London British Empire Walking Tour: Hidden History

All Hallows By The Tower

Byward Street, London, EC3R 5BJ, United Kingdom

All Hallows by the Tower is London's oldest church. Here, we’ll uncover the city's origins from Roman river fort to Saxon, Viking, and Norman rule and discover an unexpected connection to two of the most famous names in American history

St. Dunstan In The East

St. Dunstan's Hill, London, EC3R 5DD, United Kingdom

We’ll explore St Dunstan in the East, a hauntingly beautiful ruin garden and medieval church, deliberately left unrestored as a living memorial to the Blitz and London's layered, resilient history.

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

Fish St. Hill, London, EC3R 8AH, United Kingdom

At this Monument to the Great Fire, we’ll trace what set it in motion, a city rebuilt from scratch, and a financial system born from the ashes. Study the Monument's relief carvings and the two kings whose ambitions shaped an empire.

Leadenhall Market

Gracechurch Street, London, EC3V 1LT, United Kingdom

We’ll stand above the heart of Roman Londinium inside a stunning Victorian market hall. Then, we’ll spot the sci-fi building next door, learn why it matters more than it appears, and catch a Harry Potter cameo.

Step into London's first coffee house, trading and serving brew since 1652. This is where the mechanics of empire get uncomfortable; deals were struck, information was traded, and the name of the building nods to one of the most disturbing legal cases in British history.

Walk through a Victorian monument to commercial power, which was built on an idea “borrowed”, aka “stolen”, from the Belgians. Discover what was traded here, who traded it, and spot the golden grasshopper that has watched over the roof since 1571.

Next, we’ll stand at the heart of the empire's financial architecture and learn the debt trick that created the modern financial world. Oh, and did we mention that the second-largest gold reserve on earth is sitting directly beneath your feet?

See 2,000 years of history in one courtyard. This is where we’ll meet the ancient, undemocratic corporation that still governs the City today, and you’ll hear the story of India, the Jewel of the Empire that paid for and changed everything.

We’ll end the tour at one of London's most extraordinary and misunderstood buildings; the Barbican. This modernist brutalist masterpiece was raised from a neighbourhood bombed flat in 1940. This is where we’ll close the empire narrative, connect the threads, and leave you pondering a question that has no simple answer.