Lesley Walks London

A watery wander around the Angel Islington
2024-11-06 11:00 - 13:15 (Europe/London) | Angel Station, Islington High Street, London, N1 8XX, United Kingdom
A circular walk from Angel tube, exploring the influences of water sources. Islington and Clerkenwell developed around a hilly area with an abundance of water from natural springs, wells and the River Fleet, all now more or less hidden. The New River – an astonishing early 17C waterworks scheme with engineering and reservoirs – and the early 19C manmade Regent’s Canal and basins followed. Meanwhile, some of the springs had been turned into risqué pleasure gardens and a famous theatre, then the residential boom of Georgian and Victorian squares and streets sprung up.

This walk traces all things watery, tells of an eccentric estate owner, an evangelical Countess and a lost cricket ground.

The walk lasts 2 to 2 1/4 hours, starts at the Angel station and ends in a historic market near the start.

Pre-book only via Eventbrite here

King's Cross to Hitchcock's Hackney
2024-12-30 14:30 - 16:30
We start this walk where some scenes from Hitchcock’s classic film ‘The 39 Steps’ were filmed and end at the studios where he first made his name. Along the way we pass through the ever changing and vibrant King’s Cross redevelopment, join the Regent’s Canal then glimpse the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ as the canal passes under central Islington. We explore a historic street market and cross the route of an even earlier waterway, then rejoin the towpath to walk east. Unfolding canal scenes of locks, basins and restored industrial buildings end at Gainsborough Studios in Hackney.

I lead this walk on a voluntary basis in support of the Inland Waterways Association. Please book online and I will take payment on the day (cash or card) to pass to them.

Canonbury Tower Tour
2025-03-14 11:00 - 12:30
Canonbury Tower near Canonbury Square is a survivor of Islington’s Tudor and even earlier history. It was built in the late 16th century as an addition to an earlier manor house, features beautiful wood panelling in some rooms, was home to several notable people including Francis Bacon and Oliver Goldsmith, and offers a fantastic view from the roof. Courtesy of the seventh Marquess of Northampton, Islington Guides are now offering two tours each month, strictly limited to 10 guests.

Booking link here: https://canonburytower.eventbrite.co.uk

Select 14th March for my tour in the drop down – other dates will be led by equally knowledgeable and charming Islington Guides!

Regent’s Canal – King’s Cross, Granary Square, St. Pancras
2025-04-20 14:30 - 16:30
A wander around the Regent’s Canal as it ambles through the stunning new developments around King’s Cross and St Pancras stations. We’ll explore the amazing architecture from the 1850s onwards as the age of steam trains ushered in the construction of this vast interchange between road, rail and water transport. Hear about grain stores, coal drops, gas generation, canal boats, basins and locks, and the many horses who laboured along with people. The walk starts near King’s Cross station and ends near St Pancras station, so the route is almost circular and easy to access.

I lead this walk on a voluntary basis in support of the Inland Waterways Association. Please book online and I will take payment on the day (cash or card) to pass to them.

Historic Hoxton
2025-05-04 11:00 - 12:30 | Hoxton Overground Station, Geffrye Street, London, E2 8FF, United Kingdom
Hoxton and Shoreditch today are often known as fashionable parts of east London, areas to eat out in and go clubbing. It’s also an area of astonishing contrasts from post war estates and a park reclaimed from bombed houses, through to surviving elegant 18C houses, almshouses, a radical 19C reforming local authority and road layouts dating back to the Romans.

The Gunpowder Plot was unmasked here in 1605, an enterprising gardener successfully created the first plant hybrids in 1729, and the first woman Mayor of Shoreditch was elected in 1936.

This walk is part of the exciting Hackney History Festival in early May https://hackneyhistoryfestival.org – do browse for a fabulous programme of talks, walks and tours.

Booking is absolutely essential and numbers are limited for your enjoyment and safety https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneyhistoryfestival/1589843

The walk will start at Hoxton Station, last around 90 minutes and end in Hoxton Street.

Hackney History Festival
2025-05-10 00:00 - 2025-05-18 23:59
The first Hackney History Festival in 2024 was a huge success, with over 1679 participants enjoyed 49 events including 24 talks, 10 walks, 12 guided tours, 2 film screenings and a quiz. I offered walks in De Beauvoir and Hoxton during the festival and am doing so again this year – see separate links for more details and booking. The whole event should be fascinating so do browse the programme which has a wealth of talks and more walks by some fabulous guides.

De Beauvoir Town - royal hunting ground to 19C residential estate￼
2025-05-17 14:00 - 15:30 | Haggerston Station, E8 4DY, United Kingdom
De Beauvoir lies in today’s London Borough of Hackney and is still sometimes called ‘Kingsland’ because Henry VIII hunted here. It is distinct from but nestled up close to Dalston, London Fields, the Regent’s Canal, Shoreditch, south east Islington and Mildmay. It is also known locally as ‘the jam between the Islington and Hackney sandwich’!

This walk explores the origins of the area, including a grand manor house from the 1600s which eventually became a ‘mad house’, then legal wrangles leading to extensive 19C residential development of pretty streets and a stunning square. We will also hear of lost churches, a canal basin with wharves that supplied much of the building material for today’s houses, a factory powered by tall windmills, the significance of horse stabling and much more.

This walk is part of the exciting Hackney History Festival in May https://hackneyhistoryfestival.org – do browse for a fabulous programme of talks, walks and tours.

Booking is absolutely essential and numbers are limited for your enjoyment and safety https://www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneyhistoryfestival/1589863

The walk will start at Haggerston Station, last around 90 minutes and end near the canal and Southgate Road.

Canonbury Tower Tour
2025-05-21 14:00 - 15:30
Canonbury Tower near Canonbury Square is a survivor of Islington’s Tudor and even earlier history. It was built in the late 16th century as an addition to an earlier manor house, features beautiful wood panelling in some rooms, was home to several notable people including Francis Bacon and Oliver Goldsmith, and offers a fantastic view from the roof. Courtesy of the seventh Marquess of Northampton, Islington Guides are now offering two tours each month, strictly limited to 10 guests.

Booking link here: https://canonburytower.eventbrite.co.uk

Select 21st May for my tour in the drop down – other dates will be led by equally knowledgeable and charming Islington Guides!

Historic Holborn
2025-05-28 11:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-06 11:00 - 13:30 | Farringdon Station EC1M 6BY United Kingdom, EC1M 6BY, United Kingdom
Explore the hidden histories either side of busy High Holborn – Hatton Garden, Leather Lane, inns of law and chancery and ancient churches.

High Holborn was originally a westward path up from a crossing over the River Fleet, leading through green fields and connecting the mediaeval City to Westminster. The areas to either side featured bishop’s palaces, the first church of the Knights Templar, legal inns and ancient markets. Later, smart residential enclaves developed, then coaching inns, industry, jewellery and diamond trades thrived, followed by extreme poverty and slums, contrasted with Victorian temples of commerce.

More recent rejuvenation now sits by side by side with much of the old fabric of the area, including several Grade I listed buildings. We explore them all on this wander through the alleyways and green spaces at the south-east boundary of today’s Camden borough.

Pre-booking essential – please click here.

‘Beating the Bounds’ from King’s Cross to Farringdon
2025-06-07 11:00 - 13:30, 2025-07-02 14:00 - 16:30
A historic walk winding either side of the border between Camden and Islington boroughs – also the route of the now-buried River Fleet

‘Beating the Bounds’ around the borders between parishes, land ownerships and similar is an ancient tradition, where the boundary was literally paced out and marked with stones each year. This walk traces today’s border between Camden and Islington, with detours to explore nearby signs of previous boundaries of parishes, vestries, water conduits and historic landowners.

Along the way, we’ll see varied architecture from pretty Georgian and Victorian terraces to old burial grounds, narrow passages that were once slums and restored industrial buildings; see if we can spot historic boundary markers; meet mediaeval monks, Tudor and Victorian philanthropists, a dynasty of 19C architects and builders; and hear of lost wells and pleasure gardens.

Pre-booking essential – please click here.

Undercurrent: Wandering the Walbrook
2025-08-03 11:00 - 13:00 | Moorgate Station, Moorgate, London, EC2M 6TX, United Kingdom
An intriguing walk from Moorgate to Old Street exploring the lost river Walbrook and other watery undercurrents, from the medieval to today.

I am leading this walk on behalf of Islington Museum – who are currently running an exhibition about lost waterways – and Clerkenwell & Islington Guides. It’s a fascinating route from Moorgate to Old Street, uncovering the secrets of the lost River Walbrook and the watery history still shaping the city today.

Though one of London’s smallest lost rivers, the Walbrook once meandered through Finsbury and St Luke’s before flowing into the Thames. Dammed by the Roman city wall, it flooded the area to form the marshy Moorfields. Today, it runs silently beneath our feet – diverted into sewers – but its presence still leaves ripples across the modern landscape.

Along the way, you’ll hear stories of medieval wells, a Georgian swimming pool, Victorian innovations in sanitation, a church slowly sinking into soggy ground and more. It’s a journey through time, tracing how water shaped the lives, buildings, and streets of this corner of London.

This event is free as part of a series events supporting the Undercurrents exhibition at Islington Museum. There is an additional date on Wednesday 13th August at 11am led by my colleague Sue. Numbers are limited and pre-booking is essential – click to pre-book for either date.

Four Hundred Years of the New River
2025-08-24 14:30 - 16:30
An opportunity to walk a beautiful section of the New River from Finsbury Park to Canonbury. The route takes us along part of the 400 year old waterway, through two parks, a nature reserve, past two huge reservoir lakes and intriguing parts of London’s history. We guides tend to say ‘it’s not new and it’s not a river’ because it was dug by hand, completed in 1613 and channeled vital fresh water along a winding 38 miles into London from Hertfordshire.

I lead this walk on a voluntary basis in support of the Inland Waterways Association. Please book online and I will take payment on the day (cash or card) to pass to them.

Canonbury Tower Tour
2025-10-10 11:00 - 12:30
Canonbury Tower near Canonbury Square is a survivor of Islington’s Tudor and even earlier history. It was built in the late 16th century as an addition to an earlier manor house, features beautiful wood panelling in some rooms, was home to several notable people including Francis Bacon and Oliver Goldsmith, and offers a fantastic view from the roof. Courtesy of the seventh Marquess of Northampton, Islington Guides are now offering two tours each month, strictly limited to 10 guests.

Booking link here: https://canonburytower.eventbrite.co.uk

Select 10th October for my tour in the drop down – other dates will be led by equally knowledgeable and charming Islington Guides!

Canonbury Tower Tour
2025-10-29 14:00 - 15:30
Canonbury Tower near Canonbury Square is a survivor of Islington’s Tudor and even earlier history. It was built in the late 16th century as an addition to an earlier manor house, features beautiful wood panelling in some rooms, was home to several notable people including Francis Bacon and Oliver Goldsmith, and offers a fantastic view from the roof. Courtesy of the seventh Marquess of Northampton, Islington Guides are now offering two tours each month, strictly limited to 10 guests.

Booking link here: https://canonburytower.eventbrite.co.uk

Select 29th October for my tour in the drop down – other dates will be led by equally knowledgeable and charming Islington Guides!

Clerkenwell Crime and Punishment
2025-11-23 11:00 - 13:30, 2025-12-02 11:00 - 13:30 | Farringdon Station EC1M 6BY United Kingdom, EC1M 6BY, United Kingdom
Turbulent centuries of monasteries, vengeance, courthouses, prisons, murder, social reformers, a bomb plot and more….

Clerkenwell lies just outside the old City, originally the location of the monastic houses from the late 1100s. When Henry VIII siezed these in the 1500s, some occupants met grim fates. Over the following centuries, the population increased greatly as London grew and people came looking for work, and in turn the area became overcrowded, crime-ridden and squalid. As it lay outside the City’s direct jurisdiction (part of Middlesex), the area attracted radicals, rebels and criminals. The local system of magistrates, judges and parishes in turn built prisons, courthouses and workhouses.

This walk explores the nature of crime and the various punishments meted out over the centuries in this fascinating area. The route is roughly circular so we will start and end near Farringdon Station – allow 2 hours +.

More details and booking on Eventbrite here

Myddelton Square and Spa Fields: a Health & History walk
2025-11-28 11:00 - 12:30
This is one of a series of free walks developed by Islington Guided Walks for Islington Council. These walks are the perfect chance to stroll at a gentle pace and appreciate some of Islington’s finest green spaces, while hearing about fascinating and inspiring local history. They are therefore shorter and slower than many of my walks and hopefully just as enjoyable in a different way!

On this walk we will explore a beautiful Clerkenwell square built by the historic New River Company, then wander down to Spa Green gardens and hear more history of this fascinating area.

More details and reservations (do please book ahead) for this and monthly walks in other Islington green spaces here.

Dalston, Newington Green and Mildmay
2026-05-03 11:00 - 13:00
Apologies, cancelled, plan to reschedule.

A walk circling the Hackney and Islington border north-east of Dalston. An amazingly diverse area including an ancient leper hospital, a disused Jewish cemetery, a centre for intellectual debate, dissent and education, the oldest terraced houses in London, fields where Henry the Eighth hunted, a Grade I listed church and more. We’ll also hear about the origins and story of the ‘Mildmay’ name now used on the rail line through the heart of Hackney.

This walk is just one of the many events in the 3rd Hackney History Festival taking place across the borough this May. More information and booking link for this walk is here.

Historic Hoxton
2026-05-13 14:00 - 16:00
Apologies, cancelled, plan to reschedule.

Hoxton and Shoreditch today are often known as fashionable parts of east London, areas to eat out in and go clubbing. It’s also an area of astonishing contrasts from post war estates and a park reclaimed from bombed houses, through to surviving elegant 18C houses, almshouses, a radical 19C reforming local authority and road layouts dating back to the Romans.

The Gunpowder Plot was unmasked here in 1605, an enterprising gardener successfully created the first plant hybrids in 1729, and the first woman Mayor of Shoreditch was elected in 1936.

This walk is just one of the many events in the 3rd Hackney History Festival taking place across the borough this May. More information and booking link for this walk is here.

Islington Health and History walk: Rosemary Gardens N1
2026-05-29 11:00 - 12:15
This is one of a series of free walks developed by Islington Guided Walks for Islington Council. These walks are the perfect chance to stroll at a gentle pace and appreciate some of Islington’s finest green spaces, while hearing about fascinating and inspiring local history. They are therefore shorter and slower than many of my walks and hopefully just as enjoyable in a different way!

This gentle walk explores leafy Rosemary Gardens and the surrounding streets and buildings. We will stroll past grassy and wilder woodland areas, see planting to encourage wildlife, a tree that grows beans and a football training pitch opened by Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger!

Centuries ago, archery was a popular sport here, then the local inn’s pleasure gardens and country air attracted visitors from the City until a lead factory was built on the site. We will also learn more about the intriguing local history, including the nearby canal, houses and warehouses.

More details and reservations for this and monthly walks in other Islington green spaces here. These walks are generously funded by Islington Council and are free to attend, but please do reserve in advance as they are very popular.
