Amazing Women in London Tour

Have you ever walked through London and wondered “Where are the statues of women?” or have you ever walked around London and counted the statues of women then tried to do the same with the statues of men? If you did, what differences did you notice? We at Wonders of London have walked through the streets of London with a thought always residing in the backs of our minds. This thought is “Surely women have contributed to history just as much as men, but where are their statues?” Join us on this amazing free walking tour through the London boroughs of Lambeth and Westminster (which is also known as The City of Westminster) and discover the statues, memorials and stories of some of the amazing history changing and history making women of London. On this tour we will discover the story of the woman who burnt the City of London down, the story of the queen who saved The Burghers of Calais, amazing nurses and heroic spies from World War II. When we say women we mean real women as opposed to mythological representations of women or statues that embody the ideals that are often associated with women and the statues include but are not limited to Mary Seacole, Florence Nightingale, Emmeline Pankhurst among others. And of course, we will make a particular note on the difference in the representation of women on this tour.

Starting at Lambeth palace this amazing 2 and a half hour tour will take you past Lambeth Palace towards Westminster Bridge and St Thomas Hospital. From St Thomas we will cross over Westminster bridge for amazing views of the London Eye and Big Ben. From Big Ben we will go to Parliament Square for great photo opportunities including The houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Supreme Court.

From there we go to the Victoria Tower Gardens for an amazing view of the Victoria Tower which tour guide Vincent thinks is better than Big Ben. After that we will walk down Whitehall/Parliament Street for views of Downing Street, The Royal Horseguards and Banqueting House before continuing on to Trafalgar Square. From Trafalgar Square we will go to the final stop on the tour which is directly opposite the beautiful St. James’s Park.

This tour is recommended to all ages although topics include war, disease, death, murder, suicide and the wrongful treatment of women in history.

1. Start – Meet us at The Garden Museum on the Southbank. This is located right next to Lambeth Palace and Lambeth Bridge. The closest station (very short walking distance) to the meeting point is Lambeth North. The Next closest stations to the meeting point are Vauxhall and Waterloo. Bus options include the 507 or the C10 from Waterloo (towards Victoria) which will drop you right by the meeting point. If you are coming from Vauxhall the 344 bus towards Liverpool Street will drop you off right by the meeting point. Both Vauxhall and Waterloo stations are within walking distance of the meeting point.

2. Violet Szabo Monument (Southbank) – S.O.E Special Operations Executive and WW2 spies.

3. Mary Seacole (St. Thomas Hospital) – Nursing and the Crimean War. Amazing black women in London.

4. Westminster Bridge – walk over Westminster Bridge with amazing views of the London Eye and Houses of Parliament.

5. Boudicca Statue – Roman London, Boudicca’s Revolt and the burning down of Londinium.

6. Millicent Garrett Fawcett (Parliament Square) – The Suffragettes and the women’s movement.

7. Women in Law (Supreme Court) – 100 years of women practising law.

8. Westminster Abbey – Great views of the Abbey and the Victoria Tower at the Houses of Parliament.

9. Emmeline Pankhurst (Victoria Tower Gardens) – The Suffragettes, WW1 and the Pankhursts.

10. The Burghers of Calais (Victoria Tower Gardens) – Queen Philippa’s petition.

11. The Women of WW2 Memorial (Whitehall/Parliament Street)– Women and WW2

12. Trafalgar Square and the fourth plinth – Statues of women on the Square and their reception.

13. Edith Cavell (National Portrait Gallery) – Nursing in WW1 and the sacrifice of Edith Cavell.

14. Florence Nightingale (Regent Street St. James) – Nursing and the Crimean War. Amazing Nurses in London.

15. End by the Crimean War memorial which includes a statue of Florence Nightingale. Closest Stations are Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Charing Cross.