Eminent Victorians
Victorian London – the world’s greatest city – fostered dazzling talent! In this tour through the Victorian galleries of the National Portrait Gallery, we renew your acquaintance with fascinating and eminent citizens that you thought you knew. There’s that well-known statistician Florence Nightingale and of course the hotelier Mary Seacole. There’s Isambard Kingdom Brunel who did London to New York more than a hundred years before Richard Branson did the same. Or the portrait painter and his child actress bride. And what about the prince whose idea for a great exhibition was saved by a humble gardener? Hear the stories of these and many others as you meet some of the stars of the Victorian age.
Memorable Marylebone
On this stroll through Memorable Marylebone, one of central London’s most affluent yet diverse areas, we’ll introduce you to social reformers and philanthropists, you’ll hear about world-famous institutions, be intrigued by tales of sleuths and scandals, and learn more about some of the unique churches in this most fascinating of districts. A feast of a walk with a bit of something for everyone – you won’t get a better chance than this walk to hear about the hidden gems of Marylebone!
Regent’s Canal: from Little Venice to Camden Lock
No waterway in Britain can compete with the elegance of Little Venice or the grandeur of Regent’s Park’s waterside villas along the Regent’s canal. This is a stunning walk on the canal’s towpath cutting through London Zoo and even giving you a view into the gardens of Primrose Hill’s rich and famous. But the canal also has an industrial heritage – starting at Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Paddington, and finishing at Robert Stephenson’s goods yards for Euston. Along the way is the site of one of the biggest explosions ever to rock the centre of the capital. We end at Camden Lock – its old horse stables turned into London’s most iconic market, and its yards packed with food from around the globe. This is a walk of tranquillity and relaxation, where the only motors are on narrow boats speeding past at four miles an hour.
