Burnings, Butchery & Black Death: A Walking Tour of London's Bloody Past

Overview

Available languages

English

2 hours

Mobile ticket

Travel through a thousand years of history, meeting medieval knights, body snatchers, Charles Dickens, an eighteenth century ghost, and William Wallace - aka Braveheart (and learn how he was in no fit state to shout "Freeeedoooommmm!" whilst being executed!)

On our walking tour we'll visit the areas around Smithfield, for centuries London's site of both animal and human slaughter. We'll learn about how the city disposed of the tens of thousands of Black Death corpses in the fourteenth century, the execution methods used in the Middle Ages, and how the area became a notorious slum which Dickens used as the setting for Oliver Twist.

The walking tour begins outside Barbican Station, ends near to Farringdon Station, and will take around two hours. Total distance is about two miles.

Ticket sales will be limited to fifteen attendees, to ensure maximum enjoyment for everybody on the tour.

Additional Info

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Tour

Gratuities

What To Expect

The Charterhouse

A fourteenth century monastery and plague pit

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Smithfield Market

A one thousand year old meat market

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Burnings, Butchery & Black Dea

Reviews

4.97

253 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

246

Fascinating tour
sarahhippo,
Nov 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A great blend of history and fun, spanning 2000 years. We didn't realise so much history is packed in to such a small area.
Super awesome tour
emiz205,
Oct 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
10/10 interesting, informative, entertaining, educational. Perfect balance of it all, learned a ton, saw a ton, Tom is awesome.
A terrific guide let loose on a fascinating subject
P2671ZZgeorges,
Oct 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I have visited London many times, I have a degree in history, and I have read avidly about the history of London. Tom exceeded all my expectations. He could be a professor of history, and if he was, his lectures would be very popular. His ability to join the sweeping overview with the gritty minutiae, and add a generous dollop of humour, is very rare. Highly recommended!
Engaging and perfectly paced
Rachael B,
Sep 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Very informative, learned about lesser known events in the city of London- good pace, answered all questions, and engaging!
Great & highly entertaining tour!
Kaz1903,
Aug 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Tom was a brilliant guide, we learned so much on our tour this morning. Very informative and interesting walk around a part of London we have never visited before. Definitely on to consider if you’ve done all the usual “tourist” stuff!
Bloody Brilliant!
JPCLEC,
Aug 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Despite the subject of this tour, Tom was the most engaging of guides and told the gruesome stories of the Smithfield/Clerkenwell area with a certain amount of humour and a LOT of knowledge. It was a fantastic two hours and even though we lived around the area a number of years ago we realised early in this tour that we had missed most of this area's fascinating history. Cannot recommend Tom highly enough, and will be looking to take one of his other tours in the future.
Great walking tour with a very knowledgeable guide.
A3072YUmichaela,
Aug 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great tour. Very informative. Good pace. The guide was very knowledgable. It was good to have stories told that shared the many layers of each site.
A tour of Smithfield and Farringdon
jeff788,
Aug 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
A very interesting and entertaining tour. An area that I am familiar with geographically but didn't know the history. Thank you.
The best tour!
lucyd828,
Aug 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was my second time taking one of Tom's tours - he is brilliant! The tours are fascinating and incredibly well thought out. Tom's delivery is great. The gift vouchers make a lovely gift. Thanks, Tom!
A gruesome but funny look into London's bloody history
davidhA9203PL,
Jul 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
As part of my holiday, I decided to give this tour a try and was very impressed with the tour guide Tom and his knowledge of this subject. Even though most of the stories that Tom was telling the guests are quite gruesome, he told them with some humor mixed in. But when I was booking this tour there was one part which caught my attention and that was the ghostly going on at Cock Lane, I know about the Cock Lane ghost because I have been researching the paranormal for many years and am quite familiar with the story. When Tom finished telling the guests about the history of Cock Lane, I then told him and the guests that what Tom told them was absolutely right and another place if anyone is interested in that subject is 50 Berkeley Square, which is just as horrific. If your interested in knowing about the Bloody and dark history of London, then do go on this tour, Tom is a great tour guide and you will learn a lot from him.