walk/tour
Outside hub by Premier Inn London Spitalfield, 86 Brick Lane, E1 6RL
Huguenots had a huge impact on London’s culture, commerce and industry from the 17th century onwards. But how much do we really know about them? During this walk we will discover and explore the history of Spitalfields.
Liverpool Street, Aldgate East
Liverpool Street
Spitalfields in London’s East End is a small area but rather important in the story of immigration. One of the first refugee communities who settled here were the French Huguenots who fled religious persecution in the 17th century. Their story was one of danger, terror, courage, optimism, hope, and change. In this walk we’ll (re)discover the area, looking for traces of Huguenots’ heritage still visible today – where and how did they live and work? What happened to their places of worship and how did they make a living? We’ll find clues hidden in plain sight, pass commemorative plaques and learn why many of them kept canaries.
This tour is led by a participant of Open City’s Golden Key Academy – a course training up insightful and engaging guides dedicated to explaining London and bringing its many stories to life. It is part of a wider collection of tour events created by Golden Key Academy guides for the Open House Festival celebrating their conclusion of the eight month course.
Further info on the Golden Key Academy can be found here https://open-city.org.uk/golden-key-academy
Drop in / Guided tour
museum, community/cultural, art in the public realm, gallery
The Gilbert & George Centre was originally established as a registered charity by the artist in 2009 with the objective to advance the education of the public in the arts, and generally to advance the arts, architecture, heritage and culture for the benefit of the public.
SIRS Architects, 2022
