Eight And A Half London Bridges

On a briskly cold January morning, fellow Blue Badge Tourist Guide Steven Szymanski inducted an enthusiastic group into his passion for bridges on a walk that took in Tower Bridge to Waterloo, via St Magnus Martyr, the Steelyard and Bankside.

A strange new way of looking at London unfolded: the ten-minute journey of old when trains backed from Cannon Street to Charing Cross giving a working girl just enough time to make the rent; Joseph Cubitt’s “half bridge”, sandwiched between road and rail bridges at Blackfriars; how else would you test the correction of the Millennium Bridges “synchronized lateral excitation” other than by sending a Page 3 girl across it holding a plate of jelly? Wonderful stuff! We’re all Bridgemen now.

View of Tower Bridge

View of London’s iconic Tower Bridge. Photo: ©ViewOnLondon/ PawelLibera.

Christine Hoodith

Careers in teaching, tourism and the theatre, together with a lively sense of fun, have helped equip me for the delights and challenges of guiding London. I enjoy walking, literature and food and love to combine these enthusiasms in my tours for visitors. I’m especially interested in introducing London…

A themed walking tour for the family around London can be great fun with a Blue Badge Tourist Guide. Guides can use great creativity to design a tour to match your needs and interests as part of our Specialist Tours. Here is an example: Does your family love cats? Let’s go on a feline-themed walking tour in search of famous cats in London.

05 January 2017

Top 10 Facts about London's Canary Wharf and Docklands

The Port of London has changed beyond all recognition in the past four decades. Once the docks teemed with men and ships from all over the world, now all is transformed and a new and vibrant area has grown up with commerce, stylish housing, fashionable shops and restaurants. Here are my Top Ten Facts about London’s Docklands.