SPRING WALKS START WITH A TOUCH OF SADNESS

It was a successful start to the season of Spring walks...but a little sad! THE SUFFERING CITY theme looks at the places and recalls some of the events which have caused pain and suffering over the last 2,000 years - and there were plenty of them.

Riots, plagues, fires, wars, terrorism.....London has had its fair share. The mood was set right at the beginning of the walk when we paused on the forecourt of Liverpool Street station to see the small statue of the child who represents the 'Kindertransport'.

For two years just before the start of World War Two, Jewish parents in Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Poland sent their children to England to escape the menace of the Nazis. These children, 10,000 altogether, arrived alone in a strange land and were dispersed around the country - to foster homes, orphanages, farms - to stay in relative safety for the rest of the war. Most never went back. Their parents died in concentration camps and the children were alone - and sometimes unwanted.

It is a poignant memorial on Liverpool Street Station - the place where they all stepped off the train to a new life in a strange country. Today those children are in their 70s and 80s and have children and grandchildren of their own. They still remember the time when they said goodbye to their own parents - and the stories on their web site are a sad reminder of an horrific past.

London is full of stories of triumph and despair, glory and tragedy, bravery and drama. You can hear about them on a LONDON FOOTSTEPS walk.

JOURNEY'S END WAS MISERY AND POVERTY

Thousands of City commuters arrive each day at Liverpool Street Station but few will be aware of the sad and painful past associated with this part of the City. This was the original site of Bethlem Hospital where human beings experienced poverty, pain and misery. It was a grim existence for the under-class of London; little wonder that the name Bedlam - a curruption of Bethlem - and its association with madness and mental illness has remained with us.

The Hospital was part of the Priory of St Mary of Bethlehem in the 14th century and was known to treat 'distracted patients'. They were kept chained to the wall with leg and ankle irons and ducked in cold water or whipped when violent. The City Corporation took it over as a lunatic asylum in the 16th century before it finally moved in the 17th century to Moorfields.

But the poverty and misery remained in the area. A workhouse was built close-by in Bishopsgate where children under-10 worked spinning wool for 12 hours a day, six days a week. The grim surroundings were also home for beggars and thieves as well as those Londoners who were at the very bottom of the social scale.

It existed until the 1870s and one of the few reminders of this grim past is the tomb of Sir William Rawlins, a City Sheriff, in the churchyard of St.Botolphs without Bishopsgate. (pictured). He was the workhouse treasurer for many years in the early 19th century.

So next time you arrive or leave Liverpool Street Station, think of the thousands who were going nowhere.

JOIN THE EARLY SPRING LONDON WALKS

How about booking up now for the first two walks of the LONDON FOOTSTEPS Spring Programme. After the dull weeks of January, a walk through the City streets is something to look forward to. So make a date on one - or both - of these walks.

THE SUFFERING CITY (Saturday, 18th February) sounds all doom and gloom but it's actually a fascinating look at some of the sad, tragic or heroic events and people that have made an impact on London's history over the past 2,000 years. This walks starts at Fenchurch Street Station (11am) and finishes at Paternoster Square about two hours later.

INTRODUCTION TO THE CITY (Saturday, 4th March) sounds straight-forward enough - but prepare to be surprised. This is a walk which winds its way through alleys, passageways and along streets. We shall stop to admire some of the great City buildings, the wonderful Wren churches and learn about the men and women who have earned their place in the history of the Square Mile.

So to find out more details, call 01702 710232 or email info@londonfootsteps.co.uk It's just £5 a walk and you pay on the day.