Deutsch 
Upcoming Walks
Welcome to my walks! The new format – capping the group size to 8 and, to allow for more people to do the walks, running each walk both on a Sunday and on a weekday – was voted a success and is now the regular format.
- Walks last approx. 2hrs – 2 ½hrs.
- Each walk will be run on a Sunday and repeated on a weekday
- Small groups – Maximum size 8 (Walks cancelled if fewer than 5).
- Price £20, of which £1 goes to a nominated charity* (Cash on arrival preferred or BACS transfer can be arranged).
- Walks go-ahead in all weather.
- Free cancellation up to 48 hrs before.
- All walks led by Diana Kelsey.
- See the Spring Programme (March 2023 – April 2023)
- 2023 Donations to to FareShare – who take good quality surplus food and get it to front line charities and community groups. Charity No. 1100051.
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PRIVATE GROUPS
I would be delighted to do private groups – with my following provisos:
- Group organiser must collect contact details of participants and deal with enquiries.
- £160 per group for up to 8 people thereafter £20 per additional person.
- Group organiser to pre-pay by bank transfer to confirm the booking. Cash on the day possible by prior arrangement.
- Suggested maximum 15 (including group leader)
Do not hesitate to contact me to discuss – DiaKelsey3@aol.com or 07973 316 102
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Friday 17 March
THE GENIUS OF CHRISTOPHER WREN – ARCHITECT + POLYMATH
To mark the tercentenary of his death
Wren will be much in the news this year as 2023 marks the 300th anniversary of his death. The Wren300 celebrations (www.wren300.org) will feature many events and exhibitions throughout the year. The aim of this walk is to inspire you to enjoy the many events this celebration offers. Wren was far more than just an architect (a term that he would not recognise). As a child he made sundials, as a student he dissected human bodies and he entered Oxford University at 17. He was already famous as an astronomer, mathematician and inventor before he took up ‘architecture’ in his thirties. But it is on this latter role that my walk primarily concentrates, as his lasting legacy to London is the glory and variety of his City churches. Although I hope to give you an understanding of the sheer versatility and brilliance of man himself, this walk concentrates on the variety of his architectural achievements, one of which was the team of talented craftsmen he gathered around him. I have selected a route that takes in some of the best interiors to visit, but this will be dependent on volunteers being on duty (other churches we will see from the outside only) …so we will have to be flexible on the day. Expect a longer duration – up to 3hrs – , but the distances will not be great and you will have a chance to sit when we visit. The walk ends with a dramatic view of St Paul’s Cathedral from Festival Gardens. (Nearest tube Mansion House or St. Paul’s).
STARTS 10.15am – Inside St Mary Aldermary church . Opposite Bow Lane exit 4 of Mansion House Tube (coffee @ Host Café inside the church from 9.30am)
Ends by St Paul’s Cathedral
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Sunday 19 March
EXPLORE WAPPING – FROM BOOMING DOCKLAND TO DEVELOPMENT HOT-SPOT incl. Fortress Wapping reborn ***New***
Wapping situated on the North bank of the Thames a stone’s throw from the City was known in the 17th and 18thc as ‘sailor town,’ as it housed some impressive rich merchants’ and sea captains’ houses and notorious riverside pubs, some of which still survive. But much was subsumed into the docklands building boom of the 19c.,then further damaged by the Blitz and left to deteriorate until the first wave of warehouse regeneration in the 1980’s. It has again become a ‘regeneration’ hotspot with amongst others, the redevelopment of ‘Fortress Wapping’ previously the 1980’s home of Murdoch’s News International. I have not yet fully planned the route but I can promise a walk of contrasts -echoes of Wapping’s maritime past, with narrow cobbled streets between towering warehouses and old dock walls, riverside pubs and 17c charity schools (possibly also a Hawksmooor church ) - contrasted with the latest wave of riverside and docklands re-development into swanky offices and expensive apartments.
STARTS 2.00pm – Tower Hill Tube (outside Exit)
Ends nr. Wapping Overground or bus back to Tower Hill
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Friday 31 March
EXPLORE WAPPING – FROM BOOMING DOCKLAND TO DEVELOPMENT HOT-SPOT incl. Fortress Wapping reborn ***New repeat***
Wapping situated on the North bank of the Thames a stone’s throw from the City was known in the 17th and 18thc as ‘sailor town,’ as it housed some impressive rich merchants’ and sea captains’ houses and notorious riverside pubs, some of which still survive. But much was subsumed into the docklands building boom of the 19c.,then further damaged by the Blitz and left to deteriorate until the first wave of warehouse regeneration in the 1980’s. It has again become a ‘regeneration’ hotspot with amongst others, the redevelopment of ‘Fortress Wapping’ previously the 1980’s home of Murdoch’s News International. I have not yet planned the route, but I can promise a walk of contrasts – echoes of Wapping’s maritime past, with narrow cobbled streets between towering warehouses and old dock walls, riverside pubs and 17c charity schools (possibly also a Hawksmooor church ) - contrasted with the latest wave of riverside and docklands re-development into swanky offices and expensive apartments. (Optional lunch in Riverside Pub) (Cost £25).
STARTS 10.15am – Tower Hill Tube (outside Exit)
Ends nr. Wapping Overground or bus back to Tower Hill
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Sunday 2 April
EXPLORE WALTHAMSTOW Historic Village, God’s Own Junkyard and William Morris Gallery (optional extra) ***New***
This new ‘village’ addition to my walks’ portfolio has an ulterior motive, which is to entice you to make a day of it by visiting the newly refurbished and free-entry William Morris Gallery on your own in the morning. www.wmgallery.org.uk (It’s quite small – 1-1 ½ hrs should be sufficient and it also has a good café for lunch or you can picnic in the gardens/park adjoining the Gallery). Starting outside the substantial Georgian mansion, Morris’s teenage home, we will visit the Morris-inspired garden in the adjacent park and then pass the massive ‘art-deco/eastern bloc totalitarian’ Town Hall (10mins along a busy main road..sorry!). A further 15mins walk through the suburban Walthamstow you would expect, brings us to a couple of real surprises – ‘God’s Own Junkyard’ with its Neon Heaven and ‘Old Walthamstow’ a conservation area with a real village feel. It has a 17c Vestry and early 19c mansions, Victorian almshouses, a church set in an ancient churchyard, and even a half timbered Tudor house and is now the haunt of Millennials who frequent Orford Rd with its eclectic shops and gourmet café’s. NB. It’s 15-20min walk or bus 97 or 215 from Walthamstow Station to the Gallery. The circular route incl. the walk from the station to the Gallery is 3+miles.
STARTS 1.30pm – William Morris Gallery – (meet outside entrance)
Ends approx 4.30ish Walthamstow Central Station
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Wednesday 5 April
THE GENIUS OF CHRISTOPHER WREN – ARCHITECT + POLYMATH
To mark the tercentenary of his death
Wren will be much in the news this year as 2023 marks the 300th anniversary of his death. The Wren300 celebrations (www.wren300.org) will feature many events and exhibitions throughout the year. The aim of this walk is to inspire you to enjoy the many events this celebration offers. Wren was far more than just an architect (a term that he would not recognise). As a child he made sundials, as a student he dissected human bodies and he entered Oxford University at 17. He was already famous as an astronomer, mathematician and inventor before he took up ‘architecture’ in his thirties. But it is on this latter role that my walk primarily concentrates, as his lasting legacy to London is the glory and variety of his City churches. Although I hope to give you an understanding of the sheer versatility and brilliance of man himself, this walk concentrates on the variety of his architectural achievements, one of which was the team of talented craftsmen he gathered around him. I have selected a route that takes in some of the best interiors to visit, but this will be dependent on volunteers being on duty (other churches we will see from the outside only) …so we will have to be flexible on the day. Expect a longer duration – up to 3hrs , but the distances will not be great and you will have a chance to sit when we visit. The walk ends with a dramatic view of St Paul’s Cathedral from Festival Gardens.
STARTS 10.15am – Inside St Mary Aldermary church . Opposite Bow Lane exit 4 of Mansion House Tube (coffee @ Host Café inside the church from 9.30am)
Ends by St Paul’s Cathedral
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Friday 7 April – Good Friday
RICHMOND TO WIMBLEDON PARK. An 8 mile ‘country’ walk mainly through Richmond Park and across Wimbledon Common ***New***
This brand new long walk partly follows section 6 of the Capital Ring, which some of you may have already done. I hope however the promise of a commentary, congenial company and the fact we will be doing the route in reverse may tempt you to repeat this! We will start at Richmond Station as there is more history this end of the route. We will avoid Richmond’s busy shopping centre by crossing Richmond Green – originally the old tilt yard of Henry VII’s palace – now surrounded by beautiful early 18c terraces. We pass through the gate house of the Tudor Palace and then walk along the river. Climbing Richmond Hill, stopping to see the famous view painted by Turner and protected by act of Parliament we reach Richmond Park. The largest urban park in Europe (6.5m around its perimeter) it has hardly changed since it was a royal hunting ground in 13c…of course no more hunting but the deer are still there!. The walk crosses the park (2 ¾ m) over wide open grassland and through groves of ancient oak trees – one of which is the 750-800 year ‘Royal Oak’. We will stop for a picnic lunch – sitting on logs/benches ** (bring your own picnic). Nearby is a booth selling hot drinks, ice creams and pastries). We then cross the A3 to enter Wimbledon Common, where will briefly follow the Beverley Brook and then branch into woodland to reach Wimbledon’s famous Windmill. At the Windmill there will be a 30min stop to allow you to visit the windmill museum (if it is open) and/or stop for a cup of tea at the café. The final part of the walk is through posh Wimbledon with grand houses, glimpses of ‘the All England Tennis Club’, finally crossing Wimbledon Park – site of a much disputed AELTC expansion project to reach Wimbledon Park Station. (Cost £30).
STARTS 10.00am - Richmond Station
Ends 4.30-5.00pm Wimbledon Park Station
** if it is raining we may lunch a bit later in the woods on Wimbledon Common
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Friday 14 April
EXPLORE WALTHAMSTOW – Historic Village, Neon Heaven and William Morris Gallery (optional extra) ***New repeat***
This new ‘London village’ addition to my walks’ portfolio has an ulterior motive – to entice you to make a day of it by visiting (on your own) the newly refurbished William Morris Gallery in the afternoon. (It’s a small gallery so 1-1 ½ hrs should be sufficient. There is a small café where you can get a snack lunch/or bring a picnic to eat in the park) (www.wmgallery.org.uk) Walthamstow is not what you might expect…yes it is suburban as we start the walk through its wind-swept 60’s town square and cross its noisy roads, but we soon come to the first surprise…‘Old Walthamstow’, a conservation area with a real village feel. It has a 17c Vestry and early 19c grand mansions, Victorian almshouses, a church set in an ancient churchyard, and even a half timbered 15c house. Walthamstow is now the haunt of millennials who frequent Orford Rd with its eclectic shops and gourmet café’s. Another surprise is ‘God’s Own Junkyard’ with its quirky ‘Neon Heaven’. The last part of the walk begins with a 15mins stretch uphill through suburban Walthamstow to reach the massive ‘art-deco/eastern bloc totalitarian’ Town Hall. Then 10mins along a busy main road (sorry!) brings us to the substantial Georgian mansion, Morris’s teenage home and now the William Morris Gallery and park with it’s Morris-inspired garden, where the walk will end.
The whole circular route including walk back to tube is 3+ miles.
STARTS 10.15am – Walthamstow Central Station
Ends 1.00/1.15 @ William Morris Gallery (either bus/15min walk back to station or café/picnic lunch and possible visit Gallery pm)
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Sunday 16 April
HOW LONDON WAS BUILT ***New***
How steel and glass replaced lath and plaster, windows got bigger and bricks got more colourful…..and lots more
Mostly my walks use buildings as prompts for stories of London characters and London history. This walk is different as it concentrates on looking at the buildings themselves, their materials and features. Through them I hope to tell the story of 2000 years of change and evolution in London’s buildings. (There will of course be a little bit of history on the way!). London has no natural building stone, so the Romans brought ragstone (a limestone) from Kent, medieval buildings used wood, lathe and plaster and thatch, then came brick and tiles. The Great Fire of London had a massive influence on housing design, prompting Sir Christopher Wren (amongst others) to introduce limestone from Portland. With the growth of the railways the Victorians could bring brick, limestones and granites from all over Britain. The shortaqe of building materials and money, and the pressing need for re-housing after the devastation of the Second World War led to the 60’s love of concrete. The birth of computing, in particular CAD coupled with massive leaps in technology meant that for the first time architects could design and build structures using just steel and glass as cladding. We will start in Clerkenwell, walk through Smithfield and St Bartholomew’s close and end by looking closely at the ‘geology’ surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral e.g. spot feldspar crystals in Shap granite from the Lake District, and fossils in the Portland Roach of the Stock Exchange building. (A magnifying glass might be useful for this!)
STARTS 2.00pm - Farringdon Station
Ends outside St. Paul’s Cathedral (nrst tubes – Mansion House/St Paul’s)
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Thursday 20 April
HOW LONDON WAS BUILT ***New repeat***
How steel and glass replaced lath and plaster, windows got bigger and bricks got more colourful…..and lots more
Mostly my walks use buildings as prompts for stories of London characters and London history. This walk is different as it concentrates on looking at the buildings themselves, their materials and features. Through them I hope to tell the story of 2000 years of change and evolution in London’s buildings. (There will of course be a little bit of history on the way!). London has no natural building stone, so the Romans brought ragstone (a limestone) from Kent, medieval buildings used wood, lathe and plaster and thatch, then came brick and tiles. The Great Fire of London had a massive influence on housing design, prompting Sir Christopher Wren (amongst others) to introduce limestone from Portland. With the growth of the railways the Victorians could bring brick, limestones and granites from all over Britain. The shortaqe of building materials and money, and the pressing need for re-housing after the devastation of the Second World War led to the 60’s love of concrete. The birth of computing, in particular CAD coupled with massive leaps in technology meant that for the first time architects could design and build structures using just steel and glass as cladding. We will start in Clerkenwell, walk through Smithfield and St Bartholomew’s close and end by looking closely at the ‘geology’ surrounding St. Paul’s Cathedral –e.g spot feldspar crystals in shap granite from the Lake District, and fossils in the Portland Roach of the Stock Exchange building. (a magnifying glass might be useful for this!).
(For those who have time stay for a meze lunch in Haz restaurant opposite St Paul’s Tube. Cost extra)
STARTS 10.15am – Farringdon Station
Ends outside St. Paul’s Cathedral (nrst tubes – Mansion House/St Paul’s)
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Sunday 23 April
RICHMOND TO WIMBLEDON PARK. An 8 mile ‘country’ walk mainly through Richmond Park and across Wimbledon Common ***New repeat***
This brand new long walk partly follows section 6 of the Capital Ring, which some of you may have already done. I hope however the promise of a commentary, congenial company and the fact we will be doing the route in reverse may tempt you to repeat this! We will start at Richmond Station as there is more history this end of the route. We will avoid Richmond’s busy shopping centre by crossing Richmond Green – originally the old tilt yard of Henry VII’s palace – now surrounded by beautiful early 18c terraces. We pass through the gate house of the Tudor Palace and then walk along the river. Climbing Richmond Hill, stopping to see the famous view painted by Turner and protected by act of Parliament we reach Richmond Park. The largest urban park in Europe (6.5m around its perimeter) it has hardly changed since it was a royal hunting ground in 13c…of course no more hunting but the deer are still there!. The walk crosses the park (2 ¾ m) over wide open grassland and through groves of ancient oak trees – one of which is the 750-800 year ‘Royal Oak’. We will stop for a picnic lunch – sitting on logs/benches ** (bring your own picnic). Nearby is a booth selling hot drinks, ice creams and pastries). We then cross the A3 to enter Wimbledon Common, where will briefly follow the Beverley Brook and then branch into woodland to reach Wimbledon’s famous Windmill. At the Windmill there will be a 30min stop to allow you to visit the windmill museum (if it is open) and/or stop for a cup of tea at the café. The final part of the walk is through posh Wimbledon with grand houses, glimpses of ‘the All England Tennis Club’, finally crossing Wimbledon Park – site of a much disputed AELTC expansion project to reach Wimbledon Park Station. (Cost £30).
STARTS 10.00am - Richmond Station
Ends 4.30-5.00pm Wimbledon Park Station
** if it is raining we may lunch a bit later in the woods on Wimbledon Common
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Wednesday 26 April
THE GENIUS OF CHRISTOPHER WREN – ARCHITECT + POLYMATH
To mark the tercentenary of his death
Wren will be much in the news this year as 2023 marks the 300th anniversary of his death. The Wren300 celebrations (www.wren300.org) will feature many events and exhibitions throughout the year. The aim of this walk is to inspire you to enjoy the many events this celebration offers. Wren was far more than just an architect (a term that he would not recognise). As a child he made sundials, as a student he dissected human bodies and he entered Oxford University at 17. He was already famous as an astronomer, mathematician and inventor before he took up ‘architecture’ in his thirties. But it is on this latter role that my walk primarily concentrates, as his lasting legacy to London is the glory and variety of his City churches. Although I hope to give you an understanding of the sheer versatility and brilliance of man himself, this walk concentrates on the variety of his architectural achievements, one of which was the team of talented craftsmen he gathered around him. I have selected a route that takes in some of the best interiors to visit, but this will be dependent on volunteers being on duty (other churches we will see from the outside only) …so we will have to be flexible on the day. Expect a longer duration – up to 3hrs , but the distances will not be great and you will have a chance to sit when we visit. The walk ends with a dramatic view of St Paul’s Cathedral from Festival Gardens.
STARTS 10.15am - Inside St Mary Aldermary church . Opposite Bow Lane exit 4 of Mansion House Tube (coffee @ Host Café inside the church from 9.30am)
Ends by St Paul’s Cathedral