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).
Pepys was born just off Fleet Street, in Salisbury Court, on 23 February 1633.
Walking up to St Paul's from Blackfriars is a good idea. Pepys's favourite bookseller was based at St Paul's...
Pepys had several important experiences and moments around Smithfields, and it makes several appearances in the diary...
The City provides a lot of points to the diary of Pepys, and some important places where he frequented...
The area of Cheapside (still within the City) offers a lot of points related to Pepys's diary, including some major events...
Cornhill has some important sites for context to the times that Pepys lived in, from coffee shops to tailors...
Pepys spent much of his naval career based at Seething Lane. St Olave's was the church that he frequented...
Middle Temple and the surroundings was a pleasing area for Pepys to "range about"...
Pepys watched the first Punch & Judy show to be held in the UK here...
St James's Square offers some interesting history in the time of Pepys...
Pepys knew the area around St James's Palace well, having lived close by at one point...
Much happened in political circles in and around St James's Park. Pepys knew the area well..
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