A walk exploring the hidden history of White City

Today we associate White City with a shopping mall, but do you know how this area got its name?

At the start of the twentieth century northern Shepherd’s Bush was still farmland and brickfields. It took a Hungarian impresario, who’d wowed America with his spectacular shows, to transform the area into London’s biggest entertainment venue. In 1908 Imre Kiralfy realized his dream and built a 140-acre complex for exhibitions, amusements, and the world’s first purpose-built stadium for that year’s summer Olympics. He called it the Great White City. Established at the British Empire's height, the displays had a strong imperialist theme.

This walk traces the forgotten history of White City, which for 115 years has been a place of megaprojects. In the 1930s it was the site for London County Council's most ambitious dense housing estate to date. In 1960 BBC Television Centre opened, one of the world’s first purpose-built sites for TV production and broadcasting. With the arrival of Westfield London in 2008, the area has again become a magnet for development.

We’ll walk through Television Centre with its iconic 1950s architecture; the UK's first public Japanese garden, built for the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition; the White City Estate; and the site of the 1908 Olympic Games.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "Joanna is a brilliant guide - funny, knowledgeable and engaging! There was such a lovely vibe among the group when I went on her tour of White City late last year, and I learned so much about an area I thought I already knew well enough. Looking forward to the next tour!" Laura Nortey (Google)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"The Iya tour of White City was truly wonderful. I learned a huge amount. Joanna was an amazing host, teacher, and tour guide. Her tour highlights a huge amount of fascinating historical information, in a completely accessible way - especially for non-British participants! She has expertly woven this together, while still engaging with contemporary issues affecting the community. If you are a visitor, or a London resident - I would highly recommend this walk and I cannot wait for the next tour!" Miranda Russell (Google)

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

In front of Ichiba Supermarket, Westfield London, Unit 0220 Relay Square, London, United Kingdom