Steve Does Tours

23/01/2025

Huge news! The plaque has gone up!

The Hit Factory means a lot to pop fans of a certain age. Think Kylie, Jason, Rick Ashley Bananarama and many others all recording and being made stars in this back street behind Borough Tube station.

The founders of Stock, Aitken and Waterman unveiled the voted by the people (including me) plaque yesterday.

From Chaucer, Shakespeare, Dickens and the Hit Factory Borough High Street literary history is huge!

And thanks to for pointing it out to me.

19/01/2025

A visit to the Handel and Hendrix House museum. Handel lived here for 36 years composing a huge range of music. Hendrix lived here for only a few months, but what a busy few months.

The museum lovingly recreates the rooms for both musicians with Hendrix’s flat at the top. In 1968 the ground floor was Mr Love’s restaurant, where Hendrix would order up rose wine with steak and chips.

Great museum much benefiting to my mind by the amble dressing up opportunities.

12/01/2025

A Sunday stroll around Borough Market for this group of friends and history enthusiasts. I was asked to provide some Vikings so had to end with the Norwegian King who tried to pull down London Bridge. He tied his ships to the then wooden bridge which acted a defensive across the Thames. Anyway we made him a Saint, built him a church and them replaced the church with the very nice office building that stands there today.

Also rewarded with seeing the procession from to the middle of London Bridge. Each year there is a blessing of the Thames jointly between the Cathedral and St Magnus the other Viking church on the north bank.

05/01/2025

Very much a small group bespoke tour this morning around the Jewish history south of Whitechapel High Road. At the start of the 20th Century the East End had 65 active synagogues. Now only three open (according to my guide book).

Also took in the Cable Street riot mural. It recalls when in October 1936 the local population stopped Sir Oswald Mosley and his blackshirts from marching through the East End. Well worth a visit.

Also took in same famous names, including one Ronald Schatt, better known as Ronnie Scott (of Soho jazz club fame).

02/01/2025

Well that was a nice review to end 2024 on - thank you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review

You can read all my reviews on Borough Market and Beyond & a lot on my website Stevedoestours - link in bio 👆🏽👆🏽

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31/12/2024

A big thank you to everyone who came on a 2024 tour! And especially to those who took part in one of my terrible “selfie with guests” photos. Small selection shown here.

Looking forward to 2025 and plenty more terrifically bad selfies.

30/12/2024

The Brompton Oratory is a large slice of Rome in South Kensington with a Cold War secret.

The column on the right as you enter was used by the Soviets as a dead letter box, where spies would leave a message to be picked up later.

The Oratory with its hushed and confessional tones still feels very espionage. I wonder if the priests knew what was going on all along?

(My second recent dead letter box post but I do like the dressing up)

24/12/2024

Just behind Oxford Street is the Fitzrovia Chapel wonderful bit of Victorian mosaic splendour.

This is the venue for this year’s King’s Christmas speech. The hospital it served is long gone but the chapel is open to the public and well worth a visit.

22/12/2024

A very lovely start to Christmas at Chelsea Old Church. Thomas Moore, Sir Hans Sloane, TS Eliot (among many others) have links with this amazingly historic church.

Recently restored organ, a wonderful choir, and much carol singing. 🎄

04/12/2024

Behind Westminster Abbey are a series of quiet and dim streets. Dim as just gaslight in the lampposts. Very atmospheric for an evening stroll.

24/11/2024

A private small tour around Mayfair ended with a bit of Cold War sleuthing.

Dead letter boxes are where spies hide messages to be secretly picked up later by their handlers. A Mayfair lamppost was one such dead letter box used by the KGB. Luckily on this visit the small door opened and I was able to given a dramatic (some may say over dramatic) recreation. The dead letter box was used throughout the 1960’s and only came to light via a Russian defector in the 1980’s.

By spy coincide overlooking the lamppost was the office of the producers of the Bond movies who were busy auditioning Sean Connery with no idea of what was happening on their door step.

11/11/2024

Had to head into the House of Commons today. The building is beautiful and while us tour guides rightly often tell you to look up it also pays to look down.

Through out the building beautiful Pugin tiles have a range of neo-gothic designs. In Westminster Hall brass plaques mark where coffins have laid in State including most recently the late Queen.

You can buy the old tiles in the gift shop if looking for early Christmas gift ideas (just saying 👀)

29/10/2024

For a Westminster Guide who does plenty of royal tours it was great fun looking around the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. Lots of Stuart King portraits had not seen before.

James I (or VI if you’re Scottish) one modern looking one with his hat pushed back and one with an enormous jewel on his hat.

Charles II as a boy looking very relaxed about the severed Medusa head at his feet.

Lots of Bonnie Prince Charley, including one when he was not such the young pretender. Learnt he did visit London incognito in his later days.

Gallery well worth a visit if find yourself in Edinburgh.

19/10/2024

Guide on day off does guided tour - obviously.

Hugely enjoyable guided tour of the Evolution Garden at the Natural History Museum. 4.6bn year old Scottish rocks, ancient ferns and lots of fossils.

This included an outline of a millipede the size of a pig!

Excellent & hugely knowledgeable guide - ended up having a good chat about Owen and Huxley - not enough people have an interest in Victorian palaeontologist.

12/10/2024

07/10/2024

This Saturday delighted to be running for the 4 year in row a Black History Month tour through Westminster and Whitehall.

Meeting at the tour explores the rich history of Westminster’s black residents stretching back to the Tudors.

All money raised is going to and the chosen charity

Book on via the QR code or find us on Eventbrite.

11am tour with or the 2pm with me!

30/09/2024

Pleased to be running for another year a Black History Month tour through Westminster & Whitehall.

Join myself and on the 12th October to learning some surprising histories in the heart of London.

This year again raising money for

Pleased to be collaborating with the great people at

Book on 👇🏿👇🏿👇🏿

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/black-history-month-walk-for-charity-with-qualified-london-guide-tickets

15/09/2024

One of the perks of the job is if for some reason one of the guests does not turn up well there is a ticket going spare!

The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace well worth a visit, especially if like art as amazing collection on display. Also good for Hanoverian Royal paintings as well as Victoria & her brood.

I do not guide in the Palace - the has a very good audio-guide.

Sadly no photos allowed in Buckingham Palace so added some from a look round I had of Lancaster House last year. Lancaster House plays the film double for Buckingham Palace in The Crown. Very similar golden vibe, although Palace has better art and chandeliers.

Buckingham Palace under going a +£300m refit so do not be surprised to see a painter when you wander about.