Liverpool Street Station to Green Park via north bank of Thames

Liverpool Street Station is the terminus for trains from East Anglia - Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and parts of Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, including Stanstead and Southend Airports.

London Underground lines serving the station are Central, Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan Lines.  Both Moorgate (Northern Line and National Rail from north London suburbs) and Shoreditch (London Overground) are a 5 and 10 minute walk away respectively.

Many buses serve the station including frequent buses from London Bridge station.

To access the start of the walk, stand with your back facing the mainline platforms, turn right at ground level and follow the signs 'WAY OUT - BROADGATE' . You will now be in Octagon Arcade. Follow this to find the large Corten Steel structure in the circle at the end of the arcade [1]. This is Richard Serra's 'Fulcrum' (A) , the starting point for the walk.

With your back to the Octagon Arcade, go up the steps on your left (or use the ramp further to your left) to reach Ebdon Street. Cross the road at the controlled crossing and turn right up Ebdon Street . At the traffic lights cross Moorgate and go straight ahead into Ropemakers Street.

[2] Turn immediately left into Moorfields and walk down the right side of the street to the end of the pavement, under the covered walkway. Go up the escalator on the right.

[3] At the top of the escalator immediately turn left and follow the walkway to St.Alphage Highwalk. Just past the now defunct 'The Plough' pub turn left following signs to 'Guildhall' and reaching an open area with raised flower beds.  

[4] Turn left over the bridge which crosses London Wall below. At the end of the bridge cross Bassishaw Highwalk and continue ahead to reach a small square containing a pyramid structure. Walking past this, continue along the wide passage passing under a building and go down the steps. Continue straight ahead down a second and third flight of steps to arrive in Three Nuns Court. 

There are wheelchair lifts to the right of each flight of steps.

[5] At the bottom of the steps turn left and walk to Basinghall Street. Turn right and walk along Basinghall Street until you reach Guildhall Buildings - a pedestrian alleyway on your right.

[6] Turn right here and continue, noting the Mayor's and City of London Court (B) to your left, to reach Guildhall Square. The fine building on the right side of the square is the Guildhall (C).

Leave the Square by the first exit on your left - Guildhall Yard - noting as you do so the Church of St, Lawrence Jewry, the Church of the Corporation of London (D) on your right.

Turn right into and then cross Gresham Street and then immediately left under an archway beside Pret a Manger into Lawrence Lane [7].

Turn right into Trump Street and then left into Honey Lane. This brings you to Cheapside. Turn to your right, cross the road.

[8] Just after the Church of St Mary-Le-Bow (E) turn left into Bow Churchyard. There are plenty of places here for food and drinks. In the centre of the square is a statue of Captain John Smith (F), one of the earliest settlers in Virginia.

Turn right out of the square through John Milton Passage (behind Costa) and then left into Bread Street. At next junction turn right into Watling Street for a view of St.Paul's Cathedral (G).

[9] Towards the end of Watling Street, by an open area with circular flower beds, turn left along the path beside 25. At Cannon Street, turn right, cross New Change and go up the steps into the small Festival Gardens (H) ahead on your right.

For a step- free alternative continue along the pavement and turn right at the end of the raised Festival Gardens to rejoin the route outside the entrance to St.Paul's Rose Garden.

Using either path cross to the end of the Festival Gardens diagonally opposite, noting the 'Young Lovers' statue (I) at the far end, and exit on the right. You will see the entrance to St.Paul's Churchyard Garden (J) immediately ahead to your right.  Enter the Rose Garden to see Copnall's statue 'Becket' (K) on the left.

[10] Exit the garden and follow the footpath round to your right until you reach the controlled crossing which will take you across Cannon Street and straight ahead into St.Peter's Hill. Continue down St.Peter's Hill, cross Queen Victoria Street, and continue towards the Millenium Bridge (L).

[11] Go down the steps to the right or left of the Bridge to reach the riverside walk. There is a wheelchair lift on the far left. As you reach the riverside you will have a good view of London's new tallest building, The Shard (M). Also  at this point is the Scientific Instrument Makers'  Millenium Measure (N) and, a few metres further on, a Polar Sundial (O).

[12] At the riverside turn right and walk along a section of the long distance Thames Path. Continue along the north bank of the Thames until you reach Westminster Bridge.

The route passes numerous iconic views and buildings both historic and modern. Near Blackfriars Bridge you can see Sea Containers House (P), currently adorned with the largest ever photograph of the royal family. It measures 100m x 70m and shows them on the occasion of the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Just before Waterloo Bridge you will see Somerset House (Q) on your right, and after the bridge you will see Cleopatra's Needle (R). Looking across the river you will see The London Eye ferris wheel (S), and next to it the former seat of London Government, County Hall (T). On the north bank you will pass many memorials set into the walls of the embankment. One of the newest additions to the Victoria Embankment is the Battle of Britain Monument (U).

[13] Just before Westminster Bridge, cross the Victoria Embankment using the controlled crossing, go to your left and then turn right into Bridge Street, outside Portcullis House (V) and opposite Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (W).

The area between Westminster Bridge and Parliament Street is always extremely busy and likely to be even more crowded during the Games, so take care and be alert to diversions and traffic.

Continue to, and cross, Parliament Street by the controlled crossing and continue straight ahead along Great George Street.  

As you proceed into Great George Street you will see Westminister Abbey (X) on the opposite side of Parliament Square.

Cross Horse Guards Road and continue for 20m to reach the entrance to St.James's Park (Y).

[14] Turn right into the Park and take the wide path facing you. When you reach the lake bear left along the side the lake until you reach the bridge.

[15] Turn right over the bridge, at the end of which turn immediately left and continue along that path keeping the lake on your left . Take the first path to the right  which leads to the Park exit onto The Mall., at the end of which to your left lies Buckingham Palace (Z).

[16] Cross the Mall, turn left and walk along until you reach another park to your right.

[17] Turn right into Green Park (AA).

(A) 'Fulcrum' is a 55' high Corten steel sculpture created by Richard Serra in 1987. Serra (1939- ) is a minimalist sculptor known for his large scale steel structures.

(B) The Mayor's and City of London Court is the oldest local civil court in England having sat for over 700 years, virtually without a break, within the precincts of the Guildhall. Today, the Court sits daily in its present building which was erected in 1888. In 1971 it became part of the general County Court system of England and Wales.

(C) Guildhall has been the centre of City of London government since the Middle Ages. (The City of London is the "square mile" which formed the original city from medieval times.) It is likely that at least one earlier guildhall existed on or near the current site. References to a London guildhall are made in a document dating back to 1128 and the current hall's west crypt is thought to be part of a late-13th century building. Remains of a long-lost Roman amphitheatre discovered in 1987 underneath what is now Guildhall Yard indicate that the site of Guildhall was significant as far back as Roman times.The Great Hall is the third largest civic hall in England, where royalty and state visitors have been entertained down the centuries. It has been the setting for famous state trials, including that of Lady Jane Grey in 1553.

(D) St Lawrence Jewry is the official church of the Lord Mayor of London and the City of London Corporation and stands in the Yard of the Guildhall. It was re-built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of 1666, but there has been a church on the site for around 900 years. After extensive damage in the Second World War, it was again re-built.

(E) The Church of St Mary-Le-Bow is maybe best known outside its immediate vicinity for its bells. Bow bells are probably the most famous in the world and for many hundreds of years have been woven into the folklore of the City of London. In 1392 Dick Whittington heard Bow bells call him back to London to become Lord Mayor; to be born within the sound of Bow bells was the sign of a true Londoner or Cockney; and Bow bells' authority ends the medieval nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons. During the Second World War the BBC's World Service broadcast a recording of Bow bells, made in 1926, as a symbol of hope to the free people of Europe. This recording is still used as an interval signal.

(F) A statue of Captain John Smith stands on a plinth in Bow Churchyard. The inscription identifies him as a Citizen and Cordwainer, 1580-1631, who was "first among the leaders of the settlement at Jamestown Virginia from which began the overseas expansion of the English-speaking peoples". The statue was presented to the Corporation of London by the Jamestown Foundation of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1960, and is a replica by Charles Rennick of an original by William Couper made in 1907. Smith, a colonial adventurer, set sail from Blackwall to found the colony of Virginia in 1606. Following a period as the prisoner of the native Americans he became head of the settler's colony before returning to London in 1609-10. He was buried in St. Sepulchure's Holborn in 1631 where his gravestone can still be found.

(G) St.Paul's Cathedral. The present St Paul's is the fifth cathedral to have stood on the site since 604, and was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. This was the first cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, and was designed by architect Sir Christopher Wren.

In 1897, Queen Victoria commemorated her diamond jubilee at St Paul's and more recently Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated her jubilees at St Paul's, and also her 80th birthday in 2006. Royal weddings have been held here as well: the marriage of Catherine of Aragon to Prince Arthur in 1501 and famously the wedding of HRH the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. As the nation's church, St Paul's has also been the site of state funerals of British military leaders, including Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and of the wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill.

(H) The Festival Gardens were laid out in 1951 by Sir Albert Richardson, following the ground plan of pre-war buildings. They were the Corporation of London's contribution to the Festival of Britain. The formal layout consists of a sunken lawn with wall fountain, which was a gift of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners. This lawn is surrounded by a raised paved terrace with stone parapets and seating, planting in tubs and a number of trees including a pleached lime hedge and a fine catalpa.

(I) 'Young Lovers' is one of George Ehrlick's more well known works and represents peace and love amongst the hustle and bustle of city life.

(J) St. Paul's Cathedral Garden is part of the precincts of St Paul's and provides valuable open space for public use. The garden was laid out in 1879 by Edward Milner, designer of private gardens and public parks. It includes winding footpaths, fountains, sculpture and seating, and features lawns and mature trees and shrubs, as well as a lovely rose garden. The restored 1714 churchyard railings are important early examples of cast iron work.

(K) 'Becket' by Bainbridge Copnall (1903-1973).  Considered by many as one of Copnall’s best works, the statue was acquired by the Corporation of London in 1973. Copnall captures and freezes in time the death throws of Thomas a Becket, murdered in a brutal fashion in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

(L) Millenium Bridge is the first new bridge to have been built across the River Thames since the opening of Tower Bridge in 1894. Designed by architect Sir Norman Foster in association with sculptor Anthony Caro the bridge was originally opened in June 2000 to mark the Millenium. It was closed two days later due to a distinct and very disconcerting "wobble" experienced by those crossing it. Modifications to eliminate the "wobble" took two years. Since then it has become a popular way to cross the river as well as offering excellent views up and down the river and an unparalleled view of the south facade of St.Paul's. At the southern end of the bridge lies the Tate Modern art gallery with its huge tower dominating the skyline.

(M) The Shard will be the tallest building in Western Europe, its crystalline façade transforming the London skyline. The Shard is designed by Italian architect, Renzo Piano who conceived the building as "a shard of glass".

(N) The Millenium Measure is a glass and steel obelisk which measures 2000 years of religious, civic and scientific achievement. It was presented to the City of London in 2000 by the Worshipful Society of Scientific Instrument Makers to mark the millenium.

(O) The Polar Sundial, located outside the City of London School, was designed by Piers Nicholson and built by the Royal Engineers for the Worshipful Society of Tylers and Bricklayers and presented to the Corporation of the City of London to commemorate the millenium.

(P) Sea Containers House, on the south bank of the Thames, was originally conceived as a luxury hotel but was converted to office space at a time when business premises were in high demand. It is currently undergoing refurbishment.

(Q) Somerset House derives its name from the original building on this site, built between 1547-1551 by Edward Seymour, Lord Protector and Duke of Somerset. The current building dates back to 1776-1801. One of the country's leading architects, Sir William Chambers, was appointed to design and supervise construction of 'a great public building . . . an object of national splendour'. It had to accommodate the three principal learned societies - the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Society, and the Society of Antiquaries - as well as various government offices. In particular, he had to provide the Navy Board with quarters that would reflect the rising importance of the Navy at a time when Britain was almost constantly at war. To further complicate his task, the King's Bargemaster was also to be based at Somerset House. This required that there was direct access to the Thames, enabling officers of the Navy Board to travel back and forth to the warehouses and dockyards at Deptford and Greenwich. The new building also had to provide living accommodation for the heads of the various departments housed there, including space for cooks, housekeepers, secretaries and many others.

From 1901, Somerset House housed the Registrar General of Births, Marriages and Deaths where in pre-internet days, people would come to search through huge tomes in search of their family history. From the early 1980s the building has been developed as a centre for the arts with galleries, music events, open-air film shows and a seasonal ice rink.

(R) Cleopatra's Needle. The obelisk was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by Muhammad Ali, the ruler of Egypt and Sudan, to commemorate the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercrombie at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Built  of red granite quarried in Aswan, the Needle stands over 20 metres high. it was constructed in Egypt for Pharaoh Thutmose III about 1460 BC and stood originally at Heliopolis. The inscriptions were added 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military victories. The Needle was erected on the Victoria Embankment in 1878. It is flanked by two faux-Egyptian Sphinxes cast in bronze.The Needle's extremely hazardous journey from Alexandria and London is described on adjacent plaques.

(S) The London Eye, which was erected as a temporary structure to celebrate the millennium in 2000, proved so popular that it has become a fixture on the London skyline. From the pods, which each hold up to 25 people, you can see up to 25 miles in each direction.

(T) County Hall is the building between the London Eye and Westminster Bridge was for many years the home of London Government. The main six-story building was designed by Ralph Knott in an Edwardian-Baroque style and is faced in Portland stone.  The building took 11 years to complete and was formally opened in 1922 by King George V.  Further blocks were added between 1936 and 1939. County Hall was the headquarters of the London County Council and then the Greater London Council until the latter was abolished in 1986.

(U) Battle of Britain Monument (Paul Day). This relatively new monument was unveiled by HRH Charles, Prince of Wales, in September 2005. The Battle of Britain was the German air force’s attempt to gain superiority over the Royal Air Force from July to September 1940. Their ultimate failure was one of the turning points of World War II and prevented Germany from invading Britain. The Monument is made up of two relief panels facing in opposite directions: one panel commemorates the unique achievement of RAF Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain; the other portrays something of the wider experience of the nation as a whole at war.

(V) Portcullis House, officially opened by the Queen in 2001, provides offices for Members of Parliament and their staff, supplementing the limited space in the Houses of Parliament. Designed and built by architects Michael Hopkins & Partners, it is a simple, rectangular, courtyard structure, seven storeys high, including two attic storeys, and displays an external profile similar to that of the neighbouring Norman Shaw Building. It sits directly above the new Westminister tube station, built at the same time. The courtyard is covered by a glass roof at second floor level and surrounded by a two storey cloister. The upper level of the cloister serves the committee rooms and is accessible to the public via a glazed staircase projecting into the courtyard from the main entrance hall. The floors above this cloister provide the necessary additional office space for almost one third of all MPs. A secure underpass links the courtyard to the Houses of Parliament.

(W) Big Ben is one of London's best-known landmarks. It adjoins the Houses of Parliament, and looks most spectacular at night when the clock faces are illuminated.  The four dials of the clock are 23 feet square, the minute hand is 14 feet long and the figures are 2 feet high.  A lesser known fact is that the name Big Ben actually refers to one of the bells rather than the clock itself.

(X) Westminster Abbey: Westminster Abbey is the scene of the coronation, marriage and burial of British monarchs and one of Britain's finest Gothic buildings. Most recently, in 2011 it was the place of marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

(Y) St James's Park, the oldest Royal Park and the first of the Royal Parks to be opened to the public, lies between three palaces - St James's, Westminster and Buckingham Palaces. The park you see today is still very much as designed by architect and landscaper John Nash in 1827 when it was remodelled in the new naturalistic style: the canal became a curving lake; winding paths replaced formal avenues; and fashionable shrubberies took over from traditional flower beds. The work was commissioned by the Prince Regent, later George lV and it was just part of a huge project that created many of London's best-known landmarks, including Regent's Park and Regent's Street.

The Park welcomes over 5.5 million visitors every year making it one of the most visited parks in Europe. Despite the number of visitors and its city location the Park provides habitats for a variety of different flora and fauna, with 15 different species of waterfowl to be seen in or around the lake. The secluded shrubberies and the woodlands on the islands are important refuges for birds such as long-tailed tit, blue tit, great tit, robin, blackbird, wren, great spotted woodpecker and tawny owl, all of which breed in St James's Park. Pelicans were introduced to the Park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador and five currently live near Duck Island and are fed fresh fish at 2:30pm every day.

(Z) Buckingham Palace. George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a comfortable family home close to St James's Palace, where many court functions were held. Buckingham House became known as the Queen's House. Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. The Palace is very much a working building and the centrepiece of Britain's constitutional monarchy. It houses the offices of those who support the day-to-day activities and duties of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh and their immediate family. The Palace is also the venue for great Royal ceremonies, State Visits and Investitures, all of which are organised by the Royal Household. More than 50,000 people visit the Palace each year as guests. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms.

(AA) Green Park is more peaceful than St James' Parko, with mature trees and grassland and is surrounded by Constitution Hill, Piccadilly and the Broad Walk. The Green Park was first recorded in 1554 as the place where a rebellion took place against the marriage of Mary I to Philip II of Spain. It was a famous duelling site until 1667 when Charles II bought an extra 40 acres and it became known as upper St James's Park. The Green Park is a peaceful refuge for people living, working or visiting central London, and is particularly popular for sunbathing and picnics in fine weather. It is also popular as a healthy walking route to work for commuters. The paths are used extensively by joggers and runners.

There are two sets of toilets on Paul's Walk, one just past the Millenium Bridge, the second shortly before Pauls Walk becomes the Victoria Embankment after passing Blackfriars, A third facility is located at river level immediately prior to reaching Westminster Bridge.