London Nursery Rhyme History Exploration Tour

Ever wonder why nursery rhymes can be so violent? This unique tour of London one like no other. Join us on this special tour and get a unique look at London as well as learning the true meanings of those nursery rhymes and places and events that inspired them.
We will see some of the most famous buildings in the world as well as getting away from all the tourists as we explore the ancient streets usually only visited by Londoners & not many of them.

In days gone by it could often be a dangerous, even deadly pursuit to talk politics or news to your friends & neighbours incase you were speaking to or overheard by an informer.

To get round the problem, people would spread news & gossip by dressing up the meanings of what was being said so that their true meanings could be more easily denied to the authorities.

Centuries later, these events are remembered as the nursery rhymes that we all sang in childhood around the world, some of which with much toned down & child-friendly lyrics.

Meeting Point

Tower Hill

London EC3N 4DJ, UK

Just outside the Underground Station

What's included:

• Private Guide

What to expect:

Duration: 3 hours

Tower of London

London, EC3N 4AB

The infamous Tower of London, with history going back to Roman times, home to Crown Jewels and hideous executions. Also home to one of London's ancient and precious trees and here we will go round the Mulberry bush

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

St Olave's Church

8 Hart Street, London, EC3R 7NB

An incredible amount of literary history here where the final remains of Old Mother Goose were laid to rest

5 minutes

London Bridge

London, EC4R 9HA

The famous London Bridge which is still standing, or at least the existing one is. Others have long since fallen down and we will see them too.

15 minutes

The Monument to the Great Fire of London

Fish St. Hill, , London, EC3R 8AH

Here we will see a huge and not so huge memorials to the Great Fire of London and visit the spot where Londons Burning all began.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Clements Lane

Clements Ln, London, UK

Down the medieval alleys of old London we will visit St Clements of Oranges and Lemons fame as well as the rhyme of St Swithins and learning all about Dick Whittington and his cat

30 minutes

Bank

31-37 Northcote Road, Battersea, London, SW11 1NJ

Just why is the Cat and the Fiddle on display just a few minutes walk from the very centre of finance and old London at the Bank of England?

10 minutes

St. Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD

Whilst everyone else gasps at the beautiful St Pauls Cathedral (and we can too), we'll actually visit a statue remembering the importance of the wall and meat trade and the tyrannical law that inspired Baa Baa Black Sheep

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

WIlliam Wallace Memorial

St. Bartholomew's Hospital, W Smithfield, London, EC1A 9DS

It may be unexpected enough to find a memorial to William Wallace in the middle of London but how does this relate to the old nursery rhyme of Doctor Foster who went to Gloucester?

5 minutes

Rogers, Bradford, Philpot Memorial

56 W Smithfield, London, EC1A 9DS

Smithfields is a place bursting with history including the possible origins of the nursery rhyme, Three Blind Mice and we can throw in Mary, Mary, Quite contrary into the mix too.

10 minutes

The Charterhouse

Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6AN

We can't walk through the quiet lanes of medieval London without dealing with The Black Death or Plague and we can't do nursery rhymes with out Ring a ring o' rosies and if you like we can even visit an unfortunate victim of the dreadful Black Death

15 minutes

We will finish off this tour in the heart of Farringdon with a pub that isn't all that it seems and work out what the lyrics mean for Pop Goes The Weasel.

15 minutes