Celebrating Hackney’s past, shaping its future – since 1967
Celebrating Hackney’s past, shaping its future – since 1967
NEW FOR 2026, OUR HACKNEY TOUR GUIDING COURSE STARTS IN JANUARY
Successful completion of our new Hackney Tour Guiding course will lead to a professional qualification in tour guiding. The course is designed to enable students to develop the research and presentation skills required to be an excellent tour guide whilst discovering the rich and varied history and heritage of Hackney.
This course (accredited by the Hackney Society) will equip you with the skills to research, plan and give professional walking tours throughout the area. From Hackney’s medieval and Tudor origins, Stoke Newington’s 18th century radical connections to the vibrant artistic colonies of Shoreditch, Hoxton and Hackney Wick, the borough is an endlessly fascinating and diverse place for guides and their clients.
Once you have qualified you will be invited to be the founder members of the Hackney Tour Guides’ Association, one of six Local London Guiding Associations.
COURSE CONTENT
The course combines classroom-based learning with practical guiding ‘walkshops’ on the streets of Hackney and at an indoor historical site.
The classroom-based sessions take place at Shoreditch Town Hall on Wednesdays 6:30 – 8:30pm from January to July in school term-time. They consist of lectures on the history of Hackney and activities to support you in developing or improving your skills as a guide.
The practical sessions take place approximately every other Saturday (generally in the morning). For these sessions you research and participate in a guided walk with you and your fellow students as guides. You will each be allocated landmarks to research and then have a chance to practise your growing guiding skills with a short presentation to your fellow students and tutor at the relevant ‘stop’.
Your progress and suitability for qualification as an accredited Hackney Tour Guide is assessed at four points during the 24 week course. The assessment consists of two written assignments, one practical guiding exam at an indoor historical site and one practical guiding exam on Hackney’s streets.
WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
The course is suitable both for people who are new to tour guiding and for experienced tour guides who want to develop their knowledge and skills further. It is aimed at anyone interested in leading guided walks whether it is for friends, family and workmates or for the general public and corporate clients.
COURSE REQUIRMENTS
OUR TUTORS
The course tutors are all qualified guides with lots of experience of guiding and teaching guiding skills:
Susan Doe (course director): qualified City of London guide (2008). Sue has extensive experience with a wide variety of walking clients. Specialises in women’s history and her beloved Hackney (born and bred).
John Finn: qualified City of London, Westminster and Islington guide. Living in Hackney since 1968, John has been leading tours in London since 2003 and has taught on tour guiding courses for 13 years.
Plus we make use of an impressive team of lecturers and experienced guides to bring you wide-ranging local knowledge and guiding know-how.
If you have any questions that are not answered above please contact guiding@hackneysociety.org
HOW TO APPLY
If you are interested in applying for the 2026 course please complete the application form at the bottom of this page. The course runs from January to July.
The fee for the 2026 course is £799. A very limited number of bursaries are available. Indicate on the application form if you wish to discover if you’re eligible.
Please complete and send this form to submit your application by October 31st