Want something a little deeper than the London popular culture tours? I'm a former teacher, economist, analyst and a lover of history, books and ideas.
If you just want to take photos to put on social media, have little interest in history and don’t really like walking, then PLEASE BOOK A DIFFERENT TOUR!!!
If you are intellectually curious and like to think, then let me take you through the streets of London, from the City (the old Roman town of Londinium), to Southwark on the south bank of the River Thames and then to Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair & St James’s (6 different walks in total). I'll explain how London came from being a European backwater in the 1500s to the largest city in the world in the 1800s.
Today, London surpasses New York in diversity and has become a playground for the rich. From clean money to dirty money, I'll tell you the back story behind London's rise, not just the official version! The good, the bad and the ugly: you'll hear about it all.
During my tours, I will give you a lot of book and podcast recommendations. So if you don't like books and you don't like podcasts, then my tours are probably not for you. My goal is to mix fun with learning, and based on this mix I've secured over 2,300 five-star reviews on GuruWalk. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, then please join me!
This was an incredible tour. I am quite well read but learned quite a lot about my own history both as a Brit and as a child of empire. I love Justin’s approach of setting the context (the growth of Britain from a cold rainy backwater to a global superpower and how The City helped finance that. For some of the big numbers I would prefer a way of breaking those down so people could appreciate scale but it was still good. And the idea of recommended further reading and listening was GENIUS. Very appreciated. I have starred the podcasts and already ordered a number of the book recommendations from Amazon. Highly recommend this tour and I will be encouraging my out of town visitors to do this.
My second tour with this tour guide, both were excellent. Provides a behind the scenes background of London. I would recommend
Justin created a fun, engaging and informative experience. I loved his storytelling, visual aids and reccos. I learned so much about how London's culture and appearance was shaped throughout history. Justin's passion for history and economics was infectious!
Justin was very knowledgeable and passionate about the history he shared with the group. The time went quick. Saw parts of London that you wouldn’t know exist and he gave ideas of places to go after the tour. Would definitely recommend