NOVEMBER 2023
Updated links for current listings
I have streamlined and simplified much of the info on this site. Many links have changed.
- Walks and talks are now listed exclusively on my Jane's London Walks Eventbrite page here.
- Quick links for the important stuff can be found within the header bar, or via a drop-down menu if you are viewing on a hand-held device.
- This site views best via the website version which, if you are looking at your phone is a click at the very bottom of the page.
If you spot any errors such as links not working, or have any other feedback or idea, please do get in touch here
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OCTOBER 2023
Historic England has set up a UK map of ghostsigns and is inviting photographic submissions.
If you load up any pics of signs that you first found out about on one of my tours please be sure to mention me in the caption/comment – thanks!
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Three new ghostsigns tours
Willesden Green, Barnsbury and Notting Hill were added to the list in September 2023. See more here.
.................................................................................Keep an eye on the latest schedule – you might need to toggle the on/off filter button within that link to see talks/walks
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AUTUMN-WINTER 2023 – BACK ON THE SCHEDULE SOON:London by Gaslight
Three guided walks at dusk
– Buckingham Palace to Covent Garden
– City to Temple
– Pimlico to Whitehall
– Buckingham Palace to Covent Garden
– City to Temple
– Pimlico to Whitehall
Gas-powered lamps emit a lovely soft light compared to their LED replacements. See evidence of this along these evocative routes
Soho, So French
This walk made a one-off appearance back in September 2020 and is soon to be back on the menu. Vive La France!!
Agatha Christie in the West End
Also see other options within the Agatha section below
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COMING SOON – Nell Gwynn, Art Nouveau Soho, Art Deco Southwark, and more
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Please don't hesitate to make suggestions for additions to my schedule. If the timings don't work for you, simply let me know, no obligation.
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SPRING-SUMMER 2023
GHOSTSIGNS – walks and talks
A Hoxton and Shoreditch route is now available as a walking tour, as is another in Brick Lane and Spitalfields. Both offer fascinating glimpses into past.
The old Covent
Garden to Soho route has been adapted and extended and is now as three separate tours in Fitzrovia, Covent Garden and Soho – available for early 2023.
Similarly, Ghostsigns of Holloway Road has
been revamped to include so much more. It is now available as
two routes – North (Archway N19 to Holloway Odeon N7) and South (Nags
Head Holloway N7 to Highbury Corner N1). We look at hand-painted signs
for bygone brands, hints of history in the form of moulded reliefs, old
pub signage, unusual weathervanes and lots more.
1-hr online presentations via Zoom – Kentish Town to Camden Town is back on the itinerary and is also available as a guided walking tour.
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A guided walk or an online tour via Zoom.
This takes us through the sumptuous covered arcades of Piccadilly and St James's and also nips down a few narrow backstreets and into little hidden courtyards.
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Two walks and an online talk
The mistress of murder mystery has strong links to London, not only through the theatres where her plays were and still are staged, but also at the various places she has lived.
Join me for a walk in the real world, either through Soho and Theatreland (2hrs) or down leafy lanes from Notting Hill Gate to Chelsea (a longer than usual route with a refreshment break). Alternatively, join me from the comfort of your sofa for a presentation via Zoom.
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Oscar Wilde / Art Deco Theatreland
As with Agatha Christie, both of these walking tours started out as online presentations. Many people asked for them to be available in the real world so with a bit of tweaking and a lot of planning and re-planning, these are both now available as walking tours. There's lots of to see and hear on both tours.
Oscar's
2hr route starts just north of Oxford Circus and ends near Charing
Cross station. The theatres walk is longer at 3.5hrs looking at 13 buildings – it starts near Tottenham
Court Road station and takes a circuitous route to end near Piccadilly Circus with a mid-route refreshment break in Covent Garden (not included in the price).
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Walking tours... more...
It would be lovely to see you – please join me for a wander as we mooch (or march) along the streets and off the beaten track.
It would be lovely to see you – please join me for a wander as we mooch (or march) along the streets and off the beaten track.
I have lots of routes to tempt you here. Some are previously available ones, others are new alternatives along high streets and back roads. Art Deco is always popular and I will be adding some new routes soon.But if you'd like to get away from the concrete, how about a walk along the New River Path through Haringey, Hackney or Islington, including Woodberry Down and Clissold Park – all are especially lovely whatever the time of year – great for nature lovers and bird watchers.
A circular perambulation within Finsbury Park, the park for the people, is also a nice way to spend a few hours, as is my Green and Pleasant Islington, which takes us away from the busy main roads of Upper St and Holloway Rd.
Or how about a stroll along the Regent's Canal in Islington finding out about its heritage. Another canal walk from Islington to Kings Cross and St Pancras is in the making.
I have lots of routes to tempt you here. Some are previously available ones, others are new alternatives along high streets and back roads. Art Deco is always popular and I will be adding some new routes soon.
But if you'd like to get away from the concrete, how about a walk along the New River Path through Haringey, Hackney or Islington, including Woodberry Down and Clissold Park – all are especially lovely whatever the time of year – great for nature lovers and bird watchers.
A circular perambulation within Finsbury Park, the park for the people, is also a nice way to spend a few hours, as is my Green and Pleasant Islington, which takes us away from the busy main roads of Upper St and Holloway Rd.
Or how about a stroll along the Regent's Canal in Islington finding out about its heritage. Another canal walk from Islington to Kings Cross and St Pancras is in the making.
A circular perambulation within Finsbury Park, the park for the people, is also a nice way to spend a few hours, as is my Green and Pleasant Islington, which takes us away from the busy main roads of Upper St and Holloway Rd.
Or how about a stroll along the Regent's Canal in Islington finding out about its heritage. Another canal walk from Islington to Kings Cross and St Pancras is in the making.
Keep an eye on the latest schedule – you might need to toggle the on/off filter button within that link to see talks/walks
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Virtual tours via Zoom / online presentations
I am really enjoying hosting these talks – people from all around the globe have been accessing Jane's London Walks without leaving the comfort of their own sofa. The feedback has been marvellous, with many attendees returning to me often.
These are designed to be similar to my walking tours. With no actual walking or travel involved, we can be in Lambeth one minute and Mayfair the next and this has enabled me to offer talks on a theme, or about a person or a product. Subjects range from Art Deco and architects to street markets and Daniel Defoe.
These are designed to be similar to my walking tours. With no actual walking or travel involved, we can be in Lambeth one minute and Mayfair the next and this has enabled me to offer talks on a theme, or about a person or a product. Subjects range from Art Deco and architects to street markets and Daniel Defoe.
The route is packed full of inspirational ideas for alternative views and places to visit that are not usually listed in the tourist books – sunsets, sculpture, royalty, romance, memorials, parks, gardens and more.
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If my schedule doesn't suit your diary, simply request a walking tour on a date of your choosing.Don't
be shy – one person picks a time and date, I then add it to the
schedule and we quickly get other like-minded souls joining in.
Or how about organising a walk for a group of family/friends? – this could be one of my pre-planned tours or a bespoke request in a certain area – please do get in touch
For inspiration, a list of all my tours is hereOr how about organising a walk for a group of family/friends? – this could be one of my pre-planned tours or a bespoke request in a certain area – please do get in touch
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Video! Video!
A lockdown project – I must admit I have let this slide a little of late since I started designing and hosting the virtual tours
You might already be aware of my little impromptu videos – some of them are on my Facebook page with many more on my YouTube channel.
Almost every one has some kind of silly unforced mistake in it – they are unscripted amateur things of me walking and wittering about something I have
just happened upon when I am out for a wander. Errors are bound to occur as I am only human(!). Each video is approx
5mins long, similar in length to a stop on a guided walk. There are also some short bursts on my Instagram too @janeslondon and @janeslondonwalks
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2020 – Research, reading and writing continues – A lot of my sitting down time has been spent on research as this lockdown has enabled me to finally apply myself to some serious research. There are two sites in Islington that I have long been fascinated by. One site is a big department store in Holloway, that some of you might have heard about on my Deco and Victorian walks, and the other is a market. Both subjects have kept me engrossed, lost in newspaper archives and old books, and what I originally thought would be just be a bit of back-up information now looks to be evolving into two books which creates another project in itself, how to get them into print? I will probably self-publish so that I can do the design and layout myself, but any advice is welcome..................................................................................
Subscribe for updatesIf you'd like to be kept informed about new walks and relevant info please use this form.
Keep an eye on the latest schedule – you might need to toggle the on/off filter button within that link to see talks/walks
Watch my YouTube channel
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Art Deco walks and online tours Piccadilly, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, Shoreditch, Smithfield and more... plus themed walks; residential, theatreland and specific locations – just click here for more infoWhat is Art Deco?
More Deco/1930s tours in other areas coming soon – do let me know if there is a part of London that you are specifically interested in and I will endeavour to push that one to the top of my 'To Do' list.
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Using archive historical reference and stills from the movie we'll make comparisons of then and now. The walk continues northwards and following, as near as possible, the route of the farcical heist, we end the tour overlooking the railway line just like Alec Guinness!
Along the way you'll be able to discover more about the area's rich history.
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Keep an eye on the latest schedule – you might need to toggle the on/off filter button within that link to see talks/walks
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Walks along the Regents Canal
Local and social history, architecture and advertising.
Boxes, Babies, Beans and Bras – a ghostsigns trail of still-visible decades-old signage above and around the Regents Canal in Islington showcasing the diverse range of products and services made and sold in this area.
Wharves, Waterways and Windmills – a 2hr circular route from City Road Basin, following the borough border between Islington and Hackney, looking at how the canal has evolved into to become a desirable place to live, work and relax. Hear about the kinds of products and businesses of old that pre-1960s used to make this a noisy, dirty, no-go zone. Oh how times have changed.
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Mudlarking tours along the Thames foreshore
This is still bubbling away as a work in progress...
You might already be aware that I hold a Port of London Authority foreshore licence and make jewellery, accessories and various other arty things from the fragments of clay smoking pipes that I select from the banks of the River Thames at low tide.
The plan is to organise a guided walk which will include a visit to the foreshore with time for mudlarking. Please do get in touch if this is something you'd be interested in – if enough people are keen I will move this to the top of my 'To Do' list.
Another similar tour is also in the pipeline (see what I did there!) and this will be craft-based, ending in a cafe or similar where attendees get creative and learn how to turn their finds into something useful or wearable.
Another similar tour is also in the pipeline (see what I did there!) and this will be craft-based, ending in a cafe or similar where attendees get creative and learn how to turn their finds into something useful or wearable.
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Jane's London Cards and PrintsSome of my photographs are available as greeting cards, prints and posters. Most of the images are from North London but others are available on request.
Buy online through my Etsy shop.
Buy online through my Etsy shop.
Buy in person at The Only Place For Pictures and Oxfam Bookshop in UpperSt, N1, or from Treehouse giftshop in Crouch End.
Facebook page for Jane's London cards and prints
Also see my website www.janeslondon.com
Facebook page for Jane's London cards and prints
Also see my website www.janeslondon.com
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Contact details
Email: jane@janeslondon.com Tel: +44(0)7941 475003
To keep up to date with new walks and relevant info, please subscribe for updates.
Keep an eye on the latest schedule – you might need to toggle the on/off filter button within that link to see talks/walks
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