London Unseen: Heritage Directory

A Little History of the Sikhs Sikh and Anglo-Sikh history based on a relationship between the British and the Sikhs which spans more than three centuries.

Antislavery Early Research Association A network of postgraduate students and early career researchers studying slavery and antislavery from across a range of disciplines.

The Association of Sikh Art & Cultural Heritage (ASACH) Working in Ealing, ASACH were awarded £5,500 Untold Stories funding for their project "Sikh Heritage Walking Tour of Southall", to develop a walking tour exploring Sikh heritage in Southall.

Avril's Walks and Talks Tour operator and Black history presenter specialising in the African Caribbean history of London.

Black Aboltionist Walking Tours Historian whose research focuses on recovering and amplifying formerly enslaved African American testimony (including forgotten slave narratives, oratory and visual performance), specifically focusing on transatlantic journeys to Britain between the 1830s and the 1890s.

Black History Walks Walking tours, films and educational experiences for students, sightseers, businesses, film fans and anyone with an interest in history and learning.

Brick Lane Circle Working to help transform the intellectual landscape of the Bangladeshi community in the UK.

Brent Heritage Walks & Trails Community-focussed tours

British South-Asian Visual Art Post Cool Britannia A research group set up by Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London, to respond to the comparative invisibility of British South-Asian artists.

Chabad Islington Founded in 2011 by Rabbi Mendy and Hadasa Korer, Chabad organises events, Shabbat dinners, educational activities, kids' clubs and informal get-togethers for all ages, to engage the Jewish community.

Chelsea Pensioners Army veterans who live at the Royal Chelsea Hospital and deliver tours at this living heritage site.

China Exchange Curated activities and experiences that offer alternative perspectives on Chinese culture. Working in Westminster, China Exchange were awarded £13,600 Untold Stories funding for their project "THE DIGITAL CHINATOWN HERITAGE SUMMARY FOR ENJOYING ON THE MOVE". They wil be installing heritage information boards in China Town to tell a more diverse narrative of the local area, and will be supported by volunteer-led tours around China Town.

Chinese Arts Now CAN commissions, produces and presents high-quality art that reflects diasporic voices in modern times, to educate and foster cultural understanding and appreciation of UK’s diversity.

Connecting People & Places Project This landmark project set out to ask the question: how have BAME communities had a voice in the planning and design of sites that are significant to them?

Disability Arts Online An organisation led by disabled people, set up to advance disability arts and culture. One of their projects, D4D: Disability and Community, is an ongoing research programme which investigates the evolving ways in which disabled people express, perform, experience and practise ‘community’.

East End Walks Specialises in organising walks of London’s radical social history, particularly in the East End – an area in which successive waves of immigrants have helped make London what it is today. East End Walks is part of the “History From Below” international network of historian-activists and artists.

Everyday Muslim A long-term project to create a central archive of Muslim lives, arts, education and cultures in the UK.

Five Aside Theatre CIC Working in Sutton, Five Aside Theatre CIC were awarded £4,000 Untold Stories funding for their project "Dorothee in the 18th Century: Remains to be Told" to develop a walking tour to explore Black heritage in Sutton.

Future Hackney A grassroots initiative which works at the intersections of social engagement and photography to co-create with communities to create living archives.

Grand Junction  10 minutes’ walk from Paddington Station, beside the Grand Union Canal, St Mary Magdalene Church is one of the finest neo-Gothic churches in the country. We are open as a venue running courses for adults, after-school clubs for young people, family workshops, and a rapidly growing arts and music programme and twice a month we run free heritage tours twice a month. Get in touch to find out more. 

Halal Tourism Britain Expert guided tours on Muslim heritage in Britain.

Hidden Histories Eastside Community Heritage established the Hidden Histories archive which holds over 4,000 oral histories, thousands of photographs and video material all preserved and archived for public benefit.

History Speak Creative consultancy specialising in contested heritage and decolonising spaces.

In Her Shoes Walks Specialising in walks on women from warrior Queens and suffragettes, to pickpockets, harlots and bickering fishwives; from trailblazing war correspondents to nurses and inventors.

Invisible Palace Working in Bromley, Croydon and Lewisham, Invisible Palace were awarded £4,993 Untold Stories funding for their project "Empire and trade - the lost sculptures of Crystal Palace Park" to work with local community groups to discover the lost statues in Crystal Palace Park and create a walking trail.

Kelly Foster Founding organiser of AfroCROWD UK, an initiative to encourage more people of African heritage to contribute to Wikipedia and it’s sister projects.

Kingston Tour Guides Established in 1991 to provide Kingstonians and visitors with informative and fun walking tours of Kingston's historic town. The Guides are all volunteers from the local community who have been trained and independently assessed.

Lambeth Tour Guides The first ever south-of-the-river Qualified Tour Guide Association promoting Lambeth's hidden histories through several community-related tours and trails. Explore Lambeth's uniqueness with one of their 15 guides in Lambeth.

Livesey Exchange A local grassroots project initiated by Pempeople (People Empowering People) with the aim of transforming spaces near and on the Old Kent Road in Southwark into workshops, studios, multidisciplinary spaces, skill-development training and cultural programmes.

London Undone Tours of London's main sites and also its spaces "off the beaten track".

London With a Local Tour guides from performance backgrounds. A mix of born and bred Londoners and those who decided to become Londoners after visiting as tourists and falling in love with the city.

Look Up London Walking tours for Londoners, getting people to see their city through fresh eyes and discover the hidden gems hiding in plain sight!

Migration Museum Explore the movement of people to and from Britain across the ages.

Museum of Diversity Reconstructing narratives of people of African descent as told these communities.

Museum of Slavery and Freedom Community group with strong roots in Deptford who are passionate about working to reveal the forgotten history of Deptford.

NDACA The National Disability Arts Collection and Archive is a £1-million digital archive chronicling the history of disability arts in the UK.

Nigel Smith Walks A City and Islington tour guide with recently launched walks that focus on the history of cinemas and cinema-going in Islington.

Nne Agwu Constitution Working in Greenwich, Nne Agwu Constitution were awarded £24,970 Untold Stories funding for their project "Griot Story Path": a story trail created by local people through Oxleas Woods. Housed in story stations, visitors will enjoy traditional Afrakan storytelling while travelling through the woods.

Nubian Jak Community Trust Commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme focused on memorialising the historic contributions of Black and minority ethnic people in Britain and beyond.

Numbi Arts Coming Here, Being Here: a heritage project which archived British Somali presence in the East End of London.

Pascal Theatre Telling stories of the unknown women and men whose lives are rarely noted in history books.

Pepys Community Forum Working in Lewisham, Pepys Community Forum were awarded £25,000 Untold Stories funding for their project "The Deptford Community Monument Project". It's a community-led project to explore Deptford Docks’ association with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, leading to a digital walking trail with physical markers to celebrate the contribution of black and racially minoritised people to the area.

Project Phakama UK Working in Tower Hamlets, Project Phakama UK were awarded £6,000 Untold Stories funding for their project "New Histories", a pilot project for young people to offer alternative narratives to an area dominated by a single figure. The initial project will start with the William Gladstone statue outside Bow Church.

Purple Stars A team of artists and technologists, with and without disabilities, who work with museums to help make their collections more inclusive through the use of sensory and digital media.

Queer Tours of London Educational, accessible and interactive walking tours, cabarets, street-art and events that bring life to the complexities and lived experiences of London's Queer community's history, present and vision for the future.

Sandys Row Synagogue Historical guided tours of Sandys Row Synagogue.

S. I. Martin Historian specialising in Black British history and literature, bringing diverse histories to wider audiences.

Southall Community Alliance (SCA) Working in Ealing, the SCA were awarded £22,550 Untold Stories funding for their project "Stories of Southall". A series of events in public spaces that highlight Southall’s anti-racist history – including crafts, walking tours and public performances.

Subcontinent Divided: Bringing Communities Together Subcontinent Divided is a steering group at the University of the Arts (UAL) collating a collection of critical reflections around Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, 75 years since independence. Includes an open call for submissions until February 2023.

Summerstown182 Guided tours on the rich and varied communities around Tooting and Wandsworth.

Syrup Magazine A social design studio that makes research and heritage accessible using story telling, co-design and technology.

The Tommy Flowers Foundation Working in Tower Hamlets, The Tommy Flowers Foundation were awarded £27,000 Untold Stories funding for their project "Unearthing Poplar: celebrating hidden histories". They celebrate the everyday heroes of the Aberfeldy Estate through a new walking tour, augmented reality map, mural of actor and landlady, Queenie Watts, and a plaque and installation for Tommy Flowers.

Urbanwise.London Limited Working in Kensington & Chelsea, Urbanwise London were awarded £24,487 Untold Stories funding for their project "Towpath Tales: Untold stories of north Kensington and Westminster’s Grand Union Canal". They are creating a new downloadable map and mural exploring the history of the Grand Union Canal – from the Irish navvies who built the canal and the barge people who worked there to the area’s newly arrived communities.

Unseen Tours Walking tours and experiences curated and led by people with experiences of homelessness.

Westminster Guides Dedicated to tours of Westminster Borough

Women of London Walking tours which focus on a range of women throughout history, from all types of backgrounds and classes.

Women on the Walk Lively theatrical tours on the streets of central London that bring the known and unknown women from London's history to light.

Xenia Working in Hackney, Xenia were awarded £24,937 Untold Stories funding for their project "Trailblazing Women in Hackney: Heroines of our Time". Their project creates a new heritage tour to celebrate and uncover the hidden histories of trailblazing women in Hackney.