by Jemima Condotti

‘That sounds like a nice thing to do on a Saturday’.
‘What does?’ asked my friend in polite disinterest.
‘Doing a walk with soneteers to celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday’
‘Sonnet what?’ she said.
‘Sonneteers’
‘What the hell’s that?’
‘People reciting sonnets’
‘Yeah, like that sounds really interesting’ she muttered in sarcastic tone. ‘Pass that nail varnish will you?’

Obviously a far more interesting subject for her. ‘Well, actually I think it does sound interesting’ I retorted and three clicks later I was booked in for the East Walk. Couldn’t do the West Walk because it was full and as I had absolutely no idea of the difference between the West Walk and the East Walk ( apart from geography) I was happy with my East Walk.

I contacted a friend who agreed that it was an excellent way to spend Saturday morning and my enthusiasm confirmed, we were all set. Apart from the Northern Line. How can a country girl deal with engineering works at Old Street? What you mean you can’t get any Tube there? No, none.

I couldn’t do buses so queued for a taxi and had a lovely conversation with the driver extolling the benefits of the National Garden Scheme. ‘Wasn’t that keen myself ’til the wife said we should go. But, to be honest love, there was some lovely gardens. Some bloke had a swimming pool and offered us a swim. Huge mansion it was, down at Leigh on Sea. But I tell yuo what, we did have a lovely big piece of applie pie and cream at one garden and it was only £1.50. £1.50, I mean that was a good deal. And, to make things even better, we had a lovely piece of Victoria Sandwich at the next house. Marvellous, Doing it again next year. Right we’re here love, St Leonard’s Church.


My friend had gone off to get lattes and I was greeted by charming ladies who gave us each a large white rose. Was that Plantagenent or Lancaster? I tried to remember. Then we were given leaflets with full instructions of where to go, together with sonnet spots. We were then told of the coincidence of Shakespeare’s birth, death and St George’s Day on the same day, various details of moving The Globe theatre on a dark December day and we were then keen to be let loose.

‘Have you been on this walk before’? I was asked by a fellow traveller.
‘No, it’s my first time’ I apologised sheepishly.
‘Oh, I’ve done it five times. Three times the West Walk and this is my second on the East one’.
What could one say? Apart from pass on this information to a journalist

And what a wonderful two hours was had by all. What variations of delivery! We had a cyclist fall off in front of us and we were much concerned. We rushed to her assistance to find that she was a sonneteer who delivered her beautiful verse.

‘Have you seen my cousin?’ we were later asked by a dismayed guy wandering around handing out leaflets with a lost lady’s face staring out at us. ‘No, we’re so sorry, we haven’t. We’re on a walk round London and we’re not local’. Again we were duped as he quietly slipped into his sonnet. What an ingenious intro.

At Pudding Lane we were approached by someone pointing up to the top of the monument. Tim lent over from the top with two boards of impossibly small writing. Out come the binoculars from our young sonneteer and what joy. And indeed, what better time to compare thee to a summer’s day?

A shoe-shiner at Clink Prison tucked away in a dark corner claimed the title of Sonnet No 10

We wound our way through here and there. And there and here and arrived at The Globe and marvelled at our time spent dwelling in lovers’ eyes.

Do go next year. Pay tribute to the Bard and to historic London. Not really a case of ‘without rhyme or reason’ but rather a definite case of reason to rhyme.

Keep an eye on Shakespeare’s Globe for this and similar walks.