Lanes, Lives and Liveries: Navigating the Medieval City

(14 reviews)

London audio tour: Lanes, Lives and Liveries: Navigating the Medieval City

This is a 1.4mi walking tour

It takes an average of 75 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$9.99

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About the Tour

London’s urban landscape is constantly evolving, with new buildings popping up all over the city at regular intervals. Yet much of its medieval street plan, laid out over a thousand years ago has remained. On this walking tour, I’ll show you where to find the oldest parts of the city, hidden in plain sight, and share the many stories they have to tell.

The tour starts near Cleary’s Gardens, a spot well known to the inhabitants of Roman Londinium, as the medieval city used to be called. You’ll track many of the city’s oldest lanes, taking in historic churches like St James Garlickhythe, St Michael’s Church, and St Stephen Walbrook, as well as the medieval Walbrook Wharf.

As you make your way to Mansion House (the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London where the tour ends), you’ll wander through centuries-old byways, such as Dowgate Hill and Cannon Street. Along the way, I’ll show you Skinners Hall (an elegant guild house), the iconic London Stone, and even a pagan site of worship, the Temple of Mithras.

On this medieval London tour, you’ll:

See the site of a Roman Bath House
Stroll along the lane synonymous with pig-keeping
Hear about the “Worshipful Companies” and how they grew from small associations into powerful Livery companies that controlled the city’s trade
Listen to captivating tales of disputes, brawls, and murder
Take in what was once a small part of Germany on the banks of the River Thames
Find out where London’s largest public toilet ever used to stand

By the end of this 75-minute London walking tour, you’ll have heard stories about many historical places that are hidden in plain sight and learned all about the people who once lived in this area.

Tour Producer

Steve Matthews

20 tours

I’ve been guiding in London since 2010, and in that time I’ve led thousands of people through the backstreets, river paths, and half‑forgotten corners that rarely make it into the guidebooks. My work is rooted in years of on‑the‑ground experience, a lot of digging through old maps and archives, and a genuine fascination with how London’s past still shapes the city we walk through today.

What began as a hobby has grown into a long‑standing practice of researching local history — from lost streets and vanished industries to the characters who left their mark on the place. I keep my tours updated with new findings, fresh angles, and the odd surprising detail that brings a street or story to life.

I specialise in the parts of London people often overlook, helping visitors and locals alike see the echoes and footprints hidden in plain sight. My aim is simple: to share the stories I’ve gathered over the years with accuracy, enthusiasm, and a real affection for this endlessly surprising city. Whether you’re joining me for the first time or returning for another walk, you can expect a well‑researched, engaging, and reliable tour shaped by more than a decade of experience.

Preview Location

Location 2

Cleary's Garden

As you approach Huggin Hill on your left you'll see a walkway overhung with a pergola. Follow the path and at its end turn left and descend the ramp to the next level and then stop, or take a seat on one of the wooden benches on your left.

I bet you're thinking we've only j... As you approach Huggin Hill on your left you'll see a walkway overhung with a pergola. Follow the path and at its end turn left and descend the ramp to the next level and then stop, or take a seat on one of the wooden benches on your left.

I bet you're thinking we've only just started and he's got us sitting down! Well, there's a a very good reason for that, because if you had been an inhabitant of the Roman Londinium possibly you would have followed the same route as you've just done and sat here. The reason for this is that you're now sat in the reception of a Roman bath house. The structure was quite a large one and was cut into the hill that sloped down to the Thames which in Roman times was much closer than it is today, I've included a map on the app to show its position.

The baths utilised natural spring water from the hill and a series of culverts and drains were set into the wall, where water was collected into storage tanks below. It was distributed around the bathhouse in pipes, some of which are still below your feet. Along the southern end of the site is a sequence of seven rooms; a caldarium (hot room), tepidarium (warm room), frigidarium (cold room), apodyterium (changing room), You're currently sitting in what was a reception room and then you would head off to the changing room and begin the process of bathing visiting each room in turn. There were several bath houses in the vicinity, with this one in the middle of two others, one to the east at Billingsgate and the other to the west near the Strand. The retaining wall to your left is the only remaining part of the bathhouse remaining above ground and when we leave you'll see the other side of it is faced with Kent ragstone, a favourite Roman building material.

Fast forward over fifteen hundred years and this area had been decimated by German bombing during the Second World War. At the end of the war, the entire block that you passed since leaving the underground station was for the most part rubble which must have been a depressing sight for the hundreds of commuters that walked from the station to their work every day. One of these commuters was keen gardener, Joseph Brandis, who decided to turn the space into a public garden, Every day for over two years he brought plants and soil from his garden and spent his lunchtimes cultivating the borders using mud that he brought up from the banks of the Thames. The garden was completed in 1949 and became a popular spot for city workers. The Queen Mother even visited giving it royal approval. The gardens were remodelled in the 1980s and became known as Cleary's Gardens after Fred Cleary, chairman of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. He was known as ‘Flowering Fred’ for his work in creating public gardens in the City, but I think it's a shame that Joe Brandis doesn't get a mention in the dedication.

Ok, we'll get going again. In front of you slightly to your left are some steps follow these to exit through the gate and turn right onto Huggin Hill, recorded in 1281 as Hoggenlane, notable for its pig keepers.

It was filled with small houses with sty's at the back. The houses were three to four stories high and sloped inwards, almost touching those opposite. There were also shops with a proliferation of hanging signboards, making the lane a rather claustrophobic place. The cobbled surface sloped inwards towards a central drainage channel which ran downhill to the Thames. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Mansion House
St Mary Abchurch
St Stephen Walbrook
London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE
Cleary Garden
St James Garlickhythe
Whittington's Long House
St Michael's Church : Paternoster Royal
London Stone (remaining part)
Cannon Street
Skinners' Hall
Walbrook Wharf

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
26 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AA, UK
Total distance

2km
Final location
Queen Victoria St, London EC4N 8BH, UK
Distance back to start location

287.17m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at Mansion House underground station which is on the District and the Circle Lines.

If you arrive by train follow the Way Out signs and once through the ticket barrier head for Exit 1 signed Queen Victoria Street & Garlick Hill.
The station is a stop on bus routes 15, 17, 26

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

A visit to the Temple of Mithras is strongly recommended. Entry is free but you will need to register for your visit. The temple is closed on a Monday and it is best to check daily opening times when registering. Details can be found at https://www.londonmithraeum.com/temple-of-mithras/
There are several churches on the route and it's well worth taking some time out to see their interiors. St Stephen's Walbrook regularly hosts free lunch time music recitals. Check their website for details.
There are many fast food outlets and restaurants in the area of Cannon Street. The Banker pub is a nice place to break your journey and has seating on the banks of the River Thames.

Best time of day

The tour can be walked at any time. Please bear in mind that there are several churches on the route and these are usually closed between dusk and dawn, they will also be hosting services over the weekends, so you may not be able to walk in and look around. The area during the week is usually busy but quieter at the weekend with a lot of shops and pubs being closed.

Precautions

The area is usually busy during daylight hours but becomes less so when all the office workers leave for the day. Take the usual precautions with bags, phones and other valuables. There are a number of roads that you will need to cross that have cycle ways on them. Cycle traffic approaches from both directions so please look both ways before crossing.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

Google Play Store

Questions and Reviews

4.9 / 5

14 Ratings

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Lanes, Lives and Liveries: Navigating the Medieval City

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Steve Matthews

Preview Location

Location 2

Cleary's Garden

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

St Mary Abchurch

St Stephen Walbrook

Cleary Garden

St James Garlickhythe

Whittington's Long House

St Michael's Church : Paternoster Royal

Cannon Street

Skinners' Hall

Walbrook Wharf