Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet St Night Walking Tour

We start from Temple Station introducing Sweeney Todd, was he a real person or just a fictional character, we will discuss all the possibilities during the tour.

We stop outside an interesting beautiful house now a museum, exibition and event hire place built by the American William Waldorf Astor. We hear about why he settled in England after a row with his family and how he inherited a fortune ammased by his grandfather John Jacob Astor 1 who emigrated to America in the early 1800's

Here we stop and talk about the docks, River Thames and how in the 1850's after years of cholera epidemics the government finally agreed to provide money for sewers to be dug by Joseph Bazelgette the Chief Engineer

After climbing the steep steps that intersect Milford Lane we stop for the first part of the story of "The String of Pearls" the original series in a Penny Dreadful magazine about Sweeney Todd and his barbers shop

We turn into Deveraux Ct toward the gateway to the Temple. Her we talk about another version of Sweeney Todd created in the 1979 by Stephen Sondheim who turned it into a musical. He did alter the story somewhat making Sweeney Todd's real name Benjamine Barker.

We enter the Temple an enclosed area hidden from view, unless you know London well! Created by the Knight's Templar in the 12th c after the Crusades it has many stories to tell

We walk to Middle Temple Hall a 16thc Baronial Hall used for dining and celebrations today, but by whom? We look at how the area is one of the most filmed and photographed area's in London today and how you can visit this magnificent place

We see the Master of the Temple's house and walk to Temple Church and see this church still standing from the 12th c, behind are graves of Knight'sTemplar from that time

We come out into the noisy world of Fleet St and stop by the monument to Temple Bar. Do you know why it has this name?

We cross to Bell Yars passing the huge building of The Royal Courts of Justice (known as the Law Court's today) This is where mrs Lovette had her pie shop, we talk about the receip of her juicy meat pies!

We walk down Fleet St to St Dunstan's Church just a stones throw from where Sweeney's Barbers shop stood. We talk about how he murdered his victims and took the remains to Mrs lovette's basement bakery via tunnels which passed here

We stop on the corner of Crane Ct to look at the plaque to the first Daily newspaper the Daily Courant which plays a small part in the story of Sweeney

We turn into Johnson's Ct and go to Dr Johnson's House in Gough Sq. The compiler of the first famous dictionary and a great wit in the 18th c whose sayings still are remembered today who hasn't hear of " When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford."

We continue out on to Fleet St passing Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub built just after the Great Fire of London in the reign of King Charles 2nd. Al the Kings and Queens from then until now are listed on the board outside. We also stop to see how many famous writers and poets drank in here including Charles Dickens, Mar Twain, yeats and many more

We cross Fleet St and stop outside St Bride's Church our final stop, We talk about why St Brides is called "The Wedding Cake Church?
We also sum up all the things we have learnt about Sweeney Todd and say if he was a real character or just a fictional one! This is 5 mins walk from Blackfriars station (Circle/District Lines) or 5 mins from St Pauls ( Central/City Thameslink)