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Welcome to my list of things to do in London for November 2019.
Can you believe that 2019 will soon be a thing of the past? Where does the time go?
But, there's still another six or so weeks to enjoy London, and this month I've compiled a varied selection of November morsels for your delectation.
The highlight this month has to be the Lord Mayor's Show, which will take to the streets in the City on Saturday, 9th November, 2019.
There's a great Christmas market taking place in the streets of Rotherhithe, that has a Scandinavian feel to it.
You will find a smattering of indoor events, should the weather take a turn for the worse and turn out frightful.
You can also take to the streets of the West End on my free Mayfair and St James's Quiz Trail.
So, all in all, this month's list should keep you active throughout the bleak mid-winter.
The final Inns of Court Tour of the year will take place on Wednesday, 13th November, 2018 at 2pm, and will set out to explore one of London's loveliest and historic enclaves. Click here for full details..
My ghost walks will be taking place on Fridays and Saturdays, and my colleague John Bennett, who some of you will know from his excellent Jack the Ripper walk will be leading his fantastic London Rock Tour on selected Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Click here for full details..
Unbelievable as it might sound, Christmas is just around the corner, and from Saturday 14th December 2019, I'll be running (or should that be walking?) my annual "Dickens Christmas Carol" walk, which will visit many of the locations featured in Dickens's festive classic, as well as the origins of some of our current Christmas traditions. Click here for the details.
In addition my "Old City Ghost Walk" will take place on several nights between Christmas and New Year, and will explore the old alleyways when they are at their most atmospheric and spookiest! Click here for full details.
So, all in all, there are some great locations to get out and about to in London and, as per usual, they're all free, so enjoy.
Just to remind you that I also post updates and additional venues on our Facebook page, so you might like to join us and like us (as in Facebook likes!) to ensure you're kept fully up to date on what's happening in London during the weeks ahead.
As ever, if something changes in the weeks ahead I will put the update on the Facebook Page, in order not to bombard you with emails.
So, without further ado, here is my November 2019 list of ten things to do in London.
For colourful pageantry you simply can't beat the Lord Mayor's Show, which takes place on the second Saturday in November each year.
This is the day when the new Lord Mayor, William Russell , will be shown to the citizens of London by being taken around the streets in the Lord Mayor's State Coach, accompanied by a vibrant and colorful procession consisting of over 7000 participants.
At 11am The Lord Mayor's Procession will set out from Mansion House and head for the Royal Courts of Justice where the Lord Mayor will give his oath before returning along Victoria Embankment at around 1pm.
More InformationThe site has been a residence of the Bishops of London since AD 704, when Bishop Waldhere acquired the Manor of Fulham — a vast estate covering most of Hammersmith, Fulham, Acton, Ealing and Finchley.
As Bishops were called "Princes of the Church" the estate became known as Fulham Palace.
During the mid-13th century the original manor house was abandoned. The foundations of the current house start at this time. Over the past 750 years the house has evolved as different Bishops carried out building works, from remodelling the great hall to demolishing the Tudor state wing.
This has created an interesting mixture of architectural styles which reflect changing fashions and the differing needs of the Bishops and their families.
Join Conway Hall Humanist Library and Archives to edit and add information about nineteenth-century freethinkers and social and political reformers to Wikipedia.
Help us to celebrate and raise awareness of the valuable input of humanists to key nineteenth-century reforms and campaigns by improving Wikipedia content about the figures campaigning tirelessly for issues such as women’s rights, parliamentary reform, freedom of the press and even vegetarianism!
Thanks to £88,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Conway Hall has digitised its collection of over 1300 nineteenth-century pamphlets as part of the Victorian Blogging project and is making these freely available online. This collection offers insight into the campaigns and causes that Victorian humanists and freethinkers were involved in as they delivered lectures and published pamphlets to share their radical ideas. Through engaging with the pamphlets and wider Library and Archives collections held by Conway Hall, these often-overlooked contributions of freethinkers will be added to Wikipedia.
Learn all about the fascinating history of humanist campaigning, whilst developing your digital skills and learning how to edit Wikipedia with the help of Wikipedia trainers from Wikimedia UK, the national chapter for the global Wikimedia network. Both beginners and more experience editors are welcome.
A limited number of laptops will be provided on the day, but please bring your own if possible.
You may have seen the Roupell Street Conservation area, and not actually realised you've seen it.
It's been featured in numerous films and TV programmes.
It is made up of early 19th century workers houses, and it is a total surprise to stray into it.
Not only is it made up of some of the quaintest streets you can imagine, but it is also almost a village in its own right, with several pubs that are, very much, village pubs.
A true find, and well worth a visit..
More InformationJoin our "infectious" scientists to get hands on with everything from superbugs to a zombie apocalypse and state of the art diagnostics to STIs.
Hear stories from the front line of the fight against disease, watch antimicrobial resistance theatre and try not to spend too long in our Infectious Arcade!
Want to become the modern day Dickens, but need a little help? Come along to this event exploring how story-generating computer programmes could be the answer. Through flash talks and poetry performances discover how the computer has learnt to say more than ‘no’. Then turn your hand (or typing fingers) to writing stories. Enter a handful of words and phrases into the programme and see what masterpiece the machine helps you create.
Flash talks will cover the digital possibilities, from asking online communities to crack Dickens’ unsolved murder mystery, to seeing whether the Victorians’ futuristic ideas about talking books came true. However, don’t forget the old-fashioned human author as throughout the night a poet will give spoken word performances and go up against the machine to create a brand new work.
In the second part of the evening mingle amongst our interactive stalls to generate your own stories, join the "Save the Author" protest and become an online detective. With a drink in hand see if you find the machine a friend or foe.
More InformationCome and experience the Nordic Christmas atmosphere at the annual Scandinavian Christmas Market taking place on Albion Street in Rotherhithe between the Finnish and Norwegian Churches.
The market street connects the Finnish and Norwegian Churches and coincides with the indoor Christmas Fairs at both churches.
This is a popular event attracting Nordics living in the UK as well as local residents, who come to enjoy good food and explore a wide variety of Scandinavian related goods, arts and crafts.
Full Details On This WebsiteEnjoy a two hour Quiz Trail through the streets of Mayfair and St James's, which, at this time of the year, are looking particularly festive.
The concept of a Quiz Trail is that you get to explore a London neighbourhood whilst, at the same time, looking for the answers to observation and photo questions.
Because you are looking for things, as opposed to just walking down the street, you really do get to know the area, and you'll also make some excellent discoveries of places you will, most certainly, want to re-visit.
To do the trail, you simply print off a pdf, or download it onto your phone, and away you go.
At the end of the trail, you can even enter your answers into our auto marker, and instantly be awarded a certificate giving your score and the date you did the trail.
Since the trail can be done all year round, you can even print it off and give it to somebody as a Christmas present - Ho, Ho Ho!
Joseph Merrick, the so-called "Elephant Man", was being displayed at a Victorian freak show on Whitechapel Road when hospital surgeon Frederick Treves first encountered him.
He was given a safe haven at the London Hospital (now the Royal London).
The hospital's wonderful little museum is a fascinating place that tells the story of, not just the hospital, but also of the various people - famous, infamous and otherwise forgotten - who have over the years worked at or been treated at this local institution.
Objects on show connected to Joseph Merrick include a replica of the hat and veil he wore whenever he went out in public and documents relating to his residence at the hospital.
All in all, a fascinating hour or so can be enjoyed here.
Full Details On This WebsiteEach year, prior to Christmas, the Worshipful Company of Butchers, resplendent in their fur-trimmed robes, process through the City of London, led by a troupe of drummers, accompanied by a posse of police outriders and followed by sundry hangers-on who have turned out to participate in the elaborate occasion - to Mansion House, the home of the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
The centrepiece of this procession is a large Boar's head which they present to the Lord Mayor when he emerges from a side door of his residence to greet them.
It's a terrific event, and one that is well worth attending.