpture in the
courtyard of Central St Giles,
1 St Giles High Street, WC2H
8AG and you’ve found the
starting point.
BEE Midtown
020 7078 7077
[email protected]
www.bee-midtown.org
NOVEMBER
OCTOBER
This leaflet is printed on
Cocoon Silk 100% postconsumer recycled paper
with FSC® certification.
To apply for a place
please email [email protected]. Maximum two
places per email. Booking
commences 1 October 2016.
Please do not apply before
this date as your application
will not be accepted.
Roundheads and Cavaliers
Wednesday 19 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
The English Civil War was
anything but, as you can
hear in this tour of local
sites connected with the
story of the clash between
King and Parliament.
Your feet are
in safe hands
Bloomsbury Bookshops
new
Saturday 22 and
Sunday 23 October
11.15am and 2.15pm
Starts in Russell Square
Duration 120 minutes
Bloomsbury is so called
because they used to
of dead residents. That isn’t
true. It’s a story we made
up. Which has been such
a common occurrence
around these parts for
centuries that we based
a whole tour on it. This one
celebrates Bloomsbury’s
bookshops, and tells of their
varied history and areas
of specialisation.
There is no need to book
places in advance, just turn
up in Russell Square at the
times indicated and look
out for our guide wearing
his orange uniform.
PLEASE NOTE UNUSUAL
STARTING PLACE & TIMES
FOR THESE WALKS.
The walk is brought to you as part
of the Bloomsbury Festival 2016.
For further details visit
bloomsburyfestival.org.uk
Wanderers of the Wastes
new
Wednesday 26 and
Friday 28 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
As Hallowe’en creeps up,
our series about the occult
continues with this second
walk in a series of four.
Today we visit locations in
Bloomsbury to hear about
Aleister Crowley and the
Golden Dawn. And have
no fear; you can enjoy this
walk on its own or as part
of the series.
Bites and Bolts
Saturday 29 and
Sunday 30 October
2pm Central Saint Giles
Duration 120 minutes
Hallowe’en just got darker –
it’s another of our special
horror walks. Our vampire
guide takes you to places
connected to the lives of
Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley
– authors of Dracula and
Frankenstein respectively
– and breathes new life into
the stories of their creations.
Our guide, Aly Mir, is a
history graduate with
considerable guiding
experience. He’s led walks
in the Midtown area since
2006. He has also led tours
for Handel House Museum,
and has devised and led the
highly successful Museum
Mile walks since 2008.
Aly has guided around
30,000 people on tours
in London and has created
walks – on subjects
ranging from the Knights
Templar to Punk Rock.
He researches, plans and
leads all the tours himself.
Aly’s sandwich of choice is
salami and he’s not a huge
fan of snakes or rats.
Haunted Holborn
Monday 31 October
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Another Hallowe’en walk
around old haunts in Holborn.
This time, we’ll visit a spooky
local pub (insert your own
joke about spirits here),
the ghost of an Egyptian
Mummy and the haunting
of one of the area’s oldest
buildings. Ooooooh.
More Spooky Stories
Tuesday 1 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Another chain-rattling,
blood-curdling, goose-pimpleraising walk, this time to
the place haunted by Lord
Nelson’s ghost and a
theatre where something
fishy is going on.
Scary St Giles
and Bloomsbury
Wednesday 2 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
in style with a visit to the
supernatural sites in the
Bloomsbury and St Giles areas,
including a haunted theatre
and church.
Museum Mile half day
walking tour
Friday 4 November
2pm Central Saint Giles
Duration 3 hours. Walk ends at
5pm near Russell Square.
Today, we visit half of the
museums in the Museum Mile
– the Brunei Gallery, Petrie
Museum, Wellcome Collection,
British Library, Foundling
Museum and the Charles
Dickens Museum.
Only 20 places available.
Booking is required and
admission to the walk is
by ticket only.
To apply for a place
please email [email protected]. Maximum two
places per email. Booking
commences 1 October 2016.
Please do not apply before this
date as your application will
not be accepted.
Wiener Library
Tuesday 8 and
Wednesday 9 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 75 minutes
This week marks the
anniversary of Kristallnacht
(the Night of the Broken
Glass), a pogrom against
Jewish people in Germany
launched by the Nazis.
To mark this terrible event,
Midtown presents a
guided walk to the Wiener
Library – one of the world’s
leading and most extensive
archives on the Holocaust
and Nazi era.
Only 20 places available.
Booking is required and
admission to the walk is
by ticket only.
To apply for a place
please email [email protected]. Maximum two
places per email. Booking
commences 1 October 2016.
Please do not apply before this
date as your application will
not be accepted.
Holborn at War
Friday 11 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
This walk visits sites in
Holborn connected with
the Battle of Britain.
NOVEMBER
The Blitz
Wednesday 16 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Holborn was badly damaged
during the Blitz. Today’s walk
visits several locations that
were bombed and explains
how the Holborn we know
today was shaped by these
terrible events.
Doodlebug!
Friday 18 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
1944 saw Hitler unleash his
V1 ‘Doodlebug’ flying bomb
and V2 rocket on Britain.
This walk takes in four places
in the Holborn area hit by
these bombs.
Wanderers of the Wastes
new
Wednesday 23 and
Friday 25 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
The second in our series of
walks about the occult. This
tour visits locations in
Bloomsbury to hear about
Aleister Crowley and the
Golden Dawn. Each walk is
designed on its own or with
the others, so if you can’t
attend them all, fear not.
“The tours are enjoyable, extremely
informative and provide a great insight
into the history and stories of the local
area. It was a pleasure to be the 25,000th
person on the tours and I’m sure there’ll
be another 25,000 to come!”
continued
Charles Dickens and
Barnaby Rudge
Saturday 26 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 90 minutes
Barnaby Rudge (incidentally,
the rhyming slang for judge)
was set against the
backdrop of the Gordon Riots
of 1780 – the most violent
riots in London’s history.
This walk takes us to the
Holborn locations featured
in the novel.
Charles Dickens and
Sketches by Boz
Sunday 27 November
2pm Central Saint Giles
Duration 90 minutes
Visit several sites in
Bloomsbury and St Giles
featured in Sketches by Boz,
Dickens’s first series of
published stories.
Michele O’Brien, Transport for London, High Holborn, 2015
“I love the Midtown walks.
Aly is informative and
entertaining and it’s a lovely
way to explore the area I work in.
And they’re a great incentive to
get away from your desk.”
Work
together?
Why not walk
together.
Rosalind Stroud, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2015
Charles Dickens and
Bleak House
Wednesday 30 November
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
The house may have been
bleak but the novel was one
of Dickens’s finest. Today’s
walk visits several of the
Holborn sites that appear
in the book.
DECEMBER
Charles Dickens and
The Uncommercial Traveller
Saturday 3 December
2pm Central Saint Giles
Duration 120 minutes
Visit several sites in
Bloomsbury, Holborn and
St Giles featured in The
Uncommercial Traveller,
a collection of Charles
Dickens’s literary sketches.
Charles Dickens and
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Sunday 4 December
2pm Central Saint Giles
Duration 105 minutes
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
was Dickens’s final novel and
was left unfinished when he
died. This walk takes us to
places featured in the book.
St George the Martyr
new
Tuesday 6 and
Friday 9 December
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
We walk to Queen Square
before going on a tour inside St
George the Martyr, one of the
famous ‘Queen Anne Churches.’
Super Sleuth
Wednesday 14 December
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
You don’t have to be a
detective to work out what
this walk is about. Because
we’re going to tell you. It’s
about Sherlock Holmes
and takes in locations in
Bloomsbury that played a part
in both the life of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and in his famous
detective stories.
The Games Afoot
Friday 16 December
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Another Sherlock Holmes
adventure, this time taking in
Holborn sites that featured in
the famous detective stories
and locations from a Sherlock
Holmes film. We also hear
more about the life of Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle. In fact,
it’s a MYSTERY why anyone
wouldn’t join us. Chortle.
Christmas Story
Wednesday 21 December
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
Visit the site where the
world’s first Christmas card
was printed, an important
place from the early history
of British pantomime and
a monument to the man
who helped introduce the
Christmas tree to our country.
This walk is the gift that
keeps on giving.
Christmas Murder Story
Friday 23 December
1pm Holborn Station Kiosk
Duration 45 minutes
If you’re a bit fed up with all
the Christmas cheer, we’ve
got the walk for you. It takes in
several locations connected to
a murder a few weeks before
Christmas in the 1780s.
If you’re a local business, we
can create a bespoke walk for
your company on the theme
of your choice. Or you can join
one of our existing ones.
Get in touch for a chat.
FA R R I N G D O N WA L K S
Pace through the past in this fascinating,
historic part of London. There’s no need
to book in advance, just turn up on the
day and walk for free.
Sherlock Holmes and
The Blue Carbuncle
Friday 30 and
Saturday 31 December
11am Central Saint Giles
Duration 90 minutes
This walk is based on the short
story of the same name which
begins on Christmas morning
when a man is robbed of his
Christmas dinner. Don’t worry
if you haven’t read the story
as it will be explained as we go.
Magnifying glasses are optional.
Farringdon Streets
and their Story
new
Thursday 6 October,
Thursday 20 October and
Thursday 3 November
12.30pm Farringdon Station
Duration 45 minutes
Ever wondered about
the origins of the names
‘Farringdon’ and ‘Smithfield’?
Today’s walk explores just
that, plus the origin of seven
local street names. We also
hear about a road named
after a French Knight and
about a street named after a
man who worked in a pub.
Clerkenwell Calling
new
Thursday 17 November,
Thursday 1 December and
Thursday 15 December
12.30pm Farringdon Station
Duration 45 minutes
This walk explores the name
origins of eight streets in
Clerkenwell, including one
named after an earl who had
an unusual use for a church
crypt, plus another named
switched sides twice around
the time of the English Civil
Wars. We also go to see the
Clerks Well that gave
the area its name.