Testimonials

     

 An amazing tour! Gary brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and love for his subject. A great and informative4 day out! 

DS, Mile End

     

 Gary is a fantastic guide! Highly recommended. 

David B, Leytonstone

     

 Just back from a wonderful afternoon walk in Leytonstone on the Hitchcock tour (early years) c/o Gary Lewis. A highly recommended tour of the area in which Hitchock was born and spent his early formative years. 

Stewart C, Ware, Herfordshire

     

 A charming and fascinating guide through Leytonstone's local history and the iconic filmmaker it produced. 

Delmar DB, Syndney, Australia

 A terrific tour! Gary offers a fascinating insight into the world of a young Alfred Hitchcock, and how his formative years shaped so much of his career. He is extremely knowledgable of the great director and the local area. 

Alfred J., Leytonstone

 We live near to the area and found the tour to be fascinating as we could remember a lot of buildings and areas being described. Gary is very friendly and knowledgeable and you really get the inside story that not many people know about. A fascinating insight. So pleased to have Gary to talk us through Hitchcock's life in Leytonstone. Highly recommended. We loved it! 

Anita Woods, Wanstead E11

     

 Thank you for a very informative tour Gary. Having lived in the area for years it was great to find out some much local history and how the area influenced Hitchcocks many amazing films. Keep up the good work, 

Caroline and Ann, Snaresbrook, London E11

 A great informative walking tour of Hitchcock’s early life & upbringing. The guide, Gary, knows his subject really well & gives a history of Leytonstone’s cinemas as well. Recommended. 

Kevin Jackson, Shepherd's Bush, London W12

     

 I went on the Graveyard Shift with my elderly dad and his friend. We found our tour guide, Gary, to be highly knowledgeable on every point of interest. He had clearly done his historical research, and was very open to questions at the end of the tour. All in all we found it an informative and entertaining experience. Oonagh Dawson 

Oonagh Dawson, Woodford Green, Essex

     

 Very interesting and informative walk/talk (The Graveyard Shift) with Gary and lots of chatter in between. The walk was at a steady pace and lots of information to think about. Many thanks Gary, a great afternoon for Hazel and me. 

Jane Etherighton and Hazel Toliday, Leytonstone E11

     

 Great tour, Gary is very friendly and knowledgeable. Learned a lot about Hitchcock. 

Caroline Maignen, Buckhurst Hill, Essex

     

 Thank you very much for such an interesting, knowledgable and inspiring tour. Rob and I thoroughly enjoyed it and have been telling our friends all about it. 

Jennifer Wallis, Johannesburg, South Africa

     

 Very informative 

June Barber, South Woodford E18

     

 Brilliant tour with Gary this afternoon - his knowledge is amazing and he made the tour really interesting - definitely booking him for another tour👍👍 

Louise Fisher, Wanstead E11

     

 Excellent guide - Gary was so knowledgable and friendly. Leytonstone is so full of history. The existing buildings can be seen in a new light. 

Ravisha Chibber, South Woodford, London E18

    

 An excellent tour by Gary, who is very knowledgeable & friendly. The walk was a gift for my brother's birthday & we both thoroughly enjoyed it, learning lots of early information about 'Hitch' that neither of us knew. 

Brenda Messenger, Stratford London E15

     

 Really great tour, Gary is really knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Hitchcock and his links and influences from Leytonstone. 

Kenny James, Dublin, Ireland

 Leytonstone, London. Hitchcock’s birthplace 😊 And thanks to Gary Lewis for the insightful tour through Leytonstone. 

Paul Lesch, Luxembourg

     

 This was one of the best tours I’ve been on, Gary was a wonderful host, thank you so 

Gary Garner, Harlow, Essex

     

 Walking through the Leytonstone streets adds another dimension to Hitchcock film fans...it is to Gary's credit that his tour adds to our knowledge. 

Geoff Mann, Walthamstow, London E17

     

 Just been on Gary Lewis’ in Hitchcock’s Steps’ Walk. I have lived in the area for over 40 years and Gary told me so much I didn’t know about Alfred Hitchcocks life and film connections to Leytonstone. He is an entertaining and knowledgeable guide. It would make a great gift for a birthday perhaps or a good reason to explore the High Road. 

Caryle Webb-Ingall, Leyton E10

     

 Very much enjoyed Gary’s tour - lots of local history about where Hitch grew up, from a local guide who knows the area well, and fabulous to see the birds mural and site where Hitchcock was born. 

Alys Cummings, Walthamstow E17

     

 I signed up for Gary’s tour after seeing his poster at a coffee shop in Upminster. Gary treated my wife, sister and myself to a fascinating walk through of Hitchcock’s historical association with Leytonstone. Despite being quite familiar with the area (or so we thought!), almost everything was a revelation – we loved the pictorial ‘cameos’ of Hitchcock around the town! Thank you, Gary! 

Martin McCall, Upminster, Essex

     

 G'day Gary, what mine of information you are. Not only was the 'In the Footsteps of Hitchcock' fascinating, but you took time to point out other significant points of historical interest around Leytonstone that few would be aware of - particularly an old pub that had a rifle range in the back yard complete with bullet holes in the wall ! I bet not many people knew that. 

Bruce Hunt, Perth, Western Australia

     

 Thanks so much for a very interesting tour. We will be back again and we will spread the word in the meantime. 

Dan Chatterley, Leyton E10

     

 As a fan of Alfred Hitchcock's since the age of 8, coming to Leytonstone and seeing the roots of my favorite filmmaker was a dream come true! And it's all thanks to the knowledge and guidance of Gary Lewis! 

Quentin Stuckey, Toronto, Canada

     

 I had a really nice time on the tour. Gary was very good host with great knowledge of Hitchcock’s family background and how Hitch’s early years growing up in Leytonstone played an important part in his progression into making films. I highly recommend the tour to anyone interested in Hitchcock early days of cinema. 

Mark Ritchie, Chadwell Heath, Essex

     

 We learnt a lot, not just about Hitchcock, but how Leytonstone has changed over the years. Gary has so much information to share, and his personal stories of living in the area bring the topic to life; we'll look at the High Road quite differently from now on! We look forward to joining Gary's Blue Plaque tour later in the year. 

Delia Ray, Woodford, Essex

     

 Highly recommend the Graveyard Shift tour. If you're into history and you love where you live, this tour explains not just the importance of the area, but also the impact of those laid to rest in St Patrick's. Its a fab snapshot of life before we were around. Gary is great and really brings to life the local area, from a hundred years ago to more recent history, all significant. It will make you think! Plenty of time for questions too. This tour is so worth doing. 

Sheetal Pamar, Stratford E15

     

 Gary Lewis, the guide of this very interesting tour, adds a local flavor to the story of the local boy, who became a Hollywood Film Director, Alfred Hitchcock! This is a very enjoyable and informative tour! All film buffs, and historians, need to take this tour! 

Korey Klostermeijer, New York City, USA

     

 We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Gary is an excellent guide and provides insight into Hitchcock's local life around Leytonstone. I would recommend for film fans and Hitchcock fans alike. 

Matthew and Philip, Teesside, UK

     

 Garry is a very well researched local historian spinning evidence together from various sources. As well as learning about Alfred Hitchcock’s interesting life, I also learnt about the society he grew up in, the area of East London and also the impact of the World War 1 had on him. I would recommend this tour to Hitch aficionado’s and also people like me who had very little knowledge about the man and his life before I came on this tour. 

William Hall, Aukland, New Zealand

     

 We immensely enjoyed our tour/talk of Hitchcock's life. Gary is very knowledgeable and well researched not just about Hitchcock but the local area. It was incredible just how much history there is to learn about Leytonstone, the buildings and its famous residents. Hitchcock is probably the most famous and we were fully absorbed in the Hitchcock story Highly recommend the tour whether you are a local or a Hitchcock fan! Very good value for money too. 

Dawn Brannigan, Wanstead E11, London

     

 Great walking tour of Leytonstone! Gary was a knowledgeable and personable host! We learned a lot and enjoyed ourselves at the same time! 

Robin Cook: California, USA

     

 An excellent and insightful two hour tour, covering Hitchcock's birthplace, his childhood home, another road where he lived when he moved back to Leytonstone with his mother following his father's death, cinemas that he visited, infamous police station his father sent him for being a naughty boy, his family air raid shelter during WW1, his school and his favourite pub. There is a lot that Gary covers. Worth every penny. 

Jason Brawn, Woodford Green, Essex

     

 Very rewarding. Gary is a very friendly guide, who tells us more about life in Leytonstone and the background of the genesis of Alfred Hitchcock. Recommended for all Hitchcock fans and also for history buffs. 

J.S. Fernandez: Paris, France

     

 We thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Leytonstone with Gary, who we found to be engaging and knowledgeable, with a real passion for his subject and his local area. Though we are both keen Hitchcock fans and have read several of the best known biographies, there was plenty of new information and quirky detail some of which is original to him. Gary brings a folder of period photographs along, so you can compare what you see now with how it used to be, and this provided a fascinating glimpse into the past. He would also point out links to Hitchcock's films. You really feel as though Gary knows the area, as we were walking around many people stopped to say hello, which made us feel that there was a continuous connection from Hitchcock's time to our own through the chain of friends, family and acquaintances he has in the area. It really felt like living history and I would highly recommend it. 

Gaby Brown, Stamford Hill, North London