Overview
The City of London, the kernel of what was once the greatest city on earth, possesses one of the richest concentrations of historic architecture in England. This assertion, however, will raise some eyebrows: everyone knows about the succession of destructive episodes – the Great Fire of 1666, bombing in both World Wars, the relentless rebuilding which goes with being a global financial centre.
The fact is that a large number of good buildings remains. We see a couple of structures which are Roman and a handful that are medieval; the trickle become lively stream with the late Stuart and Georgian periods – St Paul's, Mansion House, the Bank of England. This rapidly turns into a substantial and ever growing river during the reigns of Victoria and Edward VII. Of the contributions made to the city fabric in the last hundred years there is plenty of high quality.
One reason perhaps the City’s built heritage is not better known is because it exists in its own stylistic micro-climate, resulting in stylistic and functional idiosyncrasies. Livery halls, banks, post-Fire churches and office chambers of high elaboration have few counterparts elsewhere and do not easily fit into textbook narratives of English architectural history.
The Square Mile is full of surprises, hidden corners, monumental structures, handsome houses, sleek skyscrapers, architectural sculpture – and, dare one add, beauty. We guarantee that even people who have lived or worked or lived there will find much new to them. The itinerary has been planned to keep overlap with other London Days to a minimum
Martin Randall
Martin founded the company in 1988 to combine his background and continuing passion for art history and music with what he had learnt from ten years in the travel business. He has a BA (Hons) in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London University, and studied aesthetics in the Philosophy Department York University. After a number of temporary and part-time posts in the museum world, and spending a year in both Italy and Germany, he turned to specialist tour operating. He stepped down as Chief Executive in April to take on the new role of Creative Director.
Start and finish
Start: St Paul's Station, 9.45am. Finish: near Liverpool Street Station 5.20pm.
Price
£220. This includes two refreshment breaks and a good lunch, admission charges, radio guides and the assistance of a tour manager.
More information about Culture Days gift vouchers.
Fitness
The ground covered is about 3 miles, but there is also quite a lot of standing and looking which can be as tiring as walking.
Are you fit enough to join the tour?
Dietary requirements
Please inform us at the time of booking if you have any.
Group size
Between 10 and 18 participants.
Cancellation
We will return the full amount if you notify us 22 or more days before the event. We will retain 50% if cancellation is made within three weeks and 100% if within three days. Please put your cancellation in writing to info@martinrandall.co.uk. We advise taking out insurance in case of cancellation and recommend that overseas clients are also covered for possible medical and repatriation costs.