Walking with friends: Aldgate to Limehouse... and beyond

A message from 'Beak and Squeak'.

Monday January 5, 2026: 

Sunny with Northwest wind at 9 mph. 

2°C (35.6°F), but the windchill made it feel like -4°C

First walk of 2026.

I had arrived at Aldgate station early, so I had a wander around the edge of the City of London, while I awaited the arrival of Dyan, who would be accompanying me on today's walk. This would be Dyan's first walk with me, so I had picked a route that went along with some of her interests.

One of London's 'Slum' pubs, soon to be demolished.

On leaving Aldgate station we headed along the very narrow Little Somerset Street, as I wanted to get some photos of the 'Still & Star' pub, before it gets pulled down. The pub closed in 2017 and is one of only a few 'Slum' pubs left in London. This pub was converted from a private house into licensed premises, in the 1820s. Rumours abound that the new developers are going to build a replica of the pub in front of their new office block. Which begs the question, "Why not keep the original building?"

We followed Little Somerset Street and joined Mansell Street, Goodman's Fields and the Prescot Street. Prescot Street was the first street, in London, where the buildings were numbered, rather than having signs hung outside. This practice spread, aiding the flourishing postal service.

A true Victorian pub.

We passed the 'English Martyrs Church', built between 1873-1876 and then the 'Princess of Prussia', named for Victoria Louise, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter and the daughter of German emperor Wilhelm II. I must pop in here, one day.

2025: A Year in Review

HMS Belfast 'fires' her guns.

What a year 2025 turned out to be!

I surpassed last year's walking and underground distances, while visiting new places, and some familiar places, with family and friends.

January

Almost good enough to eat.

Some of the highlights from January included visiting Paddington and Kensington, where we saw 'The Wild Table of Love', 'Man in a Clock', Kensington Gardens, Gnome Land (again), the Design Museum and Japan House. At Japan House Keilyn and I visited the 'Looks delicious! Exploring Japan's food replica culture' exhibition, which was a wonderful and informative exhibition, which Keilyn really enjoyed.

Camden, Hampstead Heath, 'London School of Mosaic', the 'World Peace Garden' and the Regent's Park were all visited, too.

The 'Whitechapel Bell Foundry', 'Trinity Green Almshouses', the Regent's Canal, Mile End Park and Ropemakers Fields, Canary Wharf and Trinity Buoy Wharf, for what would be the first of three visits this year.

February

Knight of Cnihtengild.

February saw me partaking in only a few walks. I saw the statue of the 'Knight of Cnihtengild' by Denys Mitchell, Elsyng Spital Church Tower, the Bell Building in Lambeth and the 'Sam the Cat' statue, all while learning much more.

March

BBC Television Centre.

Some of the highlights from March saw us visit Swiss Cottage, Lancaster Gate, Portobello Road Market, BBC Television Centre, Shepherd's Bush Market and 'The Princess Victoria', one of London's last 'Gin Palaces'. 

Crystal Palace Park and its dinosaurs, Primrose Hill, Camley Street Natural Park, the 'Word on the Water' bookshop on a boat, the grave of Joseph Grimaldi and various alleyways were also explored. A highlight was Emma and I staying at The Tower Hotel, for our anniversary.

April

Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper).

April highlights included visiting Barbican, the 'hidden' garden at St Vedast-alias-Foster, seeing possibly the oldest tree in the City of London, Tower Hill Market, Borough Market and Lambeth, where we discovered a piano that was once played by Charlie Chaplin Senior. 

East India Docks, the 'Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper)', West India Docks, Trinity Buoy Wharf (second visit) and the Royal Docks.

The Ratcliff Highway Murders and the Aftermath

The Ratcliff Highway Murders.

In two incidents, between December 7th and 19th, 1811, seven people from two families were murdered in what would become known as the Ratcliff Highway Murders. This was one of London's first major serial murder cases, which deeply shocked Victorian society. 

At midnight on Saturday December 7th, at 29 Ratcliff Highway (now The Highway), Mr Timothy Marr, a draper, sent his maid out for oysters before he and his apprentice, James Gowan, closed the drapery for the night. On her return the maid could not rouse them to gain entry and so summoned a watchman, who also failed to make entry.

29 Ratcliff Highway is now a block of flats.

A neighbour, John Murray, who finally managed to enter, found the draper and apprentice murdered in a blood-spattered room, downstairs, and Marr's wife Celia and their child Timothy dead, upstairs. The weapons, a chisel and a maul hammer, lay on the shop floor. Two pairs of footprints were found in the back of the shop.

The site of the second murders.

On Thursday December 19th, a nearly naked man escaped from a second-floor window of the King's Arms public house, at 81 New Gravel Lane (now Garnet Street), shouting, "They are murdering the people in the house!" The publican, John Williamson, his wife, Elizabeth, and their maid, Bridget Anna Harrington, were later found dead with fractured skulls and their throats cut. A crowbar was found beside John Williamson, but no knife or sharp implement was discovered.

Walking alone: Farringdon to Tower Hill... and beyond

St George-in-the-East church.

Monday December 8, 2025.

Today was my last day of annual leave, for 2025, and I wasn't going to waste it. So, off to London I headed.

Farringdon station.

A short walk to Watford underground station saw me catch a Baker Street-bound train, which I took to Finchley Road, where I waited 3-minutes for an Aldgate-bound train. Soon I was alighting at Farringdon station, ready for a walk.

Holborn viaduct.

I headed down Farringdon Road and onto Farringdon Street, passing below the Holborn Viaduct, crossed Fleet Street, and joined New Bridge Street, before heading west along Tudor Street. With lots of building work going on I took a slight detour up Bouverie Street and entered Magpie Alley. 

Magpie Alley tiles.

The tiled walls of Magpie Alley, which I had never seen, tell the history of Fleet Street's printing evolution from around 1500. Suitably filled with new knowledge I made my way out of Magpie Alley, avoiding the scaffolding and myriad trucks and lorries that filled the streets, and made my way down Whitefriars Street until I reached Tudor Street, again. This time I headed east and rejoined New Bridge Street, which I followed north until I turned east along Ludgate Hill.

How many street names in one photo?

Ludgate Hill brought me to St Paul's Churchyard and one of London's unique thoroughfares... Peter's Hill. Now, Peter's Hill has, over the centuries, moved as the area has gone through rebuilding. Now, it shares its route with Sermon Lane and Knightrider Court, which has moved from its original position to the east of Sermon Lane, to the west of it. And, depending on which online map you use, this thoroughfare is listed under different names. Confusing.

The St Lawrence Jewry drinking fountain.

Suitably confused I continued east onto Cannon Street, passing the St Lawrence Jewry drinking fountain, before turning up Queen Victoria Street, just so that I could walk through the Bloomberg Arcade and see 'Forgotten Stream' by Cristina Iglesias. 

The oldest church in the City of London.

I then rejoined Cannon Street until I reached Eastcheap. Following my feet I continued along Eastcheap until I reached Byward Street and All Hallows by the Tower. Now, All Hallows by the Tower is the oldest church in the City of London and I have walked by it on countless occasions, but never ventured inside. So, I remedied this error, on my part, and entered this ancient building.

As I entered a couple were just leaving, which, to my surprise, left me alone in the church, apart from a few volunteers who were replacing leaflets and checking the aisles.

The Lady chapel.

I set about exploring and was taken in awe with how incredible the interior was. My footsteps echoed off the flagstone flooring as I made my way through the building taking in the chapels and artefacts on display. Making my way through the door, below the organ, I noticed the Saxon arch and a sign 

indicating the directions to the Undercroft Museum, which I followed. 

The Undercroft chapel.

I carefully made my way below the church and was soon at the Roman street level of Londinium, with a tessellated floor still in place. Slowly I explored the entire space with its Roman, Saxon, Norman and countless other eras of artefacts all on display. More chapels were visited, before the route brought me back up into the church. Having explored as much as I could I headed outside to find that it had rained while I had been inside.