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A Stroll Down the Strand

History
4.9 out of 5 From 221 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022
  • DURATION 1 hr 15 mins
  • HOW TO ATTEND Attendance is live via Zoom
4.9 out of 5 From 221 reviews

Being able to pick and choose activities and either attend at the specified time or watch a recording later suits me perfectly.

Susan
, reviewed on 10 Oct 2022

Entertaining and instructive presentations by knowledgeable speakers.

Margaret
, reviewed on 18 Nov 2022

Event Description

The road called the Strand beside the River Thames is barely a mile long yet has so much to tell about the city. Let’s all go down the Strand. And let’s do it virtually with old photos, paintings, Google Earth street views, lots of stories and a few laughs on the way. You can even bring a banana.

It housed the riverside palaces of the Savoy, Somerset House and the Duke of Buckingham. There’s an Egyptian obelisk on the embankment built to house a huge sewer. Close by is Benjamin Franklin’s house, then there’s the bustle of Trafalgar square and the idyllic gardens of Temple where there’s a 900 year old Crusader church and close by, the Royal Courts of Justice.

We’ll learn some weird and curious things too … Like why were windows boarded up 250 years ago? Did Benjamin Franklin really want the turkey to be the bird symbol of the USA? Is there a streetlight powered by sewer smell? Or a pub split in half? How does a bridge clean itself? Why do the lions of Trafalgar Square have the paws of a cat? And then there’s Frank Sinatra singing to taxi drivers who told him to keep the day job.

And what’s all this about bananas? Intrigued? Join us for all this and more.

  • Duration: 1 hr 15 mins
  • Online Zoom event: Join from your computer, phone or tablet (no replay available)
Loona Hazarika.jpg

Meet the Host, Loona

Loona Hazarika is a history geek who has been giving guided tours of his birthplace London for over 15 years. Trained by the British Museum (where he was an official tour guide) he co-founded London City Steps, a social enterprise that helps to train and give confidence to underprivileged youth via a love of local history.

He spent a year volunteering at the Genocide Memorial Centre in Rwanda where he recorded and set up their first audio guides system and has advised and appeared on TV history shows such as BBC TV’s The ‘Hairy Builder’, ‘the Repair Shop’ and SKY Atlantic’s ‘Urban Secrets’

He has a Master’s Degree in economics from the University of Cambridge.

Preparing for the Event

For the best experience, you will need to have Zoom downloaded onto your computer. Please ensure you're connected to broadband/wifi rather than using your mobile phone connection (3G/4G).

We also recommend that pets are either calmly sitting on your lap or in another room, and any refreshments you may require are within your reach!

More Information

What if I can’t make the event?

If a recording’s available for the event, you can still register for it and we will send you an email with a link to a recording shortly after it ends.

Will my camera be on and will I be visible to the other people?

Your camera and microphone does not need to be on for you to enjoy the event. The choice about whether to do this is completely yours.

How do I watch the live event?

Rest Less events are hosted on Zoom, a computer application that allows you to attend online events just by clicking a link. For detailed instructions, please go to our "FAQ" page, which you can find a link to in the nav bar at the top of the page.

How do I sign-up for and access the recording? (Recorded events only)

Book the event as normal (as if you are attending live). After the event ends you will automatically receive a post-event email with a link to the recording, as long as the event was recorded. You do not need to do anything else and there is no separate booking process for recordings only. Please note it can take up to 24 hours for Zoom to process recordings.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 From 221 reviews