Witchcraft, Ancient Cults & MI15 Spy Secrets

London’s oldest stories often sit below your feet or hide behind office blocks. This three-hour private walk links Roman cults, pagan worship, medieval churches, executions, ghosts, and spy lore across the City of London. It is less about famous views and more about the strange scraps of the past that most visitors walk past.

I like the small private format, since your guide can focus on your group rather than deliver a set speech to a crowd. I also like the route’s unusual mix of subjects, from the underground Mithraic temple to the devilish figures on Cornhill House and the grim history of Smithfield.

The main drawback is the price: $371.59 per person is a serious outlay for a three-hour walk, especially if only one or two people book. The value improves for a group sharing the private guide, and it makes the most sense after you have already seen London’s major sights.

Key points to know before booking

• Roman London begins at the Mithraeum: Explore the setting of a secret cult devoted to Mithras, with the temple’s bull-slaying scene at its center.
• The route favors odd details: Look for pagan foundations, mocking terracotta figures, medieval survival stories, and places linked with public execution.
• Your guide is private: Only your group takes part, giving you room to ask questions and follow the subjects that interest you most.
• The walk starts at noon: Meet at Bleeding Heart Yard and finish beside Monument Underground station.
• Some admissions are extra: The London Mithraeum and Cornhill House are listed without admission included, while the churches are free and Smithfield Market is included.
• Book with a 24-hour cushion: Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time, but late cancellations are not refunded.

A strange beginning at Bleeding Heart Yard

The tour begins at Bleeding Heart Yard in London EC1N at 12:00 pm. Even the meeting point suits the subject. The name carries an air of old London drama, though the tour information does not promise a separate stop or story there, so you should treat it as the starting place rather than a featured attraction.

From here, the route heads east through the City. You will walk between modern office buildings, churches, markets, and old street lines. That contrast is part of the appeal. London’s past is not kept in one neat historic district. It is folded into working streets and commercial buildings.

The supplied timing gives roughly ten minutes at each named stop. That does not mean the whole experience lasts only fifty minutes. The rest is used walking between locations and hearing the connections that tie the stops together. Still, this is a brisk tour, not a slow architectural study. Wear comfortable shoes and expect to remain on foot for most of the three hours.

London Mithraeum: a Roman temple beneath the modern city

The London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE is the first major stop. This site has been a center of London for roughly two thousand years, and the Roman temple was built below ground in the heart of the settlement.

The cult of Mithras first appeared in Rome during the first century AD and spread through the Roman Empire over the next three hundred years. Its followers were often merchants, soldiers, and imperial administrators. Meetings took place in private temples that were usually dark, windowless, and partly underground.

That setting tells you something important about the cult. Mithraism was not a public religion performed in a large open forum. It was a private brotherhood with rituals held in enclosed spaces. The bull-slaying scene, known as the tauroctony, sits at the center of its mythology. Its full meaning remains uncertain, which gives your guide plenty to explain without pretending that every mystery has a neat answer.

The modern Bloomberg building sits above the Roman temple. That physical layering makes this stop especially effective. You are not simply looking at an object removed from its setting. You are seeing how present-day London was built over an older city.

Admission to the Mithraeum is not included, so check the cost before booking if entering the site matters to you. The tour can still provide the historical setting, but the extra charge is worth noting when you are already paying the private-tour price.

St. Mary Woolnoth and the traces beneath the church

The next stop is St. Mary Woolnoth, where worship has taken place for at least two thousand years. Traces of Roman and pagan religious buildings have been found below the foundations of the current church.

This is a good example of how the tour works. You are not just shown a church and told its name. You are asked to think about the ground beneath it, where different forms of worship occupied the same central site across centuries.

The church visit is listed as free, but the stop is short, at about ten minutes. Do not expect a full church service, long interior visit, or extended architectural lecture. The value here is the continuity of the place. Roman religion, pagan practice, and later Christian worship are connected by one patch of London ground.

If religious history interests you, this stop may be one of the most useful on the route. If you prefer grand interiors or detailed church architecture, it may feel brief.

Cornhill House and the three devilish figures

Cornhill House offers one of the route’s oddest sights. Three terracotta figures on the building are intended to mock worshippers at nearby St Peter upon Cornhill, an old City church now almost submerged at street level by later office construction.

The story is less about beauty than about urban rivalry and memory. The figures are a long-lasting act of revenge, preserved in the middle of a modern business district. You get the kind of detail that is easy to miss if you hurry from one major attraction to another.

The site is listed without admission included. Since the tour is on foot and the figures are viewed as part of the streetscape, ask your guide what access is planned on the day. The important point is that this is a quick exterior story, not a full museum visit.

I like this stop because it gives the walk a slightly comic edge. The tour is not all Roman ritual and bloody executions. It also notices the petty, theatrical side of old London.

St. Bartholomew the Great and the Great Fire

At the Church of St. Bartholomew the Great, the focus shifts to medieval London. It is one of the few medieval churches to survive the Great Fire of 1666.

That survival makes the church valuable even if you know little about ecclesiastical history. Much of central London was destroyed or rebuilt after the fire, so a medieval survivor offers a direct link to a city that otherwise vanished beneath later construction.

The church is free to enter, and the planned stop lasts about ten minutes. That is enough for a focused explanation and a look at the building, but not enough for a long, unhurried examination of every feature.

I would pay attention to how the church feels different from the Mithraeum. The Roman temple belongs to a secret underground cult, while St. Bartholomew’s represents a public medieval religious world. Placing the two on one route helps you see how London’s sacred spaces changed over time.

Smithfield Market and the darker side of public memory

Smithfield Market brings the tour into a harsher chapter. Here you will see places connected with execution and hear a story about Bloody Mary.

The market area is an effective setting for this subject because its history involves public spectacle, punishment, and crowds. The stop is not presented as a market-food visit. The point is to understand how this part of London once carried a grim reputation.

Smithfield is listed with admission included, and the stop lasts about ten minutes. The short timing means the guide will likely concentrate on selected events rather than attempt a full history of the market.

This is also where the tour’s tone may become uncomfortable. Stories of executions are not light entertainment, even when presented with a touch of London’s traditional black humor. If you prefer history that stays focused on buildings and art, this part may be less appealing. If you want the city’s rougher, less polished past, it adds useful weight to the walk.

The route’s spy and ghost material

The title promises witchcraft, ancient cults, and MI15 spy secrets, while the listed stops focus most clearly on Roman religion, churches, revenge figures, executions, and Bloody Mary. You should therefore expect the guide to connect these broader themes through stories told along the route, rather than expect a dedicated spy museum or a separate MI15 building visit.

The same applies to ghosts and astrologers. They are part of the tour’s subject range, but no separate attraction or formal paranormal demonstration is specified. Think of these topics as historical threads woven into a walking conversation.

That distinction matters when you book. If you want a tightly documented military intelligence tour, this may not be the right choice. If you enjoy folklore, old beliefs, unexplained stories, and the way legends cling to real places, the wider theme should suit you better.

What the private guide changes

Only your group takes part, which is the strongest practical feature of the experience. A private guide can adjust the pace, answer follow-up questions, and spend more time on the Mithraic cult, church history, executions, or folklore depending on your interests.

The feedback supplied for the experience gives the guide warm praise, describing a female guide as very nice and well informed about the subject. No guide name is provided, so you should not book expecting a particular person.

A private format is also useful in the City, where a large group can block narrow pavements or make it hard to hear. You still need to stay alert around streets and office traffic, since this is an urban walk rather than a closed historic site.

The tour is suitable for most people, and service animals are allowed. It is near public transport, with the finish beside Monument station. The start and end are in different parts of central London, so plan to use public transport or walk onward after the tour rather than expecting to return to Bleeding Heart Yard.

Is $371.59 a fair price?

At $371.59 per person, this is not a bargain walking tour. You are paying for a private experience, not a basic group orientation. The cost covers the professional guide, but some admission costs are separate, including the London Mithraeum and Cornhill House.

The price makes more sense when several people share the booking. A couple paying the full per-person amount may find it hard to justify unless they have a strong interest in obscure London history and want personal attention. A larger private group can gain better value from the fixed-guide format, though the exact group discount is not stated.

I would compare this with what you have already done in London. If you still need the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, or other major sights, spend your money there first. If you have covered the headline attractions and now want a themed walk with unusual stories, this experience fills a different role.

The rating is 4 out of 5 from three ratings, so the score offers only a small amount of evidence. The clearest positive detail is the praise for the guide’s friendly manner and strong command of the subject. That is encouraging, but I would keep expectations focused on a good private history walk rather than a major theatrical production.

Timing, meeting point, and cancellation advice

The tour starts at noon and lasts about three hours. That makes it easy to pair with a morning activity, but do not schedule a fixed event immediately afterward. Walking time, questions, street crossings, and the pace of your group can affect the finish.

Meet at Bleeding Heart Yard, London EC1N. The tour ends next to Monument Underground station at King William Street, London EC4R 9AA. Since the route is one-way, this finish is convenient if you plan to continue around the City or take the Tube elsewhere.

Confirmation is provided when you book. The tour is offered as a private activity, and most people can participate. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time. Cancel later than that and you will not receive a refund. Changes inside the 24-hour window are not accepted.

The experience also requires a minimum number of participants. If the operator cancels because that minimum is not met, you will be offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Who should book this London history walk?

I would recommend it to repeat visitors who have already seen the main London attractions and want a stranger, more local-feeling route through the City. It also suits people who enjoy Roman religion, old churches, folklore, executions, and stories that sit between documented history and legend.

It is a good match for a private family group with older children, history-minded friends, or a small group that prefers questions and conversation over a standard group script. The mobile ticket and central transport links keep the practical side simple.

I would be cautious if you dislike walking, want a full interior visit at every stop, or need a low-cost introduction to London. The tour covers many subjects in a short time, and some locations are quick exterior stops. The Mithraeum and Cornhill House may also involve extra admission costs.

Should you book Witchcraft, Ancient Cults & MI15 Spy Secrets?

Book it if you want unusual London stories in a private setting, especially after you have checked off the city’s famous sights. The Roman temple, ancient worship sites, surviving medieval church, mocking figures, and Smithfield’s execution history give the route a clear identity.

Skip it if $371.59 per person feels too high for three hours, or if you want a single subject explored in great depth. For the right group, the private guide and unusual route can justify the cost. For a solo visitor or budget-minded couple, it is a splurge, and the separate admission charges make the total higher.

FAQ

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Bleeding Heart Yard in London EC1N, United Kingdom.

What time does the tour start?

The tour starts at 12:00 pm.

How long does the experience last?

It lasts approximately three hours.

Where does the tour finish?

It ends next to Monument Underground station at King William Street, London EC4R 9AA.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the private activity.

What is included in the price?

A professional guide is included.

Are attraction admission fees included?

Admission details vary by stop. The London Mithraeum and Cornhill House are listed without admission included. St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Bartholomew the Great are listed as free, and Smithfield Market is listed as included.

Is the tour suitable for most people?

Yes. Most people can participate, and service animals are allowed. The experience takes place near public transportation.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start time are not refunded or accepted.