Open House – Devil’s Acre

Tour dates and times:

Saturday - 14 September 2024 - 10:00

Once again we are excited to be taking part in the annual Open House event, offering free walks on Saturday 14th September, walking in the footsteps of Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens visited the underbelly of Westminster which he described as the ‘Devil’s Acre’, and so can you … walk the streets he described as ‘the blackest tide of moral turpitude’ . Do not be put off, very different today, but you can still get a feel of what Dicken’s experienced on this walking tour.
Meeting at Cardinal Place, Victoria, we explore the back streets of what was the poorest slum area of Victorian London, before it was cleared to develop the area. We start at Wesminster Cathedral, – former prison, Westminster Cathedral buildings, United Westminster Almshouses -Rochester St., Grey Coat School, Old Pye Street.

Guided walk with a qualified Westminster Tour Guide, offering a new walk around Victoria and what was known as very poor Devil’s Acre, offering an overview of life then and those who helped.

The walk finishes at City of Westminster Archives, we are delighted to be working together on this, as an addition to the walk, they are offering a display from their archives of pieces relevant to the Devil’s Acre.

Your Guide(s)

A Westminster Guide from the Walks and Talks Team.

Event details

Tour duration 75 minutes
Child friendly? No
Access friendly? Yes
Meeting point: Next to Victoria Underground, Cardinal Place exit
Finishing at:City of Westminster Archives, 10 St Ann’s St, London SW1P 2DE
Additional information provided by the guide

Please note the walks start every 30 minutes from 10:00 until final walk leaving at 16:00, please click on the Eventbrite link to book your chosen time slot.

Please note that walks are run by Association members – your contract is between you and the guide, not with the Association