Fancy joining me on a Hack Around The Hill?
Follow me - Mick Greenwood, professional tour guide - on a walking tour of Harrow On The Hill!

You'll hear stories of priests and pagans, sainted popes and meddlesome vicars, Lords and Ladies, Kings with their heads and Kings without their heads, peers, politicians and plenty of Prime Ministers! And much more, besides!

On our journey we'll also have a look at the two great historical institutions of the Hill - St.Mary's Church and Harrow School. You'll also hear tales of intrigue and the occasional scandal!

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Why not join me on 'A Hack Around The Hill' tour?

Travel back through time with me on my tour of the Highlights of London’s Landmarks!

This is a great introduction for first-time visitors to the world’s greatest capital city. We can go back 2,000 years to see how and why the Romans chose this particular location on the River Thames for what would become their Empire’s biggest city north of the Alps. We could go back 1,000 years to the Norman Invasion and see one of William the Conqueror’s many castles. We could also take a shorter journey of just 500 years to the time of Henry VIII, where I could tell you the incredible stories of his many wives (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived!).

The centuries since then have given London Civil Wars, Great Fires and Great Plagues, the Age of Enlightenment, the Georgian Era, the Industrial Revolution, two World Wars and much, much more. All of these events have conspired to mould this amazing city into one of the marvels of the world – and you can learn all about them on my time-travelling tour!

There are tales of treason and tradition, and stories of the lives and occasional scandal of politicians and Prime Ministers, Princes and Princesses, and all those many magnificent Kings and Queens that have ruled over this Kingdom for over a thousand years - some of whom lost their heads along the way!

Your journey through time isn't a fixed and immutable route set in stone, however. I can make it a bespoke tour to suit your requirements. I will list the suggested highlights below, but you might have a Beatles fan in your group who’d like to pose for a quick pic on the zebra crossing outside the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, for example, or maybe an apprentice wizard who wants to visit Platform 9¾. Just drop me a line via ‘messages’ and I’ll see what I can do. I love a challenge, but remember – even my time-travelling capabilities have their limits, and this is only a six-hour tour!

 

To start with, I can pick you up from any Central London location. If this is a hotel, I can meet you in the lobby after making my presence known to the receptionist and concierge. I could also contact you on your cellphone if you like. I’ll then escort you to your carriage – an air-conditioned, wheelchair-accessible, famous and iconic London Black Cab. This can seat 4 adults comfortably but is licensed to carry up to 6 passengers.

This tour of Classic London is bespoke, and the route is not set in stone. I can make some suggestions of must-see London landmarks, such as...

St. James’s Palace and Buckingham Palace... The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey... Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column... The Embankment and view of the River Thames... St. Paul’s Cathedral... the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Roman Wall.

At each of these stops I will give a 5-minute presentation to explain their history. We will be able to walk around, stretch our legs, and take photos. We can also pass the following London landmarks on our panoramic journey. Let me know if you would like to stop at these for a better look, a 5-minute presentation from me, and photo opportunities.

Kensington Palace and Hyde Park... Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial... Marble Arch... Piccadilly Circus... Westminster Cathedral (London’s premier Catholic place of worship) … National Gallery... Soho and Chinatown... Covent Garden... Royal Courts of Justice... London Eye … Shakespeare’s Globe... Borough Market and London Bridge... Guildhall and the Roman Amphitheatre... Old Bailey... The Monument to the Great Fire of London... and not forgetting Abbey Road Studios... and Kings Cross Station for Platform 9¾!

There will be a short drive between the stops, and there is quite a distance between the Royal Albert Hall and the Tower of London, for instance. I can advise you on this, so message me for details.

There will be a one-hour lunchbreak at a classic London pub along the way.

This tour is ideal for visitors that want to discover all that London has to offer!

I look forward to seeing you!

Take a spine-tingling taxi-ride through the most haunted capital city in the world!

It is hardly surprising that London has this gruesome reputation, considering the very many grisly and gory ways in which some of its citizens have met their ends in 2,000 years of sometimes spectacularly violent history!

London has many hidden corners and dark alleyways, and I will take you to these spooky places and reveal their scary secrets.

On this 3-hour taxi tour through central London you will hear nightmarish tales that will jangle your nerves and scramble your senses!

Among the many places we will visit are the most haunted house in London, the most haunted parish church in Britain and the most haunted castle in the world!

Watch out for the happy ghosts, sad ghosts, mad ghosts and very, very bad ghosts that you may encounter along the way, including the Cheating Soldier... the Murdered Actor... the Handsome Phantom... the Grey Nurse... the Bank Nun... the Headless Queen... Fred the Poltergeist... Kaspar the Cat... Scratching Fanny... and many more!

Are you ready to face your fears? Remember – you can run but you can’t hide... except in my ghost-proof taxi, of course!

On this tour, I shall describe how an area of pasture, orchard and marsh ( “The Hundred Acre”) became one of the most desirable and expensive districts in the world. We will start on the road that went all the way to Oxford, past the most notorious execution site in London. I will point out the route of one of the city’s lost rivers and describe how it was diverted in the 13th Century to supply water to the Citizens of London.

I will explain the origins of one of the richest aristocratic families in the UK, their importance to Mayfair, and how the marriage of a 12 year-old girl was so integral to their rise. I will point out the streets named after the original eighteenth century developers, and how the residents of these world-famous thoroughfares turned former farmlands into one of the most fashionable in the world.

There will be plenty of tales of the local aristocrats and how they lived their lives, and how their servants played their part in shaping modern Mayfair. There will be stories of rock stars and Baroque stars, Kings and Queens, Presidents and Generals, and the American connection to Mayfair that spans well over three centuries will be discussed in detail. The area has had more than its share of colourful characters, and their lives shall be recounted.

I will show you the fabulous architecture, the splendid hotels and the grand Squares, but also guide you through one of the last villages in the heart of Central London, with its beautiful boutique shops and restaurants. We may even be able to discuss what you have seen over a pint in one of its lovely pubs!