This tour tells the origin story of the ancient City of London: how this small square mile set itself apart from Westminster, defied royal authority, and rose to become the financial capital of the world and the envy of kings. We explore why the City guarded its freedoms so fiercely, and how its independence became pivotal in shaping English law and early ideas of democracy, echoing through charters like Magna Carta and beyond.
Seen through the lives, legends and struggles of the people who walked these streets—Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings and Normans—we trace how a riverside trading post evolved into a powerful city‑corporation at the heart of an unmatched maritime empire. Along the way, guilds, merchants and moneylenders quietly learned to challenge crowns and bishops, using contracts, credit and collective organisation as their weapons of choice.
Our journey builds towards the turbulent 17th century, an age of fire, plague, revolution and global expansion. Out of catastrophe, a new City emerged: rebuilt in stone, crowned with the dragon as its emblem, and rising like a phoenix from the ashes to secure ancient rights and new privileges. By the time we finish, you’ll see how this compact medieval city became a laboratory for empire, corporations and modern power—a place where the stories of bulls, dragons and bankers still shape the world today.
