The great seminal London Walk. Miss it and you’ve missed London.
For Old Westminster is London at its grandest: the place where kings and queens are crowned, where they lived, and often were buried. It’s the forge of the national destiny, the beating heart of the Empire, the Mecca of politicians throughout the ages. The past here is cast in stone and we take it all in: ancient Westminster Hall, the Houses of Parliament, the Jewel Tower, and Westminster Abbey. And to see it with a great guide is to have that past suddenly rise to the surface, like seeing a photographic print come up in a darkroom.
And embarrass de richesse we’ll also explore the private face of Westminster. Unlike the tourist hordes we get to see the hidden and ever so picturesque 18th-century backstreets where all the political salons are. Totally off the beaten track, it’s the London equivalent of Georgetown. And then some. Because not only do we take in, for example, the house where the anti-appeasement movement got started – by way of a grace note you’ll also see a house where Marilyn Monroe spent the night! In short, welcome to one of those secret neighbourhoods that London excels in. And for that matter, there’s no better time to discover “Old Westminster” because the swarms of tourists are long gone. In short, we’ll have it to ourselves and so be able to see it properly. It just doesn’t get any better than this. But how could it, considering that we’ll also take in the most famous night-time view in Europe: the view over the water to the Houses of Parliament. All towers and spikes and serried windows and bathed in golden light. And Big Ben like a sentinel, booming out the hour. And garlands of Victorian lamps along the Embankment. And dark patches that suggest the old and mighty consequence of the place, well, you get the idea. Garnish with some fascinating nooks and crannies, a secret mediaeval palace and maybe a quick pit stop at a traditional old pub frequented by Members of Parliament – it’s an astonishingly rich walk, a great walk. One that’ll glow in the cockles of your memory for a long, long time.
And how’s this for a bonus: when Parliament is in session late night sittings are the norm on Monday nights – in short, on most Monday nights after the walk you’ll be able to go inside Parliament and watch the House of Commons (or if you prefer, the House of Lords) in action. And what’s more, you won’t have to queue to get in! Guided by Oliver, Peter or Delianne
OLD WESTMINSTER BY GASLIGHT – THE PRACTICALS
Old Westminster by Gaslight takes place everyMonday at 7 pm. Meet Oliver just outside exit 4 of WestminsterTube Stop. N.B. the walk ends at Westminster Tube.
If you can’t make one of the regularly scheduled, just-turn-up, Old Westminster by Gaslight it can always be booked as a private tour. If you go private you can have the Old Westminster by Gaslight walk – or any other London Walk – on a day and at a time that suits your convenience. We’ll tailor it to your requirements. Ring Fiona or Mary on 020 7624 3978 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll set it up and make it happen for you. A private London Walk – they’re good value for an individual or couple and sensational value for a group – makes an ideal group or educational or birthday party or office (team-building) or club outing.
GIVE THE GIFT OF LONDON WALKS
A private London Walk makes a fab gift – be it a birthday or anniversary or Christmas present or whatever. Merchandise schmerchandise (gift wrapped or not) – but giving someone an experience, now that’s special. Memories make us rich.
We were disappointed with this tour (Delianne was our guide). It seems that I misread the description, so I want to clear things up for others in case they have the same expectations I did. Most importantly, this seems to be a tour about gaslamps, which I didn’t expect. Sure, you’re walking around Westminster and the guide gives tidbits about some of the buildings, but her passion is gaslamps. I thought the “by gaslight” was just a romantic title for a tour taking place after dark, and I did not expect the heavy emphasis on different types of gaslamps, comparison with lamps that had been replaced by LED, etc.
And though Westminster Abbey is listed among the destinations, you don’t get within 200 meters of the place. It’s more of “that’s Westminster Abbey over there.” I had thought we would go into the abbey; I realize it doesn’t explicitly say that, so it’s my mistake, but when it said that we’d “take it all in” including Westminster Abbey, I thought we’d get a little more of the abbey. So basically, if you’re not interested in gaslamps and you are interested in seeing the inside of any buildings, don’t take this tour. If you’re looking for a stroll around a nice part of the city with a little bit of commentary about the buildings (bonus if you love gaslamps), go for it.
Rated 5 out of 5
G. Fletcher –
Old Westminster by Gaslight with Simon on 3/3/25.
Excellent evening walk. Simon was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Will definitely do another when next in London
Rated 5 out of 5
Joanne and Philip from Vancouver –
We highly recommend this. Simon is a master storyteller who covered a wide expanse of history, including intriguing, behind-the-scene events behind big moments and the fascinating personalities that were part of these. He brought tiny architectural details, back street addresses and street names to life. Highlights included a gorgeous night time view of the Houses of Parliament. Simon is engaging and knowledgeable.
Rated 5 out of 5
Charles –
Fantastic tour! Our guide Simon did a superb job. He gave us tons of context and historical facts on everything we saw during the walk. Both informative and entertaining, a perfect balance. Thank you Simon!
Rated 2 out of 5
Penny Robinson –
We did the Westminster Gaslight tour with Delianne (the American lady). Not the best, she was very keen on gaslights but we found her delivery quite annoying. She also didn’t wait for the group to all catch up before launching into her spiel so we kept missing bits. Quite interesting subject but nowhere near as good as some of your others.
Rated 5 out of 5
Gay Boersma –
We thoroughly enjoyed the Old Westminster walk by gaslight last Monday night with Peter. Peter was very knowledgeable and also had a sense of humour. Highly recommend London Walks! Thanks Peter Gay and Paul
Rated 5 out of 5
Gillian Forrester –
Old Westminster by gaslight with Simon 21 August 2023
We absolutely loved the walk brilliantly presented by Simon. From start to finish Simon dropped his infinite knowledge about the history of the area with some fantastic humour. On the basis of this experience we would totally recommend London Walks and intend to sample other walks on future visits. Kindest regards Gill & Andrew (Glasgow)
Rated 5 out of 5
Randy –
Wonderful! Simon was so much fun. He wove stories and historical facts together to make history accessible and come alive!
Rated 5 out of 5
Susan –
Wonderful! Simon was a knowledgeable, engaging and funny guide. Would definitely go back!
Rated 5 out of 5
Vivian Su –
Loved Simon’s tour and his enthusiasm. He is so personable that it feels like he is an old friend taking you around. Just love love loved his stories and the walk was beautiful as well.
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Kathryn –
We were disappointed with this tour (Delianne was our guide). It seems that I misread the description, so I want to clear things up for others in case they have the same expectations I did. Most importantly, this seems to be a tour about gaslamps, which I didn’t expect. Sure, you’re walking around Westminster and the guide gives tidbits about some of the buildings, but her passion is gaslamps. I thought the “by gaslight” was just a romantic title for a tour taking place after dark, and I did not expect the heavy emphasis on different types of gaslamps, comparison with lamps that had been replaced by LED, etc.
And though Westminster Abbey is listed among the destinations, you don’t get within 200 meters of the place. It’s more of “that’s Westminster Abbey over there.” I had thought we would go into the abbey; I realize it doesn’t explicitly say that, so it’s my mistake, but when it said that we’d “take it all in” including Westminster Abbey, I thought we’d get a little more of the abbey. So basically, if you’re not interested in gaslamps and you are interested in seeing the inside of any buildings, don’t take this tour. If you’re looking for a stroll around a nice part of the city with a little bit of commentary about the buildings (bonus if you love gaslamps), go for it.
G. Fletcher –
Old Westminster by Gaslight with Simon on 3/3/25.
Excellent evening walk. Simon was very entertaining and knowledgeable. Will definitely do another when next in London
Joanne and Philip from Vancouver –
We highly recommend this. Simon is a master storyteller who covered a wide expanse of history, including intriguing, behind-the-scene events behind big moments and the fascinating personalities that were part of these. He brought tiny architectural details, back street addresses and street names to life. Highlights included a gorgeous night time view of the Houses of Parliament. Simon is engaging and knowledgeable.
Charles –
Fantastic tour! Our guide Simon did a superb job. He gave us tons of context and historical facts on everything we saw during the walk. Both informative and entertaining, a perfect balance. Thank you Simon!
Penny Robinson –
We did the Westminster Gaslight tour with Delianne (the American lady). Not the best, she was very keen on gaslights but we found her delivery quite annoying. She also didn’t wait for the group to all catch up before launching into her spiel so we kept missing bits. Quite interesting subject but nowhere near as good as some of your others.
Gay Boersma –
We thoroughly enjoyed the Old Westminster walk by gaslight last Monday night with Peter. Peter was very knowledgeable and also had a sense of humour. Highly recommend London Walks! Thanks Peter Gay and Paul
Gillian Forrester –
Old Westminster by gaslight with Simon 21 August 2023
We absolutely loved the walk brilliantly presented by Simon. From start to finish Simon dropped his infinite knowledge about the history of the area with some fantastic humour. On the basis of this experience we would totally recommend London Walks and intend to sample other walks on future visits. Kindest regards Gill & Andrew (Glasgow)
Randy –
Wonderful! Simon was so much fun. He wove stories and historical facts together to make history accessible and come alive!
Susan –
Wonderful! Simon was a knowledgeable, engaging and funny guide. Would definitely go back!
Vivian Su –
Loved Simon’s tour and his enthusiasm. He is so personable that it feels like he is an old friend taking you around. Just love love loved his stories and the walk was beautiful as well.