Albertopolis!

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Londonphilia Spotify Playlist: The Letter 'A' + a Couple Numbers

I've finally joined Spotify and will be making Londonphilia playlists. I'm going through the alphabet and will be doing a playlist for each letter... plus a couple numbers. Some of the letters will be combined into one playlist.
Please enjoy!

Legendary Londoner: David Bowie

David Bowie was born in Brixton and grew up in Bromley. He found himself in the alleys of Soho. He found his mentors, bandmates, rivals, partners in crime in London. Has been and always will be an inspiration and an influence on everything around us. He changed music and fashion obviously...but he also changed nightlife...The Blitz started off as a Bowie tribute night, it was one of the first club nights to happen on a week day. Without Bowie and the Blitz there would've been no Trash, a club night that I worked at, which would finish every night with Rock n Roll Suicide.

Besides Londonphilia Tours, I also do tours under the name Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour...through that I have been doing a Bowie themed tour of Soho, Sound & Vision: David Bowie's Soho, since 2014 when the V&A was doing their Bowie exhibition. I will now be doing it the first Sunday of each month starting on February 7th. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a cancer charity.

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Starting in February!

 

I can't wait to start doing Londonphilia tours in February! 

I've got so many tour ideas that I hope people will come on and enjoy!

Reading List

Over the next couple months, I will be doing a lot of reading for the tours I'm planning to do next year.
Hopefully, I can get through most, if not all of them! I'd like to try & read one a week.
Nairn's London by Ian Nairn
The London Compendium by Ed Glinert 
London Calling by Barry Miles
Capital Crimes by Max Decharne 
Underword London by Catherine Arnold
City of Sin by Catherine Arnold

Literary Footprints

The lovely people at Footprints of London are doing their annual Literary Festival from October 8th till the 25th. Over forty literary themed walking tours covering authors like; Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Geroge Orwell, Virginia Woolf, Samuel Pepys...and many more interesting topics.
Last night I went to the launch night at the Hoop & Grapes in Farringdon. Dr. Matthew Green the author of London: A Travel Guide Through Time gave an eductional and entertaining talk. His book is about what you would see, hear and experience if you travelled back in time, like a time traveller, to different periods of London...the time of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth, Medieval city life, the plague, the coffee houses, the reign of Queen Victoria and during the Blitz.
Dr. Green talked about London during Shakespeare's time...gruesome bear and bull baiting pits, the theatres and the tabacco house...which out numbered the pubs. It was a fun talk that got the room, filled mostly with other tour guides talking about which time period they would travel to, if they could.
There's so many intersting walks happening over the next two weeks, I can't decide which one to go on! I might have to get the season pass!

 http://footprintsoflondon.com/other-events/literaryfestival/

Londonfilmia - London in film

London is one of the most filmed cities in the world. Every genre of film has been set and or filmed in
London. It has been the back drop for James Bond films, Disney films, Alfred Hitchcock films, Charles Dickens adaptations, Sherlock Holmes films...the list goes on and on. Each week I will be writing about one of those films. Some of these movies will be very well known; "Shakepeare in Love", "Love, Actually", "An American Werewolf in London", "101 Dalmations (animated and live action)...etc. Others will be less well known..."Creep", "Peeping Tom", "Absolute Beginners", "This Year's Love"...etc.

Disappearing Soho Tour

Soho has always been an ever-changing area of London since the 17th century...but since the 1980's it has been changing at a faster rate then most people like.
Last year I did a tour of Soho based around David Bowie, as I did the tour I realised that most of the venues I was talking about had disappeared. Many of the  historic venues had been closed or are being demolished and replaced with luxury flats or chain restaurants.
This tour will help celebrate and memorialise these legendary venues...including: Madame Jojo's, The Marquee, The 12 Bar, The Intrepid Fox, The Astoria, Billy's...and Denmark Street.
One pound from every ticket will be donated to Save Soho.

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Londonphilia Events Calendar

Historic Samuel Smith Pub Crawl

There are over thirty Sam Smith's pubs in London.
This tour will take you to six of them...including:

*one of the oldest pubs in London

*one of the most beautiful Victorian pubs in London

*one of the most bohemian pubs in London, a pub that Charles Dickens drank at and mentions in The Tale of Two Cities.

Obviously, this tour is 18 and over only!

Price: Only £10, so you have more money to spend on beer, though Sam Smith's are quite cheap for London.

Days & Time: The fourth Saturday of each month at 5pm, starting on July 25th, and running until November 28th, 2015.

The meeting spot is outside Goodge Street Tube Station on the Northern Line.

We will be going to a total of six pubs.
We recommend only having a half pint at each pub, eating something before the pub crawl and remember to pace yourself. Don't ruin everyone's good time by getting too drunk and acting in a disgraceful manner.

We are your guides not your babysitters.

If you are interested in coming on this fun and informative pub crawl please contact me at djalicat@gmail.com.

Disappearing Soho

Soho in London is one of the most interesting, creative, bohemian parts of the city. It started off as a
hunting ground and then became the Red Light District and is now the home of the UK film industry.
Everyone from Oscar Wilde to Dylan Thomas to David Bowie to Elton John have lived, worked and played here.
Sadly, some of the venues that these influential people used have been lost to regeneration.
This tour will take you around Soho pointing out and telling the history of these lost venues...including:
Madame Jojo's
The Intrepid Fox
The Marquee (all three located in Soho)
The Astoria
Central Saint Martins
The 12 Bar and soon to be lost Denmark Street.
Also included is a brief history of Soho.

This tour will be on the third Saturday of each month starting on July 18th until November 21st, 2015.
Please meet me in Soho Square at the Tudor style building in the center of the square.
The price is £10 per person. £1 from the ticket price will be donated to Save Soho.

If you are interested in coming on this tour please email me, Alison, at djalicat@gmail.com.

http://savesoho.com

Coming soon...Twee London!

Twee London...Afternoon Tea, Twinnings Tea Museum, Walk along the Thames, St. Paul's, Doctor Johnson's House, Charles Dickens Museum...

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Coming Soon!

I run the popular Rock n Roll Camden Walking Tour in Camden Town. Now I don't just love Camden...I love London! 
I want to share my passion for all things London with people. This is where all the tours, that aren't to do with Rock n Roll or Camden, will be located!

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