Walk 1 - The Strand and Covent Garden - Walk London For Free . .

This London Walk starts at the Embankment Underground Station: Approximate distance: 2.5 miles. Leave Embankment Underground Station by the north exit (marked Villiers Street) and turn right. Walk up the right-hand side of Villiers Street. Villiers Street Villiers Street connects The Strand with The Embankment. The area was the site of York House, home of George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham who was assassinated in 1628. The area is surrounded by old street names, such as: George Street, Villiers Street, Duke Street, Buckingham Street - this is because the Duke insisted that his name and memory be kept alive with these reminders. Erected in the 1670s, the Water Gate, designed by Inigo Jones and built by Nicholas Stone, in nearby Embankment Gardens, is all that remains of the mansion and gardens and shows the original position of the River Thames before the construction of the Victoria Embankment in 1865. John Evelyn, who "took a house in Villiers Streete, York Buildings," lived here during the winter of 1683–4 and Rudyard Kipling occupied chambers in No. 43 (formerly 19) in 1889–91, and wrote "The Light That Failed", there. Turn right into the Victoria Embankment Gardens. Victoria Embankment Gardens On the left is the old York House Water Gate, the entrance to the Duke of Buckingham's garden from the Thames. He would take a boat from here to go up river and in the 1620's, guests of his would have arrived in boats which would have tied-up at this private water gate on the River Thames. The Embankment Gardens are lined with mature trees, flower beds and numerous statues and memorials. The Victoria Embankment stretches from Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars Bridge. Its construction became necessary to help solve London's dreadful pollution problem. By 1855 the river was little more than an open sewer. Near London Bridges, the feculence was so dense that it was visible on the surface. The year of 1856 became known as the Year of the Big Stink because the stench had become overpowering. Something had to be done - and it was. Did you know? The Victoria Embankment was the first street in England to be lit by electricity. Leave the gardens by the Savoy Place exit into Carting Lane and pass the rear of Shell Mex House. Shell Mex House Shell Mex House was built in 1930-31 on the site of the Cecil Hotel and stands between the Adelphi and the Savoy Hotel. Art Deco in style, its clock is one of the biggest in London and was known at one time as "Big Benzene". Carting Lane, is also home to London's only remaining sewer lamp. Invented in the late 19th century, mainly as a means to burn off smells from the sewers situated underneath; the gas produced was used to power the continuously-lit street lamp. It is said that this particular example, known as Iron Lilly, was mainly powered by the waste of the guests staying at the Savoy hotel next door. The lamp is still lit 24 hours a day! Cross to the Embankment entrance of the Savoy Theatre. Turn right along Savoy Way (the back of the Savoy Hotel). The Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel was built by impresario Richard DOyly Carte in 1884. The hotel has been called London's most famous hotel and remains one of London's most prestigious hotels, with 263 rooms and wonderful views of the River Thames across Savoy Place and the Victoria Embankment. The hotel's most famous resident checked in the 1920s and is still there. Kaspar the cat is a 3-foot-high wooden statue, whose role is to be the official fourteenth guest at a table in the Savoy Grill. Superstition has it that the first to rise from a table of thirteen, will soon meet with tragedy so Kaspar is served with every course, along with the human diners, just in case anyone unknowingly hits upon the unlucky number of diners. Numerous other famous guests have stayed at the hotel. Claude Monet and James Whistler both stayed at the hotel and painted views, from their rooms, of the River Thames. Bob Dylan stayed in the hotel in 1965 and the video clip Subterranean Homesick Blues was filmed in an adjacent alley. The future King Edward VII, Charlie Chaplin, Ivor Novello, Harry Truman, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Babe Ruth, Frank Sinatra, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh (the last two met at the hotel), Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Humphrey Bogart, Julie Andrews, Lena Horne, Barbra Streisand, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, The Beatles and Whoopi Goldberg are just a few of the celebrities who stayed there. Did you know? Savoy Court is the only street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are allowed to drive on the right. Turn left into Savoy Hill and continue on the left-hand side to the Chapel of the Savoy. The Savoy Chapel On the site of the ancient Savoy Palace, the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy built in 1241 and rebuilt as a hospital by Henry VIII around 1510, is the only part of the hospital to survive. It has always had royal connections and remains the property of the reigning monarch as Duke of Lancaster. A great part of the present building dates from the 19th-century but part of the outer wall dates from 1502. In 1890 it was the first church in London to be lit by electricity. During the Victorian period it was also a fashionable venue for weddings. Many irregular/illegal marriages were performed here, until the place gained a reputation second only to the Fleet Prison. Marriages without banns were said to have taken place, and the chapel was referred to in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited as the place where divorced couples got married in those days and was described as "a poky little place". Except in August and September the Chapel is open to visitors every day except Monday - Admission is free. Cross Savoy Hill and turn right into Savoy Street. Turn left and walk along Victoria Embankment, passing under Waterloo Bridge. Turn left into Temple Place, then left again into Surrey Street. Then follow the signs to the Surrey Steps Roman Bath. Roman Bath There's no proof that this small bath is actually Roman and it is far more likely to date from the early 17th century - there is little or no evidence of Roman inhabitants on this London street. In the past, it was supposed that it belonged to the home of a Roman patrican. A cold-water spring that rose from a deep-running rivulet flowing from Highgate, had been here for hundreds of years when it suddenly vanished in 1972. Charles Dickens's, fictional character, David Copperfield, was said to use this plunge bath, regularly. Continue up Surrey Street to the Strand. The Strand The Strand is nearly a mile long and begins at Charing Cross and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar Memorial - this point marks the boundary of the City. It was and remains the main route between the West End and the City of London. The name Strand is derived from the Old English word for shore or river bank and from the twelfth century onwards large mansions and palaces with gardens running down to the riverside, lined the Strand. Inhabited by bishops and royal courtiers, with their own river gates and landings on the River Thames. With the departure of the aristocratic residents who moved on to the fashionable West End - many of these grand mansions were demolished and the area became "very lively" and notable for its coffee houses, low taverns and cheap women. Turn right in the Strand and cross the road to Australia House. (Look to the right to see St Clement Danes Church - situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice; it was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren and some claim it to be the one featured in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons - the bells do indeed play that tune - the Great Fire of London stopped just short of this church.) Cross to the north side of the Strand and turn right, then left into Clement's Inn. Bear right at the Mobil Court building, go up the steps, and bear left into Clement's Inn Passage. Walk up Clare Market and turn right into Portugal Street. Cross the road and continue past the George IV pub on the left and turn left into Portsmouth Street. Cross the road to the Old Curiosity Shop. The Old Curiosity Shop The Old Curiosity Shop dates back to the 17th century, and is thought to be the inspiration for Charles Dickens's novel of the same name. Given by King Charles II to one of his many mistresses, it was built using wood from old ships. Keep right past the shop and then turn right into Lincoln's Inn Fields. Walk anti-clockwise round the square. Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London and dates from the 17th century - it became a famous haunt for duellists. It takes its name from the adjacent Lincoln's Inn. It was the site, in 1683, of the public execution of Lord William Russell, following his implication in the Rye House Plot against King Charles II - during the Tudor and Stuart periods many religious martyrs, and those suspected of treachery to the Crown, met their end here. The fields are surrounded by fine buildings including the Sir John Soane's Museum on the north side and to the east are the buildings of Lincoln's Inn itself. /P> Turn right into Sardinia Street and walk up to Kingsway. Turn right, then cross Kingsway near the lights, walk back down it to the left,and turn right into Kemble Street, across Drury Lane, and up Russell Street. Cross Bow Street and continue on Russell Street until the left turn into Covent Garden. Covent Garden Covent Garden, was the site of a market for 300 years until 1974, when the wholesale market relocated to New Covent Garden Market in Nine Elms. The attractive market buildings now contain shops, restaurants and street entertainment - The first mention of a Punch and Judy show in Britain was recorded by diarist Samuel Pepys, who saw such a show in the square in May 1662. Covent Garden was a well-known red-light district in 18th century London. The activities in Covent Garden were documented in Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a titillating list providing the addresses of prostitutes and whore houses, as well as details of their "specialities". During its heyday (1757 to 1795), Harris's List was the "essential guide and accessory for any serious gentleman of pleasure". Did you know? The tube journey from Leicester Square to Covent Garden is the most expensive in the world? The distance between the two places is so short that it's much faster to walk between the two points than to take the tube! Turn right in front of Jubilee Hall and walk along the south side of Covent Garden through the Jubilee Market. Turn right again and walk past St Paul's Church. St Paul's Church, Covent Garden. Known as the Actors Church; the church gained its nickname by a long association with the theatre community dating from as early as 1663 and the church contains many memorials to famous London people - in fact, it has been said that with the exception of Westminster Abbey, more famous people are buried here than anywhere else in London. Dating from 1631, Inigo Jones was commissioned by the 4th Earl of Bedford to design the church. St Paul's is surrounded by a garden, providing an area of tranquility if you are ready for a walking break. Did you know? The first known victim of the 1665–1666 outbreak of the Plague in England, Margaret Ponteous, was buried in the churchyard on 12 April 1665. The portico of St Paul's was the setting for the first scene of Shaw's Pygmalion, the play that was later adapted as the musical My Fair Lady. Turn left into King Street , cross Bedford Street, walk up New Row, and turn left into St Martin's Lane. St. Martin's Lane St. Martin's Lane is home to the English National Opera at the Coliseum Theatre. In the 18th-century St. Martin's Lane was noted for the Academy founded by William Hogarth and later in 1753, for the workshop of the most famous furniture maker in England, Thomas Chippendale. Continue down the left-hand side of St Martin's Lane until arriving at the entrance of Cecil Court. Cecil Court Dating back to the end of the 17th century, Cecil Court in London, is a picturesque late Victorian thoroughfare which is a delight! The shopfronts have not been altered in more than a century and the traditional hanging signs announce specialists in rare and antiquarian books, maps and prints and all manner of related printed material including stamps and banknotes. It's not only a unique place for book lovers; a visit to this charmng, narrow pedestrianised precinct, known as the Bookseller's Row is a must for lovers of "old London" . Cross William IV Street, St Martin's Lane now becomes St Martin's Place. St Martin's Place Situated in the middle of the road near to The National Portrait Gallery which moved in 1896 to its current site; the statue of Nurse Edith Cavell, shot in WWI for helping prisoners of war to escape, contains her famous words: Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone. Continue to St Martin-in-the-Fields. St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is an iconic landmark in Trafalgar Square. It's impossible to note all the good works this church is known for but it has a long history of helping the vulnerable and homeless. It's also known for its frequent concerts that are often held at lunchtime and attended by visitors and Londoners alike. The church has a close relationship with the Royal Family and is the parish church of Buckingham Palace - George I was a churchwarden here. A church has existed on this site since the 13th century - the present building dates from the 18th century and takes its name from the open country that surrounded the medieval church. Nell Gwynn, the favourite mistress of Charles II, Thomas Chippendale, one the world's most famous furnture makers along with highwayman, Jack Sheppard, were buried in the now lost adjoining churchyard. Cross Duncannon Street and walk past South Africa House to Charring Cross Underground Station. End Of your London Walk - hope you have enjoyed it!- Try a walk in Mayfair with another free London Walking Guide.< The under-lined links on this page take you to a dedicated page on the subject - on this same website. |Home| |London Shopping| |London Highlights| |Museums in London| |Art in London| |London Travel facts| |West End Theatre| |London Districts by Area| |City of London| |History of London| |London Events| |London Areas| |Attractions & Sightseeing| |Literary London| |Site Map| |Internet Links| © www.spendtimeinlondon.com