History isn’t shaped by those who quietly follow the rules. It’s carved by those who dared to defy them — men and women who tested the boundaries of right and wrong, and who are remembered today either for acts of great compassion and sacrifice, or for cruelty and betrayal.
Illustrated by over 100 descriptive images, the quest winds through the City of London’s early history and its ancient streets, pulling these saints and sinners out into the light. It visits 25 sights, including some of the city’s oldest churches, infamous places of execution, a notorious prison, and memorials to lives lived and lost in the name of faith, power, or duty.
Along the way we will meet many of London’s most unforgettable characters including a nobleman who chose the axe over a lie, an Elizabethan spy master, a king’s mistress branded a witch, a defiant Scottish rebel, the saint blamed for London’s weather, an inspired architect, and a conniving Tudor politician.
Ages: 12 to 102
Distance: 2 miles
Duration: 2.5 hours or longer if you linger
Best time: daylight hours
Starting point: The gate into Trinity Square Gardens, close to Tower Hill Underground Station.
A carousel of images introducing just some of the people and events that shaped the ancient City of London
A carousel of images introducing just some of the people and events that shaped the ancient City of London