English.
Christmas Walks, Christopher Wren's London, Evening walks, Financial Institutions, General city tour, Great Fire of London, Guildhall Art Gallery, Livery companies, Markets, Medieval London, Pub tours, River Thames, Romans, Samuel Johnson, Samuel Pepys, Seasonal, Wartime.
I'm Anne - a qualified City of London guide, historian and author.
Before becoming a guide, I studied history at Oxford University and I've created tours and exhibitions at some of the most exciting heritage sites in the country including St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge & the Tower of London.
Now my passion is the City of London. Its 2000 year history is packed with wonderful stories - of heroes, scoundrels, triumphs and disasters. As a writer and a historian, I love stories and I love sharing them so please join me for a walk and we'll discover some of the people, places and events that make up the rich history of the famous 'Square Mile.'
Look out for my scheduled tours or get in touch for a private tour by clicking 'email Anne Fletcher.'
I'm happy to do something bespoke too, so if you have a passion you'd like to pursue or an event that you want to make really special, do let me know.
CITY OF LONDON Guide.
MA in Modern History, Oxford University.
Member of London Historians.
Member of the Society of Authors.
Member of the Historical Writers' Association.
OLD LONDON: HIGHLIGHTS OF ‘THE SQUARE MILE‘.
A tour of the must-see sights of the City of London, the oldest part of London, where Roman ruins sit alongside modern marvels. We’ll see the highlights but avoid the crowds, keeping to the less beaten track whenever we can. You’ll be introduced to the people, places and events that have helped to create London over the last 2,000 years.
MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!
Discover how the City of London grew from a Roman trading post to one of the world’s great financial centres. For nearly 2,000 years, its wealth has been created by trade; from wheat and wool to the stocks and shares of today. We’ll begin in the oldest part of the City and end among the spectacular skyscrapers that are the hub of its financial sector today.
LONDON LIFE IN TUDOR TIMES
Discover the historic streets, alleys and stories of Tudor London, "the fairest, largest, richest and best inhabited city in the world" (John Stow, Tudor historian).
We'll explore the surviving Tudor gems and secret corners of the City, to bring to life one of the most significant periods in British history, marked by radical social, political, economic and religious change. Our tour winds through ancient and current market places and backstreets, through the site of a former monastery, past the oldest continually-inhabited house, the City’s oldest parish church, sites of punishment and execution to the hospital where the sick would go be healed - and still are to this day, thanks to King Henry VIII. We'll end our tour at the site of a former plague pit, which transformed from a monastery, to a fine Tudor home, to a school, and continues its work as a beautiful alms house for pensioners in the 21st Century.
SAINTS & SINNERS
London’s history has been made by heroes and villains, by great deeds and by scandals. You’ll meet some of these saints and sinners as we explore the streets and alleyways of the oldest part of London, the City of London.
BUTCHERS, BODYSNATCHERS, EXECUTIONERS & HEALERS: THE BLOODY HISTORY OF SMITHFIELD.
Smithfield is the very oldest part of the City of London, untouched by the Great Fire of London. We’ll discover the monasteries that once stood here as well as the centuries old meat market and hear about executions, cloth fairs, plague pits and body snatchers. You’ll see the oldest church in London and the oldest hospital in the UK.
LONDON’S BURNING!
Uncover the story of London’s two most devastating fires: The Great Fire of London in 1666 and the aerial bombing of the 1940s known as the Blitz. It is a tale of destruction and tragedy but also one of survival and resilience.
A CHRISTMAS WALK
On this festive evening walk around the City we will see lights, Christmas trees, a historic market, secret alleyways and locations from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. You’ll discover how Christmas was celebrated in the past and of course, we will end the evening with a festive drink at a historic City of London pub!
“I really enjoyed our ‘MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!’ tour with Anne. Within minutes, I was seeing, and learning about, aspects of the City that were new to me, even as a 30-year London resident. Anne has a great wealth of knowledge, and conveys it with clarity, warmth, and humour. I can strongly recommend!”
Mike, visitor from London.
"What a fascinating couple of hours we spent discovering parts of the City of London we thought we knew. Looking forward to another tour with Anne very soon. "
Jane, visitor from Hertfordshire.
“I highly recommend Anne’s SAINTS & SINNERS tour, it was in-depth, accessible and fun! During the walk, the stories of heroes were revealed, highlighting their indelible stamp on the city. 24 hours later I am still pondering what would have happened if Rahere had pledged a different commitment! “
Jo, visitor from Bath.
“Anne’s CHRISTMAS WALK around the city of London was brilliant. We learnt the fascinating history of some of our Christmas traditions and how some of those applied to London. The secret alleyways and locations that inspired Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol were particularly interesting. We met some lovely people and ended up in a pub near Leadenhall Market just before Christmas – this could be one of our new Christmas traditions!”
Clare, visitor from Northampton.
” We recently went on a CHRISTMAS WALK with Anne… the route took us through areas of London we had never explored before and opened up aspects of London’s history that we were completely unaware of. Anne carries her knowledge lightly and her guided walk manages to balance being informative and interesting without being either lecturing or condescending. Highly recommended! “
Ed, visitor from Birmingham.
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