Ian McDiarmid
Qualified City of London Tour Guide & Lecturer
Ian qualified as a City of London tour guide in 2017 and has a particular passion for Roman and Medieval history, having in an earlier incarnation studied history at Cambridge and London universities.
He began working life in the early 80s in the City, and has since written extensively on the share and bond markets as a journalist. He loves talking finance and taking people around the narrow alleys where today’s massive trading centre was born.
When not walking and talking, Ian enjoys pottering about in the garden. His expertise is such that he often spends several hours doing this.
Ian’s private walking tours explore hidden places which many guidebooks simply just don’t cover.
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Read Ian's Reviews
Janet E
A fascinating walk round an area that we thought we knew fairly well already. The depth of knowledge and personal insights given by Ian greatly enhanced our understanding of the long history that has contributed to creating London’s Financial district. We’ll definitely be joining more walks in the future. See original review
Katherine
Brilliant. Hazel was super helpful in booking this tour. What we wanted wasn’t the norm, but she couldn’t have been more accommodating. Our tour guide Ian McDairmid was so interesting, explaining to us various road names, buildings and old laws in such a way you hung on his every word. Our group nearly all worked in the city at some time or another and there wasn’t one of us who didn’t learn something new. We will definitely be booking with London Guided Walks again. Thanks for a really different and enjoyable morning. See original review
A fascinating walk round an area that we thought we knew fairly well already. The depth of knowledge and personal insights given by Ian greatly enhanced our understanding of the long history that has contributed to creating London’s Financial district. We’ll definitely be joining more walks in the future.
Rosaleen W
Excellent informative Kings Cross walk with Ian today, learnt loads and Ian is a really pleasant guide with a good sense of humour
A fascinating walk round an area that we thought we knew fairly well already. The depth of knowledge and personal insights given by Ian greatly enhanced our understanding of the long history that has contributed to creating London’s Financial district. We’ll definitely be joining more walks in the future.
I think this is a new walk. As usual, it was informative, entertaining and well worth attending. Ian, the guide, is extremely knowledgeable about financial matters and was able to explain complex issues in a plain, straightforward way to a financial ignoramus like me. It also had a lot of human interest and social history aspects underlying the subject. Highly recommended.
You always learn so much with these walks, with Ian who is good in transmitting his encyclopaedic knowledge. I’ve been so many times in Greenwich, thought I knew everything about it. And yet, discovered plenty of places. All tours are wonderful, and I’ve been in almost all of them. More than willing to returning…
Ian, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and responded to all our questions. He far exceeded his allocated time and not one person left on time as we were all enthralled and gripped with the knowledge that he provided about cash, coffee and commerce. A must for all to have a greater understanding of financial services, the traders and how they are governed and how the success of London impacts on our everyday lives.
Euston to Kings Cross Walk
Ian’s stories illuminated more about the history of the area around Euston Station and Kings Cross than I was expecting and have inspired me to return to visit the locations again when the weather is a little warmer. It was nice to meet other people on the tour also, and there was time to chat as we strolled around. Although we didn’t cover a huge distance, I think a comfortable pair of walking shoes is a must.
Euston to Kings Cross Walk
Ian, our guide, was very informative. I thought I knew the area quite well but there are hidden areas that are just delightful. He covered the history of the area. It’s amazing how you can walk around an area on your own and actually miss these ‘gems’. Well worth doing. Not a strenuous walk at all. Would recommend.
Wonders of Whitehall Walking Tour
Although the Wonders of Whitehall Guided Walk was down to be presented by its designer, Hazel, this particular outing was done by Ian McDiarmid. Despite this being Ian’s first gig guiding the Wonders of Whitehall it was immediately clear he was not only a very experienced guide but a highly qualified ‘domain’ expert on many aspects of English political and social history.
After the usual run-through of the standard dos and don’ts of an urban guided walk we were off. Ian set a sensible pace for the size of our group (about a dozen or so) and demographic. This was later proved when we completed our Tour of Whitehall’s Greatest Hits bang on time! 1000 years of selected history highlights in a mere 90 minutes is no small achievement. Not a minute was wasted.
His accompanying commentary was a well-judged mixture of facts (historic events, dates and leading personnel), anecdotes and (some) opinion. Fire featured a lot!
His delivery was clear and the content consistently engaging and focussed. Ian was also happy to chat (generally and specifically) to the various members of the group and answer questions (there weren’t many) as we walked.
I liked the way we sometimes had to use not just our eyes but our imagination. The sheer size and scale of the Palace of Whitehall took a great deal of imagination! Also, considering its unique significance, I’d have liked just a little bit more on the execution of Charles I, but, hey, maybe that’s just me.
Anyway, Hazel can relax. The Wonders of Whitehall Guided Walk is in safe additional hands with Ian.
Very enjoyable walk. I was born in the area but there were a couple of places that Iain took us to that were new to me. He is extremely knowledgeable on the subject of architecture and history.
Would have liked to have seen more of the old impoverished parts but really enjoyed what we saw. Thank you.
Ian was most welcoming and encouraging, with a very solid knowledge of the subject that was presented in a way engaging and entertaining. He demonstrated a concern for both traditional interpretations and what new archeology and historical interpretations have brought into the student Londinium and the period that followed. I would recommend this tour for anyone seeking a grounding in the origins of London and to understand the long impacts of Rome’s empire on the shaping of the city and of Britain more broadly.
The tour both satisfied our immediate curiosity and introduced us to new questions in the work being done to piece together the history of Roman London. Well done.
This was an excellent experience for us.
