London Tour Guide Alex Lacey

London Tour Guide Alex Lacey Professional Blue Badge Tour Guide of London and the UK, guiding in English, French and Dutch.

Give yourself a present for her birthday, listen again to Episode 27!
27/02/2024

Give yourself a present for her birthday, listen again to Episode 27!

Ep 160: How to buy London Bridge. Londoners will tell you that London Bridge was once sold to a man who thought he was b...
21/02/2024

Ep 160: How to buy London Bridge.

Londoners will tell you that London Bridge was once sold to a man who thought he was buying Tower Bridge. That man was Robert Paxton McCulloch, who in 1964 bought London Bridge and had it shipped to Arizona. But did he really think he was buying Tower Bridge?
This week we delve into the story of how one of London's most famous landmarks ended up across the sea in the United States, what record it set when it went there, and why - WHY - was it even sold in the first place?

Plenty of images this week, so have a look at the blog as well, to see the many versions of London Bridge over the centuries.

Listen wherever you get your pods, or via the link in our bio. Let us know any thoughts, comments, requests.

'sBridge 'sBridges

Hey, loyal listeners, your turn to vote. Who would you like to hear about most? In the blue corner, philanthropist, p...
09/02/2024

Hey, loyal listeners, your turn to vote. Who would you like to hear about most?

In the blue corner, philanthropist, prison reformer and £5 note decorator.....it's everybodies favourite Quaker. ...... Elisabeth Fry !

You are doing the voice aren't you? The boxing announcer voice. Please do the voice.

In the red corner, representing Georgian Britain, a double act from America..... sensational Black boxers....it's Tom Molineaux and Bill Richmond.

As Molineaux lands the first punch it looks like it might be all over quickly, but Mrs Fry is a trooper.. Is she stopping for refreshments? Is that Turkish Delight she's tucking into there?? It's going to be a battle and a half. And we need you, to decide the outcome. Who will we chat about in March? Cast your votes please.

Help needed!Discovering Westminster Abbey with a Jewish family today, they were wonderfully eagle eyed in spotting Hebre...
23/02/2022

Help needed!

Discovering Westminster Abbey with a Jewish family today, they were wonderfully eagle eyed in spotting Hebrew written on this memorial to Samuel Morland. Then we noticed several other languages besides Hebrew and English - namely Latin and Greek, plus one other we couldn’t identify🕵🏻‍♀️

A chat with one of the staff later, it seems Samuel spoke all the languages on these memorials to him and his two wives (one after the other, you lot!) and do this is essentially a massive flex! He’s saying “look at how wonderful I am, speaking all these languages”. No big deal, right?!

BUT we couldn’t figure out what the other language was! You’ll find it on the second image, the memorial to Ann, the second paragraph down under the Hebrew. Does anyone know what it is?! Help!
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In the heart of Bermondsey you’ll find the Alaska building - there’s no chances you can miss the bright red name proudly...
04/02/2022

In the heart of Bermondsey you’ll find the Alaska building - there’s no chances you can miss the bright red name proudly adorning the building, and it gives us a little clue as to what used to happen here.

While the big white art deco building is a later addition (1930s), the brick archway gives us the date of 1869, plus - look carefully - has a seal at the top. You might just be able to pick out the weathered words ‘Alaska Factory’ as well.

Yep, you’ve guessed it - this used to be a seal fur factory. 😬 Back in the 1800s (and even earlier), Bermondsey was a hub for fur, leather, and other industrial activities. This factory used to import seal skins from…well…Alaska, before creating them into sought after products.

Given how quiet, green and prosperous Bermondsey is now, it’s hard to imagine how it would have been at the time of mass industry.

Have you visited Bermondsey? Ever spotted this factory?
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Hi 👋 I'm Alex, I run fun, engaging tours, both public and private public tours.
Tap 👉🏼 .alex for more info or to book via link in bio!

If you take a peek just by the in Kensington, you’ll see this mile marker…I wonder where the hotel’s name came from?!🤔🕵...
31/01/2022

If you take a peek just by the in Kensington, you’ll see this mile marker…I wonder where the hotel’s name came from?!🤔🕵🏻‍♀️

Anyone who knows London knows very well that Kensington is part of what would usually be termed ‘central’ London today. However, you’ll see on the marker that it says 1.5 miles to London. How can that be?

Well, up until about 150 years ago, this area was fields and countryside outside of London. 🌳🌷It’s here that Kensington Palace was built as a retreat outside of the city. Milestones were used on the routes of stage coaches - large carriages travelling across country - which usually charged by the mile that the passenger travelled. Sometimes, if the journey took less time than anticipated, passengers might complain that they had paid for a longer distance than they had actually received, so milestone markers were placed on the roadsides so that passengers could check.

However, this milestone is even more unusual, as milestone markers usually only showed full miles. This one shows half a mile. When reaching London, there were more stops, and it made it easier to be able to direct a passenger to the nearest marker in case they complained😉

Have you spotted any more?
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Hi 👋 I'm Alex, I run fun, engaging tours, both public and private public tours.
Tap 👉🏼 .alex for more info or to book via link in bio!

I’ve had so many people asking about Goodwin’s court, so here’s a little more on this picturesque little hidden alleyway...
26/01/2022

I’ve had so many people asking about Goodwin’s court, so here’s a little more on this picturesque little hidden alleyway.

It’s a 17thC alleyway, first noticed in the rate books in 1690, although may well pre-date that. It’s home to these beautiful bow-fronted cottages, which were saved from widespread slum clearances in the late 1800s.

Today it’s a hub for businesses, surprisingly, including literary agents and casting agencies, but the footfall through the alleyway is low, and it is genuinely one of the area’s loveliest

If you want to feel that you’ve stepped back in time to old London, this is one of the best places for that. You can find it hidden between Leicester Square and Covent Garden…but I’m not going to tell you exactly how to find it, as the hunt is part of the joy😊
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Hi 👋 I'm Alex, an experienced and entertaining qualified Blue Badge Guide in London. I run fun, engaging public tours most weekends.
Tap 👉🏼 .alex for more info or to book!

18/01/2022

Our little podcast Ladies Who London has smashed through the 100k downloads barrier! Guide Emily and I are thrilled, thank you all for listening!

You can join in the fun on Apple podcast / Google /Spotify etc etc etc, or check out website to listen www.ladieswholondon.com

This is not just the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I, oh no.If you pop into Westminster Abbey, you’ll be amongst some of the m...
12/01/2022

This is not just the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I, oh no.

If you pop into Westminster Abbey, you’ll be amongst some of the most famous names, both royal and non royal. One of the most popular tombs to visit here is that of QEI. However, someone else shares that spot with her, none other than her sister Mary Tudor, otherwise known as Bloody Mary👀

However, you won’t see a tomb to Mary, nope. That’s because Elizabeth buried her here without a tomb so that her Catholic supporters wouldn’t have a place to use as a rallying point to get her off the throne.

Sounds mean, right? Weeeeell…not if you consider that Mary did the very same thing to her other sibling Edward! Yikes!

So what you see here is the tomb of one powerful English Queen, but in reality is the resting place of two of Britain’s most famous monarchs.

Can you better that story of sibling rivalry?!
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Hi 👋 I'm Alex, an experienced and entertaining professionally qualified Blue Badge Guide in London. I run fun, engaging public tours most weekends.
Tap 👉🏼 .alex for more info or to book!

Here’s a little curio hidden in plain sight.Waiting at Tower Hill to go into the Tower of London, you might spot this li...
06/01/2022

Here’s a little curio hidden in plain sight.

Waiting at Tower Hill to go into the Tower of London, you might spot this little round brick building which seems massively out of place. There’s a little clue in the text around the top, but only to its later use.

This used to be the entrance into the second oldest tunnel under the Thames, the Tower Subway. It was a claustrophobic 7 feet across, and would originally have taken just 12 people in a sort of cable car-like construction through the tunnel to the south side of the river.

It was, however, a commercial failure, and stopped after only a couple of months, but then became a public walkway, lit by flickering lamps. People who used it at the time described it as having condensation running down the walls, with a floor that bucked and moved under your feet, and given a kind of otherworldly, menacing air.

When nearby Tower Bridge was built, the tunnel was rendered obsolete, and it was given over to housing hydraulic tubes for the London Hydraulic Company.

It now houses cables and is not open to the public. The current building is a more recent connection from about 100 years ago, but is still the entrance to this atmospheric - if terrifying! - tunnel.

Did you catch the stunning sunset tonight?! Pinks and purples all over the place. We got out at the iconic Tower Bridge ...
29/12/2021

Did you catch the stunning sunset tonight?! Pinks and purples all over the place. We got out at the iconic Tower Bridge just at the right time to catch this gorgeous sunset - I have not done A THING to the colours here, it really was this pretty!

This 127 year old bridge never fails to delight me, even though I see it almost every single day. Created to be able to allow tall ships through into the main part of London, known as the Pool of London, it’s been a symbol of London ever since, one of the most famous bridges in the world.

What do you think?
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Hi 👋 I'm Alex, an experienced, professionally qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guide in London. I run fun, engaging public tours most weekends.
Tap 👉🏼 .alex for more info or to book!

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