As the dawn of the twentieth-century loomed, London was undergoing tremendous changes, establishing itself as the heart of one of the most powerful empires the world has ever seen. However, in the same decade that witnessed the celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee a diverse group of writers, artists and poets sought to subvert the oppressive cultural and moral atmosphere of the period. This was the city explored by Oscar Wilde, Arthur Symons, Aubrey Beardsley, Frank Harris and Ernest Dowson, together with their less well-known compatriots Lionel Johnson, John Gray, John Davidson and the mysterious Count Stenbock.

Antony Clayton’s walk will investigate the artistic milieu of the 1890s, when, despite their often louche lifestyles, many of the key players produced their finest work and helped contribute to the decade’s most innovative periodicals “The Yellow Book” and “The Savoy”. Join us as we stagger (metaphorically) from the site of the Crown pub and sites of the capital’s thriving music halls to the Cafe Royal and beyond, down the sleazy streets of Decadent London. The walk will finish at an appropriate pub.

Antony Clayton is the author of “Decadent London”, “Subterranean City: Beneath the Streets of London”, “London’s Coffee Houses, a Stimulating Story”, “The Folklore of London” and “Secret Tunnels of England Folklore & Fact”. He also co-edited (with Phil Baker) and contributed to “Lord of Strange Deaths: the Fiendish World of Sax Rohmer” and wrote “Netherwood: Last Resort of Aleister Crowley”, which also featured contributions from David Tibet, Gary Lachman and Andy Sharp. His latest book is “Mansion of Gloom: the Unsettling Legacy of Poe’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ ”.