Event details

Hosted by Peter Burley (BA History, 1970), Chair of the York in London alumni group, this tour is a one and a half mile walk along the south bank of the Thames bookended by the MI6 building in Vauxhall and the Battersea Power Station - two massive and iconic buildings in the Art Deco Industrial style.

On the walk you'll encounter evidence of “lost rivers”, historic buildings in the form of Joseph Bazalgette’s Western Pumping House and modern architecture such as one of London’s first (and still controversial) residential sky scrapers.

You will also see the US Embassy, the location and the design owing a debt to students at the University in 1968 – as will be explained in situ.

Alongside this you'll learn about land use and planning issues of the 18th century Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, before delving into Margaret Thatcher’s flagship redevelopment proposals for Battersea Power Station. (Which took 40 years and a complete overhaul of London’s government to achieve!)

Tickets for the event are £5.00 each with all proceeds going to the University's Equal Access Scholarship Fund. The scholarship enables students seeking asylum to access a York education. Each Scholarship provides an annual living costs bursary of £12,300 funded by donations and is matched by the University with a complete tuition fee waiver.

There is a limit of 30 places for this tour, so please reserve your place early to avoid disappointment.