Southwark - an exclusive private walking tour full of surprises!

A beautifully renovated space, this converted warehouse is now home to shops, restaurants, offices and apartments. Emerging onto Queens Walk at the back of the Galleria, there are fantastic views of the River Thames and the City of London on the north bank.

Following the part of this path between Tower and London bridges gives us a chance to enjoy views of London's iconic skyline with buildings spanning a timeline of more than 900 years! On the one hand, the White Tower of the Tower of London is a reminder of Norman power from the 12th century whilst the City of London next door is filled with buildings yet to celebrate their 10th birthdays! A wonderful contrast between old and new, something to look at as we consider the history of this area back to a time when this was one of the busiest dockyards in the world.

This centuries old market used to be a raucous market place for the wholesale trading of cattle, fish and grain. We will wander through the market and if you want to stop to buy food to sample after the tour, that's fine with me! Or we can walk through just enjoying the atmosphere - we'll take as long as you like.

This is one of the oldest churches in London which somehow survived the purge by that most notorious of kings, Henry VIII. Designated a cathedral since 1905, nothing prepares you for the sheer beauty of the interior: soaring arches and a dramatic ceiling give the feeling of space and wonder. There is much to experience here: a stained glass window dedicated to the playwright Shakespeare who lived and worked in the Borough; a Diamond Jubilee window to celebrate the late Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne and Harvard Chapel commissioned by alumni of Harvard University to honour its founder John Harvard who was baptized in St Saviour's church as it was then. We will go inside the Cathedral for about 20 minutes and although entry is free, there is a small charge for photography which is payable on entry.

A replica of the ship which circumnavigated the globe in the 1570s stands majestically beside the River Thames. Once you have come to terms with the fact that a ship this size could possibly complete such a tough and challenging journey, it is interesting to catch up with a few fun facts about the voyage: what was the famous ship called originally, who was on board and how many of the original fleet made it back to England? We will stop for about 5 minutes so that I can answer these questions plus pass on a few other interesting facts!!

You will gaze on the ruins of what used to be the large and luxurious home of the Bishops of Winchester. In an area full of sleaze and narrow, run down alleys and yards, once stood this beautiful palace proof that the privileged lived right next door to the poor. You will learn about the power of the Bishops and the meaning of the term Winchester geese - you might be a little surprised by what went on inside the boundaries of the Bishop's lands!

The Museum stands on the site of the original Clink prison which was inside the lands of the Bishops of Winchester and next door to their luxurious palace. There could not be a greater contrast between the two. The Clink went from being a prison housing wrongdoers to one housing heretics for daring to espouse views contrary to the Bishops' own. I'll tell you about the prison's conditions, how you could buy your way to a more comfortable stay inside and how this most gruesome of places was finally put to rest.

You get two Globe theatres for the price of one on this tour! We pass by the location of the original Globe built towards the end of the 1500s and within half a mile, get to admire the magnificent modern Globe which exists because of the perseverance of an American actor called Sam Wanamaker. Having seen the outside, you will want to book to see a performance on the inside too!

As this old power station towers above, it is possible to imagine that this houses London's biggest museum of art.

A much loved theatre today, this historic building used to be home to a chocolate factory run by Meniers who, in the latter half of the 1800s, was the largest chocolate manufacturer in the France. Sadly, as World War I raged in Europe, the neutral Switzerland gained the advantage formulating new recipes for chocolate with delicious fillings, an advance which Meniers could not complete with. The building became derelict but was designated a grade II listed building in the 1990s meaning that it could not be demolished. It then began its new life as a successful, off-West End theatre and I'll explain Menier's interesting history.

This graveyard was only discovered when Transport for London was working on the Jubilee line extension. It houses the remains of the Winchester Geese, cast aside by the Bishops of Winchester and buried in unconsecrated ground along with the social outcasts of the day. Archaeologists from the Museum of London who joined the excavations estimated there are 15,000 bodies buried on the site.