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Emanuela Aru

@historyfrombelowwalks

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Guided social history walks in London with Hackney and Clerkenwell & Islington qualified guide. Book a walk ⬇️

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Yesterday was a truly special day! My colleagues and I were the first guides to ever receive the Hackney badge and we will found the Hackney Tour Guides Association. A truly proud moment for me especially as for the past 9 months I’ve been fighting breast cancer. Throughout most of the course and the exams I was having chemotherapy. But I made it and I couldn’t be happier! Onwards and upwards! There will be many walks around Hackney in the future! #hackney #hackneysociety #hackneyguides #guidedwalks #socialhistory by @historyfrombelowwalks

My walk “THE DARK SIDE OF CLERKENWELL” has been so popular this autumn I’ve decided to add a XMAS HOLIDAY DATE.
📅 SUNDAY 28th DECEMBER 4pm 🔗 LINK IN BIO
#historyfrombelow #guidedwalks #guidedtour #islingtonguidedwalks #clerkenwell by @historyfrombelowwalks

Who was James Figg? And what was he doing in Clerkenwell in the 18th Century?
Trace his footsteps on my upcoming guided walk The Dark Side of Clerkenwell—tickets in bio.
📍 Clerkenwell, EC1
🗓️ Multiple November dates
🎟️ Book via my bio/link
#islingtonguidedwalks #clerkenwell #darksideofclerkenwell #historyfrombelow #londonhistory #socialhistory #hiddenlondon #londonwalks #georgianlondon #walkingtour #localhistory #londonwalks #guidedtour #guidedwalks #historiclondon #visitlondon #thingstodoinlondon #whatsonlondon #londonevents #timeoutlondon #lovelondon #thisislondon by @historyfrombelowwalks

It was wonderful to kick off Hackney’s first ever contribution to Local London Guiding Day alongside my colleague @historyfrombelowwalks.
Hackney Tour Guides Association put on walks from 10am-4pm, on the hour, every hour, introducing the area of Hoxton to hundreds of people.
Congrats to everyone involved today!

(If after today anyone felt inspired to become a Hackney tour guide themselves - get in touch with @susandoe170 to apply for the 2027 course).

@hackney_society @hackneyhistoryfest @historyfrombelowwalks @islingtonwalks @camdenguides @lambethguides @westminsterguides @city_of_london_guides #londonhistory #hackney #hoxton #walkingtours #tourguide by @historyfrombelowwalks

Myself and @londonpathwaystours had the honour of leading the first ever Hackney Tour Guiding Association walk for Local London Guiding Day! It was great to have such a fantastic group of people with us! Thank you all for coming and we hope people will check out the @hackney_society website for future walks from ourselves and our wonderful colleagues.

@hackney_society @londonpathwaystours @susandoe170 @islingtonwalks @camdenguides @westminsterguides @city_of_london_guides @lambethguides #locallondonguidingday #hackney #walkingtours #londonhistory #hoxton by @historyfrombelowwalks

Come for a wander around Hoxton! 👟

Join me and @Londondpathwaystours this Saturday, 10 October, for a FREE walk as part of Local London Guiding Day.
Our walk, “People & Power on the City’s Doorstep”, explores Hoxton’s past and how it shapes the neighbourhood today.

Walks leave every hour from 10am to 4pm. We will be leading the 10am and 4pm walks, so book either of those to join us!

📍 Hoxton Station, Museum of the Home exit
🔗 Book your free place via the link in bio.

#Hoxton #LocalLondonGuidingDay #socialhistory #LondonWalks #Hackney by @historyfrombelowwalks

Myself and @historyfrombelowwalks looking forward to taking part in Hackney’s first ever contribution to Local London Guiding Day where the Capital’s tour guiding associations put on a programme of free walks from 10am-4pm, on the hour, every hour.

I’ve put a link 🔗 to all the info and meeting places in my bio ⬆️
How many of the six walks on offer do you think you can complete in a day?!

@hackney_society @islingtonwalks @lambethguides @camdenguides @westminsterguides @city_of_london_guides #london #thingstodoinlondon #walkingtours #hackney #hoxton by @historyfrombelowwalks

Link 🔗 in my bio ⬆️ or: https://www.hackneysociety.org/guiding-course/

@hackney_society @hackneyhistoryfest @susandoe170 @historyfrombelowwalks #walkingtours #tourguide #london #hackney #history by @historyfrombelowwalks

In the latest episode of the Comfortably Hungry podcast I explore the history of ‘taking the waters’ starting with Mary Woolaston (aka Black Mary) who ran a healing well in London during the 17th century.

You can find @marciabennettmale statue of Mary in @calthorpecommunitygarden & discover more about her on tours run by @historyfrombelowwalks

There’s still time to visit the Thirst exhibition at the @wellcomecollection where you can find art from @gaylenegould inspired by Mary’s story (and a video on the creation of Black Mary’s pleasure garden as part of the @blackmaryproject ). It’s open & free to visit until 6 February 2026.

#comfortablyhungrypodcast
#mrsbilton
#blackmary
#healingwell
#takingthewaters
#thirst
#water by @historyfrombelowwalks

Have you ever heard of Mary Woolaston – better known as Black Mary?

In 17th-century Clerkenwell, local lore tells of a free Black woman who tended a healing well on the edge of the countryside. Her story, like so many others, has been pushed to the margins – half-remembered, half-erased.

As part of the Black Mary Project (supported by the Mayor of London and Arts Council England), I’ve been researching Mary, the well that bore her name, and what her story reveals about early Black Britons, water and belonging in early modern London. On my upcoming walk “Water, Water Everywhere”, I’ll take you to the site where Black Mary’s well once stood and share what we can – and can’t – trace in the records.

Along the way we’ll follow the vanished River Fleet, visit the world of holy wells, monastic houses, breweries, distilleries, spas and pleasure gardens, and explore how water shaped work, faith and pleasure in Clerkenwell.

📍 Starts: Farringdon Station
🏁 Ends: Sadler’s Wells
⏱ Duration: 2 hours

Come walk the streets where Black Mary once drew water and help keep her memory flowing.
👉 Book via the link in bio.
Picture: Wenceslaus Hollar,1645
#blackmaryproject #historyfrombelow #blackhistory #blacklondon #clerkenwell #riverfleet #sadlerswells #londonhistory #londonwalks #guidedwalk #guidedtour #hiddenlondon by @historyfrombelowwalks

THIS TRIPADVISOR REVIEW HAS MADE MY WEEK!😊Thank you for all the people that came to my walk. The next and LAST EVENING WALK for this year is this coming Saturday. DON'T MISS IT! There will still be a morning one on Saturday 29th November. 🔗 LINK IN BIO. #historyfrombelow #secretlondon #socialhistory #londonwalks #londonhistory #guidedtours #walkingtourlondon #clerkenwell #islingtonwalks #darksideofclerkenwell #guidedwalks #guidedwalkingtour by @historyfrombelowwalks

JOIN ME FOR THE LAST EVENING WALK this year FOR “The Dark Side Of Clerkenwell”. Only a few spots left.
LINK IN BIO #historyfrombelow #secretlondon #socialhistory #londonwalks #londonhistory #guidedtour #walkingtourlondon #clerkenwell #islingtonwalks #darksideofclerkenwell by @historyfrombelowwalks