WALKING TOUR Black History and Regency Covent Garden
William ‘Billy’ Waters: busker, sailor, immigrant, father, lover, extraordinary talent, and a forgotten Black celebrity from Regency London. Walk in Billy's footsteps and delve into his life amongst the environs of Bow Street to discover a diverse Regency London that you didn’t know existed.
Dr Mary L. Shannon’s new book Billy Waters is Dancing: Or, How a Black Sailor Found Fame in Regency Britain (Yale 2024) tells the story of Regency London’s forgotten Black celebrity. Mary is a writer and Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Roehampton, London. She's the author of the award-winning Dickens, Reynolds, and Mayhew on Wellington Street and a self-confessed lover of all things London. Find her at marylshannon.com.
Duration: approximately 60 minutes.
Conditions of entry: you must be 18 years or over to attend this tour. If you would like to book a ticket for anyone aged 16 – 17 years, you must contact the Museum in advance info@bowstreetpolicemuseum.org.uk
Prices: £15 / £14 concession / £12.00 Friends of Bow Street Police Museum (Your ticket also includes a 50% discount on future admission to Bow Street Police Museum which can be booked and paid for on the day)
Meetin Point: Outside Bow Street Police Museum
Please Note
This tour is an outside walking tour.
Light rain or a moderate breeze will not cancel the tour.
There will be no access to public toilets once the tour begins.
There is no seating available along the tour route.
The tour follows a set route around the Covent Garden area along public pavements, via road crossings and through some pedestrianised spaces.
We aim to avoid steps and large curbs, however due to the ever-changing nature of London’s streets we cannot guarantee that the route will always remain entirely step-free.
Ticket options
William ‘Billy’ Waters: busker, sailor, immigrant, father, lover, extraordinary talent, and a forgotten Black celebrity from Regency London. Walk in Billy's footsteps and delve into his life amongst the environs of Bow Street to discover a diverse Regency London that you didn’t know existed.
Dr Mary L. Shannon’s new book Billy Waters is Dancing: Or, How a Black Sailor Found Fame in Regency Britain (Yale 2024) tells the story of Regency London’s forgotten Black celebrity. Mary is a writer and Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Roehampton, London. She's the author of the award-winning Dickens, Reynolds, and Mayhew on Wellington Street and a self-confessed lover of all things London. Find her at marylshannon.com.
Duration: approximately 60 minutes.
Conditions of entry: you must be 18 years or over to attend this tour. If you would like to book a ticket for anyone aged 16 – 17 years, you must contact the Museum in advance info@bowstreetpolicemuseum.org.uk
Prices: £15 / £14 concession / £12.00 Friends of Bow Street Police Museum (Your ticket also includes a 50% discount on future admission to Bow Street Police Museum which can be booked and paid for on the day)
Meetin Point: Outside Bow Street Police Museum
Please Note
This tour is an outside walking tour.
Light rain or a moderate breeze will not cancel the tour.
There will be no access to public toilets once the tour begins.
There is no seating available along the tour route.
The tour follows a set route around the Covent Garden area along public pavements, via road crossings and through some pedestrianised spaces.
We aim to avoid steps and large curbs, however due to the ever-changing nature of London’s streets we cannot guarantee that the route will always remain entirely step-free.
Our payments are processed using : Barclays
