Rebels, Radicals and Rough Justice: Historic Clerkenwell
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by Brian Cookson in London
11 Nov 2015
50min
 1mi
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About the audio tour
The walk starts at Farringdon which was the terminus of the first Underground Line in the world. The title – Rebels, Radicals and Rough Justice- characterises the rest of the route. We will be following the footsteps of Wat Tyler, leader of the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381, and William Wallace, Scottish patriot. Both met violent deaths in Smithfield, where cattle were also slaughtered until 1855. We also meet Lenin who lived here before he overthrew the Russian Tsar. We'll see three ancient monasteries and London’s oldest hospital. We'll finish by the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court. This was built on the site of Newgate prison, where many famous inmates were incarcerated before being publicly executed until 1976.
Major Landmarks
Old Sessions House, Clerk's Well. Marx Memorial Library, St James's Church. St John's Gate, Smithfield Market, Charterhouse, St Bartholomew the Great, St Bartholomew's Hospital, Old Bailey
Directions to starting point
The walk starts at Farringdon Station which is on the District, Circle and Metropolitan Line. This is also a mainline station on the Thameslink service.
Tips
Places to stop along the way:
Marx Memorial Library, St James's Church, Museum of the Order of Sy John, Smithfield Market, St Bartholomew the Great Church, Old Bailey
Best time of day:
You should do this walk during daylight hours. Weekdays are best if you want to visit some of the buildings
Precautions:
As always in London, keep an eye on your belongings and take care crossing roads. There are usually pedestrian crossings, but you sometimes need to walk further to use them.
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