Free in WanderWalk
A free Bankside audio walk and story collection
Follow the 7-stop Bankside at Work audio walk, or play its separate 10-story collection from anywhere. Both are free in WanderWalk.
Heritage Open Days 2026 ran from 11 to 20 September. The walk and collection remain free. You need an iPhone with iOS 17 or later. WanderWalk is not available on Android.
- Past festival dates
- 11 to 20 September 2026
- Physical walk
- 7 stops · roughly 2.3 km · about 34 minutes
- Listen anywhere
- 10 stories with no walking required
- Cost
- Free, with no booking or payment card
2 ways to listen
Choose the walk or listen anywhere
The physical route and the online collection are separate options. Both are free.
Follow the 7-stop Bankside walk
The self-guided route runs for roughly 2.3 km and takes about 34 minutes, including audio. It starts beside the Bert Hardy plaque on The Priory in Webber Street and ends on the public riverside outside Shakespeare’s Globe.
The Wheatsheaf pub at Borough Market is stop 6. Sam Wanamaker at Shakespeare’s Globe is the final stop, number 7.
Follow the route at your own pace. There is no timed start or group departure.
Play all 10 stories from anywhere
The complete collection works without walking, location permission or proximity triggers. Choose a story, pause, skip or move through the queue in your own time.
The collection launched for Heritage Open Days on 11 September 2026 and remains free after the festival.
10 overlooked lives
Hear the people behind Bankside’s landmarks
Bankside at Work follows workers, residents and outsiders whose lives sit behind the area’s better-known buildings.
Content note: includes death, poverty, prostitution, war damage and exclusion from burial.
- The Ferryman’s Seat
- Crossbones Graveyard
- The Wheatsheaf
- Winchester Palace
- Bella Burge and Blackfriars
- Eyre Massey Shaw
- Bert Hardy
- Sydney Waterlow’s workers’ housing
- England’s first printed Bible
- Sam Wanamaker and the Globe
Access and safety
Know what to expect before you start
What you need
- an iPhone with iOS 17 or later
- Wi-Fi or mobile data
- speakers or headphones
WanderWalk is not available on Android. No booking, subscription or payment card is required for this event.
Physical access
The route is partially wheelchair accessible. Uneven or cobbled surfaces and temporary diversions may make parts of the walk inaccessible. The complete collection is available without walking.
Stories include readable text in the app. The event does not provide sign-language interpretation or an audio-described visual experience.
Walk safely
Pause audio at crossings, keep headphone volume low and supervise children. Stop or leave the route if weather, poor light, crowding or temporary works make it unsafe.
Self-guided format
There is no guide, staffed venue or building entry. WanderWalk created the walk and collection. The Priory and Shakespeare’s Globe are not staffed venues for this experience.
There is no live chat or contact between participants. Read theWanderWalk privacy policy.
Free in WanderWalk
Listen to Bankside at Work
Get WanderWalk for iPhone to open the free Bankside at Work walk and 10-story collection.