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Under Cover England Matt Ware, Blue Badge & City of London qualified guide,Police officer & ex farmer; guiding undercover

The early morning tours of the City’s historic Smithfield Market usually take place monthly on a Thursday or Friday at 6.30am. This early start should not put anyone off - this is a really unusual experience for anyone interested in history, food and Victorian architecture. As if that wasn’t tempting enough, the tour provides a perfect opportunity to experience the hustle and bustle of the City of

London’s last surviving market at first hand and in full flow. It focuses on the workings of the famous meat market but will also cover:

The fabric of the market, which has evolved over a thousand years

The long and turbulent history of Smithfield

The growth of the notorious cattle market

The gaiety of Bartholomew Fair

Duration: 90 minutes

Price: £15+ Eventbrite Booking fee

Where: Street level entrance to the Barbican Underground Station

Book: via Eventbrite

If you have any questions about the tour please email us at [email protected]. And if you want to learn more about Smithfield's bloody past, why not go on our popular 'Dark Side of the City' tour, which take place on Friday mornings. Photos: courtesy of Niki Gorick
Please note: children must be accompanied by an adult at all times

A wonderful evening of , with the lovely group from and some great after some by and ex .
14/06/2024

A wonderful evening of , with the lovely group from and some great after some by and ex .

A wonderful evening of , with this lovely group from .
14/06/2024

A wonderful evening of , with this lovely group from .

Happy or day, commemorating the of the in 1660. It is linked to legend of hiding in an tree at in 1651...
29/05/2024

Happy or day, commemorating the of the in 1660. It is linked to legend of hiding in an tree at in 1651 during the after the .
In in , members of the Heart of Oak Society march through the village holding flower and oak leaf decorated sticks, following a brass band. The march goes first to the church for a service, and then to houses who host liquid refreshments.

Westminster Abbey looking magnificent as we left uplifted after ,at the end of an action-packed day of themed visit...
11/05/2024

Westminster Abbey looking magnificent as we left uplifted after ,at the end of an action-packed day of themed visits with the writer’s group from ; including a highlights coach pano, tour of , visit to the , and the at .

24/04/2024

A glorious Spring sunny day for guided tours completed for Wimbledon museum . The lovely guests were treated to seeing the courts being top-dressed with grass seeds and I was delighted to talk farming about Perennial Ryegrass. Such a great place to work.

Happy (patron saint of England) and from as we also celebrate in the most traditional way …. with cloudy, showe...
23/04/2024

Happy (patron saint of England) and from as we also celebrate in the most traditional way …. with cloudy, showery rainy weather ☔️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧

Wonderful weather for, in , with this amazing group. and .
20/03/2024

Wonderful weather for, in , with this amazing group. and .

11/03/2024

Today we made it to the half-way point of the 102 mile Way, just south of the beautiful of in . 51 miles completed since starting in , and 51 to go to glorious .

The under the in the . Astonishingly, due to the bombing and reconstruction caused by , more archaeological excava...
21/02/2024

The under the in the . Astonishingly, due to the bombing and reconstruction caused by , more archaeological excavations of (17 feet below modern ground level), have been made than any other major city ! The magnificent over the remains of the of at is quite unique.

On or , Christians traditionally eat up all their eggs before entering the 40 days of and fasting before . take ...
13/02/2024

On or , Christians traditionally eat up all their eggs before entering the 40 days of and fasting before . take place across the UK, including the “eggs-a-lent” race , where the different liveries provide the eggs, milk, flour, honey and pans etc.

Great to guide a group of students from the around today, arranged by . The students visited and the , where ...
13/02/2024

Great to guide a group of students from the around today, arranged by . The students visited and the , where they met .

Always a joy to explore the treasures of the British Museum and see the stunning highlights such as the and , but al...
14/01/2024

Always a joy to explore the treasures of the British Museum and see the stunning highlights such as the and , but also get to see the more secret, undercover aspects of this incredible .

A wonderful student group from studying made a lovely start to my 2024 guided tours for . The guests were lovely an...
06/01/2024

A wonderful student group from studying made a lovely start to my 2024 guided tours for . The guests were lovely and engaging, whilst I was delighted to talk farming about Perennial and fox repellant tips. Such a great place to work.

The wonderful ehibition at the , complete with a live class of characters from the paintings in the gallery after...
18/11/2023

The wonderful ehibition at the , complete with a live class of characters from the paintings in the gallery afterwards . .

For and , this is the Tomb of the - an anonymous soldier who’s burial captured the nation’s mood and helped heal m...
12/11/2023

For and , this is the Tomb of the - an anonymous soldier who’s burial captured the nation’s mood and helped heal millions of broken hearts - it - Represents all those who died who have no other memorial or burial place and takes pride of place in Abbey, deliberately in the way so that everyone, even the great monarchs, have to acknowledge the tomb every time they enter.

It holds an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during . Of 3/4 m killed , half have no grave.

It may be from army, navy or airforce, from any part of the UK

It is surrounded by a border of red silk poppies (adopted as symbol of Remembrance 1920).
It recalls the great battlefields with a slab of black Belgium marble and French Soil from the battlefields, with the body in an coffin from a tree. 🌹

A glorious sunny day for guided tours completed for . The guests were lovely and seemed happy, whilst I was delight...
11/11/2023

A glorious sunny day for guided tours completed for . The guests were lovely and seemed happy, whilst I was delighted to talk farming about Perennial Ryegrass. Such a great place to work.

As London recovers from the devastation of , the brave boldly .
03/11/2023

As London recovers from the devastation of , the brave boldly .

The sang at station to help raise awareness and funds for the collection this evening. .
02/11/2023

The sang at station to help raise awareness and funds for the collection this evening. .

Coaches and ready to es**rt fans home from the game to their central 🇬🇧 hotels, ending an action packed and stay...
08/10/2023

Coaches and ready to es**rt fans home from the game to their central 🇬🇧 hotels, ending an action packed and stay seeing .castle

Enjoying the guiding some parents and family through the glorious in some glorious October sunshine.
03/10/2023

Enjoying the guiding some parents and family through the glorious in some glorious October sunshine.

along the with exploring the on a .
03/10/2023

along the with exploring the on a .

Like father, like son. Some quality time with the Ancient Britons (aka the parents), on the .
03/10/2023

Like father, like son. Some quality time with the Ancient Britons (aka the parents), on the .

Starting on the from , with my most precious guests to guide to date, aka mum and dad.
01/10/2023

Starting on the from , with my most precious guests to guide to date, aka mum and dad.

What a great pleasure it is to be guiding farmers from the around , and this week. Here they enjoyed by ne...
27/09/2023

What a great pleasure it is to be guiding farmers from the around , and this week. Here they enjoyed by near .

Visiting the beautiful and highest altitude town of . The church of St. Edward, that gives it’s name to the town ( S...
07/09/2023

Visiting the beautiful and highest altitude town of . The church of St. Edward, that gives it’s name to the town ( St. Edwards stow/holy place on the Wold), is an impressive church and witnessed the massacre of Royalist troops in the in 1646; and was also the inspiration for J.R.R. and the Doors of Durin.

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A glorious Spring sunny day for @wimbledon guided tours completed for Wimbledon museum . The lovely guests were treated to seeing the courts being top-dressed with grass seeds and I was delighted to talk farming about Perennial Ryegrass. Such a great place to work.

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A 5am start today, sharing the secrets and history of London’s last great central #market at #smithfield , with exclusive official Smithfield guide access to the early morning meat market by six qualified @colguides including @undercoverengland #Bluebadgeguide @texasfarmbureau @britainsbestguides #secretlondon #farmtours #foodtour #foodtourguide . @nuffieldfarming @hixsonmeatldn @smithfieldlondon @smithfieldbutchers @totally.tailored . https://www.cityoflondonguides.com/tours/smithfield-market-tours-monthly

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