Led by David McKinstry and accompanied by a range of highly-regarded experts, we will take a group to explore Wren’s work on foot, examining the context of royal connections to Greenwich, institutional and political functions and the later uses of sites and buildings. This is a day-long walking tour, with visits to several sites and lunch at the Trafalgar Tavern. It gives a rare opportunity to study original early 19th century plans for the town centre.

This promises to be a highly engaging and comprehensive day which, although focusing on Wren, takes in the work of other artists and architects of this unique area and has much to offer anyone interested in the history of Greenwich and the architecture of the seventeenth-nineteenth centuries.

Places are limited to 40 and must be booked in advance at www.sahgb.org.uk/whatson

You think HS2 is taking a long time?

Take a walk round the City and find out how Christopher Wren and friends managed the task of rebuilding a whole city devastated by the Great Fire of London.

The fire gave them great opportunities but great challenges as well.

How did they cope?

Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

When: 19 April  – 20 September 2023, 10.30, on alternate Wednesdays

City Guides are the Official Guides to the City of London. They are qualified, accredited and insured.  https://www.cityoflondonguides.com/

Fire and Faith – Guided Walk

Wren was a child prodigy and a polymath. He excelled in many disciplines and at the age of thirty, he could have pursued a number of careers with equal virtuosity. Fortunately for us, he eventually made a career in architecture and the design of major public buildings.

This tour is round the eastern half of the City of London focussing on the Great Fire, the aftermath and the changing appearance of the City.

Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

City Guides are the Official Guides to the City of London. They are qualified, accredited and insured.  https://www.cityoflondonguides.com/

12 April  – 27 September 2023, 10.30, on alternate Wednesdays

Known to millions as the architect of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Christopher Wren’s early years were spent in Oxford where he arrived at Wadham College as a ‘gentleman commoner’ in 1649/50. This tour will start from Wadham and stroll past the Garden Quad at Trinity College, which was originally designed by Wren in the 1660s. In the same decade (and while working as the Savilian Professor of Astronomy), Wren was invited to submit designs for the impressive Sheldonian Theatre in Broad Street. After spending some time looking at the Sheldonian and walking past the gateway to All Souls in Radcliffe Square, we will move onwards to Christ Church and Wren’s Tom Tower, a key feature of the Oxford skyline. Over the course of 60 minutes, you will see Wren’s most important Oxford buildings, learn some Oxford secrets and find out more about the man described as ‘the greatest architect Britain has ever known’ and a ‘towering genius’.

Lizzy Rowe is an art historian who studied Classics at Oxford University before completing an MA in Classical and Byzantine Art at the Courtauld Institute in London. Initially an editor in book-publishing, she later worked at English Heritage as a guidebook editor. She currently lives in Oxford where she teaches Art History in primary schools and gives guided tours and talks.

She is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker on a wide variety of art-related subjects. Her particular interest is in exploring the art collections of the Oxford colleges, where many treasures can be found in chapels, dining halls and libraries.

The walks will start from outside the front entrance of Wadham College on Parks Road. This walk will be repeated at 12pm.

If tickets have sold out for this event, please email members@georgiangroup.org.uk to be added to the waiting list.

A guided walking tour of five of Wren’s Churches in the Bank area of the City of London beginning at St James Garlickhythe and visiting St Stephen’s Walbrook, St Margaret Lothbury, St Mary-le-Bow, and ending at St Vedast-alias-Foster with light refreshments. To sign up please email info@stmarylebow .org.uk

Six in the City is offering a programme of Wren related guided walks throughout this year:

An Argument of Architects – 21 April 11am

A walk exploring the architecture of the City of London, including Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral, Victorian Leadenhall Market, medieval Guildhall and the buildings of contemporary architects Norman Foster and Richard Rogers

In the Footsteps of Sir Christopher Wren – 24 May 11am

A walk exploring the architectural impact of St Paul’s Cathedral, St Lawrence Jewry, St Mary Aldermanbury, St Mary Le Bow, St Vedast, and St Stephen Walbrook and the contributions of some members of Wren’s workforce, including Thomas and Edward Strong and Grinling Gibbons

Online Tour – Sir Christopher Wren, his life, work and legacy – 27 May. 5pm, 7pm and 9pm

An online tour exploring Sir Christopher’s life and works in the City of London and around the country.

Murder, Mayhem and Memorials –  a tour of St Paul’s Churchyard   – 24 June 11am

A walk exploring the history, memorials and gardens around St Paul’s Churchyard and hearing stories of how St Paul’s Cathedral was built and later nearly destroyed in the Blitz.

If you seek his Monument, look around – 15 July 11 am

‘If you seek his Monument, look around’ is the epitaph on Wren’s tomb and this walk examines Wren’s monuments in the streets of the City of London, and tells the stories of his collaborators, Edward Woodroffe, Nicholas Hawksmoor, Edward Strong and a bevy of Deans such as William Sancroft, William Sherlock, and Henry Godolphin.

Vikings, Whittington and Wine – a tour of 3 Wren Churches  – 10 August 11am

A walk visiting St Magnus the Martyr, St Michael Paternoster Royal and St James Garlickhythe, three City of London churches that used to lie near the banks of the River Thames.

About Six in the City

We are a team of qualified City of London tour guides, (there were 6 of us at first – we have since grown to  10 – but we love the name!) We share a passion for the fascinating Square Mile and its rich history – and we’d love to share that enthusiasm with you.

So let us guide you through 2000 years of stories; we’re talking Romans, Royalty, pomp and pageantry, the Great Fire of London, majestic St Paul’s, the City’s links to Slavery, winding alleyways, ancient ceremonies, quirky skyscrapers – and that’s just for starters.

Presided over by a ‘Merry Monarch’ eager to enjoy himself after years of exile, England after 1660 is typically known for reacting against the austerities of Puritan rule. The reign of Charles II bore witness to the Great Fire of London, the Great Plague, the first women on the stage, as well as the First Anglo-Dutch trade wars. By contrast, the Restoration Court was famed throughout Europe for its hedonistic pursuits and notorious personalities, including the manifold royal mistresses.

However, amongst the frivolities of Court life, the King became a fervent patron of the arts and sciences, founding the Royal Society, as well as favouring the work of architect Sir Christopher Wren. It was Wren he chose to bring to life his vision of a home for veteran soldiers ‘broken by age or war’: the Royal Hospital Chelsea, a monument that would stand the test of time.

Join the iconic Chelsea Pensioners for this lively 1.5 hour visit, where you may meet some of history’s most notable figures along the way…

Suitable for adults, this tour includes a visit to the Great Hall, Wren Chapel, and the magnificent Figure Court. Please note that some of the tour takes place outside and visitors should come prepared for bad weather. The tour is wheelchair accessible, but please let us know in advance if you require the use of our lifts.

This event forms part of the 2023 Chelsea History Festival:

Chelsea History Festival

300 years ago, Britain’s greatest architect, Sir Christopher Wren, died at the age of 90, just as his finest work, St Paul’s Cathedral, was completed.

Join Harry Mount, architectural historian and editor of The Oldie, for a walking tour of Wren’s London, from St Paul’s to his fabulous City Churches, built after the Great Fire of London.

Includes lunch (and wine) in Middle Temple Hall, the best Elizabethan building in London.

Itinerary

11am: Meet Harry Mount outside the main western entrance of St Paul’s Cathedral

1pm: Two-course lunch in Middle Temple Hall

Tickets are £135 (inc VAT) per person, including lunch with wine.

Limited to 20 people.

Guarantee a place with Katherine by emailing reservations@theoldie.co.uk or calling 01225 427 311 (Monday-Friday)

Among the Wren churches you’ll see on this guided walk are:

• His masterpiece: St Paul’s Cathedral (note: we won’t be going in but why not visit it before or after the walk?)
• St Nicholas Cole Abbey, with its distinctive galleon weathervane and excellent cafe
• The spires of St Vedast Foster Lane and Christ Church Newgate Street
• St Mary-le-Bow, where you’ll learn about the origins of a London cockney and a strong connection to the United States
• St Mary Aldermary, an unusual gothic-style church with a stunning plasterwork ceiling
• St James Garlickhythe, known as ‘Wren’s Lantern’
• St Michael Paternoster Royal, associated with Dick Whittington
• St Stephen Walbook, with its impressive dome and stunning Henry Moore altar

The walk ends near Bank Station and lasts a little under 2 hours. Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

City Guides are the Official Guides to the City of London. They are qualified, accredited and insured.

https://www.cityoflondonguides.com/

‘If you seek his monument – look around you’. You need look no further than the Baroque designs of the Old Royal Naval College to see the impact of Sir Christopher Wren on this country.

To commemorate the tercentenary of the death of Sir Christopher Wren, a special tour has been devised looking at the outstanding impact he made on this site. Join our expert guides to learn about this polymath, architect and genius – an extraordinary man of his time and for all time.

Find out about his troubled beginnings and follow his illustrious career through the years as you wander around the grounds he designed. Discover the secrets of the buildings and how Wren’s legacy continues to resonate today.