London Walks take place on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. We meet a professional guide at 11.00 to be taken on a 2 hour guided walk. The distance walked is not vast as we stop many times to be told interesting and entertaining information. After the walk you are free to join others for coffee/ lunch or plan other things to make the most of your day in London. Travel arrangements are made by yourselves. (I personally find a good option is to use the Park & Ride at Sandon to get to Chelmsford station). Our August walk saw us exploring Covent Garden and learning so much about its history. It was a burial ground in 1065 for monks (the original name being Convent Garden). Then the land was acquired by the Russell family in the 1600s and a charter granted for the land to be used for a market. We were shown a wall printed with the 25 rules and regulations of the market in 1924, and a small plaque dedicated to the 100,000 donkeys used for transporting the market goods over 300 years. 

In 1970 the market was closed when developers tried to acquire the land; John Betjeman was partly responsible for quashing this and has a private dining room in the fabulous Rules restaurant named in his honour. Nell Gwynne, the mistress of Charles II, was a colourful character of the times, selling her clementines in the market and then becoming an actress, dying so young at 37 of syphilis. A particular highlight of our walk was discovering the "actors' church", St. Paul's; a small church in the heart of theatre land, containing many plaques of famous actors and playwrights who have passed away. To see a silver tea caddy containing Ellen Terry's ashes was extraordinary! The graveyard of the church provided us with the story that up to 1 in 20 people were found to have been buried alive, which led to a string and bell being attached to the wrists of their bodies, literally to be 'saved by the bell' no less!

We ended our Walk at St Martin-in-the -Field, seeing the statue of the first Pearly King and learning that the pearl buttons on their clothes have always traditionally been sewn on by men. Many of us stayed to enjoy a lovely lunch in the Crypt Café and a good day was had by all, with, once again, a truly professional guide.

Tuesday 15th October we are off on A Soho Saunter.

For further details please Contact the Membership Secretary on 01245 329435 [email protected]