Our walk today takes into the secret world of St James’s with its many passages, courtyards and cellars. We’re guided by a route described in Secret London by Andrew Duncan which starts at Piccadilly Circus and goes along Piccadilly. We then walk through the Wren Church of St James’s Piccadilly to Jermyn Street and follow this into Bennet Street and then down a set of steps into Park Place and the home of the Royal Over Seas League. From here we find Blue Ball Yard and then Spencer House in St James’s Place and another secret passage that leads into Green Park. From here a passageway takes us into Cleveland Row and St James’s Palace. Moving towards Pall Mall we explore the wonderful Picking Place, Crown Passage, Angel Passage and King Street before returning to Jermyn Street and then back to Piccadilly Circus.
Sunday evening chat and Q&A at sunset from the Hollow Ponds Leytonstone.
You can buy Welcome to New London from the following brilliant booksellers:
Newham Bookshop https://bit.ly/3tsw1bx
Wanstead Bookshop https://bit.ly/45rNuhk
The Lost Byway (signed) – UK only postage included https://py.pl/3sqba
The Bookseller Crow https://booksellercrow.co.uk/
Foyles https://bit.ly/3Fb5wK8
Waterstones https://bit.ly/471dtxF
Blackwells https://bit.ly/45mdZVv
Amazon https://amzn.to/3rD5rvR
Barnes and Noble http://bit.ly/46umDTr
Bootopia (Aus) https://www.booktopia.com.au/welcome-…
And I’ll be talking about the book and signing here:
3rd November, 7pm Phlox, Francis Road Leyton
16th November, 6-7pm, Barbican Arts Library
Back on 7th September saw a wonderful event at Swedenborg Hall in Bloomsbury with a screening + Q&A of my film, Walking the visionary London of Emanuel Swedenborg. Back on a freezing January morning, with Iain Sinclair and Stephen McNeilly we retraced the footsteps of the hugely influential 18th Century scientist, philosopher, mystic and theologian. London played a huge role in the Swedenborg story, with Swedenborg Hall in Bloomsbury continuing his legacy.
Our walk started in Warner Street, Clerkenwell where Swedenborg had his most famous vision in a Chop House. We then walked on along the course of the River Fleet to Bakers Yard / Cold Bath Square where Swedenborg died in 1772. From here we continued along Saffron Hill and Hatton Garden to Fetter Lane, the site of the Moravian Chapel that Swedenborg attended. Our Swedenborg walk took us along Fleet Street and up Ludgate Hill to Paternoster Square linking together a series of locations associated with Swedenborg’s publishing and writing career.
We then headed out to East London, passing along Leman Street, Cable Street, past Wilton’s Music Hall to Swedenborg Gardens where Swedenborg was buried in the Swedish Church, and the whole story of Swedenborg’s head, which deserves a book in its own right.
Watching the icy clouds of breath in the film offered some faint relief from the sweltering temperatures in the hall. The discussion was illuminating as ever with Iain Sinclair and Stephen McNeilly. The bust of Swedenborg ever present looming over our shoulders, and I was tickled to discover that it was modelled on the wrong mummified head.
It’s only eight days ago that I did this walk from Epping to Harlow Old Town in 32 degrees of heat but already it feels as if the seasons have changed. I donned a thick hoody when heading out for an evening stroll after uploading this video, yet you can see that when this walk was filmed the ground was bone dry and I was being scorched by the intense golden sun. Such are the joys of late summer walks.
The latest episode of my series walking the churches of the City of London, sees me go in search of the remains and sites of some of the lost churches of the City of London. Featuring: St Mildred’s, St Mary Cole, St Olave Jewry, The Great Synagogue, St Benet Sherehog, St Stephen Walbrook, and St Martin Orgar.
The route goes from Poultry near Bank Station then in a loop round Old Jewry, St Olave’s Court, and Ironmonger Lane. Then Pancras Lane, St Stephen’s Row, St Swithin’s Lane, Cannon Street, Laurence Pountney Hill, Upper Thames Street, Allhallows Lane, Hanseatic Walk, Arthur Street and Martin Lane.
Many of the sites of the lost churches only survive as a blue plaque on a wall. Some as tranquil gardens and churchyards popular as lunchtime haunts. Others live on as towers embedded in the streetscape. I’m endlessly fascinated by the City of London. Each step in the City feels like a step through time, and if we listen closely, we can hear the whispers of those who walked before us, the echoes of the choirsong, the vibrations of the organs.
You can watch the whole series here
Here are the questions answered in my mighty YouTube Q&A video:
@jacquelinemacleod9699
Hi John, What made you decide to do these videos and podcasts ? Don’t ever stop – they are fantastic! I look forward to them each week
@michaelessig6376
have you ever thought of returning to a past walk but at a completely different season or weather to get a different feel for the walk
@danspencer862
John I’ve always wondered what you keep in that rucksack of yours? Your videos are just the best.
@Jim196819
I’d love to see a walk around Canterbury or York with so much history. Have you ever considered one of those cities ?
@mrbensharman
Would you consider recording a podcast series of London walks that people could follow whilst listening.
@CharlieGeorge_
If you could spend a month walking around another city anywhere in the world, where would you choose and why?
@jpingram966
I was wondering if you’ll ever feature neighbouring Queenstown Rd ? It always seemed to me so underappreciated and full of history.
@_richie
I’d like to ask if you have a favourite modern London building – maybe one constructed in the last 20-30 years?
@alib344
Out of all the historical figures in London’s history, who intrigues you the most and why?
@miqueln1996
Hi John, would you be able to elaborate more on the concept of psychogeography?
Would a video about pagan London be a possibility? Thanks, Tom.
@helenshiner6793
I would love to see a walk including the history of the Huguenots in London
@paulfrancis8764
Hello John. Would you be up for a sideline in guided walks?
@lindsaymanary9150
My question is how do you determine which areas you start your walk in.
@TXMEDRGR
I love your London walks but would you consider doing some other cities?
@niels.brouwer
What has been the most meaningful or thought-provoking conversation you’ve had during your walks?
@marylaplante7261
Hi John, Is there any area of london that makes you feel a bit sad when considering how much history/architecture has been lost to modern development?
@WoodsideWalker
Have you recently found something out about London that’s surprised you and made you say “well I never knew that?”
@dpeastman
If you were to draw the route of all of your walks around London onto a map, what do you think would be the two most distant points that you could connect with a continuous line?
@williamrobinson7435
Hi John. Have you done much on the various Guilds, Worshipful or otherwise, of old London Town? What is the historical relationship between the Guilds and The City Of Westminster? Or Guilds vs Church? How do The Guilds fit into the great 3D jigsaw that is London?
@timgallivan1614
What’s your scariest experience while walking in London or surrounding area?
@edit511_channel
What is/are your favourite pub/pubs in London . What walk/pub crawl would you recommend?
@michaeldillon3113
If for some unforeseen reason you were granted one last walk wish – which of the many perambulations you have completed would you choose to do ? As an extra feature what would be your preferred pub and pint at the end of said walk ?
@robertgarvey5652
A few days ago, I was reading an online article about the Essex Way. It runs from Epping out to Harwich. Are you aware of this route or covered any part of it yet?
@princegears8673
Hi John what is your favourite tube station ?? Favourite Underground tube line ?? And favourite bus route?? And why??
@bnpandsc
Have you considered walking the historic River Wey from it’s rising at Haslemere to confluence with the Thames at Weybridge?
@paddyharvey6101
Do you miss the walks through larkings orchards and fields, I can remember you and your dad and the jack Russell trotting off for your evening walks
@robertcollins1583
Could you recommend a Sunday afternoon walk within zones 1 and 2
that ends in a great area or place for lunch.
@battleoftheelements
Are you planning to do a walk with those two chaps, can’t remember their names, but they joined you at Maiden Bower and at the huge barrows in Essex some years back.
@NorthernCitrusParrot
Have you had any issues with your knees? I recently started with arthritis in mine and I’m less inclined to walk. Any tips?
@lewiswalker7803
Why not once a month do a ‘Notorious’ walk, depicting the atrocities that happened there, for example, the blitzed east end, Jack the Rippers Whitechapel/Spitalfields, area of 10 Rillington place, Plague pits, Dickens Victorian squalor walks
Devils acre etc. Just a thought.
@user-gu1we4si4z
Hi John can you please visit Cornwall and do a late summer coastal walk ?
@ianjohnson2198
Hi John. Where do you think is the most relaxing place in all of London? Or maybe even top three?
@AndrewDickson-bb1jl
Would you consider doing a meet and greet/talk in a pub at some point?
@re_patel
How tired are you after a walk?
@christineduke6096
Hello John,just wondered if you would be interested in some facts of Leyton around Skeltons Lane.
@donniedarkomtb7048
You must do a piece on Hill Hall in Theydon Mount, Epping. Stunning mansion with tons of history which has now been converted into luxury £1m+ flats. Go see it!
@sianwarwick633
Would you ever do a night walk, provided its safe and moonlit or streetlit or torchlit enough ?
@robbojax2025
I can’t remember you doing a Marylebone area walk.
@chrisprobert5340
If you were going to take a couple of kids out on a London trip ( I only know Soho) where’s something interesting, they’re about 7 I think, my girlfriend’s little ‘uns…love your shows…
@CliveMarchant
How many pairs of walking boots do you
get through each year?
@minijames2777
Do you have a driving licence, if no have you ever driven a car or do you dislike cars. Thanks for the great walks
The experience of floating up the River Roding in Ryan Powell’s Sensory Attunement Coralce will now be my most potent association with this blessed River. I’ll leave the video to explain how this came to pass and the beauty, drama and comedy of what unfolded. But it’s safe to say this was an experience I shall never forget.
Find out more about Ryan’s project here
Make sure to also watch Sean James Cameron’s video of this eccentric escapade up the River Roding.
My walks with Paul Powlesland in 2021 provides important context for this unforgettable riverine odyssey.
“The coracle – also known as the currach, bull boat, quffa, parasil – is a small, keel-less boat. Their main uses has always been as a means for fishing or transportation. Today, certainly within Europe, their main use tends to be recreational, although in Wales a number of licences exist to permit use as a fishing vessel. In other parts of the world, particularly the Middle and Far East, they are still used for their original purpose – as a workboat for fishing or transportation. The coracle has a long history spanning thousands of years, evidenced in cave paintings of their use from the early Bronze Age and perhaps as far back as the Ice Age. The coracle is likely to be the first form of water transportation” https://www.coraclesociety.org.uk/coracles