Hello! I’m Mark Monroe a London taxi driver. I'm sure you’ve seen plenty of us in London since you’ve arrived. Yes, I drive the iconic London black taxi, a vehicle that’s instantly recognizable around the world, maybe you’ve even taken a ride in one already if so you’ve been driven by one of the most qualified taxi drivers in the world! We spend around 3 years studying to get our famous green badge thats total of 17000 streets and roads to remember as well as over 30,000 points of interest and there’s practically nothing we don’t know about this amazing city. Today I’m going to take you to the places that only London cabbies would know, those quirky hidden gems that are not only fascinating but will also give you an insight into London’s rich history. So buckle up, and get ready to be astounded by some of London’s best kept secrets from a real London taxi driver!&nbsp;

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

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Welcome to London cabbie tour

Porter's rest is a peculiar object. It is an example of a quirky and fascinating part of London. So porter's rest is too high to be a table, too narrow, and low to be a shelter. These were a very common sight in London during Victorian times, as a place where the porters, caring heavy loads to market, could place the load without the need to bend to the floor height....

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Porter's rest and Picadilly

It’s quite a small street but if you carry on to the end you’ll discover one of London’s best-kept hidden gems. In a few seconds you’ll be entering a place called Shepherd Market, one of the most delightful areas in London, no you haven’t stumbled into a quaint English Village, you’re still in the middle of London and the Square in front of you dates back to the 1800 The area was originally developed by Edward Shepherd and was the location for the annual May-Fair which Mayfair takes its name from.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Shepherd Market

You’ve made it to one of London’s most exquisite shopping galleries, welcome to the Burlington Arcade. I know it’s a sight to behold isn’t it? This Arcade is as elegant as it is fascinating. As soon as you walk into the 179m thoroughfare you know you’ve arrived at someplace very special. The Arcade was constructed in 1818 under the guidance of George Cavendish; it opened in 1819 and was considered the modern-day shopping mall of its time. There are around 40 shops in the Burlington Arcade all offering high-quality luxury branded products as well as places to eat and drink. The Arcade is carpeted adding to that opulent feel and is housed inside so it’s an all weather venue. Over the years the Arcade has been the backdrop to plenty of movie blockbusters such as ‘Patriot Games’ ‘101 Dalmatians and the film ‘Scandal’.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Burlington Arcade

As you can see it wasn’t too far away. By now you’ll be standing outside Berry Bros &amp; Rudd Britain’s Original wine and spirit merchant it’s family-run and owned and has 2 Royal warrants over its 300-year history. Underneath this shop are 2 acres of caves and storage areas housing over 10,000 bottles of wine, but it’s also famous for another reason. Above this shop existed a small piece of the United States of America!

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

London's smallest square

By now you’ll be standing outside the beautiful and opulent Athenaeum club on Waterloo Place, a private members club that was founded in 1824. The club Itself invites members who have attained a distinction in science arts, literature and engineering. Famous members include Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, and Michael Faraday. However none of its members have had quite the same treatment as that of the Duke of Wellington ‘The Iron duke’ who defeated Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

The Duke of Wellington’s Mounting stone

If I may draw your attention to the tree on the right of the Duke of York steps that is surrounded by the black wrought iron fence. Have you seen it yet? Behind the fence stands a small headstone in a wooden box. But what is it and who is buried here? It has an inscription on it in German, and when translated into English reads ‘Giro a faithful companion’ So who was Giro? Well Giro wasn’t a person Giro was a dog! He was the pet dog of the German ambassador Leopold Von Hoesch and lived at number 9 Carlton house terrace which was then the German Embassy.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Giro - The Weimar Republic's Dog

I know, what an amazing Arch and it’s on London’s most prestigious Thoroughfare, The Mall. First of all, you’ll quickly notice the uninterrupted line of sight you have up toward Buckingham Palace, it’s an incredible view and well worth a pic!&nbsp; Admiralty Arch stands to the East of the Mall and no doubt you’ve seen this structure during many televised ceremonial events that have played out on the famous road. The Mall certainly looks very different from many other streets in London, in part because of its color, yes it’s red!

Admiral Arch and the London nose

Welcome to London’s most famous square! The stand-out feature here is of course Nelson’s column, which I’ll come back to in just a few moments. You’re standing on London’s most central point, 5 very important roads converge into this square making it a very congested traffic junction. Trust me, I've been stuck at the lights here&nbsp;

for ages. Almost everyone who visits London makes their way here partly because there is so much to see. The Square has been here since the 14th century but in the early days resembled a courtyard that served Whitehall Palace. From the 19th century the Architect John Nash began developing the space as a cultural venue and it's evolved ever since into a vibrant tourist hotspot.

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Trafalgar Square and London’s smallest Police station

You’re now entering Covent Garden, a major tourist destination full of shops, restaurants, bars, and much much more. It was once London’s biggest fruit market but closed as recently as 1974 its central location makes it extremely popular for visitors and sees large crowds everyday. By now you should be standing not far from what is London’s narrowest alleyway, Brydges place.&nbsp; It runs the length of 200 yards alongside the Coliseum theater from St Martins Lane to Bedfordbury. At its narrowest point, it’s just 15 inches wide. It’s rather hard to spot tucked up against the Coliseum but the sign for Brydges place will be clearly visible on your right from the St Martins lane entrance. If you're not too claustrophobic why not take a stroll through to the other side the start of the alleyway the start is the most narrowest; but it will soon widen as you continue through.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Oddities of Covent Garden

Welcome to Maiden Lane, one of Covent Garden's most vibrant little cobbled thoroughfares. Maiden Lane forms an accident track that linked the convent garden of the monks of Westminster Abbey to St. Martin's lane. Houses began to go up along its boundaries around 1630 although today they have all long since gone. Until 1857 it was a cul-de-sac linked to Southampton street by a footpath then a way through was made so that Queen Victoria's carriage didn’t have to do a U-turn after being dropped off at the Adelphi Theatre. Nowadays Maiden Lane really comes to life at nighttime with its large offering of bars and restaurants to choose from. And it’s one particular restaurant I’d like to introduce you to today. The most Ornate eatery if you hadn’t already noticed on Maiden Lane is called Rules London’s oldest Restaurant.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

London's oldest Restaurant

Welcome to the Savoy Hotel, you’ll be hard-pushed to find any other London hotel entrance that can match its Art Deco opulence. The Savoy hotel was opened in 1889 and was the first hotel in the UK to install electric lighting and electric elevators throughout the whole of the building. It was the first purpose-built deluxe hotel in London and is considered one of the most luxurious offering panoramic views across the Thames. The hotel was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte to sit alongside his celebrated theatre, the entrance of which can be seen on the right of Savoy Court. The theater was home to the D’Oyly Carte Opera and it was the profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions that financed the construction of the hotel. The entrance to the hotel is unique as it’s the only named street in the UK where vehicles are mandated to drive on the right.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Savoy Court: left or right?

Welcome to our final oddity on today's tour. By now you’ll be standing in front of what is affectionately known as The Farting Carting lane lamp post( Excuse me) Before I go into the details of how it acquired that peculiar name, let 's quickly talk about London’s Victorian sewer system that will give this lamppost some context. In the early 19th century everything that Londoners didn’t want was thrown straight into the river Thames. Effluent chemicals even dead animals and dead bodies made their way into the river; it was London’s biggest dumping ground. In 1858 a phenomenon took place that would change London’s sewerage system forever ‘The Great Stink’ the summer of 1858 boasted incredibly high temperatures and taught Londoners a harsh lesson they couldn’t just throw their waste into the Thames there would be a price to be paid for this wanton act of selfishness.

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

The Farting Carting lane Gas Lamp

It's been a pleasure to be your guide today! If you would like to go somewhere to eat and relax now, why not head straight to Covent Garden, you will have a million restaurants and cafes to choose from...

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

Outro of the tour

Hello! I’m Mark Monroe a London taxi driver. I'm sure you’ve seen plenty of us in London since you arrived. Yes, I drive the iconic London black taxi, a vehicle that’s instantly recognizable around the world, maybe you’ve even taken a ride in one already if so you’ve been driven by one of the most qualified taxi drivers in the world! We spend around 3 years studying to get our famous green badge that's a total of 17000 streets and roads to remember as well as over 30,000 points of interest and there’s practically nothing we don’t know about this amazing city. Today I’m going to take you to the places that only London cabbies would know, those quirky hidden gems that are not only fascinating but will also give you an insight into London’s rich history. So buckle up, and get ready to be astounded by some of London’s best-kept secrets from a real London taxi driver!&nbsp;

Credits 
Audio tour developed by Mark Monroe 
Tour images by Mark Monroe

 
&nbsp;

Audio tour | P6 | 6.99 EUR

Mark Monroe’s hidden gems cabbie tour

Welcome to London

Welcome to London, home of the Royal Family and Big Ben, once the heart of an empire that covered a quarter of the panet, and now among many other things... a forest! There are so many trees in London that it qualifies for the title under UN forestry standards. 
As you enjoy the greenery along your tour today I’m sure you’ll recognise many iconic landmarks and postcard worthy scenery but we are also going to be guiding you through some of London’s less known stories that shaped the destiny of this great city. 
To enjoy a truly immersive experience, we encourage you to enable the autoplay function that you can turn on by clicking the three dots in the right hand corner of the screen. This will allow for the audio files to start playing automatically as you approach sights that are part of your tour.&nbsp;We have built a few more features to help you navigate around the city. 
If you click the “Map” icon - you will see your tour route and your location. If you ever feel slightly lost, you can always get directions on how to reach a specific site by clicking on the directions icon. Now, click next to begin your tour, and the directions icon if you need guidance to reach the first site. 
Enjoy!

The End of the Tour

You have come to the end of the tour!&nbsp; 
I hope you enjoyed exploring London and learned something new to share with others. 
Globetrott would love to hear your feedback, which you can leave in the window that is about to pop-up on your screen.&nbsp; 
A quick tip while you’re writing your review: 
Most museums and galleries in London are free to visit. We particularly like The National Gallery and the Natural History Museum. 
Thank you for choosing GlobeTrott and see you next time!

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London

Mark Monroe’s hidden gems cabbie tour

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