All Hallows by the Tower is London's oldest church. Here, we’ll uncover the city's origins from Roman river fort to Saxon, Viking, and Norman rule and discover an unexpected connection to two of the most famous names in American history
We’ll explore St Dunstan in the East, a hauntingly beautiful ruin garden and medieval church, deliberately left unrestored as a living memorial to the Blitz and London's layered, resilient history.
At this Monument to the Great Fire, we’ll trace what set it in motion, a city rebuilt from scratch, and a financial system born from the ashes. Study the Monument's relief carvings and the two kings whose ambitions shaped an empire.
We’ll stand above the heart of Roman Londinium inside a stunning Victorian market hall. Then, we’ll spot the sci-fi building next door, learn why it matters more than it appears, and catch a Harry Potter cameo.
Step into London's first coffee house, trading and serving brew since 1652. This is where the mechanics of empire get uncomfortable; deals were struck, information was traded, and the name of the building nods to one of the most disturbing legal cases in British history.
Walk through a Victorian monument to commercial power, which was built on an idea “borrowed”, aka “stolen”, from the Belgians. Discover what was traded here, who traded it, and spot the golden grasshopper that has watched over the roof since 1571.
Next, we’ll stand at the heart of the empire's financial architecture and learn the debt trick that created the modern financial world. Oh, and did we mention that the second-largest gold reserve on earth is sitting directly beneath your feet?
See 2,000 years of history in one courtyard. This is where we’ll meet the ancient, undemocratic corporation that still governs the City today, and you’ll hear the story of India, the Jewel of the Empire that paid for and changed everything.
We’ll end the tour at one of London's most extraordinary and misunderstood buildings; the Barbican. This modernist brutalist masterpiece was raised from a neighbourhood bombed flat in 1940. This is where we’ll close the empire narrative, connect the threads, and leave you pondering a question that has no simple answer.
Barry was a friendly and informative guide who provided lots of interesting information about the hidden history of the British Empire during a walk through some of the most interesting places in the City of London. A good walk for those wanting to learn about London's links to the British Empire.
This is an exceptionally good walking tour. Dougal our guide was highly engaging and so well informed. You'll see places on this tour way off the beaten track. Thoroughly enjoyable. I learnt a lot. And it's incredible value!
Simon was a great guide. Had a lovely time. Would recommend.
Simon. Empire. Great tour. Thank you.
Incredibly engaging tour with Barry. A fundamental review that all visiting London should take. Barry supplied a number of info graphics and images to support the stories. Top marks!
Kory was AMAZING great tour!!!
Kory was so great! He was energetic, educational, informative and lively. We throughly enjoyed the tour and learned so much!
Kory was amazing and very informative. Loved the tour.
So amazing Kory was so knowledgeable and passionate!
Dougal was a great tour guide! The tour was fantastic. Covers all things from early history up until modern day! Would recommend!
Really great tour to explore some of key points but many points you would not otherwise go to or know about! Dougal was my tour guide and he was very friendly and so knowledgeable! Would recommend
I took Karl's "Empire, Trade & Finance" tour (managed by Carpe Diem Tours) and was thoroughly impressed. This is a new project for Karl, and his passion and in-depth knowledge really shine through. What stood out most was his approach: he is genuinely invested in sharing this complex history with clear intention, but he delivers it without any propaganda or taking sides. It is educational, engaging, and incredibly well-balanced. I truly hope this new venture takes off because Karl is an exceptional guide who deserves to succeed. Don't hesitate to book a slot with him!
I loved going on this tour, I can say that I wished it would be longer. It already was 2 hours but it felt like 10 minutes. It was so interesting to learn about the history of the British Empire while walking through the significant places that had big impacts on it. This is really the best tour for you to go on if you enjoy history, and I recommend going sooner rather than later as the price is really a bargain for the experience that you get. The guides (s) were really friendly and so enjoyable, my personal crowd was just me and one other person so I feel like our experience was really fun because we could all enjoy each others company as well. I really recommend this tour to everyone, and in fact I'm jealous I won't get to enjoy it for the first time again!!
Drew is so enthusiastic and so knowledgeable. It was a fantastic experience tour. Every person from most country will be able to relate
Really interesting, I learnt a lot, it was great to see history come alive as we walked around the City and saw the buildings where it happened.
Loved the tour. Our guide Korhan made it super fun and interesting :)
This is a gem of a tour and one like it does not exist. Most of the sites visited are ones any tourist would have on their itinerary when in London but no doubt local and visitor wouldn’t know the depth of importance these sites had on the success of the empire in its development / expansion. It’s a must do and does not shy away from the good, the bad or the ugly of the British empire from start to finish but also incredible history on the city itself. Our guide was very knowledgeable, passionate on the subject matter, and personable. Highly recommend.
The tour was amazing, honestly, one of the best tours you could wish for! The two hours flew by. Our guide, Korhan, is incredibly knowledgeable and a fantastic storyteller. He managed to fit so much fascinating and complex history into just two hours while making it easy to understand and enjoyable. You can tell the tour was very well designed. Korhan was also super friendly and funny, and he added interesting facts about buildings we passed along the way, even when they weren’t part of the tour. What you learn on this tour is the kind of history they don’t teach you at school. Highly recommended even for Londoners.
Our guide Korhan was absolutely amazing. He was engaging, knowledgeable, friendly, helpful and incredibly entertaining. We learned loads of new and very interesting information, and he completely brought all the history to life. 10 out of 10 would recommend – thank you Korhan and carpe diem tours!
It was an amazing tour! Kori has taken us to some places in London that I haven't been before. I truly recommend this tour if you want to learn more about the rise and fall of the British Empire.
This tour was excellent. Our guide, Korhan, was very engaging and knowledgeable and was able to handle our difficult questions throughout the tour! As a young person who is local to London and also studied History as my degree, it was very special to walk through streets that I have walked past hundreds of times before and learn about the significance of a certain sign or building that I had never noticed previously. My existing understanding of the Empire was greatly strengthened by Korhan's more detailed stories about specific events or individuals that really helped translate the tour into a vivid picture of the day-to-day workings of trade under the Empire. I liked that the tour was able to strike a balance between never shying away from the uncomfortable truth of the exploitative labour behind the Empire's commercial success, and illuminating how this very history has shaped London into the culturally rich and diverse city it is today. Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants something genuinely historically interesting and deeply relevant to the city today. It offers a real narrative of London's transformation from Roman times to today, and really helps bring the city's charm to life in the process.
Was fantastic! Great guide! Loved the empire breakdown.
I was running late for this tour but Korry graciously waited near the meeting point where I could find them and accepted my apology when I arrived. He was personable, considerate and knowledgeable about the British empire from its early roots to its post-imperialistic reinvention. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a glimpse into this English history and for anyone with an interest in quirky architectural backstory. Cheerio Carpe Diem Tours!
Excellent tour to hidden places in the middle of the City of London. Great vibes tour guide
Korry gave us an excellent tour. VERY informative. Learned alot about the history of how England started, how capitalism started, and some more details about the Middle Passage. Loved that this acknowledged positive and controversial aspects of the UK's history
Cory was amazing! He was very charismatic and very knowledgeable. The information was relatable and easy to follow. The content was fascinating, makes me want to come back and tell others!
It was an amazingly informative tour taking us through the city of London! Great stops, digestible history bits. Korry did a great job keeping our attention despite the city’s soundscape. Very engaging and I learned so much! Perfect for history nerds like me!!
Absolutely amazing experience. Learned a lot and had a great time.
Cory was an extremely engaging tour guide who took us through parts of London with knowledge of his surroundings and told awesome stories and background. The price is unbeatable. £18 per person for a thorough and informative tour is unbeatable and great given the tour is 2+ hours. The atmosphere was friendly and the group wasn’t that large. I would recommend this tour for all London visitors, even citizens given the depth of the tour. Would definitely book through Carpe Diem.
Absolutely fantastic tour and guide
Great tour!!!!!! A fantastic take on the British empires trade and mercantile history Learnt so much about London A really great couple of hours spent I would recommend to anyone interested in finding out about the British empire
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