Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you will have no doubt heard of Taylor Swift ’s Eras Tour. Already the highest-grossing music tour of all time, Swifties attending the record-breaking shows are expected to contribute over $ 10 billion (around £7.8billion) to local economies by the time the tour ends in December – spending an average of $1,300 (£1,023) each on things like hotels, food and drink and travel.
Even before she stepped foot on British soil this summer, the so-called “ Taylor Swift effect” took its grip on the capital with her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department , namechecking spots like Hampstead Heath and the Black Dog pub in Vauxhall. So strong is her influence that, at the time, fans flocked there in their droves just to say they had sipped a French Blonde (her favourite tipple) in the place where Taylor had once sat. Of course, it isn't the first time London has featured in her songs – she did famously claim to have sauntered from Highgate to Brixton to Shoreditch and Hackney, all in the same day (phew!).
And so naturally, responding to this cultural phenomenon and capitalising on the ever-popular force that is Taylor Swift, various operators have launched themed walking tours, showcasing the spots from her songs and beyond. One such tour is hosted by 73-year-old David Burton*, who focuses on the locations Swift mentioned in her 2019 hit London Boy . Driving groups of up to six in his taxi, David says there.