Liverpool Street to Bond Street for marshalling to Hyde Park

Starting point Liverpool Street Station  - Stand on the main concourse of Liverpool Street national rail station. With your back to platforms 1-4, take the escalator immediately in front of you up to the balcony level (towards the Old Broad Street exit). Turn left at the top and meet in the corner behind the flower stall and in front of the 1914 -1919 war memorial (Photo). 

National Rail: from Hertfordshire & Essex  - including Stanstead airport

Underground: Central Line, Hammersmith & City Line, Metropolitan Line Underground.

Buses serving Liverpool Street: 8, 11, 23, 26, 35, 42, 47, 48, 78, 100, 133, 135, 149, 205, 242, 344, 388

Overground: Shoreditch High street - 10 minute walk

Starting point. Liverpool Street Station

[1] Stand on the main concourse of Liverpool Street national rail station. With your back to platforms 1-4 take the escalator immediately in front of you up to the balcony level. Turn left at the top and meet in the corner behind the flower stall and in front of the 1914 -1919 war memorial (Photo).

To start the walk, leave Liverpool Street station via the exit facing the top of the escalator, keeping McDonalds on your left. Cross the open area diagonally right past Frank Meisler's Kindertransport memorial.  This commemorates a rescue mission which took place just before the Second World War to rescue mainly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and the Free City of Danzig.   The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 Jewish children.  In gratitude and in commemoration of the 1.6 million children murdered in the Holocaust, four memorial sculptures have been erected in four cities along the children's route - Gdansk-Danzig, Berlin, Hook of Holland and here in London.

Continue down the steps and across the road toward the post box and corner entrance to the underground. Pass the underground entrance on your left and continue ahead along Old Broad Street on the left-hand pavement.

Just before the traffic lights look left through a gap in buildings to see the old Turkish Baths building (A) (photo)

[2] At the lights cross London Wall (B) and continue ahead along Old Broad Street. You will shortly pass the tall Tower 42 (C). At the T-Junction cross to the far side of the road - Threadneedle street (D) – and turn right. You’ll pass a huge statue of George Peabody (E) sitting in an armchair (photo); and set back further on a pillar is a bust of Paul Julius Reuter (F). Continue along Threadneedle Street along the side of The Royal Exchange Building (G) with the Bank of England (H) on the opposite side of the road.

[3] When you come to the junction where five roads meet, turn left in front of The Royal Exchange and a statue of Wellington on his horse. Cross over Cornhill (I) and then cross over Lombard Street.  Walk in front of Mansion House (J) (Photo) and turn left into Queen Victoria Street (K).

The red & cream building to your right is called No 1 Poultry (L)

[4] Continue along Queen Victoria Street past The City of London Magistrates Court. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross Cannon Street (Note 30 Cannon Street building on the right - M); go over Garlick Hill and past Mansion House tube entrance and continue along Queen Victoria Street.  Past Cleary Gardens on your left. 

[5] Cross Lambeth Hill and at Peter’s Hill turn left onto the wide paved area (before turning left, look right for a wonderful view of St Paul’s Cathedral).

Walk ahead and onto the Millennium Bridge (N). Stop in the middle and admire St Paul's Cathedral to the north, the Tate modern and Shakespeare’s Globe to the south and Tower Bridge, The Shard and Canary Wharf in the distance to the East.

On the far side of the bridge, at the bottom of the slope from the bridge turn left to go upstream along the riverside walk. (Tate Modern  – refreshments and toilets). Continue with the river to your right (note you are on the Jubilee Greenway - O) past the Founders Arms public house and ahead under the newly refurbished Blackfriars Railway Bridge and Blackfriars road bridge with old river scenes on the tiled walls.

[6]  Pass Doggett’s pub (P) and the OXO building (cafés and shops); up the slope past the small gardens and Gabriel’s Wharf (public toilets in yellow building on left far end of shopping area) on your left.  You are now on the South Bank with The National Theatre on your left (look across the Thames from here to see Somerset House - Q)

Pass under Waterloo Bridge and The British Film Institute (toilets - go in and turn left at the T-junction after the 2nd set of doors). Pass The Royal Festival Hall (R) and a selection of retail and restaurant outlets and reach Hungerford Bridge (trains and pedestrians).

[7] Ascend the staircase in front of you (alternative route avoiding steps - see below ) and turn right to cross the Thames. At the far side use the steps to your right to descend to street level. At the bottom of the steps turn right and go under the bridge.

Alternative route over the river avoiding the steps. Pass under Hungerford Bridge and use the lift on the far side to take you up to the walkway on the other side of the railway line. At the far side of the bridge, descend using the lift to street level.

[8] (Both routes) Turn right into Northumberland Avenue & go past The Playhouse Theatre on your right and keep ahead. Cross Northumberland Street (Sherlock Holmes pub) and continue ahead to the traffic lights and junction overlooking Trafalgar Square (& Nelson’s Column).

[9] Using the pedestrian lights cross left over Northumberland Avenue and then cross Whitehall, then bear right & cross over the Mall.

[10] Turn left along Trafalgar Sq/Cockspur Street; soon crossing Spring Gardens and ahead into Pall Mall. Cross over Waterloo Place and continue along until you get to the Zebra Crossing (before Carlton Gardens) and cross Pall Mall and turn immediate right into St James’ Square. 

[11] Stay on right hand pavement and cross Charles II Street, go left at the top of the square and right into Duke of York Street. 

[12] At the T-Junction, turn left onto Jermyn Street, cross to the far pavement.

Go past The Princes Arcade and at the junction with Duke Street, St James’s turn right. At the T-Junction with Piccadilly (S), turn left. (you are opposite the Royal Academy of Arts – T)

Go past Piccadilly Arcade on your left and at the pedestrian crossing, cross over Piccadilly and turn left and immediate right up Old Bond Street (Mappin & Webb on your right  and De Beers on your left). 

[13] Continue north up Old Bond Street (U) and directly into New Bond Street, crossing many side Streets and the bronze statue called Allies of Churchill and Roosevelt seated on the paved area (photo). You come to Oxford Street (the department Store Debenhams faces you to the right).

[14] Turn left along Oxford Street, over Woodstock Street and the first entrance to Bond Street Underground is on your left. 

From this point you will be marshaled to the entrance of Hyde Park arena via the spectators access route.

A) The Turkish Baths were erected in 1895 by Henry and James Forder Nevill.  There had been baths of one kind or another on this site since 1817.  In 1885 The baths were open from 7am to 9pm daily and a 'plain hot-air bath, with shower' cost 3/6d while the 'complete process' cost 4/- (20p or £75 in today’s prices). In 1908 the lease still had 46 years to run at an annual rent of £395 (£167,000). The baths remained open until 1954 until the expiry of the lease when the Nevills decided not to renew it. The baths were used for storage for some years before being converted into a restaurant in the mid 1970s www.victorianturkishbath.org

(B) London Wall named from the city wall built by the Romans. The road closely follows the line of the northern stretch of the original city wall, parts of which can be seen close to the The Museum of London (fifteen minutes walk to the right along London Wall).  

(C) Tower 42, Old Broad street was originally called The NatWest Tower and was the tallest building in the city for nearly 30 years. It was built between 1971 & 1980; designed by Richard Seifert. Seen from above, the tower closely resembles the NatWest logo (three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement). The Heron Tower overtook this building to become the tallest tower in the City in 2009.

 (D) Threadneedle Street First recorded as Three Needle Street in 1598. Possibly named after the three needles which appear in the arms of the Needlemakers’ Company or more likely from the thread and needle in the arms of the Merchant Taylors’ Company which has had its Hall standing on this street since the 14^th century.

(E) George Peabody has been described as the first great philanthropist. More than 20 organisations in London and America owe their existence to him and reflect his interests in education, music, science, banking and housing. Born in New England in 1795, in 1837 he moved to London where he established himself as a merchant banker. He is best known in the UK as the founder of The Peabody Trust, one of the oldest and largest housing associations in London which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. Through the Peabody Donation Fund, he gave £500,000 to tackle poverty and poor housing in London. Queen Victoria herself acknowledged the gift as 'wholly without parallel' and the Prince of Wales unveiled this statue of Peabody on Threadneedle Street to commemorate the event.   www.peabody.org.uk

(F) Paul Julius Reuter a German born immigrant arrived in London in 1851 from Aachen.  With the help of an 11 year-old office boy he launched the Reuter's Telegram Company at 1 Royal Exchange Building, using telegraph cables and over 200 carrier pigeons to gather news.  The agency expanded steadily and built a reputation in Europe for speed, accuracy, integrity, and being the first with scoops from abroad such as Abraham Lincoln's assassination.  Now almost every major news outlet in the world subscribes to Reuters which operates in over 90 countries.  In 1878 he retired aged 61 due to “failing health.” He died in 1899 at his home in Nice, France. www.thomsonreuters.com

(G) The Royal Exchange was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham, merchant and courtier to Elizabeth I, as a centre for commerce of all kinds, although, in the 17th century, stockbrokers were excluded due to their rude manners! This building is the 3rd on the site since Gresham’s and dates from 1844.   Sir Thomas Gresham is still commemorated by the Gresham grasshopper on the weather vane. Now the Royal Exchange is a luxurious shopping centre.     

The UK’s first public toilets were built here in the forecourt in 1855 - exclusively for male use!  (Today there are public toilets just inside the entrance to tube)

(H) The Bank of England is the central bank of the UK and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world (the oldest being the Bank of Sweden, established in 1668). It was established to act as the English Government's banker, and to this day it still acts as the banker for HM Government. The Bank was originally privately owned but was nationalised in 1946.  Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837) designed  the bank on this site in 1788 (also the architect for 10 & 11 Downing Street and the Dulwich picture gallery). Most of this was demolished between the wars & replaced by what you see today, designed by Herbert Baker. The only part of the original is the exterior wall.  Bank Museum.  Open Mon –Fri 10 -17.00 free entry

(I) Cornhill. The name derives from the old English corn & hyll. This is the highest hill in the city & may have been named when corn was still grown here; alternatively it may indicate an early grain market. Cornhill is also the name of one of the ancient wards of the City.

(J) The Mansion House is a rare surviving Georgian town palace in central London finished in 1758. It was originally built to enable the Lord Mayor to represent the City in appropriate style as head of the City's governmental, judicial and civic functions. The folktale of Dick Whittington becoming Lord Mayor of London dates from 14C, so well before this was built. Imposingly Palladian in style, it is faced by a grand temple portico at the front approached by flights of steps each side. The entertaining rooms were built on the first and second floors. The first floor had a roofless courtyard (later covered to form the Salon, the entertainment space) and the great Egyptian Hall. The second  floor has a ballroom and private apartments of the Lord Mayor and family. The third and fourth floors contain meeting rooms and staff rooms. The cellars have storage space and once held prisoners' cells, reflecting the former use of the Mansion House as the Lord Mayor's Court. Today the Mansion House is home to some magnificent plate, a collection of sculptures and the 84 Dutch paintings of the Harold Samuel Art Collection.  Tours of mansion house – Tuesday 2pm. No booking, max 40. pay guide £6     www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

(K) Queen Victoria Street A new street in city terms, cut through in 1867 -71 and named after the reigning monarch.

(L) No 1 Poultry was designed by James Stirling for a site then owned by developer Peter Palumbo.  The building was completed in 1997, five years after Stirling's death & nearly two decades after the first designs were published. It is a postmodern building clad in pink and yellow limestone. Its construction required the fiercely fought demolition of the nineteenth century neo-gothic listed building on the apex of the site, occupied by crown jewelers Mappin & Webb.

(M) 30 Cannon Street  Opinions are divided over this building.  Love it or loathe it - it is distinctive. The triangular site, at the junction of Cannon Street and Queen Victoria Street is that of a former Wren church, destroyed in the Second World War. The façade is formed of non-load-bearing repetitive cladding units. The cladding units are cast from glass reinforced concrete. In fact, this was the first building anywhere in the world to be entirely clad with this material. Each floor is subtly larger than the one below it giving the building the appearance that the walls are leaning out.

(N) The Millennium Bridge was opened 10th June 2000.  This was first new Thames crossing since Tower Bridge in 1894. It was nicknamed the "Wobbly Bridge" after participants in a charity walk on behalf of Save the Children felt an unexpected, swaying motion on the first two days after the bridge opened. The bridge was closed later that day, and after two days of limited access the bridge was closed for almost two years while modifications were made to eliminate the wobble entirely.  The bridge alignment is such that a clear view of St Paul's south facade is presented from across the river, framed by the bridge supports. The bridge was designed by architect Sir Norman Foster with sculptor Sir Anthony Caro and engineers Arup.  It is 330m long, 4m wide and 10.8m above the river at high tide.     www.urban75.org

( O ) The Jubilee Greenway Walk marks Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, being celebrated in 2012. This 37 mile walking and cycling route is exactly 60 kilometres long - one kilometre for each year of Her Majesty's reign. It will link many of London’s Olympic Games venues. It makes use of existing walking and cycling routes wherever possible and begins at Buckingham Palace and goes through Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens Royal Parks to Paddington Station and the Grand Union Canal at Little Venice. It then follows the Regents Canal through Camden, Islington and Hackney and connects to East London through Victoria Park to the River Thames where the Woolwich Foot Tunnel ties Greenwich and the South Bank to the Jubilee Walkway at Tower Bridge and back to St James’ via Westminster. www.walklondon.org.uk

(P) Doggetts Coat & Badge Public House For almost 300 years (since 1715), there has been an amateur rowing race on the Thames, from London Bridge to Chelsea (4 miles 5 furlongs / 7,400 m). Originally organised by Thomas Doggett, the winner was awarded a coat and badge, hence the historic origin of the pub’s name. It was raced every 1 August against the outgoing (falling or ebb) tide, in the boats used by watermen to ferry passengers across the Thames. Today it is raced at a date and time in late July that coincides with the incoming (rising or flood) tide, in contemporary single sculling boats. Thomas Doggett was an actor who became manager at the Drury Lane Theatre and then the Haymarket Theatre before becoming a politician and wit. www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk

(Q) Somerset House The central block of the Neoclassical building was the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers and dates from 1776–96. It was extended by classical Victorian wings to north and south. A building of the same name was first built on the site more than two centuries earlier. The East Wing of Somerset House forms part of King's College London.

From 1837 it was famous for housing the Registrar General of Births, Marriages and Deaths, establishing a connection that lasted for almost 150 years. This office held all Birth, Marriage and Death certificates in England and Wales; indexes to these are now at The National Archives. In the late 20th century the building was set up as a centre for the visual arts with galleries, shows and events.

(R) The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within the Southbank Centre in London. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected (in 1981). The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestras perform the majority of their London concerts in the hall. The hall was built as part of the Festival of Britain by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts for London County Council, and was officially opened on 3 May 1951. Since the late 1980s the hall has operated an 'open foyers' policy, opening up the substantial foyer spaces to the public throughout the day, even if there are no performances. This has proved very popular and the foyers are now one of the best used public spaces in London.

(S) Piccadilly Until the 17th century the street was known as Portugal Street. The name Piccadilly may have arisen from a tailor named Robert Baker, who owned a shop on the Strand, in the late 16th century and early 17th century. He amassed a large fortune by making and selling piccadills - stiff collars with scalloped edges and a broad lace or perforated border, that were then in fashion. With his great fortune he purchased a large tract of what was then open country to the west of London and in about 1612 he built a large house there. The mansion soon became known as Piccadilly Hall.   www.wikipedia.org

(T) The Royal Academy of Arts was founded through a personal act of King George III on 10 December 1768 and given the mission to promote the arts of design in Britain through education and exhibition. There was a desire to raise the professional status of artists, to foster a national school of art and to encourage appreciation and interest in the public based on recognised canons of good taste.  The annual Summer Exhibition is the largest and most popular open exhibition in the United Kingdom.  Any artist can submit a piece but only about one in ten is accepted for exhibition.  

(U) Bond Street. The street was named after Sir Thomas Bond – comptroller of the Household to Charles I’s widow - Queen Henrietta Maria.  The southern end, Old Bond Street was built 1684 -1732, while the extension north to Oxford Street, New Bond Street, was added in the 1720’s.  Generally though they are they just are known as 'Bond Street', a fashionable and expensive shopping street.