Alumni and guests are invited to join the Cambridge Society of London, for their walking tour of Chelsea (Part 1); bohemian village on the river.

Chelsea’s history goes back to the Tudors when Henry VIII and Sir Thomas More, his Lord Chancellor, owned manor houses in beautiful countryside bordering the river Thames. In the 17th century Charles II built a road through the area, the King’s Road, and founded the Royal Hospital Chelsea for old, sick and injured soldiers. Hans Sloane, physician, naturalist and collector, left his mark in the 18th century and his legacy survives today in place names and unique gardens. Artists, writers and philosophers flocked to bohemian Chelsea in the 19th century and by the 1960s it was at the centre of “Swinging London” and THE place to come to buy a mini skirt. Today the annual Chelsea Flower Show is a must for any gardener.

This walking tour of Chelsea (Part 1) concentrates on riverside Chelsea, starting with the iconic Royal Hospital Chelsea, originally designed by Christopher Wren, home to the Chelsea Pensioners and with wonderful riverside gardens. We will then explore Chelsea Embankment, wiggling along quiet tree-lined streets to find secret gardens and medieval churches. Along the way we will learn about those who have lived and worked in Chelsea, from Oscar Wilde, to George Eliot, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Thomas Carlyle, Thomas More and many more….

Meet time: at 17:45 for a prompt start at 18:00

Meet place: the junction of Chelsea Bridge Road and Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London, SW3

End: approx. 20:00 on Chelsea Embankment near Battersea Bridge (from here there are buses back to Victoria station/ Sloane Square tube)

Post-tour drinks: Caroline will not be booking a table for post-tour drinks, but there is a pub near the end of the tour which she can recommend

About Your Guide, Caroline Piper is a Downing College history graduate (1997) and a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide, the highest guiding qualification available. 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 where you can also find links to her Tripadvisor page, Facebook page and memberships of professional guiding bodies. She has led regular tours for the Society for 4 years.