Footprints of London

Saltmarshes, weatherboard houses, Nonconformist churches, Marian martyrs, a derelict mill and abundant seabirds along the River Roach. This tour around Rochford and the River Roach will pass Rochford Hall, once owned by oft-maligned Tudor courtier Richard Rich​. It’s now part of a golf course​, as is the old parish church. ​But Rochford was a hotbed…

An 1848 Chartist rally scared government into taking away rights to the common. Now we have a park and pockets of green – is it the same? This walk in southern Kennington (including Oval and Vauxhall) looks at open spaces — greens, gardens, parks and sporting grounds. The Chartists held their last big rally on…

Richmond is Sir David Attenborough’s favourite place on the planet, and the stretch of the river to Twickenham is the very best part. Your fantasy of classic English countryside come true in the city. This stretch of the River Thames will put you in mind of boating holidays with Mole and Ratty, unless your first…

Laura walks with Rob Smith along the cliffs exploring naval histories and the lives of seamen and women working ships in the Age of Sail. We walk from the seaside town of Dovercourt along the coast into Harwich at the mouth of the River Stour and estuary beyond. The train journey from London takes 1…

Poor pay, nowhere to meet, forbidden to marry: Loving a Horse Guard was not easy. Meanwhile courtesans beguiled officers in elegant squares. You’ll see the ceremonial gate in Hyde Park where the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment leave for Changing the Guard ceremonies. And you’ll see them from the back, where in the 18th and 19th…

East of the Tower old-clothes sellers, sex workers, thieves and sailors’ wives held sway both before and after the London Docks were built. Women reigned in Rag Fair, which extended from Tower Hill along Rosemary Lane into Cable Street in the 17th- to 19th-century parish of Stepney. The permanent market centred near Wellclose Square, but…