Old London bus tour – Routemaster bus no.15

Looking for cheap London days out for the family? Why not take a tour of the City on an old Routemaster bus? From Wren's London to the old newspaper offices of Fleet Street, here's what you'll see from the window...

The iconic ‘Route­master’ double-decker bus was introduced in London in 1956 and remained in general service until 2005. However, owing to Government legislation requiring full accessibility to public transport for wheelchair users by 2017, only two ‘Heritage’ routes, the no. 9 and no. 15, still use original Routemasters. However, London's mayor, Boris Johnson, championed the reintroduction of new Routemaster buses to the capital in 2012.

This tour, on board the no. 15 from the Tower of London to Trafalgar Square, via St Paul's Cathedral, is a good option for families with young children, who'll love sitting upstairs in the old-fashioned Routemaster. Adults should find the whistlestop tour of the City equally rewarding. It's a good choice for a rainy day too...

The no. 15 bus is scheduled to take 25 minutes to complete its route but can take longer in rush hour, running daily every 15 minutes 9.30am–6.30pm in both directions. Note that not every no. 15 is a Routemaster, so wait until one arrives for this tour. The other ‘Heritage’ route, the no. 9, continues from Trafalgar Square to the Albert Hall, via Pall Mall, Hyde Park Corner and Knightsbridge. Conductors accept Travelcards, ­Oystercards or cash fares.

Tower Hill

If you arrive by tube, turn right as you leave Tower Hill station, towards the Tower of London. Cross the road via the subway and ascend the steps to your left for the bus stop. This may be a good time to visit the Tower of London, before catching the no. 15.

Towards Eastcheap

Once on the bus, on your right is the grand Port of London Authority building. Then on your left, just past the Tower of London is All Hallows Church, the City’s oldest, dating from 675. Next, driving up Great Tower Street, on your right, up Mincing Lane, you glimpse The Gher­kin, Norman Foster’s peculiarly shaped office tower.

Towards Old Bailey

As the street becomes Eastcheap, (‘east market’ – it was lined with butchers’ stalls in medieval times), on the right is Sir Christopher Wren’s Church of St Margaret Pattens. Soon after, on the left is Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of 1666 began in a bakery; it is commemorated by the column of The Monument. The bus then crosses King William Street, which leads left to London Bridge and The Shard, and right towards the Bank of England and, in the distance, the Barbican Tower.

Now on Cannon Street, to your right is Wren’s St Stephen Walbrook and rising up behind, the 1970s’ Tower 42 (the old NatWest Tower), once Britain’s tallest skyscraper. Next – and un­missable – on the right is St Paul’s Cathedral, while a glance to the left reveals the Millennium Bridge over the river to Tate Modern. Moving on to Ludgate Hill, on the right, is St Martin’s Church, and beyond, the Old Bailey, the scene of many famous criminal trials.

Fleet Street and Strand

Past Ludgate Circus on to Fleet Street, you will see St Bride’s Church, which inspired the tiered wedding cake, on the left, down Bride Lane. On the right are the black Art Deco former newspaper offices of the Daily Express (nicknamed ‘Black Lubyanka’) and, shortly afterwards, at no. 135, the former offices of The Telegraph. Next on the right is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of the City’s oldest pubs, followed by the Law Courts towards the end of Fleet Street.

The start of the Strand is marked by the dragon of the Temple Bar monument, set in the middle of the road, and soon afterwards, Wren’s St Clement Danes, the church of the Royal Air Force. Then, to the left of the other island church, St Mary-le-Strand, is Somerset House, now a major art museum. Shortly afterwards on the same side of the road is the Savoy Hotel, which was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte, who also produced Gil­bert and Sullivan operas.

Finally, the bus rolls into Trafalgar Square, where the tour ends.

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