Footprints of London

Contact 07985 983204 or mail

Richard has lived and worked in London all his life. He has a passion to bring to life the dramatic ebbing and flowing history of the city and to show off its great thoroughfares and squares and buildings as well as some lesser-known alleyways and byways. But what inspires him most is telling the stories of its great characters – and getting that magic feeling of “it happened here”.

As a freelance history tour guide, he leads bus and coach tours in London and around the country and also promotes his London walks through Watkins Walks London (see https://watkinswalkslondon.squarespace.com/) and Richard is a volunteer steward, guide and Trustee of the Crystal Palace Museum.

Richard has adapted most of his walks to Virtual Tours presented via the zoom app and created tailor-made ones.  He very much welcomes group bookings including for illustrated talks, which he has done for U3A Groups, local history groups, and even a Hen party.  Richard has been interviewed on Radio Berkshire and on a Travel Channel programme on history among his media work.  Richard worked for over 20 years in the civil service and is a trained actor.

His portfolio contains 20 + London tours in most areas of Westminster and other areas.  They include:

• The Great Fire of Westminster:A tour around Whitehall, telling the dramatic story of the burning down of the medieval Houses of Parliament.
• St Giles: In Search of a Slum: Exploring the legacy of a notorious slum as seen in some great historic social buildings, atmospheric old streets and fine churches.
• Mr Blake’s Tree Full of Angels (Richard’s Soho pub walk): A frothing brew of a tour in west Soho, seeing its history through pubs, including a dodgy pump, a visionary poet and an arm-less bard.
• London’s Ragged and Reformers: A tour of London’s Victorian underbelly in Marylebone, and the great characters who worked to reform the appalling conditions.
• Pots, Glassware, Stone and Beer: Lambeth’s Lost Industry: Exploring the long-lost history of great industry along the Lambeth Thames’ banks, including Coade Stone, Doulton’s and the Lion brewery.
• Soho: London’s Great Melting Pot: A tour around the streets and squares of Soho, celebrating 350 years of migration to the area, including, Greeks, French, Italians, Dutch and Chinese.
• Trafalgar Square Travesty: Bringing out the drama and the farce of how one of the world’s most famous town squares was developed and some its great historic aspects from national celebrations to protests
• 1966: The Year of Swinging London: A commemoration of 60s Swinging London plotting a course around its music clubs, fashion shops, galleries and protest sites in Soho and Mayhew.
• Not Just Tea at The Ritz: A walk through the streets and squares of Mayfair on London Grand Hotels, investigating their secrets and scandals as well as their historic characters.
• Return of the King: Exploring the characters, politics, war, architecture, and science of the first ten years of the Restoration in the 1660s, and how it raises the curtain on the modern age.

Client feedback includes:

Five-Star Trip Adviser Review in October, 2020 of: “Soho: London’s Great Melting Pot”  Great way to visit London during lockdown: Wonderful virtual tour. Very engaging presentation and full of facts about the various communities that have inhabited the area from the Greeks to the Huguenots amongst many others. Well recommended.

Five-Star Trip Adviser Review in October 2020 of: 1966: The Year of Swinging London: A really good stroll through Memory Lane: An excellent trawl through London in the Swinging Sixties, by Richard Watkins. It was great to see the different Carnaby Street shops, heritage plaques, and photos of fading rock stars!

Five-star Trip Adviser Review in July 2020 on “The Great Exhibition”: This was fantastic – Richard provided a fascinating insight into the story of this fabulous event. His clarity, enthusiasm for the subject and ability to recount the more obscure and little-known details kept us all very interested and wanting to come back for more. He is always very considerate towards his audience too, ensuring everyone can see and hear clearly. Thoroughly recommended – looking forward to another tour with Richard.

Five-Star Trip Advisor Tour Review March 2019 for day out Tour to Sonehenge and Bath: “Had an amazing day in Stonehenge and Bath! Our guide, Richard was incredible! Personable, smart, and witty! You could really tell that he knew his stuff and was excited to share his knowledge. … I had a truly memorable day, thank you!”

Review in October 2014 on The Great Fire of Westminster: “Thank you, Richard and Steve, for a most splendid walk. Your innovations for presenting the walk brought it to life and provided impact and entertainment. Certainly … it was a great success.”

Five-star Review on Trip Advisor, May 2014 on Not Just Tea at The Ritz: “A very interesting and entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. I learnt a lot about the area, heard many intriguing stories about events that have taken place at the hotels in Mayfair and interesting personalities who have stayed there. Richard is a fantastic guide and extremely knowledgeable.”

Walks currently on Footprints of London:

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