Paula
I’m a fifth-generation, born-and-bred Londoner and have been a licensed London taxi driver since 2001. Now living in the glorious English countryside, I feel incredibly lucky to enjoy the best of both worlds every day.
I have been guiding since 2016 and am also a Freeman of the City of London Corporation — which, tradition has it, means I’m entitled to drive sheep across London Bridge if I ever wish! With a passion for exploring and sharing knowledge, I’m also a qualified guide for the City of London, the City of Westminster, and the London Borough of Camden.
More recently, I achieved my regional Blue Badge qualification, covering three counties and an entire island. My guiding areas include some of England’s most iconic destinations: Stonehenge and Avebury, Winchester, Salisbury, Portsmouth, New Forest, Jurassic Coast, and the Isle of Wight.
When I’m not guiding, I swap the taxi for a pair of Wellington boots and can usually be found covered in mud, out walking and training my lively-but wonderful-shepherd dog.
Paula’s top London fact
A lot of people have heard the legend of the ravens at the Tower of London – supposedly, if they ever leave, the crown will fall and the country with it. However, not as many people know the story of Charles II and his superstition.
The Royal Observatory was originally based at the Tower. But when the ravens began interfering with the smooth running of Charles II’s beloved observatory, it was this that had to go. The ravens stayed, and the observatory was moved – all the way to Greenwich!
Paula’s top tours
I love running all our tours! The London Scandal Tour has a special place in my heart as I researched and put it together myself.
TESTIMONIALS
“Best Tour of London. We were lucky to find this tour company. Paula greeted us at the hotel and her first question was what would you like to do or see. She provided snacks and drinks and had costs and blankets if we got cold. Paula had a great plan for our tour and worked in Baker St. for my wife (Huge Holmes Fan) and the Christmas lights. The highlight of the evening was when Paula took us to the Sherlock Holmes Pub. We were able to see it all at a good pace. Highly recommend this tour company and ask for Paula – she is awesome!”
Larry B
“We only had 4 hours to complete our tour so we put the itinerary in our driver/guide Paula’s hands to show us the sights in central London that she felt we could comfortably do in our time available. Not only were we able to drive by well-known sights, she gave us a glimpse of some other not as well known places and historical tidbits that made the tour even more enjoyable. She also helped tremendously by negotiating an unexpected motorway closure and got us back to the airport in time to catch our flight, which we thought was going to be impossible. Highly recommend the tour and Paula.”
Roger Thornton
“I used Black Taxi Tour London for my elopement in central London and I am so glad I did! Booking and creating a custom tour was really easy to do online and through email with Angela. Our driver Paula was absolutely incredible, she went out of her way to make sure we had a great wedding day. She offered to watch over my purse and cardigan while we took photos, she made sure to get us to all the best spots for photos, and made sure we had snacks and some champagne! Paula is so genuine and knowledgeable! Not to mention she’s a fantastic driver in the crazy New Years Eve London traffic! Our experience was 10 times better than I could have imagined because of Paula! Thank you for making our wedding day so special!”
Jennifer Vandersloot
Please get in touch to find out more. Call 020 3633 5262 or send us a message.