About Jane's London Walks

I offer alternative guided tours that encourage people to be a little bit more aware of their surroundings – a sort of physical version of Jane's London (my blog/website).
My walks are friendly strolls about the things that inspire and intrigue me, not just lists of facts, figures and dates, although I do pride myself on my research and cross-referencing. I am especially interested in social and local history and how our high streets have changed over the centuries.

To find out more about individual walks and how to book them just click here. 
Please also see my Facebook and Twitter feeds Like me! Follow me!  
And/or subscribe for occasional updates here.
Feedback always welcome: TripAdvisor

Market appearances – discount tour vouchers available

Thanks to everyone who came along to say hello at The Cally Festival on Sunday 23rd June – what a great day!! 

My next market appearances will be at WXSP (Whitecross Street Party) on Saturday July 13th and then Archway Summer Festival on Sun 21st July. At both events will be selling my photos as cards and prints, plus vouchers* for my guided walks – all at discount prices. Hope to see you there.

*Walk vouchers can be allocated to specific tours at a later date

Inspirational Islington

Thanks to those of you who joined me for my walk on Tuesday 9th April –  I think we all had a marvellously inspirational time despite the wet weather.
Here's a pic from the day – thanks to Brian – find the whole set on Facebook here.

Inspirational Islington continues until June 3rd with other events, walks and talks.
I will be offering a revised version of my creative walk from July – please keep checking my schedule. 

Schedule 2019

This is a quick reference guide 
Updated regularly – dates and times may change – please do keep checking in
I try to offer each walk approximately once per month on different days and times. 
See here for the full list of tours available some of which might not be listed below.
Alternative dates and times can be organised for groups or private tours

More in-depth information about each walk and how to book

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JUNE

Mon 24 – 11am – Art Deco Arsenal 

Mon 24 – 2.30pm – Art Deco Holloway 

Tue 25 – 6.30pm – Art Deco Camden – Cigarettes & Alcohol
Thu 27 – 4pm –Sculptures of The Strand (CharingX to Aldwych)

Sun 30 – 10.30am – Kings Cross and The Ladykillers

Sun 30 – 3pm –Art Deco Shoreditch/Hoxton 
Sun 30 – 5.30pm –Art Deco Spitalfields/Aldgate

JULY

Mon 01 – 6.30pm – Look At The Estate We're In (Social housing, Islington)

Tue 02 – 6.30pm – Ghostsigns Camden – Gin, Drugs and Shopping 

Sat 06 – 11:15 and 13:45 – tours of Caledonian Park clocktower**. FREE throughout the summer

Sat 06 – 5pm – Covent Garden & Soho Ghostsigns 

Sun 07 – 11am – Green and Pleasant Islington

Mon 08 – 6.30pm – Canal Ghostsigns, Islington

Wed 10 – 6.30pm – Art Deco Camden – Cigarettes & Alcohol

Thu 11 – 11am – The Only Way Is Essex Road  

Thu 11 – 6.30pm – Waterways, Wharves (Regents Canal, Islington) 

Sat 13th – TBC –  Planning to have a stall at Whitecross Street Party

Mon 15 – 6pm – Kings Cross and The Ladykillers

Tue 16 – 11am – The Diary of a Nobody (Upper Holloway) 

Sat 20 – 11am – Upper Street Ghostsigns
Sat 20 – 2.30pm – Canal Ghostsigns, Islington

Sun 21 – find me selling my cards, prints and guided tours at Archway Summer Market

Thu 25 – 11am – Look At The Estate We're In (Social housing, Islington)

Thu 30 – 10.30am – Waterways, Wharves (Regent's Canal, Islington) 

AUGUST

Sat 03 – 2pm – Kings Cross and The Ladykillers

Mon 05 – 6.30pm – The Diary of a Nobody (Upper Holloway) 

Wed 07 – 11am – Canal Ghostsigns, Islington
Sat 10 – 11:15 and 13:45 – tours of Caledonian Park clocktower**. FREE throughout the summer 

Wed 14 – 4pm – Kings Cross and The Ladykillers

Thu 22 – 6.30pm – Waterways, Wharves (Regents Canal, Islington) 

Sat 24 – 11:15 and 13:45 – tours of Caledonian Park clocktower**. FREE throughout the summer

**Islington guides work to a rota at the tower. The dates listed here in green are the days when I will be be there myself, either leading a tour or acting as back-up guide – please contact me if you require further info.

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Some times and dates shown above may be subject to change  Please check the Eventbrite listings for further information

Or visit my Facebook page – Follow/Like for news and updates

Please enquire re bespoke walks and commissions

To be informed of new walks, offers etc please subscribe here for updates.

Feedback

It's always pleasing to get good feedback from happy customers either via email jane@janeslondon.com or on TripAdvisor

... Thank you! We enjoyed the walk so much, and found it so interesting, and appreciated all the information and enthusiasm you had. We have signed up for your newsletter.

... I have taken a number of London walks with Jane and always find them highly interesting and engaging. Her knowledge of London past and present is exceptional.

... Very informative and interesting by a guide that is local and knows her stuff. You can tell her enthusiasm for the subject and the buildings by the tone of her voice.... things that I would not normally have noticed had I had tried just going by myself ... I expect to be going on further walks.

... My 3rd walk with Jane and the best yet. Nice group and interesting subject. Jane has this knack of engaging well with her audience. She's fun to be with and very knowledgeable. 

... Thank you for your guided walk ... It was excellent! I did not know the Islington area at all and was surprised how interesting a lot of the buildings were around the main streets. Also some fascinating back streets.

... Consistently great walks. Jane is a passionate and fun guide. She researches her walks thoroughly. I've done several with her and they've all been fabulously quirky. I look forward to the next one!

What's new? What's happening?

Please just click here to be taken to the News and Events section
Updated regularly, so please keep checking in
Or click here to subscribe for occasional email updates.

Alternatively, check the Eventbrite listings for further information

Or visit my Facebook page – Follow/Like for news and updates

1930s Art Deco and Modernism

What is Art Deco?
There's no definitive answer to this question as we’ve all got a different take on it.
Do you like cantilevered simplicity or Jazz Age geometrics? Do you "ooh" every time you drive past The Hoover Factory? Do you "aah" when you see Senate House? Do you yearn to live in a house with interiors to rival Eltham Palace*
Well, these walks are for you, because, as those example illustrate, there is not just one design ideal for this period. 
Join me on a walking tour in Camden, Shoreditch, Spitalfields, Holloway and Arsenal/Finsbury Park to see a cross-section of architecture from this motivational era. We'll visit fabulous façades on factory buildings that look more like Egyptian temples and offices blocks that resemble ocean liners.
I am confident that on each of these walks you'll find your own special 'wow' factor.

*go Google – I can't be bothered to do the links!!

More Art Deco tours in other areas soon – Please see the schedule for more information or subscribe for updates here.

Christmas events 2018

A big thanks to everyone who came along to the Archway and Whitecross Street Christmas lights switch-on events in December 2018.
Despite the cold weather and gusty winds in both locations, we had a marvellously jolly time with Santa and the Mayor of Islington plus some great live music and entertainment.

Canal boat tours along the Regent's Canal

I am the designated tour guide for Hidden Depths.

Three boats are available for hire – Lapwing takes 14 people and Joan and Freda can accommodate 40. 

Trips start at the foot of Granary Steps, Kings Cross. 

Tours can be organised to go west towards Camden or east through Islington Tunnel to City Road Basin. 

For more details, please visit the Hidden Depths website or talk to Barbara on 07456 084584.

Thanks to everyone who came along on our Save The Swans fund-raising event in September 2018. It was such an enjoyable day. 

We raised approx £1000 to care for birds injured on our waterways.

About me

I have lived in Islington, North London, since 1988. I am intrigued by its vibrant and layered history and, as an avid local historian, I have come to know the area very well.
My guiding style is inclusive, open and friendly – I like to engage with the group I am leading and this leads to a marvellous knowledge exchange.
Every walking tour I offer is designed and thoroughly researched by Yours Truly – in fact, the research never stops with walks getting amended or added to as new information comes to light.
The varied subjects covered in my tours highlight the different facets of my personality and the things I am genuinely interested in such as art and design, sculpture and architecture, pubs, parks, ghostsigns and advertising, all of which I use to tell the social history of an area.
I am forever coming up with new ideas for walking tours – a list of 'works in progress' can be found here. Enquiries and bespoke commissions are always welcome.
And I do venture outside of Islington – please check my listings on Eventbrite.

I hope to see you soon,
Jane

Also see my blog Jane's London which is about "the wonderful little details on, around and above London's streets" though it's fair to say that I do have a have a few rants on there too, mainly about what I call the Dubaiification of London.

Jane Amelia Parker
Accredited and insured Clerkenwell and Islington CIGA guide 
Member of Footprints of London.
Feedback always welcome 

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Info and booking for all scheduled walks here

All enquiries: jane@janeslondon.com

Please also see TripAdvisor, Facebook and Twitter @janeslondon #janeslondon 

To keep up to date with new walks and relevant info, please subscribe for updates.

The Diary Of A Nobody

This 90-minute tour shows you the inspiration behind the places and characters created by the brothers Grossmiths in their amusing little book. 

I have read it, ooh, eight times now. And each time I have noticed something new, perhaps in the form of an amusing reference to a nearby place with a clever name-change, or satirical hint at something that was topical or relevant back in the 1880s. The world of 130 years ago really isn't that far removed from today. 
The prep for this walk was extensive but really enjoyable – I spent a lot of time absorbed in old directories and I was often to be found wandering up and down the top half of Holloway Rd like some kind of private detective as I scribbled notes and hunted for the best locations to tie in with the Grossmiths' narrative. But it's all been worth it as I have always had lovely feedback from the people who have joined me on these tours.
So why not join me sometime soon? 
We'll visit places where Mr Pooter and his family and friends might have lived, visited and shopped. Along the way I point out buildings and references whilst reading some relevant amusing passages from the book. It's a delight!! (Even though I do say this myself!)

You don't need to know or have already read the book to enjoy the walk, but I am pretty sure that you will be reading it after the tour!

For literary fans – why not try my Lyrics and Limericks, Fantasy and Fraud walk which takes us through Holloway showcasing the diverse range of poets, playwrights, diarists and lyricists who have lived and worked in the Holloway area.

*This walk is usually available as part of Footprints of London's  yearly LitFest which offers at least one literary-themed walk a day – like a walking book club, taking people out onto the streets of London on guided walks researched, written and led by enthusiastic, experienced, professional guides. You might have seen the marvellous leaflets I designed for 2017!

Overview of my tours by location / subject

Below is an idea of the kind of walks I offer, shown by location and cross-referenced by subject matter. I hope this helps.
My up-coming walks can be found here – if the one you are looking for is not scheduled at the moment please do get in touch.
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LOCATION / AREA

Camden & Kings Cross area
Camden Deco – Cigarettes & Alcohol
KX & The Ladykillers (film locations comparison)
Ghostsigns, Camden (gin, drugs & shopping)
Ghostsigns, Holloway N7
Ghostsigns, Kentish Town
Ghostsigns, King's Cross

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town

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Angel area / Islington South 
Alternative Clerkenwell (not just the usual stuff)
Creative Islington – make it, paint it, bake it
Ghostsigns Upper Street
Ghostsigns Regent's Canal
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
Look At The Estate We're In (philanthropy and social housing)
Waterways, Wharves & Windmills (Regents Canal)
Inns & Taverns of Angel Islington
The Only Way Is Essex Road

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Islington North / Holloway, Arsenal, Archway etc
Art Deco Arsenal
Art Deco Holloway
Bygone Brands and Businesses (N19)
The Diary Of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
The Irish In Islington (Archway, N19)

Literary Holloway – lyrics, limericks, fantasy & fraud

Oxford Street of the North – Holloway's Victorian Heyday (N7)
Pubs and Taverns of Holloway Road (over 30 locations, in two parts)

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Other areas

Covent Garden & Soho ghostsigns – Leather, Limos and Lubrication
Spitalfields & Aldgate Art Deco
Shoreditch & Hoxton Art Deco
The Strand – What a Relief  (sculptural highlights)

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SUBJECTS / THEMES

Architecture
Art Deco Camden – Cigarettes & Alcohol
Art Deco Holloway – delights of the 1930s
Art Deco Spitalfields & Aldgate
Art Deco Shoreditch & Hoxton
What is Art Deco?
Look At The Estate We're In (philanthropy and social housing in Islington)

Kings Cross & The Ladykillers (comparison with 1955 film locations)

Holloway's Victorian Heyday – The Oxford Street of the North
What a Relief – Sculptures of The Strand

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Arts and Literature

The Diary Of A Nobody – Mr Pooter's Holloway
Literary Holloway – lyrics, limericks, fantasy & fraud

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town

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Ghostsigns 
What is a ghostsign?
Covent Garden & Soho – Leather, Limos and Lubrication
Holloway N7
Upper Street / Angel Islington
Kentish Town
King's Cross

Regent's Canal – Industrious Islington

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Pubs
Angel Islington Taverns
Holloway Road (over 30 locations, in two parts)

Parks, Pubs and Pianos – Caledonian Park to Kentish Town

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Canals, rivers, nature
Green & Pleasant Islington (Hi+Is to Holloway)
Waterways, Wharves & Windmills (Regents Canal, Islington)

Boxes, Babies, Beans and Bras (Ghostsigns, Regent's Canal, Islington)

I also do commentary for tours on my friends' canal boats.

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Miscellaneous
Alternative Clerkenwell (avoiding the obvious!)
Creative Islington – make it, paint it, bake it
The Irish In Islington (Archway, N19)
The Only Way Is Essex Road

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Also see my "works in progress" – I am always open to new ideas so do get in touch if there is a theme you think I ought to cover.

Thanks to everyone who came along on my Hallowe'en ghost-themed walks on Wed 31st October as part of the Islington Council event on Navigator Square.

I got some really great feedback including this tweet from Flora: "Loved loved loved the #Archway Files! Thanks @janeslondon for the tour. And a great use of our fab new space at Navigator Square."

It's all in the details

My walking tours are a natural progression of Jane's London – my blog/website where for the past decade I have been writing about my London observations and marrying them with collections of my photos such as this collection of 'white' places in to tie in with the snowy weather we had in March 2018. 

Press coverage

Islington Tribune Great hints on history

Islington Gazette Business of the week

Islington Now People have turned into pigeons

Ghostsigns

Ghostsigns are the faded advertisements of yesteryear still visible above today's streets mostly in the form of hand-painted letters on brick walls. I think the term can also apply to other types of defunct signage for brands or businesses which no longer exist at that site . These might be visible as names embedded into masonry or forged within metalwork.

On my ghostsign tours you'll hear fascinating stories behind these old forms of advertising such as bogus potions, big brands, small traders and clever marketing.

Info and booking here for walks in Camden, Kentish Town, Covent Garden & Soho, Kings Cross, Holloway, Archway and Angel/Upper Street.
Other areas coming soon.

See here for more about ghostsigns.

Can you help me to decipher this one in Islington?

Coming soon

I am brimming with ideas for more walks.
I just need more time!

Listed below are some tasters of some of my works-in-progress, yet to be completed.
Please also see the News and Events section. 

• More Art Deco tours – Highgate, Clerkenwell, Holborn, Euston, Central London...
• Parks and Recreation (Islington North)
• Pop Goes The Weasel – up or down the City Road 
• More ghostsigns tours – Shoreditch, Fitzrovia 
• Locations, Locations, Locations / Making Movies
• Frogs and Sheep – St Mary's Islington to The City
• Parallel Paths (more info to follow)
• Fabulous Fonts and Friendly Faces – the printing and clock-making industries of Clerkenwell 
• Islington On The Edge (walking the border of the borough, though in sections) 
• A Slice of Islington
• It's Hip to Be Square – Bloomsbury/Fitzrovia/Barnsbury squares etc 
• Bury me in Islington – inc Canonbury, Highbury and Barnsbury 
• Hackney Brook – Holloway to Arsenal 
• New River Walk – Islington to Tottenham (4hr walk either way) 
• Little Red Bus – a series of five walking tours following the route of the 153 bus (Finsbury Park to Finsbury Square) with a few deviations to see some interesting and not so well-known places along the way. The route will be split in route into 90-minute walking sections.

If you are interested in any of the above and can organise a group of people* please do get in touch for more info as most of the above can swiftly pulled together and arranged at a mutually convenient date.

If you have ideas of your own, perhaps a particular subject or theme that you are interested in that would make a good walking tour, then please do get in touch. Here are a few ideas – women, artists, animals, shops, churches, children, music, health...

I also provide guided commentary (when required) on Hidden Depths canalboat tours which moor at Granary Steps, Kings Cross. 
Many tours go through the 200-year Islington Tunnel – a wonderful experience through a marvellous feat of clever engineering. 
Boat trips can be booked for parties and events. Please contact Hidden Depths for more information 

*minimum group size 5 people (adults) or 6 people inc concessions

Every year in October we host our Literary Festival, taking people out of the pages and onto the streets of London, sort of like a walking-talking bookclub.
There's something for everyone, from Sherlock Holmes to Samuel Pepys via Charles Dickens and the Bloomsbury Set.
For my part, in 2018 I offered my Limericks and Limericks, Fantasy and Fraud and my Diary Of A Nobody (Mr Pooter's Holloway) and these will be available again in 2019, indeed they are still available outside October so do check my listings.
There is usually a fantastic money-saving voucher offer in the form of a Season Ticket. so do look out for that because, quite frankly, it's a bargain and you get to attend as many of the LitFest walks as you like – hell, why not go on them all...?!
More info once the 2019 event is announced.