Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: London’s Bloody Past – London, United Kingdom

EXPERIENCE:

Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting kings, body snatchers, Charles Dickens, an eighteenth century ghost, and William Wallace – aka Braveheart (and learn how he was in no fit state to shout “Freeeedoooommmm!” whilst being executed!)

On our walking tour we’ll visit the areas around Smithfield, for centuries London’s site of both animal and human slaughter. We’ll learn about how the city disposed of the tens of thousands of Black Death corpses in the fourteenth century, the execution methods used in the Middle Ages, and how the area became a notorious slum which Dickens used as the setting for Oliver Twist.

The walking tour begins outside Barbican Station, ends near to Farringdon Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles.

Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Step back in time to hear the gruesome details of London’s history
Visit Smithfield, for centuries London’s site of both animal and human slaughter
Learn how the city disposed of thousands of Black Death corpses in the 1300s
Discover the execution methods used in the Middle Ages
Hear how Smithfield became a slum, memorialised by Dickens in Oliver Twist

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