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My tours can be taken as reasonably-priced private tours any day of the week (morning, afternoon or evening). For more information or to book a tour please click below on Contact Stephen.  The tours highlighted on this page are all walking tours.  Click also on the next three pages for my fascinating tours to the fabulous Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle, the Magnificent City of Oxford as well as Stonehenge, Salisbury and the Magna Carta.  And those tours on the next three pages also offer you a choice of travel either by rail or in a comfortable vehicle which, along with me, collects you from your accommodation for the start of the tour and at the end of the tour returns you to your accommodation or elsewhere if preferred.

I am delighted my passion for the rich heritage and fascinating story of Jewish London has been recognised by the much respected TripAdvisor travel organisation whose panel of judges has entered me into its Hall of Fame because I have just been chosen as the Trip Advisor Winner of the Certificate of Excellence which is, uniquely, the sixth year in succession I have won this coveted Travellers' Choice award (see the badge on the top left of the Home page).  And I have also won the Cultural Tour Guide of the Year title in the Luxury Travel Guide European Awards.

 Give a Gift Voucher!  Click above on Contact Stephen for details of a novel present.

Old Jewish Quarter in the districts of Aldgate and Spitalfields

It's my most popular and award-winning tour.  Fascinating sights and magical stories await you in this significant part of London's East End as we explore the rich hertitage of the Jewish community

• A visit inside the exquisite Bevis Marks Synagogue - the oldest synagogue in England dating back more than 300 years and spawning several internationally famous sons who I will introduce you to.  Discover why there was a staggering 156 synagogues in just a tiny two square mile area of the East End;  see the Soup Kitchen for the Jewish Poor, lifesaver to thousands of impoverished souls every day;  the first Yiddish theatre in England which was the scene of a real life tragedy;  and other interesting sites
• Hear heartwarming and heartbreaking stories, from the hilarious spiel of traders in the famous Petticoat Lane Market to the impoverished Jewish immigrants escaping East European oppression only to face wretched living conditions here and a life of toil in the notorious clothing factory sweatshops (and we touch on several other immigrant cultures too).  There's the 366 year exile of England's Jews and their joyous return thanks to one of the country's toughest rulers.  You will also learn about the infamous Jewish Catwalk where unsuspecting Jewish girls, fresh off the immigrant ships, were lured into a tragic and pitiful life of prostitution (this last one can be adjusted with young children) 
• Meet colourful characters from the past including the real-life 19th century Fagin;  England’s chief rabbi who told Russia: “DON’T let my people go!”;  the Angel of the East End who devoted her life to the Jewish community's underpriviledged;  and the secret Jew who became the Queen’s physician.  I will even take you to the very spot where visible evidence convinced many that the infamous Jack the Ripper was Jewish (this last one can be adjusted with young children)

I also tailor-make tour routes to include addresses of clients' ancestors who lived in the Old Jewish Quarter ...much to the delight of hundreds of my former clients.  I will do this for you too if you wish!

Extended Old Jewish Quarter tour with more fascinating sites to see and enthralling stories to hear!

Favoured by more and more (and at little extra cost) it lasts around 3 hours 30 minutes and combines my Old Jewish Quarter tour in the East End districts of Aldgate and Spitalfields (see highlights above) ...PLUS some sights and stories in the neighbouring Old Jewish Quarter district of Whitechapel (see below).  The tour is taken at a pace to suit you with plenty of stops on route and opportunities to sit. 

Some of the additional features in Whitechapel include:

• The manic goings-on at Britain’s most famous Yiddish theatre; the hospital making astonishing efforts to cater for its Jewish patients; the story behind the host of different Jewish trade unions and political groups.  I will introduce you to colourful characters including the boss of the notorious gang known as the Kosher Nostra;  the chief rabbi who ‘saved’ Queen Victoria;  the Jewish leader who backed an anti-Semitic election candidate whose policy was to rid the East End of its Jewish immigrants;  and the world famous hairdresser who was twice a hero to the Jewish community.

The Original Jewish London

Stroll through the true City of London (also known as the Square Mile) where the original Medieval Jewish London existed a thousand years ago.  Discover hidden gems of the older Jewish history as we come across fascinating sights and I introduce you to enthralling characters from the past (and the present too!).  And feast your eyes on the amazing contrast in buildings from medieval magnificence to spectacular modern-day marvels.  This tour is quite different to my Old Jewish Quarter tours in the East End (see above and below) which deal primarily with the Jewish community in the 19th and 20th centuries.

On this tour, you will:

• Hear why several churches and roads within the City of London featured the word 'Jewry' in their names (and some still do!);  tread the very side streets and narrow alleyways where a thousand years ago London's Medieval Jewish community lived and endured a precarious existence before their eventual exile from England;  and while standing on the very spot where the 1666 Great Fire of London started you will learn how the Jewish Quarter escaped the devastation despite it destroying 80% of the City
• Meet enthralling characters from the past and present including one Jewish Prime Minister of England who faced cruel antisemitism throughout his life;  also several leaders in the worlds of finance, retail shopping and communication, all of whom came from the humblest of beginnings;  the Jewish banker who single-handedly ensured Britain's victory against Napoleon;  the renowned 17th century non-Jewish writer and diarist shocked at his experience in a synagogue.  Meet also the billionaire entrepreneur who wanted to become the first trillionaire and not only the Prime Minister of Israel but also President of the World;  and find out why a Jewish Lord Mayor of London was physically thrown out of Parliament.  I will even reveal why Britain’s first serial murderer was responsible for antisemitic riots in London
• As we saunter casually along main thoroughfares and through quaint alleyways of the City of London you will see the homes and workplaces of outstanding Jewish personalities who made their mark in this country;  also get a bird’s eye view of the tallest building in Britain;  and we will identify the site of a synagogue whose founder was excommunicated by the Jewish leadership, simply for building it.  There are even more fascinating sites to see and stories to hear on this enthralling tour

Old Jewish Quarter in the district of Whitechapel

It’s my full length tour (2 hours 15 minutes) in the famous and fascinating district of Whitechapel offering sensational stories and interesting sights and where I introduce you to truly amazing characters from the past who left lasting impressions on this enthralling part of the East End.

• Discover the tiny synagogue dwarfed on all sides by a Mosque;  the hospital going overboard to cater for its Jewish patients;  the pub where the order of the day was lager and a latke;  why a monument, dedicated to a King of England, was paid for by the East End’s impoverished Jewish community;  the wine shop which, in a most ingenious way, smuggled kosher claret to the mayor of New York during those days of alcohol prohibition
• Learn about the fatal battle between rival Jewish gangs known as the Kosher Nostra;  the manic goings-on at Britain’s most famous Yiddish theatre;  the day Jews and non-Jews united to stop fascists marching through the Jewish East End;  the fighting spirit of a host of Jewish trade unions and political organisations; and how a Jewish immigrant was the only witness to a Jack the Ripper murder (this last one can be adjusted with young children)
• Meet some interesting Jewish characters including the lord supporting the General Election candidate who wanted to rid Britain of its Jews;  the battling hairdresser who was twice a hero of the Jewish community;  the wedding photographer bringing Hollywood to the East End;  the Chief Rabbi who ‘saved’ Queen Victoria;  the boxer whose greatest match was outside the ring;  the Yiddish actress who insisted the show must go on despite bombs falling all around
• And there are other fascinating sites to see, stories to hear and colourful characters to meet on this enthralling walking tour

Old Jewish Quarter in the district of Stepney

A captivating area of the Old Jewish Quarter, considered the ‘better part’ of the Jewish East End.  It's the district of Stepney and as we stroll through pleasant streets and quaint alleyways I will enthrall you with impressive sights and intriguing stories.

• See  the secret 300-year-old Jewish cemetery hidden within an astonishing modern setting;  the amazing sight of the giant department store forced to build around a tiny jewellery shop whose owners, three Jewish brothers, refused to sell out; the 125-year-old family business that makes all the boots for Britain’s army; and a former major synagogue that is now a luxury apartment block, yet amazingly retains incredible features of its former life
• Learn why Jewish community leaders hoped this ‘better’ part of the Jewish East End would be off limits to the Eastern European Jewish immigrants;  hear about the famous Siege of Sidney Street as we stand on the very spot where a young Winston Churchill directed the attack against Russian Jewish anarchists;  discover why pupils at a Jewish school were taught English hymns and frowned upon for wearing their skullcaps;  also why the Jewish leadership said NO to having a Jewish hospital in the East End
• Meet larger-than-life characters such as the international star of the silver screen who wished he was Jewish;  the top Jewish lawyer, defender of Britain’s most infamous gangsters; the cheeky kid thrown out of school for selling sweepstake tickets and became Britain’s top impresario; the non-Jewish immigrant learning Yiddish to bring 40,000 sweatshop workers out on strike;  the Jewish billionaire who started his business life selling cans of food from a market stall
• While we stroll along Stepney streets and quaint alleyways, I will describe the incredible joy of one-time oppressed Jewish immigrants who lined these same streets as they cheered a Jewish regiment marching off to liberate Palestine from the Turks.  And there are many other wonderful sites to see, enthralling stories to hear and colourful characters to meet on this truly memorable tour

London's Famous Attractions with amazing Jewish connections too!

Here's an enthralling tour that delights visitors to London and locals alike ...it's really two tours in one!  We visit many well- known landmarks and iconic sites, but as well as relating their fascinating stories I also reveal a whole host of extremely interesting (and little known) Jewish connections.  And there are two ways to enjoy this tour.  It can be a walking only tour taken at a comfortable pace or one that combines short strolls and riding in a comfortable vehicle with extra sites to see and stories to hear.  The vehicle, along with me, collects you for the start of the tour and returns you after the tour to your accommodation or elsewhere in central London if you prefer.

Just some of the iconic sites you will see and stories you will hear include:

• While viewing Buckingham Palace you will discover the surprising Jewish blood line which our late Queen's grandson and heir to the throne, Prince William, is said to have married into when he wed Kate Middleton
• In Parliament Square I will recall the tragic and cruel fate that befell 18 prominent members of the Jewish community, all on wicked false charges.  And in the shadow of the awesome Supreme Court I will introduce you to an incredible Jewish family whose eldest son rose rapidly to become head of the country’s legal system
• As we stand before famous 10 Downing Street you will hear about the little-known Jewish ancestry of a recent Prime Minister; beside Westminster Abbey learn how the Church of England has 13th century Jewish leaders to thank for the building of this most notable place of worship; in Trafalgar Square I relate the ironic story of billionaire Jewish cousins financing opposing sides in the Napoleonic Wars; and there’s the incident that dented Winston Churchill’s unrecognised sympathetic approach to the Jewish people and Zionism
• In the heart of cinema land, as we admire the statue of a London-born Hollywood screen star, I will tell you about his secret wish to have been born Jewish.  At Piccadilly Circus I will present the renowned 19th century Lord, a Christian Zionist, who called for a Jewish state in Palestine; and there’s the multimillionaire (and swindler!) who rescued one of London’s most famous landmarks.  There are even more fascinating sites to see and enthralling tales to hear on this thrilling tour including Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, the River Thames and Horse Guards, the home of the King’s Household Cavalry

Jewish West End and its remarkable hidden history!

London's West End is renowned today as one of the city's most fashionable areas and the centre for entertainment and shopping. But two particular districts in the heart of the West End - Soho and Fitzrovia - are also steeped in a fascinating hidden history of a vast Jewish community that lived there as recently as 75 years ago. See highlights below. (Enthralling early evening private Jewish West End tours also available 6.00pm - 8.00pm):

• Be shocked at the abject poverty and utter deprivation in the West End among the Jewish people living just yards from the luxury homes of the ultra rich of London;  and learn the story behind those famous 'Nippies', the waitresses at the much-missed Lyons Cornerhouse Restaurants which were founded by two enterprising Jewish men
• Hear about larger than life personalities including the Jewish billionaire's daughter who devoted her entire life to creating happiness among working class girls;  the Eastern European immigrant with 10 daughters who gave up tailoring to run a pub;  the chief rabbi who upset many of his brethren by being an ardent Zionist;  the London boy winning the highest civilian gallantry medal during World War 2;  and the Hebrew school pupils studying alongside (and often making friends with) Soho's red light ladies
• Discover how bitter rivalries within London's Jewish congregations split the synagogue establishment and led to a new religious movement throughout the country
• We will together stroll along historic Berwick Street, Dean Street and Frith Street, each offering many wonderful stories such as the comical antics of market traders including the notorious 'Queen of the Shleppers';  a noted kosher restaurant where its most enthusiastic diners were famous Hollywood stars;  one of the first Governement state schools that was really Jewish in all but name;  and where the celebrated Great Tailors' Strike began 100 years ago involving thousands of Jewish workers led by a non-Jewish Yiddish-speaking German immigrant.  Learn also why a tiny synagogue, tucked away in side street boasted an astonishing 1,000 congregants

Willesden Jewish Cemetery, legends in Jewish history!

We visit the last resting place of both the famous and the unknown whose varied lives produce for us stories that are enthralling, inspiring, tragic and even humorous.  

• Strolling through this 140-year-old cemetery we come across the famous scientist, robbed of the glory for one of the 20th century's greatest discoveries;  four former chief rabbis each with revealing stories;  the father and son Rothschilds who could not have been more different;  the London teenager who emigrated to the other side of the world and became a Prime Minister;  the royal illusionist, inventor of the incredible saw-the-lady-in-half trick;  two business giants, one in groceries and one in furniture;  Lady Chutzpah who continually stunned the world with her flamboyance;  the son of an East End second hand clothes dealer who literally went from rags to riches;  and there are many other fascinating lives to celebrate and tragic young deaths to lament