John Wesley Methodist Private Walking Tour Of London
Description
This special walking tour takes us in the footsteps of John Wesley. Well away from the usual crowds and tourist hotspots in London, we will walk through some of the most historic parts of Roman, Medieval, Georgian and Victorian London. Along the way we will visit the home of John Wesley and the adjoining chapel as well as visiting other historic sites on a 3 hour tour including locations where Wesley would preach in the open air, where he went to school and the spot of his conversion at the home of John Bray. The tour also visits a number of beautiful old churches, parks and ruins as well as other places of religious significance. You don’t have to be a Methodist to appreciate this tour, anyone who wants to get away from the busy sights for a few hours and follow in the footsteps of one of the most renowned figures in history will no doubt enjoy the Methodist Tour of London a great deal.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will visit John Wesley's chapel and grave before heading in to John Wesley's house itself.
John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield and others preached here and in the ‘Moorfields’ area. Wesley organised meetings and visited converts; thus began the Methodist Society in England.
Samuel Annesley, Susanna Wesley's father, was expelled from this ancient church in 1662.
John Wesley married Molly Vazeille, a widow, in 1751. Shortly before, he fell and badly sprained his foot. He was carried to the Vazeille’s home here and spent a week convalescing, nursed by Molly.
In the green gardens of St Pauls, we will see the statue of John Wesley which commemorates the occasions when he preached at this magnificent Cathedral.
John Wesley’s father, Samuel, was curate here for a year. A window of John Wesley field-preaching in Moorfields and a plaque on railings commemorates Wesleys’ evangelical conversions.
This beautiful 'secret' park contains a wonderful Victorian memorial to heroic self-sacrifice.
We will visit the site of John Bray’s House. A plaque marks where John and Charles Wesley lodged in 1738/9. It was here Charles was converted on 21 May 1738 and John declared ‘I believe’ at 10pm on 24 May 1738.
The spot where 'Braveheart' was executed.
We will pass by several memorials here including that of the Peasants Revolt and the spot where Anglicans were burned at the stake.
The last Anglican pulpit made available to John Wesley, who continued to preach here long after he had been blocked from other London churches.
We will see sections of the old Roman Wall and a near 1,000 year ruin of an old hospital
Now the home of a wonderful London Orchestra, St Luke's was Consecrated in 1733 andthis church’s parish included John Wesley’s Foundery Society, who took communion here.
This incredible old resting place for Nonconformists is the final resting place of John Wesley’s mother, Susanna who died on 30 July 1742. Others such as William Blake and Daniel Defoe lay here.
John Wesley was educated at The Charterhouse School 1714–20 and we will visit the ancient church on site.
We return to the starting point where you are welcome to explore the Museum of Methodism or return with us to the nearest tube station.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can meet you at any Central London hotel, not just those listed here. We;d then go off by Tube to the tour starting point.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We have earmarked this tour as especially safe during the Coronavirus outbreak due to generally quiet places that we visit where social distancing is generally not a problem. All of our tours are private so it is just you/your family and your guide. To make it easier and safer for all concerned we would suggest starting this tour a little later than the usual time, perhaps around 10.30-11am which allows us all to miss rush-hour. We are happy to still come to your hotel to meet you but for the moment we would suggest meeting us at the tour starting point. This allows you to arrive by a taxi or uber rather than public transport. Please feel free to wear masks throughout or at times during the tour. Your guide will also have a mask with them.
Reviews(9)
Kevin is a great guide who is passionate about history and I enjoyed getting to know him and appreciate his wealth of knowledge. I came to understand how God used the Wesley s in the Evangelical Revival. I in awe. May God do it again!
Kevin was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining and we throughly enjoyed his stories. Not only did we learn about John Wesley snd family but we had a history lesson about London. It was fabulous!
We took the walking tour in London about John Wesley and the Methodists. Our guide Kevin was absolutely fantastic! He met us at our hotel and we started the tour from there. His knowledge of not only John Wesley/Methodists but of every part of London we walked through was amazing. Kevin was kind, friendly, professional and obviously passionate about his job. Thank you Kevin for an amazing tour through the lives of John and Charles Wesley.
I feel like I could have been in London on Easter. My life-changing experience has happened to me today! As an American United Methodist I went to England to see the Wesleyan sites to gain a greater understanding of my UMC roots. John Wesley inculcated the many converts with sobriety, clean living, hard work and piety. And including this Wesley College undergraduate too! I was very surprised by famous "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" hymn associated with Easter written by Charles Wesley. “Jesus Christ is risen today” it brings together the two great themes of Holy Week and Easter, the Cross and the Resurrection and celebrates the message of Holy Week and Easter – Christ crucified and risen. I am truly blessed! Happy Easter!
Our guide was excellent. Enjoyable. Knowledgable and filled us with many extra tid bits of good info. Stephen Liddell - seriously a very competent and friendly guide that went above expected. Yeoldenglandtours@gmail.com
Thanks so much for your review. Our tour was one my favourites of my career and it was a very special day for me too. May your trip to the Holy Land go well in a few months time. - Stephen
My 10-person group was delighted with this tour! Having just arrived in London with very little knowledge of how to get around, Stephen went above and beyond to make sure we got to the meeting point safely. His knowledge of John Wesley and the beginnings of Methodism made the tour fascinating and memorable. We highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to know more about Methodism and its founder.
Thanks so much for your kind review, I truly value it. It was such a delight to meet you all and follow in the footsteps of John Wesley.
I recently took part in a fascinating walking tour exploring the origins and legacy of Methodism in London, and it was both educational and inspiring. Our guide brought to life the story of John Wesley and the Methodist movement, showing us not only the historic chapels and churches where it all began, but also the neighborhoods and landmarks that shaped the faith’s development. We visited key sites such as Wesley’s Chapel, the Museum of Methodism, and historic meeting places that still carry the spirit of the movement. The tour also highlighted the connection between Methodism and some of England’s great poets and writers, offering a cultural perspective alongside the religious history. What stood out most was how accessible and engaging the guide made the story of Methodism. Even if you don’t come from a Methodist background, the tour gave a real sense of how this movement influenced London’s history, social reform, and literature. This is a wonderful experience for anyone interested in history, religion, or culture. It left me with a deeper appreciation of the Methodist heritage and its lasting impact. Highly recommended for visitors looking to explore a side of London that is often overlooked.
Thankyou so much for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful and wonderful review. I really appreciate it and it was an absolute pleasure on my part.
We absolutely loved our tour! Despite Covid closures, our wonderful guide gave a tour we will always remember. Stephen was punctual, friendly and never made us feel like we were on a tour, more that he was a friend showing us interesting things he had discovered. We learned so many interesting facts about parts of London we would never have found or understood on our own, as well as showing us so many sites about John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. We saw Roman and Medieval ruins into the bargain! We highly recommend and will be seeking out Stephen for our next trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our walk and tour!
I'm so glad that you both enjoyed our walking tour. It was the first Methodist tour I have given for 2 years. It was really lovely to meet you both and show you some very special places in parts of London no-one else visits. Thank-you for your very kind review.
Kevin met us at our hotel and helped us navigate the tube system for the first time! He is a wealth of information and knew the best shortcuts to find significant Wesley sites. We took in a few “on the way” attractions including the Roman Wall and a rooftop view of London near St Paul’s. None of our questions were treated as inappropriate and were answered with a smile. The site’s were important but Kevin made the tour special. We highly recommend this company and Kevin for tour’s!
Kevin was so happy to learn that you enjoyed our tour and he very much enjoyed his time with your both. We only created the John Wesley Methodist Tour last year as we thought there were so many interesting locations and it is good to hear that you found them as good as we do. Thanks for your kind review.
