A guided walk is led by Can Yildiz, oral historian and accredited Camden guide.
Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
Focus: Literary anti-fascists, Spanish Civil War exiles, anarchists, and political refugees (1930s–1950s)
Meeting point: Gather at 13:45 for a 14:00 start outside Hampstead Heath Overground Station, South End Road, NW3 2QD
End point: Near Chalk Farm Underground Station.
We’ll step into the world of a struggling young bookseller who, amid the dust and boredom of a second-hand shop, began to see the world anew. It was here that the first seeds of ideas were sown—ideas that would later blossom into some of the most powerful critiques of power and truth ever written.
Not far away, on another quiet street, lived a woman cast out from one country for her politics and refused by another for the same reason. In London, she found not silence but purpose—uniting communities, demanding justice, and inspiring what would grow into the city’s greatest celebration of diversity and defiance.
Tucked among swaying trees stands a curious building of pale concrete, designed to embody a future of shared living and modern ideals. Further on, we’ll pass hidden studios where sculptors gave form to the human struggle for dignity—hands and figures shaped from the same clay as the century’s upheavals.
And much more…
From the dim bookshop to the vibrant rhythm of the streets, these stories remind us that even in exile, imagination and courage can transform the world.
A journey through Hampstead’s secret radical past—where art, exile, and the dream of freedom were never far apart.
This walk is step-free and mostly downhill.
Cost of the walk is £15 per person (£10 for low-income participants).
A fundraiser for Torriano Meeting House. Book HERE
