London is one of the most historical cities you will ever visit and being the history buff that I am, I need to know the stories behind each buildings, alleyways and all the other iconic places around the city. The more obscure it is, the better. I guess I’m nosy like that.
I came across Hidden London Tour while I was looking for unique tours in London which promised a journey into the depths of the old City to discover the more extraordinary stories and locations which are often overlooked. I was hooked right away, I always love exploring off-the-tourist tracks and the best way to do it is to have a knowledgeable guide with you.
On the day of the tour, I met our tour guide Matt at 1:30pm in front of Temple Street tube station. We were a total of 10 in the group including two other bloggers who I dragged along with me (Hello Katy and Angela). The size wasn’t that big and also not that small, an ideal group tour size so it won’t feel too crowded and also not boring.
During the tour, we discovered an authentic hansom cab shelter which offered cheap refreshments and a place to take a break for hansom cab drivers during the 18th century. When I passed by it on my way to the Temple Tube station, I thought it was a garden shed. Makes sense really because there was a garden nearby but this is the reason why I love taking tours like this, you discover the real purpose of things around you.
We also discovered a closed underground station which served as a bomb shelter during WWII for civilians and also to protect some of British Museum artifacts including the Elgin marbles. “Don’t tell the Greeks!” said one of the men in our group, good thing The Greek Mister wasn’t with me during this tour. Lol.
We also saw a Roman bath in the middle of the city which turned out to be NOT a Roman bath, we passed by beautiful courtyards which I wouldn’t have known to be accessible to the public if not for this tour, we saw the church which inspired the wedding cake, we saw one of the remaining buildings which endured the bombings of the war and shows its painful past through its cracked and uneven walls and from the same building, I learned how gruesome children’s songs really are.
My favorite discovery of all is Sweeney Todd’s barbershop. It wasn’t the barbershop itself which is my favorite, it was how our tour guide delivered the story – giving us a chance to decide whether or not Sweeney Todd is real or a fictional character. Having said that, our tour guide Matt was absolutely wonderful. I love how he shared his own personal opinion about each places we visited apart from his knowledge of it. He was very informative and kept the group interested throughout the tour.
If you’re not into history or not really interested in discovering off-the-tourist tracks of London, this tour isn’t for you but if you’re like me who’d like to learn stories which makes London more interesting than it already is, it’s a highly recommended tour. Hidden London Tour does deliver to its promise and probably even more.
I am on a hunt for other interesting and unique London tours, the Churchill War Rooms might be the next place I’d explore.
Have you found Clink Street? Coming from the land down under, any reference to the last home on English soil of the many convicts, Clink Street is vitally interesting. Then Vine St and Carnaby Street were interesting. Love your story telling and the photos are smashing!
Thank you Erin. I understand, teenagers might be a bit bored with this kind of tour. They’re the toughest audience. Lol.
I need to watch the Harry Potter movies first before doing that tour, I never watched any of those. I know, sad. Lol.
I have been to London three times and didn’t realise all this hidden history! I think I got lost in the markets and shopping! Can’t believe there was a bomb shelter there for WWII! Wish I had this guide for when I went! The Sweeney Todd barbershop would have been interesting!
Shopping is a good distraction. Lol.
There should be one in Edinburgh, I bet there are a lot of hidden gems around that place.
I agree with you, a group tour shouldn’t be too big or too small. If its is a guided tour, the best thing that can happen is having a not only a knowledgeable tour guide but an interesting one too! Nice trip you had there. The medieval buildings .
I love interesting tours like this one! You learn so much more than you would just exploring on your own. Once, I took a “Jack the Ripper” tour in London and it was great fun, too. Thanks for sharing! I’m going to pass it along.
What a great idea of a tour! I have explored the Temple area not long ago and noticed those Roman Baths myself, I had no idea that they are actually not what they seem to be. I would love to see Sweeney’s Todd barbershop, I remember the movie and the creepy London atmosphere surrounding his shop. I love the idea of out of the box tours especially in London, which has so many amazing hidden spots.
Lol. Having a roman bath when you’re technically not having a roman bath. Lol. Sounds about right.
How interesting! This would be such a fun way to discover London and some of its hidden gems. So what was your conclusion in the end – is Sweeney Todd real or fictional?
These are great pictures, I love walking tours as they allow you to see so much during the walk. The only thing I don’t like though is the fact that I don’t have the time I always need.
I love history and I love discovering off the beaten path places, so this tour would be perfect for me! I’m going back to London in March and was just trying to figure out what else there is to see, and this would be the perfect tour to go on. I wonder if this tour company hosts these tours in other cities as well because I’m sure a lot of major cities have some interesting history that I don’t know about.
I love tours like this because you’ll learn things that guidebooks just can’t teach you!
Hahhhahahah was I very obvious?
When I was assigned to work in London a couple of years ago, I passed by a “Jack the Ripper” tour. Was intrigued but didn’t have the time to do it – there’s always something to do in London! It is nice to find hidden travel gems in each city. Makes you appreciate the place a lot more, especially if you are a local, apart from the touristy destinations!
This is so good and helpful! I will be in London this December and refer to this.
Just read Angela’s post. Interesting to read about how you both experienced the tour (from your reviews it seems that you both liked it a lot). PS: What’s that thing about Mummy Travels?
Yes it was really informative. I’m taking another tour with them this Saturday and hopefully I’d be able to take all of their tours in the future.
Wonderful! I’ve started adding guided tours to my trips because they can offer a bit of extra history and trivia that I wouldn’t otherwise know about the area. How fun!
Love this! I live in Scotland and I take a lot of trips down to London for work. I usually try to make the most of those visits because I love to explore, but I’m starting to run out of things to do (as a tourist anyway). I may try this out!
I lived in London for three wonderful years and they def took you on a great tour! There’s so many fantastic hidden gems in the city, especially when it comes to history and such. I’m glad you had a great time, your photographs are lovely!
Living there now you will get all the opportunities to scratch beneath the surface that most visitors only get to when they see London. No foodie trip post yet?
I do love walking tours – and what a wonderfully eclectic selection of facts this one had! I knew about the taxi cafes, but I didn;t know that an actual church inspired wedding cakes! Where was that?
Wandering around London finding hidden stuff is one of my favourite things to do!