Ealing and West London Tour Guides
Local London Guiding Day
October 7, 2023
Free Walks
On the hour – every hour
First tour 10am – last tour 4pm
No need to pre-book – just show up!
Influencers at the Gate
Meeting point: Outside Notting Hill Gate tube station Exit 2, near Paul/Pret A Manger, W11 3JS.
A fascinating mix of literature, politics and entertainment that includes the first woman to enter the rock and roll Hall of Fame, a well-known First World War poet, a renowned theatre architect, a famous gossip at the royal
court, and a pioneer of comprehensive education married to a prominent left-wing MP.
Book here to reserve your free place for the 10 am walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 11 am walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 12 am walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 1 pm walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 2 pm walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 3 pm walk
Book here to reserve your free place for the 4 pm walk
EALING AND WEST LONDON TOUR GUIDES
WEEKEND WALKS
APRIL TO SEPTEMBER, 2023
All walks start at 11:00AM and cost £12 per person
Saturday July 1, 2023
The Story of Ealing Common
From common grazing land with the consent of the Lord of the Manor, to centre of modern-day recreation and leisure, our story of Ealing Common touches upon many aspects of the lives of our local ancestors. We will learn about some of the famous people who lived in the area, the great houses and estates around the Common, the role of the Common in the lives of ordinary people, in good times and bad, and some intriguing links with Colonial India.
Meeting Point: Uxbridge Road, opposite Ealing Common Station
Sunday August 6, 2023
Literary Richmond
Join us for a fascinating tour of London's most beautiful town, once the home of kings and queens.
Founded by King Henry VII who built a Tudor Palace on the riverside, Elizabeth I lived at the palace for many years. William Shakespeare and his band of players even staged plays for her entertainment there. Other famous residents include the writers George Eliot, who stayed in the town, and Virginia Woolf, who lived in Richmond for ten years.A new bronze statue of Virginia now graces the riverside terraces.
Richmond Green is another of the lovely green spaces where people like to picnic and one of its many famous residents was the actor Richard Attenborough, well known for his role in the Jurassic Park movies. The Green has been featured in many tv series such as Poirot, Grantchester and most recently in Ted Lasso and Neil Gaiman's The Sandman.
Starting from Richmond Station which is easy to reach from Central London you will visit several places of historic and literary interest.
Sunday Sepember 3, 2023
Hammersmith - More than just a Flyover
The district of Hammersmith (W6) is an important gateway between the West End and its Kensington hinterland to the east and the suburbs to the west. The well-known flyover on the A4 enables motorists to avoid the area altogether. However, Hammersmith itself is full of architectural gems and has a fascinating cultural social history, not forgetting the riverside pubs and rowing clubs by the adjacent tidal Thames. This walk takes a fresh look.
MORE WALKS
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR WALKS AND AVAILABILITY, PLEASE CONTACT THE GUIDE
We can also create a bespoke walk on any theme or area
CHISWICK THROUGH THE AGES
Join us on a journey through Chiswick’s history, from St Nicholas’ Church by the banks of the Thames to The Tabard pub by Turnham Green station. We'll walk with radicals, writers, artists and outlaws through this neighbourhood’s evolution from a rural Thames-side village, to cultural hub with the twists and turns of conflict, commerce and both industrial and artistic revolution.
The walk starts at St Nicholas Church, Church Street at 11am and finishes up at The Tabard around between 90 minutes and 2 hours later
JOIN THE KEW: A WALK AROUND KEW GREEN
Aside from the much loved Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Green has been home to courtiers and artists for centuries.
On this gentle 90-minute walk we'll cross Kew Bridge and meet a visiting Impressionist, father-and-son botanists, a green-fingered princess and her cricket-loving husband, an intrepid woman traveller and artist - and maybe a cannibal.
DISCOVERING BRENTFORD:
AITS, BEES, BUTTS AND GRIFFINS
We'll walk through Brentford, and see both the very old parts of the town and massive new development. The historic Butts and the old magistrates court are in stark contrast with the new Brentford project and the modern stadium of its progressive football club. We will look at two unusual museums, islands (aits) in the Thames and remnants of Brentford’s industrial past.
VIBRANT SOUTHALL:
A WALK THROUGH TIME
The walk starts at the old Southall Town Hall, located at the junction of Lady Margaret Road and the High Street, and we make our way down to Havelock Road where the walk eventually ends. Along the way we learn about the industrial past of Southall - from soap to buses and pottery - and the people of bygone times who called Southall home, as well as the vibrancy and bustle that's modern Southall.
Sunday April 30, 2023
Ealing Queen of the Suburbs
On our walk we will learn about Ealing's historic heritage, hear about its famous film industry connections and discover one of Ealing's gems, Pitzhanger Manor. Along the way you will hear about a club that changed the face of rock and roll, and about television's most famous time -travelling Doctor. Finally, we will visit a part where the artist Turner fished and see a church designed by the renowned Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.
Sunday June 4, 2023
Hidden Chiswick
Starting at Gunnersbury Tube Station, we will hear about the history of Chiswick before walking over Chiswick’s newest bridge. On our way we will see a music venue once known as the Cave, one of George Gilbert Scott’s early London churches, a nature reserve and a famous variety theatre. We will learn about one of the “Healthiest Place in the World” to live, discover a famous Civil War Battle, the creator of Sanderson Wallpaper and meet one of England’s most famous 18th century artists and finish our walk at Turnham Green Station.
07871-099276
MORE WALKS...
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR WALKS BELOW, PLEASE CONTACT THE GUIDE
We can also create a bespoke walk on any theme or area
The Story of the Brentham Garden Estate
This walk takes us round one perhaps of Ealing’s most delightful residential enclaves in a semi-pastoral setting. As well as the distinctive architecture and layout of the Brentham Garden Estate we will hear about its social history, particularly centred on the Brentham Club where two eminent international sportsmen began their illustrious careers.
The estate was built at the beginning of the 20th Century in accordance with the social and aesthetic principles of the Garden City movement. The 650 cottages and houses provide interesting and varied elevations starting in 1901 with traditional terraced properties and developing through the next few years into a more romantic, Arts and Crafts style. In 1969, the estate was designated a Conservation Area by the Borough of Ealing.
Chris Firmin - ccfirm@gmail.com
Strand on the Green to Grove Park
Chiswick’s picturesque riverside has been home to political journalists, thriller writers, playwrights, humourists, poets and classic novelists.
As you wander along the Thames with your Ealing & West London Guide you’ll encounter the likes of Nancy Mitford, Geoffrey Household, Margaret Kennedy, Robert Bolt and John Osborne.
The 2-hour walk begins outside the Strand Café, Strand-on-the-Green (Kew Bridge end) and ends by Chiswick mainline station.
Richmond: Rock, Royalty and Revolutionaries
With its attractive riverside location and picturesque houses, Richmond has had its fair share of notable residents. On this 2-hour walk you’ll visit a famous venue for rock 'n' roll, a much-loved theatre and a Tudor palace. You'll meet a prisoner from the American Revolutionary War, a revolutionary Chilean, an award-winning actress and enjoy one of the best views in London.
This walk is also available as a virtual tour.
Hidden Chiswick
Starting at Turnham Green we discover a famous Civil War Battle, the botanist that created Kew Gardens and hear about John Betjeman's love of Victorian buildings. We meet another famous poet, the architect of Bedford Park and the creator of Sanderson Wallpaper and Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish. We finish our walk at one of George Gilbert's Scott'e early London Churches and learn about one of the famous variety theatres in West London and Liberace!
07871-099276
MORE WALKS...
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR WALKS AND AVAILABILITY, PLEASE CONTACT THE GUIDE
We can also create a bespoke walk on any theme or area
BRUNEL, BUNNIES, LOCKS AND LUNATICS
On this walk we will pass under the first major engineering feat of the great Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, walk through a delightful park with a zoo and a maze, and visit a shop which played a major role in rock and roll history.
Meeting Point: Hanwell Station
DISCOVER A MUSLIM HISTORY OF ACTON
This circular tour showcases 300 years of Muslim connections to Acton. From early Muslim prayer places to such famous individuals as the traveller Lady Montagu, the boxer Muhammad Ali, and the Quran translator Abdullah Yusuf Ali, a convert to the Islamic faith who challenged Ealing council for recognition and won. The tour includes an optional visit to a Mosque.
Meeting Point: The Coffee House, 135 High St, London W3 6LY
CHISWICK ROCKS!
A MUSICAL TOUR OF CHISWICK
On this musical history tour we'll pass the studios where the Rolling Stones and The Who recorded their last albums, visit the place where many a pop artist has their tracks mastered, find the headquarters of Island Records and see the home of the writer of 'A Hard Day's Night'. Not forgetting Liberace!
Meet at Stamford Brook Station
DISCOVER BRENTFORD, OLD AND NEW
Explore Brentford from its medieval beginnings to the 21st Century Brentford Project, one of the largest new developments in London. Along the way, hear about Nell Gwyn's pet Griffin, the historic Butts Estate with its 18th century houses, Brentford's connection with the artist Turner, and see where osiers worked and ferrymen quarrelled.
The walk begins at Kew Bridge Station
Elaine Wein
OUR WALKS
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ONE OF OUR WALKS AND AVAILABILITY, PLEASE CONTACT THE
WE CAN ALSO CREATE A BESPOKE WALK ON ANY THEME OR AREA
Hammersmith to Chiswick
As we stroll along the Thames, we meet William Morris, founder of the Arts & Craft movement, the famous mistress of Charles II, and the Redgrave acting dynasty. We will discover breweries, rowing clubs, historic pubs, and an engineering legend and end our walk at the resting place of William Hogarth and James McNeil Whistler at St. Nicholas Church.
Bedford Park: "The Healthiest Place in the World"
Smart redbrick houses, leafy streets and white painted fences. Bedford Park was the original garden suburb that attracted artists, actors and middle-classes families. We’ll wander up its roads, groves and crescents and encounter one of Ireland’s greatest sons, a pioneering aviator, a Russian revolutionary and the murder of a matinée idol.
This walk is also available as a virtual tour.