AMWELL 200
19-28 June
Dates, times and ticket costs
Opening reception
Friday 19 June
6.00pm to 7.00pm
Location
St Mark’s Church
Myddelton Square
EC1R 1XX
Join us to mark the launch of Amwell 200
Refreshments will be served.
Tickets are free, click here.
The Mercenary River – a talk by Nick Higham
Friday 19 June
7.15pm to 8.30pm
Location
Meditatio Centre
St Mark’s Church
Myddelton Square
EC1R 1XX
The Mercenary River tells the story of the New River Company, the struggle to supply London with clean water, and the speculation that led to the building of the New River and the Lloyd Baker estates.
Nick Higham’s book will be available to purchase
Refreshments will be served after the talk
Tickets are free, click here.
Outdoor sketching classes
Saturday 20 June
Two sessions
10.00am to 12.00pm
and
1.30pm to 3.30pm
Location
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Amwell Street, EC1R 1AG
Join artist, maker and teacher Wilson Yau for a sketching session celebrating the Amwell Street area
The price includes materials to take away so you can carry on sketching.
For 16s and over, all abilities welcomed.
£25.00 per person. Book directly with the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration here.
‘The Amwell amble’ – hidden histories and colourful characters
Saturday 20 June
2.00pm to 3.30pm
Location
Meet outside
Myddelton’s Deli
25a Lloyd Baker Street
WC1X 9AT
Long-time Islington resident and London guide Louise Halfpenny will reveal some darker aspects of Amwell’s past on a walk through its streets and squares.
This outwardly charming corner of London has stories to tell of poverty, prisons and protest.
Limited spaces available.
A guided walk with a qualified London guide.
£12.00 per person, click here.
How Amwell was built – the great estates and buccaneer builders – a talk by Alec Forshaw
Saturday 20 June
7.00pm to 8.30pm
Location
Meditatio Centre
St Mark’s Church
Myddelton Square
EC1R 1XX
Alec’s talk, centred on the Amwell area, will describe investment, opportunism, the slide into disrepair, poverty, overcrowding and houses of multiple occupation.
Refreshments will be served after the talk.
£12.00 per person, click here.
An adventure to Great Amwell in Hertfordshire, explore the origin of the New River
Sunday 21 June
All day
Meet outside
St Marks Church
Myddelton Square
EC1R 1XX
Depart at 9.30am
Return by 6.00pm
A day-trip by coach to visit the source of the New River at Chadwell near Ware.
A guided walk from Ware to Great Amwell, alongside the New River ending at the Kings Mead pub for lunch.
The day will include an on-coach quiz and a talk by Sally Hull – ‘Digging the New River’.
Please wear walking shoes/boots and be prepared to walk up to two miles along the tow paths.
£30.00 per person, click here.
Lunch will be an extra cost.
Places are very limited. So, book early!
Sing for Joy
Monday 22 June
7.30pm to 9.00pm
Location
St Mark’s Church
Myddelton Square
EC1R 1XX
A concert by Finsbury A Cappella
£15.00 per person.
At the heart of this programme is joy – not as something simple or surface-level, but as something hard-won, shared, and deeply human. Through music that explores identity, growth, resilience and connection, we move from moments of quiet reflection to full, unapologetic celebration. These songs remind us that joy can be found in finding our voice, in singing together, and in embracing who we are – individually and collectively.
Refreshments will be available to purchase before the concert.
Book directly with Hannah Brine Choirs here.
George Cruickshank – illustrator and social commentator – a talk by Martin Attridge
Tuesday 23 June
7.30pm to 9.00pm
Location
Learning Centre
Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration
Amwell Street
EC1R 1AG
A lively and interactive talk about George Cruickshank, the 19th century nationally renowned illustrator, who lived on Amwell Street for twenty years.
Refreshments will be served after the talk.
£12.00 per person, click here.
Radical Amwell – a Trio of Talks
Saturday 27 June
2.00pm to 4.00pm
Location
Marx Memorial Library
37A Clerkenwell Green
EC1R 0DU
Explore the radical history of the Amwell and Clerkenwell area. Our three distinguished speakers will uncover the local roots of international movements for change.
Radical women by Rachel Holmes
Radical politics by Bob Henderson
Radical architecture by John Allan
The event will include a Q&A. Also a private tour including Lenin’s office and, a display in the Marx Memorial Library’s historic Reading Room, showcasing materials related to these stories of radical history. Afternoon refreshments included.
£12.00 per person, click here.
Grand Bicentenary Family Picnic
Sunday 28 June
1.30pm to 5.00pm
Location
Wilmington Square Gardens
WC1X 0ES
A midsummer picnic celebrating all that’s good about Amwell 200.
For all ages, children, adults, families, friends – come one and all! Feel free to dress up for the occasion – vintage and period dress encouraged! A number of fun and informative activities taking place:
Angelica Sprocket’s Pockets, based on Quentin Blake’s book. A children’s entertainment about Amwell and the New River
Professor Wilson presents his traditional Punch and Judy
London City Brass Band
Please bring your own summer picnic
Picnic rugs will be provided
No barbecues allowed
Free of charge
