Cervantes Routes London
The Instituto Cervantes London continues its programme of guided tours which, under the generic name of “Cervantes Routes”, invites you to explore the geography of the British capital discovering the traces of the presence of the arts, culture, literature and history of Spain and Latin America through its key figures and personalities of all times, prepared and carried out by Milagros Dapena-Collopy (“Qualified Blue Badge London Tourist Guide”)
Throughout 2023 we will develop a catalogue of itineraries, which will take place on Saturday mornings, dealing with the memory of the Spanish and Latin American exile, the historical relations between the British and Spanish monarchies and some of the masterpieces of Spanish art in the National Gallery, among other novelties that we will announce in due course.
Route I
Routes of the Spanish exiles in London
London was the capital of exile for many Spaniards, the other homeland. Protestants and liberals wandered through it and, a century later, this London saw the end of the Civil War and the exiled republicans suffered the bombings of the Second World War.
In order to get to know the Spanish presence in Britain and to thank them for their contribution to Spanish culture and to the memory of all of us, we will visit the places where they lived and worked and, following in their footsteps, we will delve into their experiences and secrets.
Itinerary 1
In this tour, we will focus on the most important places of our Protestant (16th century), Liberal (19th century) and Republican (20th century) exiles.
Manuel Chaves Nogales, Luis Gabriel Portillo, Josep Trueta, Esteban Salazar Chapela, Arturo Barea, Rafael Martínez Nadal, Antonio del Corro, among others.
We will follow in their footsteps, starting in the intellectual quarter of Bloomsbury, continuing through the legal quarter of Holborn and ending in The Temple.
On this walk, we will find out where they lived and worked and learn about their contributions to British society, especially during the Second World War.
Bookings:
Departure: 10:30h. GMT (British time)
Departure point: Russell Square Underground Station
Duration 2 hours, approx.
Price £20
Itinerary 2
On this walk, we will focus on the North and South of Hyde Park.
We will see where Rafael Martinez Nadal, Gregorio Prieto, Luis Cernuda and Arturo Duperier lived and worked.
In Bayswater, the residential neighbourhood to the north of Hyde Park, the Spanish Home and the Chaplaincy were founded.
Walking through Kensington Gardens we will find the link between the British and Spanish monarchy, giving us the opportunity to take a look at the Spanish monarchic figure prior to the proclamation of the Second Republic.
In South Kensington, we will continue to delve into the memory of our exiles, without forgetting the place where the Spanish Institute in London was founded, considered to be the worthy precursor of the network of Cervantes Institute headquarters, under the direction of a Spanish-English committee.
Bookings:
Departure: 10:30h. GMT (British time)
Departure point: Notting Hill tube station.
Duration 2 hours, approx.
Price £20
Route II
Route of the Spanish queens
Westminster Abbey, officially the Collegiate Church of St. Peter in Westminster, is the place where monarchs are crowned, where a large number of them are buried and as a mausoleum in which the nation’s illustrious personages are buried and commemorated.
Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all monarchs (with the exception of two) have followed this tradition. Some of the monarchs of Spanish blood have not only been crowned but are also buried in this place that occupies a unique position in the history of the United Kingdom.
The interior of the abbey and a walk around it will remind us of the historical links between the kingdom of Castile, the kingdom of Spain and the kingdom of England.
Bookings:
Departure: 10:30h. GMT (British time)
Departure point: in front of the entrance to Westminster underground station.
Duration 3 hours, approx.
Price £45 (including admission to the Abbey).
Route III
Route of the masterpieces of Spanish art at the National Gallery
Walking around the National Gallery, we will learn about the vicissitudes of the history that united the crowns of Spain and England in the past.
We will then enter the National Gallery. Although John Julius Angerstein and Sir George Beaumont laid the foundations of the collection, other important bequests and acquisitions have played a major role in its success.
The collection of Spanish paintings is considered one of the most important in the world outside Spain. Most of the pieces belong to the so-called Spanish Golden Age, a period between 1575 and 1700, which witnessed a great artistic flowering, with masterpieces by Velázquez, Murillo, Zurbarán, El Greco and Goya.
Bookings:
Departure: 10:30h. GMT (British time)
Departure point: in front of the entrance to Charing Cross station.
Duration 2.5 hours, approx. in Spanish
Price £20
Juan de Zurbarán Still Life with Lemons in a Wicker Basket about 1643-9 Bought with the support of the American Friends of the National Gallery, and the National Gallery Trust, 2017 
Diego Velázquez The Toilet of Venus (‘The Rokeby Venus’) 1647-51 Presented by the Art Fund, 1906 
Francisco de Goya Doña Isabel de Porcel before 1805 Bought, 1896 
El Greco Christ driving the Traders from the Temple about 1600 Presented by Sir J.C. Robinson, 1895 
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and studio The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin 17th century Bequeathed by Joseph Trueman Mills, 1924
“It was really good. I enjoyed it thoroughly and I wish there would be more”
Jordi Mon Companys
Rutas cervantes Londres 