Guildhall

With a past dating back 800 years, this building is a wonderful jumble of architectural styles

Nearby Attractions

See all attractions in London
William Wallace Memorial
See the place where Scottish patriot and independence fighter, William Wallace, was executed in 1305.
St. Paul's Cathedral
The seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London.
The Royal Exchange
The Royal Exchange is one of The City's most iconic buildings, built over five centuries ago and formerly housing London's first stock exchange.
Leadenhall Market
Dating back to the 14th century, it was known to be a meat, poultry and game market. Now, walk through a number of boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
Museum of London
A great museum dedicated to the history and evolution of London.
Diagon Alley
There's only one place to buy your school supplies for Hogwarts!

Related Tours

The Great Fire of London: Private Half-Day Walking Tour

Explore the heart of the city of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Pudding Lane where a small fire in a bakery led to what became known as "the Great Fire of London" in September 1666. It was one of the capital's most historically significant and devastating events, leaving destruction and despair in its wake. The fire led to the modernisation of housing and infrastructure in London, forcing huge attitude changes toward the safety and poverty of the people.

On your private half-day walking tour you will: 

  • Begin where it all started, at a little bakery on Pudding Lane, where a few loose embers led to the Great Fire that destroyed so much of the city;
  • Learn about a momentous event in London's history – the effects of which are visible today;
  • Trace the path of the fire, from Pudding Lane to St Paul's Cathedral;
  • Stop by the plaque of St. Mary Colechurch, and then to Guildhall;
  • Walk through the fire path toward the Royal Exchange;
  • See other key Great Fire sites like Monument and piece together pictures and archive material;
  • Get personalised suggestions for post-tour reading, documentaries to watch, and other interesting sights to visit;
  • Visit a medieval tavern, frequented by Charles Dickens, that survived the fire;
  • End with a one-hour guided tour of the 'new' St Paul's Cathedral which was completely destroyed during the Great Fire of London.


In the early hours of September 2nd, 1666, a small fire broke out at a bakery on Pudding Lane. The conditions were optimal for disaster – the timber and thatch houses were situated in extremely close proximity to one other, one witness reported that you could wake up in the morning, open the window and shake hands with your neighbour.

The city had also been plagued by drought for about 6 months, meaning that the timber was particularly dry. The fire escalated rapidly, burning down around 13,000 homes and 87 churches over four days and severely damaging St Paul’s Cathedral. What happened and how did the fire wreak so much havoc?

On this private walking tour, you will learn about how the fire began and how it spread. Debate some of the key issues surrounding the topic with your expert guide. If not for Baker Thomas Farriner’s carelessness with a few dying embers, would London have remained a medieval city? Or was this a tragedy waiting to happen?

Did the fire paradoxically cause more good than bad, or do we underestimate the scale of the fire’s damage? What about the people who lost their homes, livelihoods, and even their lives? Hear some historic eyewitness accounts.

You and your guide will trace the key sites of the Great Fire with a walk around the City of London: from Pudding Lane, Monument, and old local churches to alleyways and pre-1666 taverns. See how the area has been transformed, and what remains of it and explore some archival materials to build up an accurate picture of London at the time, and the events that would reshape the city forever.

End with a fascinating hour-long guided tour of the majestic St Paul's Cathedral - rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren and Hawksmoor after the Great Fire largely destroyed it. Inspired by Michelangelo's Dome for St Peter's Basilica in Rome, it was for many years the tallest building in London.

It has been the backdrop to numerous royal occasions including the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Admire its magnificent architecture, and hear about the process of rebuilding.

In the Footsteps of Jack The Ripper: Private Tour in a London Taxi

Delve into the macabre history of Jack the Ripper and the underbelly of London’s notorious East End on this unique driving and walking tour with a professional guide and passionate ‘Ripperologist’!

On your private tour, you will:

  • Travel in the comfort of a private and iconic London London Taxi
  • Enjoy the personal attention of a professional Black Cab Driver, who is also a licensed tour guide and Ripper enthusiast, who will accompany you throughout the day;
  • Trawl the crime sites of the "Whitechapel Murders" and Wapping districts, as you hear the spine-chilling story of Jack the Ripper and his victims;
  • Visit the notorious pubs where many of the women were last seen before their brutal demise at the hands of Jack the Ripper – whose identity remains a mystery over a century after his barbaric crimes;
  • Walk through the once gas-lit backstreets and alleyways of the 1800s in Whitechapel;
  • Hear about the misdeeds of another despicable 19th-century predator on Fleet Street;
  • See the haunts of the legendary Kray Twins – kings of gangland and of more recent East End folklore;
  • Throughout your tour, you’ll see some truly iconic London sites from the Tower of London (external) to Great Scotland Yard, from Tower Bridge to St Paul’s Cathedral and from Whitechapel to Fleet Street and Trafalgar Square


The urban legend of Jack the Ripper - his barbaric crimes and the mystery of his identity have exercised a morbid fascination over the police and public alike, ever since his horrific crimes were discovered in 1888. On this unique tour, you will be able to listen to one of the foremost experts in Ripperology who is also a licensed London Cabbie, as he takes you around the locations associated with the Ripper and his victims— all young women working in London's East End.

After meeting your driver-guide, you’ll begin your tour in Whitechapel, the infamous district of East London that made headlines in the year 1888 with the brutal murders of five working girls by an unknown assassin, known for over a century as Jack the Ripper.

You’ll visit the notorious pubs, like the Ten Bells, where the women were last seen and walk down the very streets where their bodies were first seen and caused such widespread shock, fear and horror.

You’ll see Buck’s Row, where Mary Ann Nichols was discovered; Hanbury Street, the site of Annie Chapman’s body; Berners Row where Elizabeth Stride was found; Mitre Square scene of Catherine Eddowe’s murder, and Miller’s Court where Mary Jane Kelly was brutally attacked.

Your guide will tell you their tragic stories and the clues found by the police, the police arrests and the many hundreds of theories put forward over the intervening years. The tour also covers many other notorious areas of the East End and sites of historic crimes and punishments from the traitors of the Middle Ages at the Tower of London to the more recent gangland criminals, the legendary Kray Twins.

You’ll visit the underbelly of the East End: The Blind Beggar Public House, the scene of a notorious gangland murder; The Highway – famous for the Ratcliffe Highway murderer, and Wapping’s Execution Dock!

You’ll also pass by some iconic London landmarks and monuments – including the Whitehall Bell Foundry at Spitalfields where Big Ben was made, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge and The Royal Hospital – former residence of the unfortunate ‘Elephant Man’ - made famous in the Hollywood blockbuster and Oscar-winning movie, which starred John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins.

And finally, you’ll head toward central London and Fleet Street, known for the infamous Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd, the Knights Templar, and now for West End pubs and theatres! Your fascinating tour of the lesser-known underbelly of London ends here or at a location of your choice. 

x

Guides

Join the fastest growing community of professional tour guides.

Partners

Use our easy to integrate toolset to include Tours & Attractions in your customer journey.