Thomas Cromwell’s Wolf Hall Tudor London Walking Tour





Description
Step back in time to one of the most infamous periods of history. We’ll follow in the footsteps of Thomas Cromwell and the streets and lanes that he’d have known so well. We will see some of the places where Thomas Cromwell worked. Right in the middle of the City are the remains of what were his incredible City of London estate. We will see some of the surviving remnants of Tudor London. We’ll visit places relating to Sir Thomas More, King Henry VIII , Catherine of Aragon and much more. This is a great tour to see parts of London no-one else sees. There’ll be no other tourists around! Join us as we explore the beating heart of the oldest districts in the City and connect with Tudor London. As huge fans of Thomas Cromwell, Tudor history and Wolf Hall, we just knew we had to create this tour. Thomas Cromwell’s Tudor London Walking Tour isn’t just for fans of Wolf Hall. It’s also for anyone with an interest in Thomas Cromwell, the Tudors and of course King Henry VIII too.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is one of the most prominent tudor facades in London. The original building from 1585 was once the wool staple, where wool was weighed and taxed. It survived the great fire of London, was refaced in the 17th century and restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. The hall was damaged by bombing in 1944.
Thomas Cromwell was elected as a member of Gray's Inn which was and is a lawyers guild and would have been familiar with the paths, gardens and buildings of Gray's Inn. Sometimes closed at weekends.
Step inside the lovely Gray's Inn Chapel which though built for the members of the Inn is open to worship and respectful visitors.
Home of specialist dealers in fine English silver, antiques and objets d'art, housed in underground vaults.
Lincolns Inn is a beautiful and equally prestigious establishment as Greys Inn and on weekdays we might take a peek inside, ( Can be closed at weekends ).
Now a private library building for the prestigious Kings College, this was once a place where Thomas Cromwell had an office.
We will pass through another famous and beautiful legal district in London, much used as filming locations and as settings in many great literary works. ( Can be closed at weekends.)
See the beautiful Temple Church (from the outside) more recently famous for its role in the Da Vinci Code but with a history going back 800 years.
Once the location of a famed Tudor theatre.
From here the plans for the divorce of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon were hatched.
See what small ruins remain of Blackfriars, one of many abbeys and priors that were seized and closed down by King Henry VIII. Whitefriars is nearby too and we will visit that also.
From a short distance away we will marvel at the beautiful symbol of the City of London, St Pauls Cathedral which arose from the ashes of the Great Fire and narrowly escaped destruction in The Blitz.
Learn the story of the Golden Boy and the Great Fire of London.
One of many memorials here. See where William 'Braveheart' Wallace met his end.
Remembering one of the greatest moments in medieval history, the Peasants Revolt.
See this wonderful old Tudor looking gatehouse and learn about its remarkable history.
Stand on the spot where Protestant bishops were burned to death at the stake by Queen Mary in Tudor times.
Thomas Cromwell had a more personal involvement with the dissolution of this once great old building than some others. Now left as a memorial garden having been bombed out in WW2.
This old street in the heart of the City of London is where Sir Thomas More was born who of course met an unfortunate end at Tower Hill.
Once an Augustin Friary, following its dissolution. The entire sprawling estate became the person domain of Thomas Cromwell (one of many) and his main residence in the City of London.
Now the gorgeous home of the esteemed Drapers Livery Company, this building is one of the few reminders of the home of Thomas Cromwell.
Once the church for the friars, it is a place that Thomas Cromwell would have known intimately and then as now a quiet refuge from the bustling financial centre of the City.
Now the largest parish church in the City of London, before the Reformation this was a Nunnery and sits atop suspected Roman or Saxon foundations.
This famous old road is now utterly transformed but we will pass through it. On the south side near the Walkie-Talkie building was once another home of Thomas Cromwell
In Wolf Hall, King Henry VIII mentioned how upon meeting Anne of Cleves that he felt he might be marrying the Cornhill Maypole. Here it is next to the famed Cheesegrater building.
We will pass by this lovely and truly ancient church, a favourite of Charles Dickens and where the famous diarist, Samuel Pepys is buried. He lived across the road during the time of the Great Plague and Great Fire of London
We finish the tour outside the Tower of London at Traitors Gate, the infamous entry point to the Tower for those likely never to leave again.
One of the most famous election spots in British history. See the memorial at the very spot where Thomas Cromwell, Thomas More and countless others were put to death in Tudor times and indeed other periods in history.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We can either meet you at your hotel or residence and get the Underground to the starting point at Chancery Lane Underground Station or we can meet just outside Chancery Lane Station where the tour starts off from.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(4)
We highly recommend Stephen's London walking tour! My wife is in love with British history and learning about obscure places and people in British history as well as the Tudor's, and Stephen was very well versed on where everything is and where it's place in the history of London is. We went to so many places you would never know existed without a guide with the knowledge that Stephen has! We've been disappointed at times with tour guides in/around London, but Stephen was an expert and knew his stuff. We learned so much! It was a TON of walking on the 5 hour tour, but we toughed it out because of how much we were learning and didn't want to miss anything! We will be looking him up the next time we're in the area!
Thankyou so much for leaving such a nice review. I'm so glad that you both (especially your wife) enjoyed the tour. It was really nice to meet you and to take you on this tour and the King Richard III tour a few days later. Thankyou!
Fantastically knowledgeable and genial guide who has published books on the places you see on the tour. Excellent communication before and during. Although it’s a Wolf Hall tour, you end up seeing so much more than just sights related to the books. The City of London seems like an especially good spot to take a tour, because most of the sights are not the ones frequented by tourists and they’re not completely or immediately obvious.
It was so nice to meet you Shannon. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the tour. It's always extra nice when someone loves their history too. Thanks for leaving such a nice review.
The most amazing , fascinating and educational day with Stephen .. wow I can’t recommend him highly enough ., his knowledge and attention to detail totally takes you back in time to Thomas Cromwell days .. I did the 5 hour tour and was blown away with parts of London I never knew existed.. Stephen is so passionate about his work , he is so knowledge and he is a true historian.. He is driven to be factually correct, yet making the whole tour fun, interesting and detailed .. I have booked several more tours with his Stephen and his company.. If you love Wolf Hall this is absolutely the tour and day out for you . Thank you Stephen for a truly magical day for such a Wolf Hall fan .
From the minute Stephen met us at our hotel, we started learning new things we didn’t know we wanted to know. We opted for the five hour walk (he does a shorter and longer version too) around London starting at Lambeth Palace south of the river with amazing views across to the Palace of Westminster. We crossed the river and walked through the city of Westminster, across the Mall to St James Palace, Royal Courts of Justice, via Fleet Street to St Paul’s, and on to Greyfriars, Draper’s Hall (formerly part of Augustine Chapel) and more. All of the time we walked, Stephen (who has encyclopaedic knowledge of what has happened in London across history) gave us more and more information concerning Thomas Cromwell (and a lot more besides). Much of the time we moved from area to area wriggling through small alleyways we normally wouldn’t notice. We ended up at the Tower of London, Traitors Gate and the final destination for Thomas Cromwell, Trinity Square Gardens. What an amazing day, delivered by an amazing person (and couldn’t have asked for more), would 100% recommend to anyone with an interest in Tudor history. Thank you Stephen, can’t wait to book another tour with you!



