Slums and Squares and Rock n’Roll: Secrets of St Giles’
Who knew ...
Yards away from one of London’s most handsome squares was its most notorious slum?
A street which saw the early careers of Elton John and the Sex Pistols adjoins a medieval leper hospital?
A charming area of shops and bars now fills what was a failed posh residential district?
You will probably know lots of bits of the St Giles' area: Tottenham Court Rd tube, Centrepoint, Shaftesbury Ave, Seven Dials...but you probably don't know how the area came to be as it is. A fascinating story of ancient roadways meeting, a medieval leper colony, a failed posh residential district, a notorious Victorian slum and the most unspoilt Georgian square in London. I would be delighted to help you explore all this (and see the street where Elton John worked as a tea boy and the Rolling Stones and Genesis recorded their earliest singles).
Duration
120 mins (2.2km)
End
Bedford Square
