Martin Randall’s London - Architectural highlights – great and small – on foot across the capital

London is the most varied and fascinating city in the world, unmatched for the range of its architecture, for the number and quality of the museums and for the charm of its smaller buildings. Its major streets, back alleys, open spaces, assorted precincts and buildings both monumental and minor are unsurpassed for beauty, historical detail and surprise – if one knows where to look.

How is it possible to compress such profusion into just six days? One route is to submit to the direction of a single person, someone who is singularly well qualified to open your eyes. Martin Randall, our founder, is unusually well-informed about the metropolis and is an astute architectural historian – with an exceptional skill for designing cultural tours. A student of the capital’s buildings for half a century, he is currently researching a book about London’s houses built between the Great Fire and the First World War.

Martin’s selection on this tour includes some of London’s greatest buildings, known the world over, but the backbone consists of precincts and sights that even residents pass over or rarely see – or, rather, rarely look at. The tour spans West to East; the City is rich in splendid historic architecture, assertively ornamented banks and warehouses, and much thrilling modern. We aim to transform perception of both familiar and unfamiliar places through the presentation of context and history, and through a close study of the buildings themselves.

Walking, the best way to explore a city, is a feature of the tour; between three and five miles a day. Transport where necessary is limited to the Underground for speed and directness.