London - Chiswell Street to St Pancras

Click on this map to see the full route of the walk

Gather outside the Whitbread Brewery, Chiswell Street - now a hotel

Wander into the main yard by going through the archway.

Whitbread & Co. Ltd

On the opposite of the road is Sun Court, or the North Yard. Much is unchanged.

These will have housed stables and despatch

Railway under the road.

Walk to Goswell Road

Gordons HQ

Rawstorne St is where there are brewers flats. Opposite Hermit Road was Buxton Road and Paget st was Brewer

Cannon Brewery Co. Ltd

Pause in the middle of the road, if safe of course. There is a grating I the road. Listen carefully, the noise you can hear is the rushing of water - the water of the River Fleet.

The building opposite is Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. Note the Griffin on the wall. The building behind you is Griffin House. Note the clock.

Kings Cross Road brewery

Whitbread's Bottling plant

Finish at St Pancras Station. Visit the Undercroft, the place where the shops are. The distance between the supporting columns is a multiple of a the width of a beer barrel and not any measure of feet and inches.

And don't forget to pay your respects to Sir John Betjeman, after all he saved this magnificent structure.

1) North City Start outside Whitbreads Brewery, Chiswell Street, EC1.

With the main brewery entrance behind you, turn left down Chiswell Street. Turn right into Golden Lane.

Where are the stables?

Turn left onto Old Street and proceed until Goswell Road.

Turn right up Goswell Road.

Where are the alms houses?

In St John Street there are the substantial remains of Ind Coope with a clock tower in the main courtyard. Continue to the rear and the large block opposite facing you are the Fermenting Rooms.

Return to St Johns Street and retrace your steps until Old Street.

Turn right and continue along Old Street, Crossing the Farringdon Road.

On the corner of Hatton Garden is Reids, Griffin Brewery.

Retrace your steps back to the Farringdon Road and turn left. You will now be facing north, away from the city.

Proceed along the Farringdon Road until it becomes the Kings Cross Road. Opposite Wharton Street is an architect's office that is in the Phoenix Brewery buildings of Chapmans. Additionally this is the area where Bagginge Wells gardens and spa were situated, renound haunt o Charles II lady friend Nell Gywne.

Return to the Kings Cross Road.

Continue north, away from the city and turn left into Wicklow Street. On the corner, where this road meets Britannia Street is the bottling store of Whitbread. This can be confirmed by the sign on top of the main entrance at the junction of the two roads. Proceed along Britannia Street until it meets the Grays Inn Road, turning right and heading towards Kings Cross. Proceed to St Pancras and climb the stairs to the upper level. Go through the arched entrance way, pausing to imagine the hansoms, the hackney cabs and broughams which would have been queing to let the Victorians enter the station.

When in the station, go to the railings overlooking the lower levels and again imagine the cellars as they were stacked from top to bottom with casks coming in from Burton on Trent. Whilst on this level take time out to visit Sir John Betejmen's statue. A homage to the man who save this incredible space is always worthwhile.

If you decend to the lower level you will find on either side of the commercial concourse upright pillars. If you have the opportunity, measure the distance between them. Not an imperial nor metric distance but a multiple of the width of a standard ale cask. All the better for packing them in.

You have completed the walk, pause and savour the building with maybe a glass of something at the world's longest champagne bar.