The London of SAMUEL PEPYS

Have you ever wondered about the history of a place and the stories it has to tell as you wander through it? The streets of London are jam-packed with stories and tales about the past.  Finding out a little about some of them can help us learn from the past (yes, some things that happened continue to hold lessons for us), appreciate why things are the way they are today, and to give us some context for what we can do to improve urban life in future (if you are interested in improving urban environments and urban resilience, visit surediscities.com). I used to live in London and I still spend a lot of time in this city. For quite a few years, I have spent many hours walking (and running and cycling along) its streets, envisaging how historic events unfurled, and I am always adding to my knowledge. 

Samuel Pepys is one of our best-known diarists - though he was much more than than. An important naval administrator, he documented a life lived in London between 1660 and 1669. Below are just a few of the "stopping points" as part of a walk around where he lived and worked. If you want to know how the walk links together, you'll have to walk the route with me (and discuss facts, stories and tales along the way). 

A few supporting links

You can access his diary online here. A virtual exhibition about the diary provided by Magdelene College in Cambridge (home to Pepy's library) is available here.

A basic introduction to Pepys is available here (on the BBC).

Further perspectives about Pepys from Royal Museums Greenwich is available here.

A good book for exploring by yourself is Walking Pepys's London by Jacky Colliss Harvey.

If you want to go on a professional London guided walking tour, check the options available from the teams at London Walks, London Guided Walks and Look Up London Walks as well as Blue Badge Guides and London With A Local (I do not provide any opinions one way or the other - find what works for you).