Alumni and guests are invited to join the Cambridge Society of London, for a virtual walking tour around Christopher Wren's City of London.

Take a meander through the City of London as Christopher Wren might have known it. Explore the medieval alleyways and street layout that was a contributory factor to the spread of the Great Plague in 1665 and the Great Fire of London in 1666. Learn how the fire began, spread, and who was blamed, and see how it was remembered. The later 17th century was also a crucial period in the development of London as a financial centre so we will explore the coffee houses where great financial institutions were born.

Post-fire Christopher Wren was the dominant personality in London’s rebuilding, shaping how the City was rebuilt. He also oversaw the building of 51 City churches as well as his masterpiece St Paul’s Cathedral. We will admire some of the best examples of work, and learn more about him as a man, what inspired him and how his architectural style developed. We will finish by exploring more of Wren’s work and reflecting on the role of the Blitz, the 2nd Great Fire of London, in shaping his legacy and the City of London as we know it today.

About Your Guide

Caroline Piper is a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide, the highest guiding qualification available, and a Cambridge University history graduate. She is passionate about history, literature, architecture, films and finding the “off the beaten track” London gems. You can find out more about her on her Piper Tours website http://pipertours.com where you can see videos of her in action and also find links to her Tripadvisor page, facebook page and memberships of professional guiding bodies.