ReadFest 2025: Ghosts of Old Barking - Walking Tour with Barbrara Nadel

Please note the meeting point for this tour will be at Barking Station then trail to various locations in Barking Town Centre.

Barking is a place that has been many things to many people. History is thick on the ground here, in a town that once played host to the most powerful Abbey in the country (which produced 12 Medieval Queens of England) and which was founded by a saint.

A long-time fishing port, Barking was also the centre of a large smuggling organisation allegedly protected by fearsome ghostly hell hounds, as well as having a connection to a famous London magician.

Author of the TV series The Turkish Detective and crime writer, Barbara Nadel, leads the tour and encourages writers to explore the local area, it's history and legends, for sources of inspiration and research.

NB: The tour will last up to 2 hours and sensible walking shoes are recommended.

About Barbara Nadel:

Barbara Nadel has been a professional crime writer for over 20 years, writing amongst other things, the Hakim and Arnold series set in East London and the Cetin Ikmen series set in Istanbul, Turkey. The latter series has been adapted for television as The Turkish Detective, broadcast on BBC2.

In addition to this Barbara has been a supporter and mentor at Pen to Print since its inception. In this session she will talk about her writing and her work with Pen to Print as well as touching on the business of publishing.

If you have any accessibility requirements, please directly get in touch with us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk

Booking is essential and you will be asked to present your booking confirmation upon arrival.

Pen to Print shall not be liable to attendees for any injury, loss or damage of or to personal equipment belonging to the attendees or any indirect or consequential loss or damage whatsoever arising out of the attendance of the walking tour.

Pen to Print reserves the right to cancel, delay or postpone the event for any reason, including adverse weather conditions, an emergency situation or unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances out of its reasonable control. In such cases, the event organiser will endeavour to inform participants as quickly as is possible.