Symbols of the City Audio Tour: Two Thousand Years of London

Overview

The City of London packs nearly 2,000 years of history into a single square mile, and most of it is hiding in plain sight. On this self-guided walking tour, you'll follow the area's story through its overlooked details. You'll also discover how the City's unique powers of self-governance, its livery companies, and its coffeehouses shaped the modern world. You'll head through Postman's Park, where a remarkable memorial honours ordinary Londoners who died saving others, then wind through the Goldsmiths' Garden – a bombsite turned green space – where two neighbouring livery halls share a centuries-old grudge dating back to World War II incendiary bombs. You'll stand in Guildhall Yard, where a medieval Great Hall, a Roman amphitheatre, and William the Conqueror's original city charter occupy the same site. You'll then follow the medieval market street of Cheapside, whose side streets – Bread Street, Milk Street, Friday Street – still bear the names of what was once sold there.