Bevis in London: A literary immigration walking tour and website

Bevis in London traces the footsteps of medieval literary hero Bevis of Hampton over modern-day London. The romance of Bevis of Hampton is highly unusual in its level of geographical accuracy and detail, suggesting a writer or patron with first-hand knowledge of the city of London.

While Bevis walked through London over 700 years ago, the way he interacts with London and its citizens encourages us to think about what it meant to be English and to be a hero. The text presents to us ideas about masculinity, violence and migration that are relevant to England in the twenty-first century.

The website features a map with location markers from Bevis of Hampton indicating relevant locations from the romance. You can click each of the points of interest and find out more about the romance.

It also features a walking tour, following Bevis' movements in the City of London. The tour can similarly be followed remotely from your computer. Alternatively, you can follow the route for yourself, downloading the PDF guide.

This website and the walking tour were designed by Dr Amy Burge, an academic who has been researching Bevis of Hampton for a decade. The tour points out aspects of the history of medieval London as well as telling the story of the knight Bevis. The message of the tour is that Bevis' London journey reveals much about his character and the social and moral fabric of fourteenth-century England.