Bowl of Chalk

06/09/2024

Here's a little write up by London's Air Ambulance about my weekend of charity walks at the end of July. They reached their £15million target.

https://www.londonsairambulance.org.uk/news-and-stories/community-fundraising/bowl-of-chalks-24-hour-fundraiser-walk

Jonnie – a tour guide and social media influencer known as Bowl of Chalk – recently held a walking tour across London for 24 hours to raise money for London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

04/09/2024

Today’s Londony story also involves Berlin, so I have enlisted the help of ace Berlin tour guide Jonny Whitlam to help tell it.

If you are planning a trip to Berlin, look Jonny up. His tours are called Whitlam's Berlin Tours.

30/08/2024

The second exhibition is FREE and on all weekend as part of Thames Festival Trust where Roman finds will be on display. https://thamesfestivaltrust.org/whats-on/hands-on-history-mudlarking-exhibition-in-roman-amphitheatre-20549/ Guildhall Art Gallery and London's Roman Amphitheatre Mudlarking World

30/08/2024

Couple of exhibitions in this weekend. First is tomorrow (31st Aug) at and includes lots of heritage crafts. London Mudlark: Lara Maiklem Mudlarking https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/whats-on/southwark-cathedral-presents-mudlarking-and-heritage-crafts-festival-2024/

26/08/2024

On yesterdays 'Around St Paul's cathedral' tour we checked out one of the new Banksy's at Guildhall. Unless they move it, it'll be a regular feature on that tour.

15/08/2024

The only view in England protected by an act if parliament.

Aurora's Online Language Lessons

09/08/2024

Hurrah. London's Air Ambulance reached their £15million target. Our efforts currently stand at £8,559.37, so although small in the grand scheme of things...a big thanks to everyone that has donated to my JustGiving page, came on the weekend of charity walks or subscribes to my Instagram doodah.

02/08/2024

On Sunday, my 24 hrs of London walking tours in aid of London's Air Ambulance featured on news. Thanks to Anna Geary TV for covering it and helping to raise awareness for the charity's campaign to replace their two helicopters. They are closing in on their target of £15million by September.

My Just Giving page is still open for donations (look up Bowl of Chalk Just Giving). The total through that, the walks and my subscription channel here on Instagram has exceeded £7k now. Good skillzzzz everyone.

Oh yes ...very pleased that I managed to get Ben Wilson featured too.

31/07/2024

We've officially raised over £7k for London's Air Ambulance. Well done everyone.

29/07/2024

Many thanks to everyone who came on my 24 hrs of London walking tours this weekend in aid of London's Air Ambulance campaign.

Had a great time and loved meeting new people and seeing some familiar faces. There were 164 people in total, two babies and six dogs. Walked about 24 miles and talked for about 24 hours too about London.

Also ...a massive thanks to all those who couldn't come but have donated on the Just Giving Page. Currently at just over £1.5k but still time to donate if you'd like to.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/bowl-of-chalk-up-against-time?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fbowl-of-chalk-up-against-time&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Thanks to Londonist for including the walks in their weekly roundup last weekand to Anna Geary from ITV London for coming down on Sunday morning. Special thanks to Kate for meeting all the walkees, checking them in, chasing latecomers and making the whole thing run super smoothly.

To find out how much we've raised so far ...you'll have to watch to the end of the video.

26/07/2024

If you are at a loose end tomorrow (27th July) at 9am then there are places available on the first leg of my 24hrs of walking tours this weekend (16 walks in total). We'll be exploring Victoria first. Costs £20 per walk and money goes to London's Air Ambulance. You can book here:

Victoria to Parliament Square

25/07/2024

Thanks to Londonist for the shout out about this weekends charity walks in aid of London's Air Ambulance . Still places available. Book here. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/cc/walks-in-aid-of-londons-air-ambulance-charity-3356959

24/07/2024

Ever wondered about the red pillars in the Thames at Blackfriars? Lots people have. They were part of an 1864 extension of the London Chatham & Dover railway ...a commuter line from Kent. The line became obsolete and eventually deemed unsuitable for modern trains in the 1920s, but was only removed in 1985. The pillars are all that remain, and one set of each has been incorporated in to the current bridge.

My favourite bit though are not the pillars but the old railway insignia on the south side with Kent's motto ...'Invicta' which they adopted after the Normans gave Kent a wide berth after the Battle of Hastings. It means undefeated or unconquered. It's pushing it a bit, but why not.

22/07/2024

I am very proud to have provided the introduction for this beautiful, poignant, funny and thoughtful documentary film by Harvey Marcus. It's called 'Waterloo Sunset' and delves in to the lives of some of the residents of Hopton's Almshouses on Bankside.

You can find out more in the link, along with links to the cinemas its currently showing in.

https://www.bowlofchalk.net/things-are-afoot/waterloo-sunset

​Earlier this year I was contacted by a guy called Harvey Marcus of Bruise Film , telling me he’d spent the best part of a year making a documentary about the residents of Hopton’s Almshouses...

17/07/2024

On the 27th / 28th July I'm doing 24 hrs of London walking tours in one weekend to raise money for London's Air Ambulance. They need to raise £15m by September to replace their two helicopters.

There's 16 walks to choose from and can be booked here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/walks-in-aid-of-londons-air-ambulance-charity-3356959

If you can't make it and would still like to support, that'd be amazing. You can make a donation here:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/bowl-of-chalk-up-against-time?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fbowl-of-chalk-up-against-time&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

Many thanks. Jonnie

12/07/2024

Spaces on two walks this Sunday (14th July) if you fancy it.

1pm - 'Around St Paul's cathedral' https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/around-st-pauls-cathedral-tickets-885461879317

4pm - 'Bankside & Borough' https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bankside-borough-tickets-885462340697

Tkts can be booked using these links.

Would be lovely to see you if you can make it. Jonnie

Exploring around St Paul's cathedral in the City of London.

05/07/2024

Thanks to everyone who has come on walks with me and left lovely reviews on Tripadvisor. Currently in the top 10% of tours worldwide. On which note ...still places this weekend. You can book here: https://www.bowlofchalk.net/weekend-walk-schedule-2024.html

05/07/2024

Some Londony gifts people have very kindly donated / given to me recently.

As mentioned in the video, the Thames mudlarking finds were given to me by Gryff, otherwise known as . Please do check out his page and give him a follow.

My friend Nicola, Nicola White Tideline Art also has a super popular youtube channel. We did a video together about a King Charles I coin she found and hope to do some others.

I'm also a fan of who also runs an art gallery on Jermyn Street. Good skillllzzzz.

had a beautiful mudlarking book out a couple of years back called 'London in Fragments'. Check it out.

also has a mudlarking book called 'MUDLARKS - Treasures from the Thames' which features numerous mudlarks.

Steve is the don of mudlarking and has a great beard.

posts some great finds, as does and .

If you have any other favourite mudlarks, do let me know.

PLEASE NOTE - A permit is required to go mudlarking on the Thames foreshore.

01/07/2024

You might be suprised to find some rather large bits of the berlin wall in Lewisham shopping centre. One is painted by Thierry Noir ...the other Stik. You'll find them just outside Migration Museum which currently has an exhibition called 'Heart of the Nation', celebrating the incredible ammount of migrants that over the last 75 years have formed the backbone of the NHS. About 1 in 5 people (265,000) who work currently for the NHS are migrants.

The exhibition is FREE and on until the 27th July and is open Thur, Fri, Sat (11am - 5:30pm).

The photos inc. were taken by Chris Porsz.

22/06/2024

Ever been to The Charterhouse in ? Very sturdy doors.

19/06/2024

Last couple of days to catch at the National Theatre, based on 'Our Mutual Friend'.

A while back I met up with a few of the cast to talk about life in 19th century , and the (which plays a big part in the play) along with my friend Nicola White Tideline Art, a Thames who brought some of her finds along.

18/06/2024

In 1969 The Beatles released the album 'Abbey Road' which was recorded in St John's Wood (London) at a studio which now also is called Abbey Road.

The album cover photo was taken at the zebra crossing just outside the studio and is now a place of pilgrimage for Beatles fans. In fact it's considered to be so significant and culturally important that the entire crossing was given listed status a few years ago.

Abbey Road studios have a 24 hour camera installed called EarthCam so you can watch the crossing and everyone recreating the iconic album cover from the comfort of your own home.

17/06/2024

A couple of months ago, 14 year old Finn came on one of my walking tours with his aunt, which seems to have inspired him to set up his own tours in Farnham (Surrey) to raise money for a charity school trip next year. If you'd like to support this enterprising young chap whilst learning about Farnham, you can check out his dates and book (donation) here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/history-walking-tour-of-farnham-tickets-860050663687

12/06/2024

On th 27th / 28th July I'm going to be doing 24 hrs of London walking tours to raise money for London's Air Ambulance charity who aside from the £15m they need each year to keep their incredible service running 24 hrs a day need another £15m (deadline September) to replace their two helicopters. They are a charity and don't receive government funding.

I'll be doing 12 hrs of walks each day, a total of 16 walks (each 1.5 hrs) and covering about 20 miles in total in a continous route across central London, starting in Victoria and ending in Whitechapel where the London's Air Ambulance helipad is situated.

If you'd like to join one of the walks then you can book through Eventbrite. It's £20 per person with a small admin fee going to and the rest going to London's Air Ambulance.

Tickets here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/londons-air-ambulance-charity-walks-3356959?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

If you can't join, but would like to support / donate then you can through the below Just Giving Page.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/bowl-of-chalk-up-against-time?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fbowl-of-chalk-up-against-time&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share

I hope to see you on the weekend of the 27th / 28th July and lets raise some money for whilst exploring and learning about London.

Jonnie

London's Air Ambulance Charity have until September to raise enough money to replace their two helipcopters. On the 27th & 28th July, I'll be doing 16 walks through London and covering just over 20 miles. All ticket sales for this event go to LAA.

07/06/2024

St Paul's cathedral and its dome is a protected view. It has to be visible from certain points around London, a rule that has affected the development of other areas around London.

My favourite vantage point has to be from King Henry's Mound, the highest point in Richmond Park, where through an avenue of trees, St Paul's cathedral is visible (if you have particularly keen eyesight or binoculars) 10 miles away.

05/06/2024

I think the new King Charles notes are going in to circulation today. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the press launch of the The Bank Of England Museum's exhibition a few months back. It's on until next year.

03/06/2024

Weirdly, I recently had a page spread in the weekend magazine of The Australian ...in Australia. Took the opportunity to big up some of London's smaller museums like The Charles Dickens Museum, Handel Hendrix House, Benjamin Franklin House & Dr Johnson's House as well as encouraging Australians visiting the UK to head to , , , and ...amongst other things.

30/05/2024

This weekend (1st / 2nd June) I'm doing x6 group . X2 have sold out, but still places on the others. If you have a spare couple of hours and would like to explore with me and others, you'd be most welcome.

You can book directly through the link below.

https://www.bowlofchalk.net/weekend-walk-schedule-2024.html

22/05/2024

I'm also now up to Fun London Fact No. 409.

The Savoy Hotel is a hotel I'll undoubtedly never stay at, but it's got some good fun facts including being the first luxury hotel in London, the first to have en-suite rooms, the first electric lights and electric lift in London, the first room service and a company that has a yearly turnover of over £9 billion was founded by one of their luggage porters.

08/09/2023

Friday Quiz - Which London sports ground is known as the Cabbage Patch?

A - Wembley
B - The Oval
C - Wimbledon
D - Twickenham