Thameside Tales: The Bermondsey Story Walk 

11 am Tuesday 6^th September 2016

Thameside Tales takes us up along the river and through South London’s old wharfside dockland. We will meet with the childhood memories of the Bermondsey boys: Michael Caine and Tommy Steele. Their early days saw WW2 bring destruction to the area and to its long history of Thameside manufacturing. Come and join us as we unravel The Bermondsey Story.

Meet at Blue Anchor Library at 11 am and finishes at Bermondsey Tube Station around 1pm

Date: Tuesday 6^th September 2016 from 11am to 1pm

The walk is approximately 2 1/2 miles. Please wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing. 

Blue Anchor Library, Market Place, Southwark Park Road SE16 3UQ  Buses: 1, P12, 381 or tube to Bermondsey

Rebels & Revolutionaries Friday 26 August 2.30 - 4.30pm.

How to get there.

Start at Brandon Library at 2.30pm, 26 August 2016
Address: Maddock way, Cooks Road, SE17 3NH.

Nearest tube Kennington. Bus stop Dale Road (stop S) served by P5, 36, 185, 436. 

TWISTS & TRANSFORMATION: Dicken’s London Borough.

Tonight TWISTS & TRANSFORMATION: Dicken’s London Borough.

Meet at John Harvard Library, near Borough tube at 6pm, to finish near London Bridge 8pm

This walk through the streets of Old Borough, follows the ‘Twists and Transformations’ of Dickens’s early childhood, revisiting early Victorian London South of the River. By encountering the traumatic twists in Dickens’s early years, as he took his first tentative steps into this new city of opportunity, we reveal something of his restless spirit, manifest in his compulsive night-walking and his feelings of ‘houselessness’.

We imagine again the old ground of the Borough, around the debtors prison of Marshalsea and in the places Dickens frequented: the quiet graveyard of St George the Martyr, the bustling fruit and veg market, Horsemonger’s Lane Jail, and Old London Bridge. These places where his imagination grew, fed by the energy and incident of this rapidly growing city. We become aware of his acquaintance with Victorian ‘low life’, and with the frequent twists in life, those unexpected hardships. These grand themes and encounters that he later transforms into some of the most vivid characters and plots in London’s celebrated literature: Little Dorrit, Oliver Twist, Nancy, Bill Sikes. By exploring these concealed aspects of Victorian London we come face to face with the inspirational back stories that gave birth to Dickens’s extraordinary fiction.

Transport to Start: Borough Tube (Northern Line)  Buses: 35, 40, 133, 343. C10

John Harvard Library John Harvard Library Entrance – 211 Borough High Street  SE1 1JA  is 1 minute from the tube exit across the junction and by St George's Church.
Edited Walk as  part of Southwark Hidden Stories Walks in partnership with CoolWalks.  Tel: 020 77012696        

Rebels & Revolutionaries Friday 26 August 2.30 - 4.30pm.

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around Kennington and beyond to learn about the area's rebellious past and some of its famous revolutionaries.  Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Start at Brandon Library at 2:30pm and finishes near Lambeth Palace.

Dates: 26 August 2016 starting at 2.30pm

The walk is approximately 2 ½ miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing. 

If you have any queries or would like any further information, please check the blog

contact Charlie on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

CoolTan Arts SHS & CoolWalk Strange People

6pm Tuesday 28 June - meeting at Stockwell Tube Duration of walk: 2 hours (6pm-8pm) Finish at 8pm by Brixton Tube

Strange People traces post-war Brixton’s other histories through the changing and changeable gaze of the legendary David Bowie. Born just after the Second World War, David Jones spent the first 6 years of his life here, gently soaking up the faded glamour of South London’s best known shopping hub. His early childhood dreams were fed by his half-brothers love of avant-garde jazz, and fostered by his father’s love of popular entertainments.

While David Bowie decamped to the suburbs with his parents, young Terry stayed on in Brixton, estranged from his stepfather, battling his divided self; becoming a constant reminder to his younger half-brother David, of the other side of London and its people; the strange and the uncanny with all its changing and changeable faces.

This walk will trace the places both brothers would have known in the 1950’s but also look at how the area has changed and continues to change ‘identity’, from the early 20^th Century, through post-war decades until the present. Exploring the faded opulence, popular culture and the hidden stories present in the streets and markets… Asking now, what future for Bowie’s Other Brixton?

At the end of the walk, you can stay for an evening meal in one of Brixton’s vibrant covered markets.

The walk is approximately 2 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  

Meet at exit Stockwell Tube Station, London Underground, Clapham Rd, London, SW9 9AE Stockwell Tube Northern Line or Buses 2; 50; 88; 155; 196; 333; 345


If you have any queries or would like any further information, 
check the blog coolwalksblog.blogspot.co.uk
contact Charlie on 020 7701 2696, 
via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com 
Or tweet @CoolWalks.

Peckham: Art, Literature & SE15's Green Spaces

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks welcomes you along on our free guided journey through Peckham's hidden rural and literary history and to discover SE15's amazing number of green and open spaces.  

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

We start in Peckham Library at 10:30am and finish at the Rye, Peckham Rye around noon.

Date: Saturday 11th, June 2016

No need to book - just turn up.  The walk is approximately 3 miles and is suitable and accessible for all walkers.  We ask participants to bring a bottle of water and to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing. 


Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
Bus: 12, 36, 37, 63, 78, 136, 171, 177, 197, 343, 345, 363, 381, 436, P12, P13  
Rail: Train to Peckham Rye

If you have any queries or would like any further information Charlie on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

Pictures ©Rob Larkin-Frost

Nunhead Library - Myths, legends and tall tales.

CoolTan Arts' CoolWalks welcomes you along on our free guided journey through Nunhead. 

Together we'll explore, discover and share the area's hidden myths, legends and tall stories taking in the amazing Nunhead Cemetery and the views from Honor Oak.  

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Start inside Nunhead Library, at 11am and finish at Honor Oak around 1pm.

• Friday, 27th May 2016

Nunhead Library, Gordon Road, SE15 3RW

Bus: P12, 78  

Train to Nunhead

The walk is approximately 4 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and to bring plenty of water, sun cream and a sun hat - we are very optimistic! 

For more details, contact Rob Larkin-Frost on 020 7701 2696, by email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or Twitter @CoolWalks.

CoolTan Arts Eccentric Dulwich CoolWalk

Interested in London’s hidden histories?  Then join CoolTan Arts, CoolWalks, on their free guided public walks around all of Southwark.  We explore, discover and share Southwark’s rich history, outstanding architecture and the amazing stories of its residents down the years. 

May marks CoolWalk’s return to Dulwich, starting in Dulwich Library a legacy of Edward Passmore. From there, together, we’ll explore the rest of Dulwich’s rich history and the eccentric characters that have lived and been associated with this fascinating corner of Southwark. 

On this free guided walk we’ll look at the area’s architecture, the college, public art, the art gallery, its many parks and much more besides. 

Come along, it’s free - although donations to support CoolTan’s work are always welcome. Together we’ll learn new things, make friends, get fit, and have fun!

Starts inside Dulwich Library at 11:00am and finishes around 1pm

368 Lordship Lane
SE22 8NB

Bus: 12, 40, 176, 185, 197
Train: East Dulwich (then 40, 176, or 185)

Saturday, 14th May 2016 meeting inside Dulwich Library

The walk is approximately 3 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any-time. 

If you have any queries or would like any further information please contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

Camberwell's Freedom Fighters

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around Camberwell and beyond to learn about the area's links to freedom fighters of the past.  Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.  Whether you know the area or not, CoolWalks encourages shared experience – add your local knowledge or discover something new!

Date: Friday 29th April 2016.

Start at Camberwell’s New Library at 11am and finishes at the Camberwell Green about 90 minutes later.

The walk is approximately 2 ½ miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any-time.

If you have any queries or would like any further information, please check the blog

- coolwalksblog.blogspot.co.uk or contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around East Dulwich and Camberwell to learn about the area's rural past, the many country houses in the areas who were lived them, and its transformation from a rural villages and country estates into the thriving urban hub it is today.  

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Friday, 26th February, 2016.  Start at Grove Vale Library at 11:00am and finish at Denmark Hill Station 12:30pm.

Grove Vale Library - 25-27 Grove Vale, London SE22 8EQ.

Bus: P13, 40, 176, 185, 484
Train: East Dulwich


The walk is approximately 3 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.

TWISTS & TRANSFORMATION: Dicken’s London Borough

This is a walk through the streets of Old Borough and London Bridge following the ‘Twists and Transformations’ of Dickens’ early childhood. 

This walk revisits the highways and byways of early Victorian London encountering the traumatic twists in Dicken’s early years as he took his first tentative steps into this new city of opportunity starting with the debtors prison of Marshalsea and in the places Dickens frequented: the quiet graveyard of St George the Martyr, the bustling fruit and veg market, Old London Bridge. 

These places were  where his imagination grew, fed by the energy and incident of this rapidly growing city. We become aware of his acquaintance with Victorian ‘low life’, and with the twists in life, the unexpected hardships. These grand themes and encounters that he later transforms into some of the most vivid characters and plots in London’s celebrated literature: Little Dorrit, Oliver Twist, Nancy, Bill Sykes. By exploring these concealed aspects of Victorian London we come face to face with the inspirational back stories that gave birth to Dickens’ extraordinary fiction.

This free guided walks reveals something of his restless spirit, manifest in his compulsive night-walking and his feelings of ‘houselessness’.

Meet: Borough Tube (finish near London Bridge station)
Walk: Free
Date: Saturday 13 February
Time: 11am –1pm

Part of Southwark Hidden Stories Walks with CoolWalks.

CoolTan CoolWalks - Film Locations in the Borough

Lights! Camera! Action!

Enjoyed your favourite films and box-sets over Christmas? Why not join CoolTan Arts CoolWalks on a free, guided walk to work off a mince pie or two and follow in the footsteps of Charles Dickens, Bridget Jones, Harry Potter and a host of other films, getting up close and personal with the streets and buildings of Borough and Bankside familiar from many of our favourite films.  

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Meet inside John Harvard Library at 11:00am and finish at Tate Modern around 12:00pm.

• Friday, 29th January, 2016

The walk is approximately 1.5 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.

If you have any queries or would like any further information contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

Walworth Through The Ages

Walworth Through the Ages

Join CoolTan Arts CoolWalks on a free guided walk to explore Walworth through the ages, learning about the areas history and evolution over time. 

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.  

We start at East Street Library, (168-170 Old Kent Road, SE1 5TY) at 12:30pm and finish about 2:30pm at the Elephant and Castle.   Transport to library - Bus: 21, 42, 53, 63, 172, or a 453.  

• Saturday 5th December
• Thursday 17th December

The walk is approximately 3 miles and is suitable for all walkers.  We would ask participants to bring a bottle of water, wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  

If you have any queries or would like any further information contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

CoolTan Arts CoolWalk Kingswood Library - Flora & Fauna

Summer's arrived at last and thoughts turn to trips to Victorian country houses and strolls through dappled woods. Can you keep a secret? You can do all of that without leaving zone 3.  

July’s CoolWalks start at Kingswood Library, a grade II listed mansion in south Dulwich, the southerly tip of Southwark. 

Together we’ll explore the area’s history, its architecture and its flora and fauna. 

We start with the history of Kingswood Lodge, followed by a stroll through Dulwich and Sydenham Woods - hunting out their bat-cave and follies. 

We finish off by walking through Crystal Palace Park and an amble with the dinosaurs.

Along the way we'll learn new things, make friends, get fit, and have fun.

Starts inside Kingswood Library at 12:30pm and finishes around 3pm.

Dates: 

• Saturday, 11th July
• Thursday, 30th July 

Bus: 3, 450
Train: Sydenham Hill (30minutes from Victoria)

The walk is approximately 3 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any-time. 

If you have any queries or would like any further information, 
check the blog coolwalksblog.blogspot.co.uk
contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, 
via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com 
Or tweet @CoolWalks.

CoolTan Arts CoolWalk Blue Anchor Library - Fun, Fresh Air & Picnics

CoolWalk's Southwark Library tour contines.

Hot on the heels of two successful Canada Water Library walks, CoolWalks moves from the Docks to nearby Blue Anchor Library & Bermondsey. 

Having explored the industrial history of Canada Water, we explore Bermondsey, an area that contained many factories that turned the raw ingredients land at Canada Water's quays into our family stock cupboard favourites. 

Walk with us to learn new things, have fun and get in a bit of exercise whilst together we discover which jams, biscuits, chocolates, custards, pickles and much, much more besides, helped make Bermondsey the pantry of London; the pantry of the UK and almost each and every corner of the globe.  

We take in the site of the chocolatier's swimming pool, try not to get in a pickle about pickles and discover the cracking story of the of the great egg-stink of World War 1. 

Together we'll go on a walk of fun, fresh air and picnics. Hopefully, we'll not get too hungry.

Starts inside Blue Anchor Library at 12:30pm and finishes around 3pm.

Dates:
·         Saturday 13th, June 2015
·         Thursday 25th, June 2015


The walk is approximately 3 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any time.

Blue Anchor Library, Market Place, Southwark Park Road, SE16 3UQ
Bus: 1, P12, 381
Tube: Bermondsey

Many smells!
A Poem by Leslie Davidson

Smells that vary with the weather,

Smell of hops and smell of leather,

Smell of jams and smell of glue,

Smell of chocolate at the Blue,

Smell of frying fish and chips,

Smell of heavy oil that drips,

Smell of stale ice left to trickle,

Smell of vinegar and pickle,

Smell of foreign bales and bags,

Smell of damp and steaming rags,

Smell of sweat and smell of dirt,

Smell of many an unwashed shirt,

Smell of humanity

In Bermondsey.

Peckham: Art, Literature & SE15's Green Spaces

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks welcomes you along on our free guided journey through Peckham's hidden rural and literary history and to discover SE15's amazing number of green and open spaces.  

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

We start in Peckham Library at 12:30pm and finish at Cafe on the Rye, Peckham Rye around 3:00pm.

Dates:

• Saturday 11th, April 2015
• Thursday 30th, April 2015

No need to book - just turn up.  The walk is approximately 3 miles and is suitable and accessible for all walkers.  We ask participants to bring a bottle of water and to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.

Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
Bus: 12, 36, 37, 63, 78, 136, 171, 177, 197, 343, 345, 363, 381, 436, P12, P13  
Rail: Train to Peckham Rye

If you have any queries or would like any further information Robert on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

May CoolWalks:- Architecture & Industry
Saturday, 9th May & Thursday, 28th May
Start 12:30pm Canada Water Library

Rebels & Revolutionaries

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around Kennington and beyond to learn about the area's rebellious past and some of its famous revolutionaries.  Whether you know the area or not, Coolwalks encourages shared experience – add your local knowledge or discover something new!

Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

Start at Brandon Library at 12:30pm and finishes at Lambeth Palace. Dates:

·        Saturday, 7th March, 2015

·        Thursday, 26th March, 2015

Brandon Library, Brandon Estate, 

Maddock Way, 

Cooks Road, 

London, SE17 3NH

Bus: P5, 36, 185, 436, or Tube: Kennington station.

The walk is approximately 4 ½ miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  Participants can leave at any time. There will be a stop for a snack.

If you have any queries or would like any further information, please contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

From Country Estate to Council Estate

CoolTan Arts CoolWalks invites you to join us on a free guided walk around East Dulwich and Camberwell to learn about the area's past, where and who were in the big houses, the area's social history and how it was transformed into the area it is today. Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.
No need to book, just turn up.

Start at Grove Vale Library at 12:30pm and finish at Denmark Hill Station 3pm.
Date: Saturday, 7th February, 2015
Thursday, 26th February, 2015

Grove Vale Library, 25-27 Grove Vale, East Dulwich, London, SE22 8EQ
Bus: P13, 40, 176, 185, 484
Train: East Dulwich

The walk is approximately 3 miles and we would ask participants to wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.

If you have any queries contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

 Saturday, 13^th December 2014

Freedom is built one thought, one hope and one step at a time.  Join CoolTan Arts CoolWalks on a free guided public walk through Camberwell and Brixton to discover the area's freedom fighters.  Learn new things, make friends, get fit and have fun.

We start at Camberwell Library, 17-21 Camberwell Church St, London SE5 8TR at 12:30pm and finish at the Black Cultural Archives around 3:30pm.

The walk is approximately 4 miles and is suitable for all walkers.  We would ask participants to bring a bottle of water, wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  There will be a short stop where you will be able to eat your own snack or purchase something to eat.

If you have any queries or would like any further information, please check the blog - call coolwalksblog.blogspot.co.uk or contact Robert on 020 7701 2696, or via email coolwalksinfo@gmail.com or tweet @CoolWalks.

Bus: 12, 21, 35, 40, 45, 53, 63, 68, 136, 148, 171, 172, 176, 343, 363, 453, 468, P5
Rail: Train to Denmark Hill
Tube: Oval or Elephant & Castle (then bus)

Walworth & Beyond at War (Saturday 8th November 2014)

On Saturday, 8^th November, for Remembrance Weekend, CoolTan Arts CoolWalk invites you to join us on a free walk to reflect on the stories and experiences that war has had on the citizens and landscape of Walworth and nearby.

We start at Newington Temporary Library, Elephant Artworks, 2^nd floor, Elephant Road SE17 1LB at 12:30pm.  We finish at Imperial War Museum around 3:30pm.

The walk is approximately 4 miles and is suitable for all walkers.  We would ask participants to bring a bottle of water, wear sensible walking footwear and weather appropriate clothing.  There will be a short stop where you will be able to eat your own snack or purchase something to eat.