Dickens, Shakespeare, Lenin and Janet Street-Porter make for strange bedfellows. And yet in one walk around Clerkenwell I got to know all of them.
Standing at Farringdon station, watching the crowd of commuters rush by, it’s easy to see how historical and cultural gems have been hidden behind cheap nightclubs and the likes of Itsu and Pret.
The Radicals, Religion and Rivers Tour, run by Clerkenwell and Islington Guides, is an unlikely Wednesday afternoon outing.
The group runs three tours a week whatever the weather – even icy blizzards do not stop them.
My tour guide for the day came decked out in a long coat and walking stick, keen to share his quirky stories.
Click on the pointers below to uncover some of Clerkenwell’s past…
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Now, as I get off the train at Clerkenwell, I am not only stepping out onto the platform, I feel as though I am stepping back into history.
For more information visit CIGA.
Interactive map by Jess Denham
