'Where Do You Go?' with Jack from Living London History
The blogger and tour guide on gardens, garlic bread and going for long walks.
Every now and again we like to ask people for their personal take on London. We get them to tell us the places in the city that they turn to for different reasons: the spots that excite them, inspire them, make them feel calm, happy or just make them want to spend money. We call it ‘Where do you go…?’.
This week it’s the turn of Jack Chesher, the self-professed ‘London geek’ behind the Living London History blog and guided walks.
Who are you?
Hello! I'm Jack: a tour guide, blogger, explorer and general London enthusiast. I grew up in Essex and have always known London very well and found it fascinating but moved to the capital properly during lockdown.
I have always had a passion for history, having studied it at university and was able to combine this with my enjoyment of walking by getting out and exploring London, particularly its more off-the-beaten track spots.
London’s streets are, in my opinion, the world’s greatest museum and you can often admire amazing historical curiosities, hiding in plain sight, that most do not even know are there. I find it is a great way to understand London and feel like some part of it is yours.
I started the Living London History blog in September 2020, writing a weekly post about the hidden gems that I found and built up a decent following on social media, particularly with Londoners who could not travel and were looking to satiate their travel-lust closer to home.
In September 2021 I completed a tour guide training course with Open City and launched my own guided walks. At time of writing I have three walking tours available covering the hidden Strand, Lambeth's trailblazers and the backstreets of Westminster. These are aimed at curious Londoners and any visitors who want to get under the skin of this incredible city.
And why should we trust you?
I am constantly researching and digging around for my weekly blog posts, guided tours and other projects. I have therefore undoubtedly become a self-confessed London geek. I not only have a passion for the city’s history and am always on the hunt for new sights and stories but also have a passion for getting others excited about it too. Check out my website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or even Tiktok to find out what I do.
You only moved to London in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic? What on earth prompted you to make that move then and what was that experience like?
That’s right! I lived in Bristol for a few years before that and quit my job in hotel management in December 2019. I went travelling for a couple of months before having to cut the trip short due to the pandemic.
I was on an island in the Mekong Delta in Laos when I decided I needed to get home so it was not the easiest journey! I arrived back on the 19th March 2020, so just a few days before the country went into full lockdown. I thankfully managed to get a job in London in June 2020 and moved to the city shortly afterwards.
Moving to London during the pandemic was an odd experience because it was just so quiet. I would walk over Westminster Bridge in my lunch-breaks and it would be completely dead. In some ways it was a great environment to get to grips with the city - I almost felt like I had it to myself at times.
How did you start discovering London in lockdown and how did you go about becoming a trained tour guide?
I spent most of my free time (of which there was a lot) to explore London when I first moved here. I began researching quirky London historical spots and created a personal Google map with hundreds of pins of places I wanted to see.
I realised that I loved telling people about London’s history and off-the-beaten track spots and so starting my own guided walks was the next logical step. I don’t necessarily remember making the decision to start the walks - it just sort of naturally happened. I took part in Open City’s Golden Key Academy guiding course, which was perfect. It gave me great knowledge on how to curate a tour and essential practice in delivering a tour.
Your Instagram has become really popular in a pretty short space of time. What do you think it is about London’s hidden historical gems that fascinates people so much?
London is of course such a huge city with so much to offer but it is very easy to slip into routines and regular routes. I like to think that my Instagram and blog, particularly in lockdown, encouraged people to break those routines a bit and see more of the city.
Londoners want to feel like some part of London is theirs and these hidden gems, when often you are the only person there looking at them, can, in some way, give you that I think.
I also have lots of overseas followers and it is fantastic to be able to bring a bit of London to them, particularly if they have not been able to travel to London for a while.
Any plans to build on the Living history brand? Especially now that life is retiring to ’normality’?
Absolutely! I am quitting my day job and taking Living London History full time this summer. I am currently focusing on creating lots more new exciting guided walks of London’s hidden history but have lots of plans in the pipeline, so watch this space…
On to the usual questions... Where do you go to have a great time?
I go to the theatre! I particularly love a good musical or a rambunctious Shakespeare comedy at the Globe.
Where do you go to impress someone?
When I have people visiting I usually take them on a walk to Hampstead, across the Heath and to the Pergola and Hill Garden (above). Dating from 1906, it was once where Lord Leverhulme hosted his summer parties and today it has a beautiful and rather magical faded grandeur to it.
Where do you go to cheer yourself up?
I'm not an alcoholic but I would probably go to the pub! Bonus points if its historic and cosy. I'm thinking the George Inn in Bankside or the Spaniards Inn in Hampstead.
Where do you go that can never close down, because if it does you might cry?
When I lived in Finsbury Park we would regularly get pizza from Yardsale Pizza on Blackstock Road. Their garlic bread with cheese is just so good. Now they just need to open a Kentish Town branch please and thank you.
Where do you go to get inspired?
I find London’s small museums or heritage sites very inspiring. The Charterhouse in Smithfield for example is really wonderful or a trip to the Crossness Pumping Station to admire the amazing feat of Victorian engineering.
Where do you go that's within walking distance of your house?
I tend to go for pretty long walks so that does not exclude a great deal! But, I would probably go for a walk along the Regent’s Canal, either to Hackney or the other direction to Little Venice. Both lovely routes with loads of history.
Where do you go if you want to feel comfortable?
What is more comforting than a sugary treat? I love Mamasons in Kentish Town. Their ube bilog (like a toasted icecream sandwich) is excellent.
Where do you go if you want to switch off?
I find it actually quite difficult to switch off when in London what with London being at the heart of what I do these days (not that I mind of course!). But if I really wanted to switch off I would hop on the train out of Fenchurch Street to my hometown of Leigh on Sea in Essex. A trip to the beach in summer or a walk to Hadleigh Castle should do the trick.
Where do you go to think?
If I need a bit of thinking time away from other human beings I would probably find a quiet corner of Hampstead Heath.
You can follow Jack on Instagram, and on Twitter and there’s more information on his guided walks here.
If you know of anyone that you think would make a good interview for our ‘Where do you go?’ series then let us know on Londoninbits@gmail.com.
News bits
The mayor has embarked on a whirlwind trip to the States to “support London’s economic recovery” and “promote the capital to international visitors and business”. Over four days Sadiq will “bang the drum” for London in New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles.
The National Portrait Gallery has removed the Sackler name from its Room 34 (also known as ‘the Sackler gallery’). That just leaves the V&A as “the last museum in the city to bear the name in its Sackler Courtyard”.
Marie Le Conte has written an article for the New Statesmen, unhelpfully headlined Why can’t the UK get over its hatred of London?. In it Le Conte argues that “London is not allowed to be poor and unequal but it is not allowed to be happy with itself either; if it brags about its culture and attractions it is bashed as elitist and out of touch by both the left and the right. Londoners cannot complain about how tough it can be to live here because it is assumed that they have it better than everyone else. They cannot be proud of their home because that would imply that they think of themselves as better than everyone else.”
The FT has profiled Alison Gowman, the City of London sheriff who has ambitions to be the third ever female Lord Mayor of London.
The Guardian looks at Maida Hill market square in Westminster and the West Indian dominoes players there, who were recently summoned to court “for being too noisy and causing a disturbance”.
From Reddit’s r/London: a six minute video of one of those super-stretch limousines attempting to navigate a sharp corner on Brick Lane while being ‘assisted’ by onlookers.