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Offered languages
- English
Step beyond the guidebooks into Bloomsbury’s leafy Georgian squares, elegant townhouses, and hidden cobbled mews as you uncover the stories of the rich, the poor, the forgotten, and the Victorian philanthropists who tried to change their world.
On this walking tour, you’ll hear tales of royal scandal, abandoned children, a world‑famous children’s hospital, and literary legends including J. M. Barrie and Charles Dickens. Discover where George III was treated for his “madness,” see the former home of Virginia Woolf, and visit the church where Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were married, once known as the church of the chimney sweeps.
You’ll also meet an unscrupulous property developer with a very strange name and step inside a grand hotel with remarkable links to the Titanic.
Every stop reveals a different layer of Bloomsbury, from Georgian elegance to hidden histories and extraordinary human stories.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Please arrive 10-15 mins before the tour starts. Please look for me outside the station, I will wearing a guide badge and holding an iPad.
The Brunswick Centre is a 5 min walk from Russel Square station and many bus routes, there is also a lovely array of shops and restaurants.
Itinerary
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1
Our first stop is at the Fitzroy Hotel, formally the Russell Hotel. Learn all about this beautiful Victorian building and it's stories linking it to the Titanic.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2
Set amongst Georgian terraces and independent shops and cafés, with an array of blue plaques overhead, stare down at the pavement and you’ll discover hidden trinkets symbolising the tokens mothers once left behind when handing their babies over to the Foundling Hospital.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
3The Foundling Museum
Hear the story of how, in 1739, Thomas Coram—a sea captain and philanthropist—obtained a Royal Charter and established the Foundling Hospital for abandoned children living on the streets.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
4
Queen Square was laid out in the 1700s and was built for the rich and powerful. Learn how all the residential buildings slowly turned into hospitals and how it ties into the madness of King George III
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
5
Lamb’s Conduit Street is described as a charming, pedestrian‑friendly historic street dating back to Tudor times, renowned for its Georgian architecture, independent boutiques, and village‑like atmosphere.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
6
Today, Doughty Mews is a picturesque, cobbled lane lined with million‑pound townhouses, but it began life as housing for the horses and servants of the wealthy families who lived on the neighbouring street.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
7Coram's Fields
In 1739, Thomas Coram obtained a royal charter and established a hospital for abandoned children who were living in the streets as their mothers were unable to care for them.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
8Brunswick Square Gardens
Hear how this square got its name, and learn all about the famous residents who lived around the square and a scandalous court case that involved the King!
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
9
Known at The Colonnade: dating back to the 19th century, learn about The Horse Hospital a stabling for cab drivers sick horses.
5 minutes • Admission ticket free -
10
Hear the heartbreaking story of how the hospital was founded by Charles West who was appalled by the child mortality in the Victorian era and its links to Peter Pan
5 minutes • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- 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
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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