Photos: Alvesgaspar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Jacek Halicki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: Alvesgaspar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Jacek Halicki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Soho and Covent Garden pubs with theatre stories
Your local guide
Tom Ashworth
View profile
Highlights
- The Lamb and Flag, Covent Garden's oldest pub
- A Soho pub linked to Dylan Thomas and Francis Bacon
- Eight years backstage in the West End
- Theatreland's ghosts and superstitions, explained
- Seven Dials after the curtain comes down
About this tour
This evening walk covers pub and theatre history around Soho and Covent Garden, from the Lamb and Flag to a Soho pub once used by Dylan Thomas and Francis Bacon. You hear backstage stories from eight years working in the West End, along with the ghosts and superstitions theatre staff still take seriously. It ends near Seven Dials as the theatres empty out for the night.
The session starts with a sound check, then moves pub to pub between the two areas, with time for a longer story at each stop. Questions are welcome throughout, and a short list of the pubs and the shows connected to them follows afterwards.
This suits theatre fans and anyone curious about what happens backstage once the curtain falls. It also suits those who know these streets for shopping and want the pub history underneath them.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
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Welcome and sound check 7 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of London before heading out.
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The Lamb and Flag 21 min
Outside the Lamb and Flag, one of the oldest pubs in Covent Garden, the guide points out the low doorway and timber front before talking about the pub's centuries behind these streets.
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A Soho pub 21 min
In Soho, the guide stops at a pub once used by Dylan Thomas and Francis Bacon, describing the drinking culture that surrounded Soho's writers and painters.
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Seven Dials 21 min
Near Seven Dials, the guide draws on eight years spent backstage in the West End to explain the superstitions and ghost stories that theatre staff still take seriously.
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Your questions 14 min
Time to ask anything about London: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
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A short list to keep 6 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Pie and mash and Soho, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in London time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 12 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through London, showing you National Gallery and Tower of London live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Is this suitable if I do not drink?
Yes. Say so when you book and the guide will focus on the atmosphere and venues rather than the drinks list.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk London live with my phone and you ask anything as we go.
Times shown in London time (GMT)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
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Next: Wed 11 Nov · 12 seats left From 29,00 €
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