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About
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FAQ
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About
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Home
About
Walks
- Guided Walks
- Corporate walks
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About
Walks
- Guided Walks
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Unveiling of blue plaque commemorating Louis Bruce, Hammersmith, 25 April 2023.

iya_london_walks

Unearthing London’s overlooked stories - walks & talks
Open City qualified guide
See info, tickets and gift cards ⤵️

"West London is so boring." If you live under th

"West London is so boring."

If you live under this misapprehension, step out and explore the west this year on one of my walks. I promise you'll be intrigued by what's happened and happening in this part of the world.

I do my own research, digging into the history of a particular neighbourhood, whether that's South Kensington or White City.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"Fascinating and expertly led walks. I have been on two now (White City and East Acton housing estates). Joanna is a first rate guide: thoughtful, knowledgeable and with a real understanding of her subject. Recommended unconditionally!" Max Whitby (Google)

Dates for 2025 walks are out till April. Book via the second link in my bio or message if you'd like me to take you on your very own bespoke walk.

#SouthKensington #ShepherdsBush #WhiteCity #AskewRoad #WestLondon #LondonHistory #LondonWalks #IyaLondon #HammersmithAndFulham #LondonArchitecture #LondonWalkingTour

📸 James Tye/Great Exhibition Road Festival

Happy New Year! #IyaLondon #PaddingtonBear #Padd

Happy New Year!

#IyaLondon #PaddingtonBear #Paddington #Paddington3 #WestLondon #PortobelloRoad

Had enough of being inside over the Christmas peri

Had enough of being inside over the Christmas period? Join me on a Twixtmas walk!

On 29 December, I’ll be leading my Old Oak to White City walk, exploring the history of public housing in London.

The following day, there's something completely different. I’ll be in South Kensington for a walk about the legacy of the 1851 Great Exhibition.

Feel free to message me if you have any question. Book at link in bio.

Image 1: Courtesy of Frédérique Cifuentes
Image 2: Courtesy of Nathaniel Télémaque

#IyaLondon #SouthKensington #WhiteCity #ShepherdsBush #VisitLondon #LondonWalks #ThingsToDoInLondon #LondonArchitecture #CouncilHousing #PublicHousing #HammersmithAndFulham #KensingtonAndChelsea

This mosaic floor at the V&A, London, was assemble

This mosaic floor at the V&A, London, was assembled by women prisoners at Woking Female Prison. It was the first purpose-built prison for women in the UK. It opened in 1869.

They also made mosaic floors for the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral. You can also see their work at the Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

But the prison had stopped employing women in mosaic making by 1889, according to The Graphic. There were no job opportunities for released women prisoners who had learnt this trade.

#LondonWalks #iyalondon #londonhistory #westlondon #victorianlondon #womenprisoners #mosaic

Join me on Sunday 17 November for a walk about the

Join me on Sunday 17 November for a walk about the impact of two world wars on the Askew Road area in Shepherd's Bush and amazing new assets created for the community after 1945.

You'll learn about the impact of bombing on the area, assisted by bomb damage maps, and hear about the "Little Blitz".

You'll visit St. Bobola. The remarkable interior to this Polish Roman Catholic church contains stained glass and other memorials to the Polish armed forces who fought alongside the Allies during World War II, including as pilots in the Battle of Britain.

The walk will end at Greenside School. Built on a bombsite, it is one of only two primary schools in the U.K. designed by the famous modernist architect Erno Goldfinger.

Click the first link in the bio for info and tickets.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ""I recently attended the ‘War and Renewal on the Askew Road’ walk with Joanna and WOW! did it exceed my expectations!! In every way. I live locally so knew a bit about the destruction caused by the war but was so facinated by the photos and the stories that brought the mini blitz to life. Loved the visit to the church. This walk was so well researched and all the content was so interesting. It’s really encouraged me to dig deeper into my local history." Shannon Rodgers - Google

Image 1: Stained glass window memorialising Polish airmen who fought in the Battle of Britain. Designed by Janina Baranowska. Image courtesy of @fredcifuentesmorgan

#ShepherdsBush #AskewRoad #IyaLondon #LondonWalks #LondonArchitecture #Blitz #LondonBlitz #LondonChurches

#blackhistorymonth #blackhistorymonth2024 #londonw

#blackhistorymonth #blackhistorymonth2024 #londonwalks #IyaLondon

Have you ever really explored South Kensington? Di

Have you ever really explored South Kensington? Did you know this area is a legacy of the Great Exhibition?

Discover how South Kensington developed into London’s first dedicated arts and science district as the British Empire reached its peak.

You’ll also hear about a dramatic, but almost forgotten, act of anti-imperial resistance by an Indian student.

Dates are now available till November. Click the first link in the bio for more info and tickets. The next walk is on Monday 30 December at 11am.

Pic 2 📸 @fredcifuentesmorgan

#IyaLondon #SouthKensington #BritishEmpire #LondonWalks #Architecture #VisitLondon #ThingsToDoInLondon #LondonArchitecture

What’s behind the name Iya London? Apologies f

What’s behind the name Iya London?

Apologies for the bad Yoruba pronunciation. Sadly I didn’t grow up exposed to my father’s first language…

#IyaLondon #LondonWalks

Kudos to everyone who braved today’s weather for

Kudos to everyone who braved today’s weather for my new walk “War and Renewal on the Askew Road”.

As well as marking the lives lost and property destroyed by war, we celebrated new assets created for the community after 1945.

These include the Polish Roman Catholic Church, St Bobola. Behind a standard neo-Gothic exterior lies a startling interior designed by Aleksander Prus-Klecki.

This includes an abstract altar screen in bronze cast concrete; stained glass dedicated to Polish armed forces who fought in World War II; and a memorial to the thousands of Polish victims of the 1940 Katyn massacres.

We ended at Greenside School whose tower rises out of a former bombsite. It’s one of only two primary schools in the U.K. designed by the modernist architect Erno Goldfinger.

The Askew Road Arts Festival continues till 25 September. There’s still time to check it out at @askewroad_w12. Thanks for letting Iya London participate! I’m grateful to Fr Marek for welcoming us to the church and to Fred Cifuentes Morgan, photographer, for these photos.

All proceeds from the walk are going to @hcga_gardens

📸 @fredcifuentesmorgan

#AskewRoadArtsFestival #IyaLondon #ShepherdsBush #LondonWalks #WorldWar2 #AskewRoad #W12 #W6

I’m delighted to lead a walk about the impact of

I’m delighted to lead a walk about the impact of two world wars on Askew village at the Askew Road Arts Festival on 22 September at 10.45am.

As well as marking the lives lost and property destroyed by war, the walk will celebrate new assets created for the community after 1945. You'll see the remarkable interior of St. Bobola, a Polish Roman Catholic church set up after World War II. It contains stained glass and other memorials to the Polish armed forces who fought as part of the Allies during World War II.

The walk will end at Greenside School. Built on a bombsite, it is one of only two primary schools in the U.K. designed by the modernist architect Erno Goldfinger.

The school's opening its doors for the Open House Festival. So immediately after the walk you'll have the chance to look inside and see a beautiful 1950s mural designed by Gordon Cullen.

And you can also explore the Bouncing Off the Wall! C20th Graphic Arts Fair in the school hall. There'll even be a vintage tea room!

The walk is part of the Askew Road Arts Festival which takes place between 18 and 25 September. I'll donate all proceeds from the walk to Hammersmith Community Gardens Association. If you can donate £5 or more that's great. If you can't just book a free ticket and come anyway!.

#ShepherdsBush #AskewRoadArtsFestival #IyaLondon #LondonHistory #LondonWalks #LondonArchitecture #AskewRoad #HammersmithAndFulham #WestLondonEvents #WestLondonLife
#askewroad_w12
#AllThingsAskew #AskewRoad_w12

Where's this? East Acton! Learn how public housing

Where's this? East Acton! Learn how public housing developed in London in the 20th century on a thought-provoking walk. See an early Arts and Crafts cottage estate; the LCC's most ambitious flatted estate of the interwar years; a modernist block inspired by the Giants' Causeway and a little-known Darbourne & Darke development.

We'll discuss many of the dilemmas still plaguing public housing today - the role of the public and private sectors, finance, affordability and quality.

Dates are now available till November. Click the first link in the bio for more info and tickets. The next walk is on 29 December at 11am. #WhiteCity #OldOak #ShepherdsBush #LondonHistory #IyaLondon #CouncilHomes #walks #tours

Instagram post 18011521388620404

Instagram post 18011521388620404

I’m delighted to lead a walk on Monarchy and Emp

I’m delighted to lead a walk on Monarchy and Empire in South Kensington at the Open House Festival 2024.

This huge celebration of my city, London, takes place between 14 and 22 September. Check out a preview of the programme now on the festival website.

Come and hear about the history and politics behind the development of South Kensington as a groundbreaking arts and science quarter. See how its architecture communicates the changing role of monarchy and growing power of the British Empire.

Hear about a dramatic act of anti-imperial resistance that took place in the heart of South Kensington. See the link in my bio for more info about the walk.

Like all Open House Festival events, the walk is FREE. It takes place on Sunday 15 September at 4pm. Mark your calendars for midday on 21 August to reserve this and other ticketed events.

Photos courtesy of @fredcifuentesmorgan

#SouthKensington #OpenHouseFestival #OpenHouse24 #IyaLondon #LondonHistory #LondonWalks #LondonArchitecture #BritishEmpire

#WhiteCity #ShepherdsBush #HammersmithAndFulham #C

#WhiteCity #ShepherdsBush #HammersmithAndFulham #CouncilHousing #PublicHousing #LondonHistory #LondonWalks #IyaLondon

I'm celebrating the genius of James Baldwin, born

I'm celebrating the genius of James Baldwin, born today 100 years ago. Aged 16, I was lucky enough to find some of his novels in a bookshop in north Kent. His writing and thinking helped me understand many things I’d already experienced as a young Black woman but could not yet articulate.

Here he is, inserting himself into the poets' section of the Frieze of Parnassus on the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens, London! I’d love to know the story behind this truly subversive photo. 📸 Allan Warren

The Leaning Woman of the A4 #iyalondon #sculptur

The Leaning Woman of the A4

#iyalondon #sculpture #publicart #hammersmith #lcc #londoncountycouncil #refugeeswelcome

#londonarchitecture #victorianarchitecture #trains

#londonarchitecture #victorianarchitecture #trains #railways #civilengineering #watertowers #kingscross #stpancras #IyaLondon

The Monarchy and Empire walk in South Kensington:

The Monarchy and Empire walk in South Kensington: I'd like to thank everyone who came last weekend. I was stunned by the number of walkers who showed up.

London, the imperial metropolis, is a great place to explore the history of the British Empire on a tour. The John Madejski Garden at the V&A tells the story of the Great Exhibition of 1851. It also reveals how the Victorian establishment saw the world.

I'm very grateful to @exrdfestival for the opportunity to be a community partner and to @fredcifuentesmorgan for the beautiful photos.

#SouthKensington #LondonHistory #IyaLondon #LondonWalks #LondonArchitecture #LondonHistory

📸@fredcifuentesmorgan
1: John Madejski Garden, V&A
2: The Royal Albert Hall

Monarchy and Empire walk, 15 and 16 June For more

Monarchy and Empire walk, 15 and 16 June

For more info check the third link in my bio!

#IyaLondon #SouthKensington #LondonWalks

All change at Earl’s Court! We had lovely weat

All change at Earl’s Court!

We had lovely weather for my evening walk for @planaidlondon last week digging into the twisted tale of efforts to redevelop this area, centred on the now demolished exhibition halls.

The first developer, Capital and Counties AKA CapCo, tried and failed to regenerate this neighbourhood, mainly for high-end housing. Their main contribution was bulldozing the two exhibition centres and ripping the heart out of the local economy. Years later the old exhibition site remains almost empty with limited meanwhile use after the BBC Earth Experience closed earlier this year.

We were privileged to meet a community leader from the Gibbs Green Estate. She told us the story of the community’s bruising 12-year campaign to stop CapCo bulldozing their homes after then Conservative-run Hammersmith and Fulham sold the estates to the developer. In 2019, the residents succeeded after CapCo sold their stake. The buyers sold the two estates back to Hammersmith and Fulham. More people should know about this inspiring campaign!

What will result from efforts by the current developer, @earlscourtdevco? Their hybrid planning application is expected to be submitted later this year after extensive consultation. Check out their Instagram or website, where there’s lots of info.

Image 1 Warwick Road, Site of demolished entrance to the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre.

Image 2 Spear Mews.

Image 3 Empress Space.

#earlscourt #westkensington #councilestates

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