'Discover Bedford Park – London’s Artistic Suburb' Guided Walk

Come along on Saturday 31st January for a Blue Badge Guided Walk around Bedford Park in West London!

Blue Badge Guides know London better than anyone. They have trained intensively for two years and passed the highest Tourist Guiding qualification in the UK.

About the walk
In 1875 cloth merchant turned property developer Jonathan Carr purchased 24 acres of land in Chiswick to create a enclave of well designed houses to attract like minded people who were interested in the arts, culture and aesthetics.

Top architects including Edward Godwin and Richard Norman Shaw were employed to build distinctive red brick houses which attracted the likes of poet W B Yeats, playwright Arthur Wing Pinero, actor William Terris and numerous Victorian artists. An art school and social club facilitated self improvement and a rich social life which made this area unique for its time and was much imitated by the founders of later Garden Suburbs.

We take a walk through the area’s elegant streets to view the distinctive architecture, a church, the club house and a pub decorated with tiles by artist William De Morgan. The tour will be enlivened by tales of the area’s sometimes eccentric inhabitants and their activities. We’ll hear about Bedford Park’s growth, decline and late 20th century renaissance as one of London’s most sought after districts.

The walk is a private walk for the group, we will be guided by Blue Badge guide Diane Burstein and Rachel Kolsky.

Rachel will be starting at 2:15pm and Diane at 2:30pm, so on the day, just come along at your chosen time.

Payment for the walk
Full Members of the group will be £11, everyone else the cost is £13 per person (payable via cash or credit card on the day or in advance via PayPal or Bank Transfer).

If you wish to pay in advance:
- send a bank transfer: TSB Bank plc, sort code: 77-66-65, account no: 00030809, Account name: Cultureseekers
- go to PayPal - https://www.paypal.com/uk/, ‘send a payment’ to general@cultureseekers.org and click on the ‘Goods & Services’ option and change it to ‘Friends & Family’, as this avoids a charge from PayPal.

Become a Full Member
To become a Full Member (£14 a year) either:

- Pay cash at an event
- Pay via Bank Transfer (TSB Bank plc, Sort code: 77-66-65, Account no:
00030809, Account name: Cultureseekers)
- Pay via credit card on the day or in advance (https://pay.sumup.com/b2c/QLAX8AUI)
- Pay via PayPal, send a payment to general@cultureseekers.org, using the ‘Friends & Family’ option

Afterwards
After we will head to the 'Tabard pub' 2 Bath Road, for a chat over a drink. We finish close to Turnham Green Tube Station.

If you can make it, please come to the pub afterwards, as it’s a great way to meet and get to know others after the visit.

Please note, we will only wait at the station for 10 minutes after the advertised meeting time so please be early or on time.

Look out for the red & blue 'London Cultureseekers' group sign outside the station.

Hope to see you there!

Robert
07905 901 834 (text only) or email: general@cultureseekers.org

On the day, if you can’t make the visit, just change your RSVP to No or text me to say you can’t make it. Please don’t post any messages in the comments that you can’t make it, as this generates spam for everyone else.

Please make sure you are aware of the group rules here before RSVPing - https://www.meetup.com/london_cultureseekers/photos/22974682/523578875/Group_Rules/