Join us for a gripping journey through London’s earliest chapters, from AD 43 to 1700, watching the city grow from a remote outpost on the edge of the Roman Empire to the most powerful capital in Western Europe.
Our path weaves along the Thames’ most historic mile and crosses two bridges, uncovering the stories behind 21 key sights clustered either side of London Bridge. All of them brought vividly to life through fascinating stories, more than 100 full-screen images, and scavenger-hunt clues.
As we walk, we will follow in the footsteps of the Romans, Saxons, Normans, Plantagenets, and Tudors. We will hear tales of bravery and betrayal, palaces and prisons, saints and scaffolds. And we will meet Emperor Claudius, William the Conqueror, Francis Drake, Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, William Shakespeare, and many other unforgettable characters whose lives, and deaths, left their mark on the growing city.
Ages: 12 to 102
Distance: 2.4 miles
Duration: 2.75 hours or longer if you linger
Best time: daylight hours
Starting point: the Tower Hill Sundial, on an elevated terrace above the exit from Tower Hill Underground Station.
A single mile of the Thames flows through 1,600 years of history from the Romans to the birth of the modern nation
A single mile of the Thames flows through 1,600 years of history from the Romans to the birth of the modern nation