Spies and the Cold War in London

What to expect

Tales of spies, traitors, and shadowy police plots... If you love mystery and politics, we'll meet near St. James's Park tube station and begin a free Cold War tour of London. We guarantee you'll discover a truly surprising side of the city. Right from the start, we'll delve into the inner workings of SIS, the British Secret Intelligence Service, learning how this agency has served its country since its founding with actions that seem straight out of a movie. We'll walk to Caxton Street, where we'll stop in front of St. Ermin's Hotel. Did you know that this hotel was used between 1930 and 1940 as a support center for the foreign intelligence agency? It was very common for informants and contacts to meet here during the height of the Cold War. We'll continue exploring this period of history by heading towards Palmer Street, where the Government Communications Headquarters was located. At this stop, we'll delve into the life of Geoffrey Prime, an employee who worked as a spy for the Russians throughout the 1980s. We'll continue the free tour at The Old Star Pub, another haunt of British secret agents. What techniques did they use most often? How did they gather information? How did they contact their sources? You'll be completely amazed! Afterward, we'll walk to St. Anne's Gate, the former residence of the ex-head of SIS, Stewart Menzies. This figure, besides being key during the Cold War, played a fundamental role in deciphering the Enigma code. Another place we'll visit is St. James's Park, a perfect spot to discover the famous secret caches. We'll then proceed to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, where we'll meet Oleg Gordievsky. Finally, we'll walk to Parliament Square to discuss the Cambridge Five, a group of British spies recruited by the Soviet Union. The perfect ending to our Cold War journey! An hour and a half later, we'll say our goodbyes and conclude the free tour at this final stop.

Meeting point

Opposite the exit to St. James's Park Underground station, 50 Broadway

Your route

1. 1

   50 Broadway House

   The original home to the UK's Secret Intelligence Service

2. 2

   St. Ermin's Hotel

   The spies hotel, known by those at SIS as 'the work's canteen'

3. 3

   Palmer Street

   The former residence of GCHQ in London

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