Witchcraft, Ancient Cults & MI15 Spy Secrets

London’s oldest secrets sit below ordinary streets. On this private walking tour, you move from a Roman underground cult site to church foundations, medieval survival stories, devilish carvings, and Smithfield’s grim execution ground. It is a useful reminder that central London is not just grand museums and royal landmarks.

I like the private format, since your guide can give your group full attention rather than deliver a fixed talk to a crowd. I also like the route’s unusual mix of religion, folklore, crime, and politics. The main drawback is the price: at $371.59 per person, this makes the most sense for a small group that will ask questions and make good use of the guide.

Key points to know

• Roman London begins beneath Bloomberg’s headquarters: The Mithraeum introduces you to the mysterious cult of Mithras and its underground temple setting.
• The route links several eras on foot: You walk from the 4th century and earlier religious traces through medieval churches and later executions.
• Your guide is dedicated to your group: This is a private activity, not a shared group tour.
• The stories are darker than a standard sightseeing walk: Expect Roman ritual, pagan worship, ghosts, witchcraft, revenge carvings, and public executions.
• The tour runs about three hours: It starts at noon in Bleeding Heart Yard and ends beside Monument Station.
• The Mithraeum admission is extra: Other listed stops are free or viewed from outside, but the Roman site does not include an admission ticket.

Why this tour feels different from ordinary London sightseeing

Most first visits to London focus on Westminster Abbey, the Tower, Buckingham Palace, and the British Museum. This walk takes another route through the city, one built around stories that are easy to miss while hurrying between major sights.

I like that the tour treats London as a place layered over itself. Roman worship, medieval Christianity, public punishment, and modern office development all occupy the same few streets. You are not simply checking off monuments. You are learning to look down, look up, and question what survives beneath the modern city.

The title also promises witchcraft, ancient cults, and MI5 spy secrets. The listed stops give the strongest attention to Roman religion, pagan foundations, churches, folklore, and executions. The spy material is not tied to a particular stop in the supplied route, so I would book this mainly for the unusual religious and darker historical content rather than for a dedicated intelligence history tour.

Starting at Bleeding Heart Yard at noon

The meeting point is Bleeding Heart Yard in London EC1N. The name alone sets the tone, though no additional story about the yard is provided in the tour details. You meet there at 12:00 pm before setting off on foot with your own guide.

A noon start can work well if you want a history-focused afternoon without giving up the morning for major attractions. It also gives you time to reach the meeting point by public transport. The tour is near public transportation, and it finishes at Monument Station, so you end in a useful part of the City of London rather than being returned to the starting point.

Because the walk is private, you can ask for clarification or spend more time on a subject that catches your interest. That matters here. Roman ritual and religious symbolism can raise more questions than a quick guide can answer, while stories about executions or medieval churches may appeal more to some people than others.

The London Mithraeum and the Roman mystery cult

The first major stop is London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, where the modern city rises above the remains of a Roman temple. This area has been central to London for roughly two thousand years, and the site gives you a clear sense of how much of the ancient city remains under today’s streets and buildings.

The Mithraic cult first appeared in Rome in the first century AD and spread through the Roman Empire during the following three centuries. Merchants, soldiers, and imperial administrators were among its main followers. That social mix gives the site a useful connection to the working machinery of the Empire, not just to emperors and generals.

Mithraic temples were often built below ground. They were private, dark, and without windows, which helps explain why the cult can feel so mysterious today. At the center of its mythology was Mithras killing a bull inside a cave. This scene, called the tauroctony, remains open to interpretation.

You should allow about ten minutes at this stop according to the planned schedule. That is enough for a focused introduction, but not a long museum visit. Admission is not included, so check the current entry arrangements and cost before you go. The tour details do not provide a separate ticket price or promise extended time inside.

I see this as one of the strongest reasons to choose the walk. You get a specific Roman site rather than a broad lecture about Roman London, and the underground temple setting makes the subject easier to picture. The limitation is time. If you want a full museum experience, you may need to return separately.

St. Mary Woolnoth and the city beneath the church

From the Mithraeum, the route continues to St. Mary Woolnoth. The church site has been used for worship for at least two thousand years, and traces of Roman and pagan religious buildings have been found beneath the present foundations.

This is the sort of stop that rewards close attention. From street level, you may see a functioning city church. The guide adds the older layers, showing how places of worship can change while retaining their importance to the surrounding community.

The scheduled visit lasts about ten minutes, and admission is free. That makes it a simple stop to include, though the short time means you should not expect a full church tour or an extended look at every architectural detail.

I like the contrast with the Mithraeum. The earlier stop presents a private Roman cult in a dark underground setting. St. Mary Woolnoth shows a long religious continuity that later became part of London’s Christian fabric. Together, they make the city’s religious past feel less tidy and more complicated.

Cornhill House and the three devilish figures

At Cornhill House, the guide points out three terracotta figures with a nasty little story behind them. They mock worshippers next door at St Peter upon Cornhill, an old City church now almost submerged at street level by surrounding office buildings.

The figures are described as an unusual example of revenge lasting across generations. That gives the stop a welcome human edge. Not every historical detail is about kings, battles, or grand architecture. Sometimes a building preserves an insult.

You will spend around ten minutes here. Admission is not included, which suggests this is primarily an exterior viewing stop rather than a formal interior visit. Look upward and pay attention to the building details. On a normal city walk, these figures would be easy to pass without noticing.

This is also where the tour’s sense of humor helps. The subject matter can be grim, but the figures offer a strange, almost petty piece of urban history. I would especially value this stop if you enjoy architectural details with a story attached.

St. Bartholomew the Great and survival after 1666

The Church of St. Bartholomew the Great is one of the few medieval churches to survive the Great Fire of 1666. That fact alone makes it important in a city where so much was destroyed and rebuilt.

The planned stop lasts ten minutes, and admission is free. You should expect a concise look at the church and its survival rather than a long service of architecture and art. The guide’s role is especially useful here because the significance is not always obvious from the street.

I like how this stop changes the pace of the walk. The Mithraeum and St. Mary Woolnoth take you into ancient religious layers. Cornhill House adds a strange note of revenge. St. Bartholomew the Great brings you to a medieval building that physically survived one of London’s most famous disasters.

If you have already visited the city’s major churches, this still gives you a different reason to pause. You are looking at survival and continuity, not simply beauty.

Smithfield Market and the hard edge of London history

The route ends at Smithfield Market, where you learn about places of execution and a story connected with Bloody Mary. This is the darkest part of the walk and may be the most memorable for anyone interested in crime, punishment, and religious conflict.

The stop is scheduled for about ten minutes, with admission included. The available details do not specify an indoor market visit or a separate attraction entry, so you should think of this as a guided historical stop in and around the Smithfield area.

Smithfield adds a direct human cost to the tour’s religious themes. Earlier stops show temples and churches. Here, belief, authority, and punishment meet in a public setting. The Bloody Mary story also points to the unsettled religious politics of Tudor England, though the supplied information does not give the full account.

I appreciate the route ending on a strong historical note. Still, this subject will not suit everyone. If you prefer light sightseeing, you may find the execution material unpleasant. If you like London’s less polished stories, it gives the walk a clear purpose.

How much value do you get for $371.59?

At $371.59 per person, this is an expensive three-hour tour. The price is easier to justify for a small private group, especially if several people share the guide’s time and can ask questions throughout the walk.

You are paying for a professional guide and a private experience, not a long list of included admissions. The Mithraeum ticket is not included, while St. Mary Woolnoth and St. Bartholomew the Great are free stops. Much of the value comes from the connections between sites and the guide’s explanations.

I would not choose this as a first London tour if you still need to see the city’s major landmarks. You can cover far more famous sights in three hours with a standard sightseeing route. I would consider it after you have seen the main attractions, or if Roman religion, folklore, witchcraft, churches, and public punishment are central interests.

The tour is also a better buy when you have a group that enjoys discussion. A private guide is wasted if everyone wants only quick photographs. It becomes more worthwhile when you ask about the cult of Mithras, the pagan foundations, the church sites, and the stories behind the carvings.

Timing, walking, and practical planning

The experience lasts about three hours and takes place on foot. The listed schedule gives roughly ten minutes at each of five named stops, so the remaining time covers walking between locations and the guide’s explanations.

Wear comfortable shoes. The route links central London sites, and even a short city walk can feel tiring when you are stopping, standing, and listening. Bring a phone with the meeting point saved, since the tour begins at Bleeding Heart Yard and ends at Monument Station.

The tour accepts mobile tickets, and confirmation is provided at booking. Service animals are allowed, and most people can participate. If you need a specific accommodation, ask before booking because the supplied information does not describe the exact walking surface, stairs, or interior access at every stop.

Free cancellation is available if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes made inside that period are not accepted, and the amount paid is not refunded for a late cancellation. The experience also requires a minimum number of participants, so a cancellation by the operator would result in another date or experience, or a full refund.

Who should book this private history walk?

I would recommend it to repeat visitors who want London stories beyond the usual royal and museum circuit. It also suits people who like Roman religion, church history, folklore, executions, and small architectural clues.

A private group of friends or family can get more from it than a solo guest paying the full per-person price. The guide can adjust the conversation to your interests, which is useful when some people care about archaeology and others prefer ghosts, revenge stories, or Tudor history.

I would be cautious about booking it for young children unless they enjoy serious history. The tour includes execution sites and darker religious themes. I would also hesitate if your main reason is MI5. The title includes spy secrets, but the listed route does not provide specific spy locations or a clear intelligence-history segment.

Should you book Witchcraft, Ancient Cults & MI15 Spy Secrets?

Book this if you have already covered London’s headline sights and want a private walk built around the city’s stranger, older, and darker stories. The Roman Mithraeum, ancient religious foundations, revenge figures, medieval survival, and Smithfield executions give the route real variety.

Skip it if you want a low-cost overview, a long museum visit, or a tour centered mainly on MI5. At $371.59 per person, the price demands a strong interest in the subject and a willingness to use the private guide well.

For the right group, this is a sharp three-hour introduction to the London that sits beneath office blocks, beside churches, and behind details most people walk past.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts approximately three hours.

Where does the tour start?

It starts at Bleeding Heart Yard, London EC1N, UK.

Where does the tour end?

It ends next to Monument Station on King William Street, London EC4R 9AA.

What time does the tour begin?

The scheduled start time is 12:00 pm.

Is this a private tour?

Yes. Only your group participates in the activity.

Is admission to the London Mithraeum included?

No. Admission to the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE is not included.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded.