Smithfield Pub Walking Tour: Executions & Ales!

Step back in time on a private pub walking tour through one of London’s most notorious medieval quarters. Along the way, enjoy drinks at two of the City’s most historic taverns, while your expert guide shares spine-chilling tales of executions, body-snatchers, and infamous rogues.

Wander the atmospheric streets around the legendary Smithfield Market, an area steeped in over 800 years of turbulent history, before retracing the shadowy footsteps of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Inside traditional pubs—one with medieval origins—you’ll savour authentic British ales, stouts, ciders or fine wines (two drinks per guest included) in the same kind of haunts once frequented by drunkards, anatomists, body-snatchers and even modern movie crews.

Tour Highlights Include:

• Historic Landmarks: Europe’s oldest hospital (1123), Smithfield Market (1174), Bartholomew the Great Church (1123), Pye Corner (end of the Great Fire of London), the Oldest House in the City, the Watch House, and St Paul’s Cathedral.
• Dark Histories: Execution site of Sir William Wallace (1305), the killing of Wat Tyler during the Peasants’ Revolt (1381), and the notorious Newgate Prison (now the Central Criminal Courts).
• Story Themes: Murder & Mystery, Hangings & Quarterings, the ‘Armpit of London’, bull-baiting, ghostly legends, and more.
• Famous Characters: Henry VIII, Sherlock Holmes & Dr Watson, Charles Dickens, Dr Johnson, James Bond, and Jackson Lamb of Slow Horses.

The evening ends with a final pub stop in a more relaxed setting—perfect for reflecting on centuries of bloody history over a fitting drink. How about a Bloody Mary?