podtour
Crime and Punishment in London: from St Paul's to Smithfield
You start in front of St Paul's, where in 1666 the stones of the old cathedral flew like grenades, and whose dome, in 1940, became a photograph used by both sides.
Fleet Street and the Temple: Printers, Lawyers and Sweeney Todd: audio walk in London
The street of the printing press and the city of the lawyers: the spire said to have inspired the wedding cake, the dictionary house and the Jamaican boy who inherited from its owner, Sweeney Todd and his lying preface, spyglasses for looking at heads on Temple Bar, the Gunpowder oath and the Round Church modelled on Jerusalem.
What this walk is about
You start beneath the spire of St Bride's, on the street that was born to print, and slip down an alley to the tavern where Dr Johnson is said to have sat, and on to the square where he really made his dictionary, with his cat Hodge and Francis Barber, born enslaved in Jamaica and heir to the house. Outside St Dunstan-in-the-West you find out that Sweeney Todd was born in a penny serial on this very street, and that the only real thing in the novel is the pair of giants on the clock. At Temple Bar people hired spyglasses to look at heads, and apprentices rioted to free three of their own who were being whipped for insulting the Spanish ambassador. Behind St Clement Danes, the Gunpowder plotters swore their oath. And inside the Temple: the first record of Twelfth Night, roses that only ever bloomed in Shakespeare, and the round church consecrated by a patriarch who had come to find a king for Jerusalem.
- Start
- Printers' shops and an unsigned wedding cake
- Finish
- The patriarch who came looking for a king
- Who it is for
- A walk for anyone curious about literature and the press and mysteries with dates.
- Languages
- Spanish and British English
- Underfoot
- There are cobbles or uneven surfaces. The route notes mention stairs or steps on the walk or its approaches.
The route, stop by stop
An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.
Loading the map…
Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.
- 1
Printers' shops and an unsigned wedding cake
- 2
The seat Boswell didn't know
- 3
A dictionary in an attic, oysters for Hodge
- 4
Francis Barber, the heir
- 5
The barber who never existed
- 6
The real giants on the clock
- 7
A halfpenny for a look through the telescope
- 8
Temple Bar, the Armada and Gondomar
- 9
Where the Gunpowder Plotters swore their oath
- 10
Twelfth Night among the lawyers
- 11
The roses nobody picked
- 12
The patriarch who came looking for a king
Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.
London, before you go
London makes more sense an area at a time than as one vast walk. Neighbourhoods change pace within a few streets; the sky may change while you find the next one.
More walks nearby
Bankside and Southwark: Shakespeare's Other Bank
You start at London Bridge, where the gate on this bank displayed more than thirty heads, and where Wyatt's rebels waited in vain to stop Mary marrying Philip of Spain; the bridge that came afterwards was sold and rebuilt in the Arizona desert.
The City: the Great Fire, the Money and the Legends
You start by Pudding Lane, where a young Frenchman, a watchmaker's son, confessed to starting the Great Fire and was hanged even though not even his judges believed him, and then stand before the Monument, which is exactly as tall as the distance to that bakery and which spent a century and a half accusing the Catholics in writing.
Good to know
What is Podtour?
An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.
When can I download the app?
Podtour is coming to iOS and Android. There is no confirmed launch date yet. Join the waitlist and we will let you know when it is ready.
Does Podtour include attraction tickets?
No. Street walks and monument audio tours do not include admission tickets, transport or a guide accompanying you.
Can I listen without an internet connection?
Download the audio in the app before heading out, then listen offline. Loading the online base map and calculating a new route from your location require a connection.
What languages are included?
Every route includes Spanish and British English. The English version is adapted for English-speaking travellers, rather than translated word for word.
How do I get a whole city for free?
Join the waitlist, choose a city and confirm your email address. When the app launches, we will email you with access details. No card is required. You can also try one free route in every city.
Can I buy for myself or for a group?
Yes. Your own access is included and you can choose 0–5 guests: up to 6 people including you. Each guest saves up to €0.50 on a walk, €1 on a pack or €2 on a whole city compared with buying separately. The counter shows the total before you confirm one payment.
How do I share, and when must guests accept?
After paying, share your purchase’s invitation link. Each guest opens it in Podtour and accepts their place on their own iPhone or Android phone. They must redeem it within 30 days of purchase. Unclaimed places then expire and cannot be recovered or renewed. Access accepted in time is kept. Opening the link does not use a place; one account takes just one place, and no more people can join once all places are taken.
Can I add guests after buying?
No. Choose all your guests before confirming the first purchase. Afterwards you can share the places you paid for, but you cannot increase their number or restart the 30-day deadline.
Your first city,
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Your first city,
on Podtour.
Join the waitlist and get one whole city free when Podtour launches. You choose where.
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One city per person. All its Podtour routes in Spanish and English. Available at launch. Offer details.