About DP

The Man Behind The Tours

David Pickard, an ex-master at Sutton Valence and currently the School’s hon. Archivist has been fascinated by London ever since he was at university there. His interest in recent years has been concerned with the London inhabited by the School’s founder, William Lambe, who was an eminent Clothworker and entrepreneur extraordinaire.  Exploring the City and Southwark has allowed us to paint a fair picture of the London he knew.

DP is a geographer and is keen to find and explore the patterns certain activities make and how those patterns change with time. Patterns come about because of the behaviour of groups of people and individuals reacting to the rules and regulations of their time, but just as often finding ways round those rules and regulations. Not all the developers of London have been upright and honest citizens.​ Because he is not trained as a historian, DP’s interpretation of past events does not always conform with the general view. His conclusions give much more weight to influences such as ‘luck’ or ‘fashion’ and, consequently, he asks at the beginning of each walk that fellow walkers to be prepared to challenge and discuss his views. ​

DP is a generalist. His reaction to places of interest of the routes often have the tendency to cause him to explore issues not necessarily covered by the title of the walk. ‘In the shadow of the Wall’ (i.e., the roman wall of London) is a stroll around the perimeter of London as it existed since 100 ad, but there is not a lot of discussion about the Romans. ‘Posh London’ may well conjure discovery about wealthy enclaves, but the interest is just as much stimulated by those less well-off who lived at the edges of these places.