A series of walks next weekend explores subjects as diverse as The Inspirational Women of Bloomsbury, Gentlemen's Clubs of the West End, and a sensory experience in which you're required to bring along a piece of fruit.
Walking the City takes place from 17-19 April, and is the second annual weekend of its kind organised by The Culture Capital Exchange (TCCE). The series of six eclectic perambulations around areas including King’s Cross, St James’s, Bloomsbury, Mile End, Whitechapel, Stratford and Harlesden covers a diverse range of subjects.
On 17 April, join Professor Jeremy Strong on a leisurely stroll through 'club-land', pausing outside a number of London's prestigious gentlemen's establishments, notably those which have enjoyed literary patrons. Boodle's, the Carlton and the Athenaeum are on the itinerary, as well as a few fictional clubs, including Ian Fleming’s Blades, and PG Wodehouse’s Drones.
Rediscover your sensory self on 18 April, as Dr Fatima Maria Felisberti whisks you around east London on a walk emphasising locomotion and equilibrium, sound perception, visual perception and attention. You also get to eat stuff, although you've got to provide the food yourself.
Bloomsbury's inspirational female residents are the focus of a walk on 19 April. Aside from more obvious figures like Virginia Woolf, you'll learn about those you probably know less about, such as Mary Ward and Mrs Charles Dickens.
Over the weekend there is also a walk that examines how King's Cross has transformed since the 17th century, one that traces the migrant lives of those in the East End, and another that starts at Harlesden station, before tracking back into west London along the Harrow Road, uncovering along the way how gentrification has shaken things up. For this last event, participants are encouraged to bring along memories of their lives in London in the form of a photograph, a picture or a piece of writing.
Tickets for all walks (which last 60-90 minutes) are on sale now, and at just £5 a pop are likely to sell out sharpish.
