Frequently asked questions about our walk
2. How do I get to Tower Hill?
By Tube: The easiest way is by Tube - either on the Circle or the District Line. The station is situated next to the Tower of London in fare zone 1.
By National Rail: Tower Hill is also a short walk from Tower Gateway Station on the Docklands Light Railway and Fenchurch Street railway station. (Both in zone 1)
By buses: Routes 15, 42, 78, RV1 and Heritage Route 15H serve the station.
By boat: One of the most enjoyable ways to reach Tower Hill is via this ancient method of travel. The Thames river bus services operate throughout the day and you can use your Oyster card for discounts. Generally you need to buy your ticket from a pier ticket office before boarding. Go to www.tfl.gov.uk/river
3.Do I book in advance or pay by card?
We do recommend pre-booking to reserve your places. All you need to do is email us at info@talesofplague.co.uk at least two hours before we're due to start. (We'll always get back to you to confirm your booking) However, you pay on arrival - so just bring enough cash to cover the price of your tickets as we don't own a card machine. The cost is £10 full price and £9 concessions. Concessions are for: students and 65-years-old and over. However, if you have just stumbled across us - and it's less than two hours before we are due to start - then you can always try contacting us or just try your luck and turn up to see if we have room at the alloted time - but we can't guarantee your place.
4.What time do you actually start the walk?
So that’s Saturdays at 2pm. We leave from our meeting point at Tower Hill as close to the starting time as possible because we are on a tight schedule – there’s a lot of history to get through in two hours! – plus folk would have made plans for later. So please be prompt.
5.Where do we finish?
We finish a couple of hours later next to The Monument to the Great Fire of London. It is directly opposite Monument tube station which is on the Circle and District Lines. Alternatively, you can spend five, enjoyable minutes walking across London Bridge - or rush across, pretending you're fleeing the raging plague in the city! - to London Bridge station which has excellent transport links for tube or overground and is also in zone 1.
6. What ages are 'Tales...' aimed at?
Ten-years-and-over and please only bring youngsters if you think they will be interested (Children talking over the guides can be a little distracting for all involved!) However, we are keen on youngsters coming along on our walk and even though we take delight in telling tales that might be a little gory we wouldn't call the tour scary (a lot of it is quite funny!). The Black Death and the Great Plague were two horrific times in London's history, and it wouldn't be right to scrimp on some of the deliciously revolting detail, but we want to make our walk as entertaining and educational as possible so we can all have a horribly good time.
7. What if rain is forecast?
Hard experience has taught us that doing the walk in the pouring rain is too grisly...even for us! We'll keep an eye on the forecast and, if it's looking like the weather will ruin your Tales of Plague experience, we'll contact all pre-bookers and put out a message on this website's homepage at least two hours before we're due to start and warmly welcome you another day.
8. Do you do private walks for work parties, birthdays, student classes or anything else we think of?
We love doing private tours (especially for U3As!) and do have availability throughout the week - on some weekday evenings, mornings and afternoons and on some weekends. We like to think we are as accommodating as possible and we have the experience to tailor the walk to your particular group. We ask for a minimum of ten people (for the evening; 15 in the daytime) and please let us know at least two weeks in advance. Just drop us a line at info@talesofplague.co.uk and let's chat.
9. With all this plague and pestilence we'll probably need a drink...
We finish the walk in a lively area around Monument and there are some good boozers a few minutes away that also serve reasonably priced grub. You can either stay on the north side of the river, where we finish, or cross the bridge to the bustling London Bridge/Southwark area that is just as entertaining as when it was notorious for its: "Whorehouses and squalid places of refuge for the desperate fugitive."
10. Can we take photographs or film the tour?
Photos are absolutely fine but we do not allow filming on the walk itself. This is partly because we are very proud of our walk and wouldn't want others to copy it, but also because it is distracting for ourselves and other walkers. We hope you understand. (If film companies wish to film some footage outside of the actual walk then please contact us to discuss further.)
11. I've just thought of a question that's not covered in the above...
Then just drop us a line or give us a bell. We are happy to chat. Contact details are found on the next page and we look forward to seeing you very soon for a pestilential treat!
1.Where do we meet?
We meet just outside Tower Hill tube station. Tower Hill has a couple of exits but we're easy to find. Come out of the station and we'll be standing next to the statue of the Emperor Trajan in front of the old London Wall. We'll normally be there at least 15 minutes before the start time. There shouldn’t be any trouble recognising us – Marianne will be standing next to a jolly fellow with his pet rat on a stick!