Guide London

Guide London Guide London represents the membership (500+ Blue Badge Tourist Guides) of the Association of Profess

Guide London represents the membership of the Association of Professional Tourist Guides. This includes approximately 500 qualified and knowledgeable London Blue Badge Tourist Guides offering tours of the city and beyond in over 30 different languages.

From a London red double-decker bus, a view of the Palace Theatre in London, where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is ...
07/02/2025

From a London red double-decker bus, a view of the Palace Theatre in London, where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is being performed. This iconic red-brick structure, designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt, opened in 1891 as the Royal English Opera House.

📸 © UPB.

View of the Blurry Lines mural by Dan Kitchener at the main entrance to the NYX Hotel London.   This abstract rainy wind...
06/02/2025

View of the Blurry Lines mural by Dan Kitchener at the main entrance to the NYX Hotel London. This abstract rainy window view of London takes Kitchener's signature wet street scenes to new heights.

Related Guide London Tour:
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/london-street-art-tour/

📸 © UPB.

Today in History (5 February 1856): The Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honour was officially announced in Th...
05/02/2025

Today in History (5 February 1856): The Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honour was officially announced in The London Gazette. This prestigious decoration recognizes acts of extreme bravery "in the presence of the enemy." It was created by a Royal Warrant signed by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856. It is hand-made, traditionally using bronze taken from a gun captured in the Crimean War. It was deliberately intended to have little monetary value.

Related Guide London Tour:
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/british-military-history-tour/

📸 © Arghya1999 via Wikimedia Commons.

2025 is the Year of the Snake, but pictured here is a Chinese dragon mounted on a wall on Wardour Street in London's Chi...
04/02/2025

2025 is the Year of the Snake, but pictured here is a Chinese dragon mounted on a wall on Wardour Street in London's Chinatown. This majestic sculpture, which has been there for some years, stands guard year-round, regardless of which zodiac animal is currently celebrated. A beautiful blend of tradition and urban art!

📸 © UPB.

Looking up at Space House, a Grade II listed building at One Kemble Street off Kingsway.  Designed by George Marsh of Ri...
03/02/2025

Looking up at Space House, a Grade II listed building at One Kemble Street off Kingsway. Designed by George Marsh of Richard Seifert and Partners in the 1960s, this iconic structure features a striking cylindrical tower with a unique cruciform concrete façade. Completed in 1968, it showcases innovative brutalist architecture with its precast concrete blocks and Y-shaped columns.

Related Guide London Tour:
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/london-architecture-tour-modern-contemporary/

📸 © UPB.

February is LGBT+ History Month in the United Kingdom! 🏳️‍🌈 This year marks the 21st anniversary with the theme "Activis...
01/02/2025

February is LGBT+ History Month in the United Kingdom! 🏳️‍🌈 This year marks the 21st anniversary with the theme "Activism and Social Change." Celebrating five remarkable historical figures: Octavia Hill, Ivor Cummings, Annie Kenney, Charlie Kiss, and Olaudah Equiano.

Find out more:
https://lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/lgbt-history-month-2025/

📸 © UPB.

A few of the mesmorizing art on display at Tate Modern, part of the Electric Dreams exhibition.  Electric Dreams showcas...
31/01/2025

A few of the mesmorizing art on display at Tate Modern, part of the Electric Dreams exhibition. Electric Dreams showcases how artists from the 1950s to 1990s imagined our digital future using cutting-edge technologies of their time. A journey through art, technology, and imagination!

Four of the artwork in Electric Dreams include:
* Untitled (Geometric Reliefs Series) by Iranian-born painter and sculptor Mohsen Vaziri Moghaddam
* Circular Dynamics 6S+S by Italian painter and optical artist, Marina Apollonio.
* Chromointerferent Environment by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez.
* 𝑳𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝑩 and 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒆 by Japanese sculptor Tatsuo Miyajima.

Related Guide London Tour
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/tate-modern-tour/

📸 © UPB.

Today in History (30 January 1649), King Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. After...
30/01/2025

Today in History (30 January 1649), King Charles I was executed outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. After a controversial trial for high treason, he became the first and only English monarch to be publicly tried and executed by his own government.

Related Guide London Tour
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/royal-london-tour/

📸 © Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

This weekend in London's Chinatown, watch the spectacular lion dance as Chinese New Year kicks off!  This Year of the Sn...
29/01/2025

This weekend in London's Chinatown, watch the spectacular lion dance as Chinese New Year kicks off! This Year of the Snake, promising transformation and new beginnings! 🐍🎉🥁

⏰ SATURDAY 1st Feb:
Lion dances throughout Chinatown.

⏰ SUNDAY 2nd Feb:
Chinese New Year Parade! From 10am until 11:45am. The route starts at Trafalgar Square and ends in Chinatown.

Find out more via: https://chinatown.co.uk/en/events-en/chinese-lunar-new-year-2025/

📸 © UPB..

Today in History (28 January 1807), Frederick Winsor illuminated the first public street  (Pall Mall) in the world using...
28/01/2025

Today in History (28 January 1807), Frederick Winsor illuminated the first public street (Pall Mall) in the world using gas lamps, transforming London's nighttime landscape forever.

This revolutionary moment not only increased public safety but also set the stage for modern urban lighting. By 1850, gas lighting had spread across Britain, dramatically changing how cities functioned after dark.

Related Guide London Blog Post:
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/blog/around-london/11-interesting-facts-about-london-gas-lamps/

📸 © Flickr/UnsureShot.

Blue Badge Tourist Guide Angela Morgan with her clients at the Statue of Mary Seacole, a pioneering Jamaican-born nurse ...
27/01/2025

Blue Badge Tourist Guide Angela Morgan with her clients at the Statue of Mary Seacole, a pioneering Jamaican-born nurse known for her compassionate care of British soldiers during the Crimean War, in the garden of St Thomas' Hospital.

The statue was created by sculptor Martin Jennings and unveiled on 30 June 2016 by Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE. Jennings designed the statue to depict Seacole in motion, symbolising her resilience and determination. Notably, this was the first statue in the United Kingdom to honour a named Black woman, standing in the hospital gardens facing the Palace of Westminster.

📸 © Angela Morgan
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/guides/angelamorgan/

Today in History (24 January 1533), King Henry VIII of England secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn in a pre-da...
24/01/2025

Today in History (24 January 1533), King Henry VIII of England secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn in a pre-dawn ceremony at Whitehall Palace. The marriage took place in utmost secrecy, with only four or five witnesses present.

At the time of their wedding, Anne was already pregnant with the future Queen Elizabeth I. The ceremony was so clandestine that even Thomas Cranmer, who would later become Archbishop of Canterbury, did not know about it for at least two weeks.

The portrait at the National Portrait Gallery (NPG 668) captures Anne in a black dress with a French hood, wearing a gold chain and a pearl necklace with a distinctive 'B' pendant - symbolizing her Boleyn name. Interestingly, this portrait was created over 50 years after her death, during the reign of her daughter Elizabeth I.

Their marriage would ultimately change the course of English history, leading to the break from the Catholic Church and establishing the Church of England.

📸 © UPB.

Today in History (23 January 1571), Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in London. Founded by merchant Sir Thoma...
23/01/2025

Today in History (23 January 1571), Queen Elizabeth I opened the Royal Exchange in London. Founded by merchant Sir Thomas Gresham, this iconic building became the bustling heart of London's trade.

The Exchange served as a central marketplace where merchants from across Europe gathered to buy and sell commodities such as spices, tea, and textiles. It also functioned as a vital hub for exchanging news about incoming ships and international commerce, allowing traders to conduct business efficiently in one location.

Today, the Royal Exchange stands as a testament to London's entrepreneurial spirit, now hosting luxury shops and restaurants while preserving its historic charm.

Related Guide London Tour
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/the-city-of-london-tour/

📸 © UPB.

Crossing the street towards a yellow-painted double-decker bus and Dan Kitchener's gigantic mural on the NYX Hotel Holbo...
21/01/2025

Crossing the street towards a yellow-painted double-decker bus and Dan Kitchener's gigantic mural on the NYX Hotel Holborn in London.

Painted in 2021, this massive piece, at 125 feet tall, is considered one of London's tallest murals, created entirely freehand using spray paint over four weeks.

Titled 'London Colours,' the mural references local landmarks and community spirit, showcasing Kitchener's signature neon-soaked style and urban aesthetic.

Related Guide London Tour
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/london-street-art-tour/

📸 © UPB.

It is the final week to see Zanele Muholi's exhibition at Tate Modern! 🎨.This powerful retrospective showcases over 260 ...
19/01/2025

It is the final week to see Zanele Muholi's exhibition at Tate Modern! 🎨.

This powerful retrospective showcases over 260 photographs plus sculptures celebrating the lives of South Africa’s Black LGBTQIA+ communities.

Muholi, a visual activist, captures moments of love, resilience, and identity through striking imagery.

Don't miss your chance to experience this impactful exhibition before it closes on January 26, 2025.

📸 © UPB.

View of OB 8 by Steven Gontarski, located in the piazza of Central Saint Giles.This striking 5-metre tall abstract sculp...
18/01/2025

View of OB 8 by Steven Gontarski, located in the piazza of Central Saint Giles.

This striking 5-metre tall abstract sculpture, created in 2008, is made of painted and lacquered glass-fibre-reinforced plastic.

📸 © UPB.

View of the Shaftesbury Theatre, currently showcasing Mrs. Doubtfire, a musical adaptation.Originally opened as the New ...
17/01/2025

View of the Shaftesbury Theatre, currently showcasing Mrs. Doubtfire, a musical adaptation.

Originally opened as the New Prince's Theatre on 26 December 1911, this Grade II listed building was designed by the renowned architect Bertie Crewe.

The theatre features a striking Italianate façade and a spacious auditorium with a capacity of 1,400 seats, making it one of the West End’s major venues for large-scale musical productions.

Related Guide London Tour
https://www.guidelondon.org.uk/tours/classic-london-tour/

📸 © UPB

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Guide London represents the membership of the Association of Professional Tourist Guides launched in 1989. Starting with 80 members during the first year, the organization has expanded over the years and now includes approximately 500 qualified and knowledgeable London Blue Badge Tourist Guides offering tours of the city and beyond in over 30 different languages.

Top 5 Reasons to hire a Guide London - Blue Badge Tourist Guide:


  • Blue Badge Tourist Guides have trained intensively for 2 years and passed the highest Tourist Guiding qualification in the UK. They are the best of the best.

  • Blue Badge Tourist Guides, due to their unparalleled knowledge, are the only external guides permitted to guide the major sites – e.g. St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London and Windsor Castle.