John Atkin is a civic historian and author who organizes and conduct tours for groups and individuals. John has explored Vancouver like few others have and offers an interesting and offbeat insight to the city's architecture, history and neighbourhoods. He has created, and conducts, a number of unique and popular walking tours throughout the City of Vancouver.

John brings an insight of urban planning and development, a love of architecture, and the fascination of the curious to all his tours.

John's walking tours take approximately 2 hours - depending on the group size and route - and are organized year round. Tours cost 10 dollars per person 

Custom tours can also be organized for groups or individuals, contact John for information. Please note for groups smaller than five, there's a 100 dollar minimum charge.

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NEWS

London 2010 dates are set! September 16th to the 23th. For more details.

15/12/09  Arrggh! I learned that 1636 Avondale, a marvelous 1926 house by Fred Townley, was demolished recently. Townley was the other half of Townley and Matheson the architects of Vancouver's City Hall.

10/12/09  i'm very excited to be the "historian in residence" at the Roundhouse Community Centre. In the next 12 months we'll be working on a number of projects at the Roundhouse including walks, lectures and history exhibits.

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london cover

London Walking Tours

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How to Look at Neighbourhoods:
All Aboard!! - Canada Line Neighbouroods

This fall and winter we'll explore the neighbourhoods along the new Canada Line. Meet outside the station at 10:00 am  $10:00 pp

Sunday, February 14th - 49th Ave
Langara College, golf courses and the postwar subrban development.

Sunday, February 28th - Marine Drive
The last station in Vancouver is surrounded by industrial buildings, rail lines, and the city works yard, it's an area ripe for transformation.

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Cemetery Walks 
sponsored by Mountain View Cemetery

Lantern Walk Feb 14, 2010  4:00pm

Join us on a wander through the Jones section it will be light when we start and dusk as we return by lantern light. Discover veterans from the American Civil War and the Spanish American War, a star runner, and others. (feel free to bring a lantern along if you have one.)

Hot chocolate will be served at 3:30pm before the tour. 

Come Meet the Masons May 23, 2010  10:00am

On this walk through the Masonic section of the cemetery we'll meet some pretty famous Vancouverites buried here

- these tours are part of a series of walks at the cemetery given by me and Lorraine Irving. Tours are $10.00 No need to reserve, just show up at the Celebration Hall (enter off of 39th Ave at Fraser). Look for the big red flag.

For more info and details on Lorraine's tours check out vancouver.ca/cemetery

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Walks during the Winter Games

Downtown South walks from the Gathering Place

During the Winter Games the Gathering Place is sponsoring a series of walks on Wednesday mornings starting on the 3rd. of February at 10:30 am.

The walks will explore the history, architecture and extraordinary change in this downtown neighbourhood. No reservations, just show up at the Gathering Place at the corner of Helmcken and Seymour streets.

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Opium, Laundry and Pawnshops: a tour of Market Alley.

This will be great fun. I'll be leading a series of walking tours of Market Alley in Chinatown in the evenings during GO!  which takes place in the courtyard of the Yue Shan Society on Pender Street. Tours at 6:00 pm $10.00 pp. Meet in the courtyard.

Februrary 13th., 15th., 17th., 19th., 20th., 22nd., 24th., 26th., 27th.,

What's Go!: ASIR Studio, Rural Urban Fantasy Project and Organelle Design team up for GO! A Temporary Gallery for Permanent Change, for which one of Chinatown’s oldest and almost-forgotten courtyards will be transformed into an illuminated space for performances and unexpected discoveries.
Where: Yue Shan Courtyard, accessible via East Pender St & Market Alley
When: Multiple events from Feb 12 - 28, 2010, 6 – 10 pm

Check out more Bright Light events.

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The Heritage Foundation's Old School program is a series of workshops and classes for homeowners. Check out their site.

How to Research Your House is the workshop I have the pleasure to conduct.

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UBC Continuing Studies Course: Our next course starts March 13th and will look at the history, development and future of one of Vancouver's earliest roads, Kingsway.

Check the Continuing Education site for more information.

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