Fashion's a passion. I'm an expert on menswear and making. I particularly love to showcase quality products made in Britain. I can also help with personal styling.

Read all about my menswear tour here:
http://britainsbestguides.org/blogs/tailors-of-the-unexpected/

People love shops and shopping. And London has some of the best retailers in the world. Keeping ahead of the game however is tough in a digital post-pandemic age. London is world-famous for its brilliant markets - the perfect place to seek out vintage treasures..

Join me in some of London's best cheese shops, wine merchants, bespoke tailors, hat makers, boot makers or vintage boutiques. My own specialism is menswear and making.
If your passion is for vintage clothing, antiques, I can help there too. I know all the best vintage shops and charity shops. I can can advise on styling an original outfit on a shoe-string or sourcing quirky and original objects for the home or garden.

I love, the hidden, the secret and the lost. My tours open up the closed doors of the secret city.

I am an expert on London's most vibrant neighbourhoods. My favourites are Soho; Chinatown; Covent Garden; Camden Town; Islington; Spitalfields; Shoreditch; Marylebone; Mayfair and St James's; and the too-often-overlooked Bankside (in the the heart of Southwark just over the river).

My most popular tour is 'Sex, Death and Shopping' - a secret history of Soho. Join me to discover the Soho of Austin Powers; the 1960s peacock fashion of Carnaby Street or the heritage menswear of the Newburgh Quarter. My Soho Music tours are especially popular. Soho was the birthplace of rock'n'roll legends including David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, the Kinks, the Who and the Rolling Stones. John Lennon and the Beatles loved Soho's clubs. Perhaps, instead, you'd enjoy the food and drink of Chinatown or the dark history of the Seven Dials - the ancient part of Covent Garden. This is a fascinating - and almost hidden neighbourhood - one tourists don't tend to discover for themselves. Read more about it here http://britainsbestguides.org/blogs/magical-mystery-tour-musical-adventures-in-the-heart-of-bohemian-london/

Read my recent blog about Winston Churchill, which takes in some of my favourite neighbourhoods. http://britainsbestguides.org/blogs/churchill-in-four-hats/

One of the most frequently requested of my tours is of the City of London. This is our financial district and the original Londinium, established by the Romans, following their arrival in 47AD. The City of London - called the Square Mile by Londoners - is full of surprises. This financial powerhouse is home to banking, insurance and fin-tech. It's also famous for ancient churches, glorious architecture and its 'pocket parks'. These may be tiny but they're havens for flora and fauna. The City is proud, and fiercely protective, of its traditions, its independence, its Lord Moyor and its very own police force.

Issues like climate change, sustainable living and the future of our cities are now further up the political agenda. But some things stay the same.

Come with me to explore both contemporary culture and discover how the Britain of Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare has changed over the centuries.

The American contribution to London life has been huge. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Jimi Hendrix and Glenn Miller have all made their mark here. US visitors have shaped the way we eat, dress and dance. Join me on a one-day or half-day tour to explore the theme of Americans in London.

Join me on visits to the Cabinet War Rooms and Winston Churchill Museum, National Army Museum and RAF Museum. I'm currently exploring Winston Churchill's London. Churchill was a brilliant wartime leader, a workaholic and an unlikely style icon.

My father was an army officer during WW2. That's why military history remains a personal interest for me. I'm also fascinated by how London endured the conflicts of WW1 and WW2, the scars of which can still be seen today if you know where to look.

I lead a special WW2 Blitz tour, where we discover the realities of civilian life in London in an era of total war. The blitz shaped the London we know today.

Read my blog about Sir Winston Churchill, whose eventful life touched so many parts of our city and takes in some of our most vibrant neighbourhoods. http://britainsbestguides.org/blogs/churchill-in-four-hats/

Join me to explore London's industrial heritage. Bankside, just over the river at London Bridge, has it all. It was the chaotic home of various 'smelly industries' from railways and boiler-making to tanneries, breweries and vinegar works. The neighbourhood is home to the 'Low Line'. Inspired by New York's High Line, this is Bankside's own industrial trail of railway viaducts and engineering works The popularity of TV programmes like Peaky Blinders has increased interest both in heritage clothing and our Victorian industrial infrastucture, which is still all around us. The city was instrumental to the industrial revolution and the lives of our greatest engineers, including Bazalgette; Brunel; Telford and Greathead - the Victorian engineer who helped devise the cutting-edge technology to tunnel out the London Underground.

Alternatively, explore the story of the Crossrail railway line - the largest (if somewhat delayed) engineering project in Europe. The digging required has produced some astounding archaeology along the way.

Our industrial heritage often sits side by side with our latest street art. If Banksy; Ben Eine; Jimmy C; Fanakapan; SR.X; Stik Zabou; Artista or JXC is your thing ... come along and we'll discover their work in Shoreditch and Hoxton in East London. We can do this on foot or as part of a bicyle tour.
Alternatively, we could look at London's 'post-industrial revolution' and explore the potential a carbon-neutral capital - and the challenges London faces in becoming a truly green city. How will London respond to the challenge of more electric vehicles and the eventual arrival of driverless cars?

As a former museum director, I know our best museums and galleries inside out. They include the British Museum; Tate Modern; Tate Britain; Museum of London; Victoria and Albert Museum; Imperial War Museum; Cabinet War Rooms and Winston Churchill Museum. Join me to learn all about how museums are changing. No longer stuffy places with things in glass cases, London's modern museums think much more about the needs of their audiences. They are are now places to learn, dance, eat, drink, flirt ... or discover life drawing for the first time.

Come with me for an in-depth exploration of the museum world's immersive approach to both their content and their audiences. Modern museums are also exploring the potential of technologies like artificial and augmented reality. These are evolving technologies: they have the potential to re-define how we think of a museum.

I enjoy a regular live broadcast slot on BBC Radio London, where I discuss London's museums, galleries and cultural attractions.

London has given the world some of the most famous music of all time.
I've been running the official Soho Music Month tours for the past two years. Come and explore the London world of the Beatles; Jimi Hendrix; Mick Jagger and the Stones; the Who - and Paul McCartney and the Beatles. Or perhaps instead your taste is for the Jam; the Clash; Madness or the Sex Pistols.

Fashion goes hand-in-hand with music. See where Jimi Hendrix bought his famous cavalry jacket and where Boy George dressed London's beautiful people in the New Romantic era of the 1980s. Join me to discover the stomping grounds of Siouxie Soux; Steve Strange; Spandau Ballet and Depeche Mode.

I often work with conference or corporate visitors. London's history is a rich seam to mine. And my specialist tours on topics inclding street art; food and drink; fashion; royalty and rock and roll.

I'm a regular speaker on the conference circuit and a senior commentator on culture. Topics I cover include the role in contemporary society of museums and galleries. I also explore the worlds of communications, public affairs and digital engagement.

This year - unknown to many - London was awarded national park status. I frequently speak on the the future of 'the green city'.

Discover the countryside in the heart of the city by bike. The delight of a cycle tour is that we can truly explore the environment and touch on several things.

We could see London's most celebrated sites like Big Ben and the Tower of London. We could watch the Guard Change at Buckingham Palace or exploring the heart of Westminster.

In the same trip we can travel along car-free routes and explore London's secret spaces - canals, reservoirs, nature reserves and lost rivers.

All are precious havens for wildlife - creatures both great and small. Join me for a tour on one of my Brompton fold-up cycles. These sturdy and well-designed little bikes are easy and fun to ride. They are made in London, of course.

My bikes are clean and regularly serviced and cycle helmets can be supplied. These tours give a chance to get off the beaten track and offer stark contrasts and how we look at the city.

On my bicycle tour,, we explore the greener options for city life post Covid-19 as we seek to tackle even bigger issues, like climate change.

I can show you what Londoners and London local authorities are trying to do to live greener lives. This includes greater provision for cycle use and the move away from petrol and diesel to electric cars. We can visit vegetable allotments and learn from Londonesr who 'grow their own'. You'd be surprised how many Londoners have a compost heap ... or keep chickens.

My Green City tours explore these options and examine some of the policy-thinking behind new concepts, such as the 15-minute city.

As soon as lockdown lifts, I look forward to running my bicycle tours in a much calmer and more bike-friendly city. London has benefitted from a suite of new traffic-calming meaures in the past year. The air is fresher, the streets are safer and there are fewer people about. The perfect way to discover the secret city  is on two wheels.

Walking is the best way to get around. All of my tours can be delivered on foot, on a bike or in the comfort of a black cab.

But, to my mind, walking is by far the best way to get around. I love exploring Bankside; Soho; Notting Hill; the City; Shoreditch; Hoxton; Camden Town and Covent Garden on foot.

Film tours are especially popular. See where the Death Eaters attacked London in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Join me to find out where Bridget Jones lives. Alternatively, let's uncover some of the key locations used in the Crown and Downton Abbey.

Virtual tours in these days of Covid are increasingly popular. Using Zoom Professional, I can deliver a walking tour to private groups - from families and friends to companies and universities. Thes can all be enjoyed from the comfort and safety of your living room wherever it is in the world. And I can focus on a neighourhood of your choice.

Subjects can also cover wider areas,cutting across geographic boundaries.This might include fashion; WW2 or the life of Winston Churchill. Increasingly, I'm asked to help people trace their UK ancestry. I can run a practical talk on that topic too.

Walking in the footsteps of your own ancestors is a brilliant way to better understand your own family tree.

Join me to discover the world of London's literary giants. Charles Dickens has associations across the City and a museum dedicated to his legacy in Bloomsbury - a district famous for its writers and thinkers. He's buried in Westminster Abbey.

Also buried in the Abbey is Aphra Benn, our first celebrated female poet and father of the English language Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales start their journey from the Tabard Inn in Southwark. Southwark's historic pubs and coaching inns retain their unique atmosphere to this day. We can also explore the world of doctor-turned-romantic-poet John Keats; Oscar Wilde; Graham Green; Joseph Conrad and many more ... including modern day writers like Lemn Sissay.
Harry Potter author Joanne Rowling, better known as Jk Rowling, was inspred by Dickens. Many of the scenes in Harry Potter are set in Dickenian-style byways' Let's go and find Diagon Alley together.

William Shakespeare found fortune and fame in London and we can explore the site of his former home and three of his theatres. Shakespeare's brother, Edmund, is buried in an elaborate tomb in Southwark Cathedral, probbaly funded by the Bard himself.

I love all manner of quirky antiques and vintage ephemera.

I'm also an avid historic watch collector. London’s a great place for antique watches if you want to treat someone really special at Christmas (yourself, for example).

We all know about Rolex, Omega and Patek Philippe. They are all great brands but I can help you track down something a little more unusual, like, perhaps, a London-made JW Benson pocket or wristwatch. There are some rare treats to be found in London's antique watch stores and this is good time to buy if you're purchasing in US dollars or euros.

As a London guide, I'm qualified to run specialist tours in the birthplace of William Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon; Oxford; Canterbury; Stonehenge; Dover and the Cotswolds. Join me on a visit to Kent - 'the Garden of England.' Kent is home to the most picture-perfect stately home in England, Leeds Castle.

Join me to discover churches and cathedrals - as well as mosques; temples; synagogues and gurdwaras. St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey are London's most famous places of worship.
Less well-known is the beautiful synagogie at Bevis Marks, in the City of London. The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir – a masterpiece of exquisite Indian design and workmanship - is breathtaking and well worth a viist out to Neasden, in north west London.
Or we could head further afield and see the cathedrals at Salisbury or Canterbury. Both are unique, both are beautiful and both can be reached on an easy day trip from London.

Join me on my architectural tour of London. We can visit the tallest building in the UK, the Shard of glass, designed by Renzo Piano.
Alternitively we can explore the City of London's 'Easter Cluster' or skyscrapers by architects including Richard Rogers' Lloyds Building; Norman Foster's 'Gherkin' or Rafael Vinoly's 'Walkie-Talkie'. Perhaps you want to explore the new thinking around the 15-minute city? We can also visit new community and retail hubs, including Coal Drops Yard in Kings Cross - the brainchild of Thomas Heatherwick.

London is a truly world city. It has shaped the world and been shaped by it. The Black Lives Matter campaign has bought into focus the contributions of communities from across the globe.
Join me to celebrate the contemporary world of Indian restauranters; Ghanian tailors; Jamaican tie-makers; Nigerian artists; Chinese doctors and Pakistani authors.

Join me on a tour around the British Museum or National Gallery. I've been visiting these places since I was a small child. I love them now as much as I did then.

As a former museum director myself (I was communications director of the Museum of London for eight years) I know London's very best museums inside out.

I like some of the hidden gems best of all. These are the museums and galleries that mosy tourists tend to miss. They include the Sir John Soane Museum; the Wallace Collection and the Estoric Collection of Italian Futurist Art.

If on the other hand, if you fancy being outdoors, we can go on my London sculpture trail by foot or by bike. It's always an adventure!

I can show you some of the very latest work of London-based designers. To see the best of international design and craft, we could visit the Conran Shop or perhaps arrange to see artists and makers at work in their own studios.

London is home to the largest design museum in the World - the V&A - otherwise known as the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's home to incredible textiles, beautiful furniture and a stunning collection of cast iron.

It's home to the incredible Cast Court, which comprises of facsimile casts of items from antiquity including Trajan's Column and Michelangelo's David.

The V&A also has the best and biggest fashion collection in the UK.

If you're inspired to have a London tailor recreate a 1940s suit or a 1950s dress, that you've seen in the V&A, I can help there too. I have an excellent little black book of specialist contacts.

London is full of wildlife. I've especially come to realise that during the lockdown. We have bird species as diverse as birds of prey to ring-necked parakeets. If you're really lucky, we might spot both.

I also run a tour called 'Dogs of London' that explores the capital's relationship with man's best friend.

We can explore the city with our very own wolf pack, in the company of a professional dog walker. If you don't fancy being quite so hands-on, we can explore London's dog-related history, from the hidden pets' cemetery in Hyde Park to the naming of districts like Houndsditch and the Isle of Dogs.

In the earlier part of my career I was a professional photographer and communications specialist for the UK government, taking pictures of high-profile figures including Princess Diana, celebrities and government ministers.

I still take photographs using Leica and Nikon equipment. I run photo tours (using bicycles to reach some little-known locations) to help you capture the light and take better photos, whether you use a film camera or a smart phone to produce compelling photographs you'll treasure for the rest of your life.

London is a city built on maritime trade, conquest, empire and indeed slavery.

This is a fascinating story but one not without its darker aspects.

The Museum of London Docklands in the city's east End tells the story of London's role promoting, profiting and later abolishing slavery. The statue of Steven Milligan - a slaver outside the museum - was recently (and legally) removed in light of the Black Lives Matter campaign.

London has some brilliant ships to visit. Join me on the WW2-era HMS Belfast, one of the first ships to take part in the Normandy Landings of 1944. Alternatively, we could head on board the Cutty Sark, a 19th century tea clipper, now berthed in Greenwich.

London's street art is world famous. Join me to see the latest works in the city's most vibrant districts.

Edgy Shoreditch is in the heart of London's East and is as famous for its street art as it is for its resident hipsters. On the other side of the river are the Leake Street tunnels. Here young spray artists pursue their calling with an almost religious devotion

These formerly impoverished districts are now desirable places to live and also hot beds of creativity. It's here you'll find great street art alongside cutting-edge fashion and design, bustling markets and mouth-watering food.

London's local authorities don't quite know what to do about street art. Should they prosecute those committing 'grafitti' with fines and banning orders? Or should they protect the works of established artists like Banksy and others behind sheets of protective perspex?

Our Victorian industrial heritage and street art frequently go together. My tours often feature railway viaducts or industrial sites. It's here we'll find the works of Banksy; Ben Eine; Jimmy C; Fanakapan; Stik, Zabou or JXC.

On the other side of the river are the Leake Street Tunnels. Running under Waterloo Station, this is where street art, far from being a forbidden actively, is positively encouraged. A visit here usually involves seeing artists at work with their stencils and their sprays.

Every year Leake Street hosts its very own 'Cans Festival'. This both showcases the work of upcoming artists and puts this gritty but fascinating area more conspicuously on the map.

I used to be one of the directors of the Museum of London. This museum tells the story our city from 10,000 years BC to the present-day, and indeed beyond.

I can take you through the evolution of our country's history from pre-history to our very own times.

We can get to grips with the stone, bronze and iron ages at Stonehenge and I can show you the site of the very first human settlements in London.

If you're confused by the order of Romans, Vikings, Normans and Georgians I can help you there too. History tours can be delivered on foot or by bike. For larger groups or to head further afield we can use an electric cab or hire a coach for up to 36 people, depending on your needs.

I have an international view and have spent much of my career working at a senior level in international development.

I love exploring the connections getween people. I especially delving deep into family histories and helping visitors from across the globe connect with their British ancestors.

Family history and geneology is a growing area and now the subject of popular TV programmes like 'Who do you think you are?'

Discovering your family tree is a labour of love, but a deeply rewarding one. I work with ProGen, the research wing of family tree website

Ancestry.com. I also research at the UK Public Records Office, based near the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. I have special access, also, to the London Metropolitan Archives and know the archive of the Museum of London well too.

Perhaps your ancestors were based in Britain during WWII as part of the USAAF (Today known as the USAF). Maybe they flew bombers in the 8th Airforce - or perhaps they took part in the D-Day landings, the 6 June 1944 invasion of Normandy?

I can help you get to know what life was like for your ancestors before they left our shores. Many Londoners left for a new life far away from home. There are some brilliant stories to be unearthed. #Family History #Findmypast #Ancestry

London is a city with lungs. In addition to its parks and wild spaces it's home to some great gardens. Its famous formal gardens include Kew Gardens and Hampton Court Palace. If wilder places are your thing, there are nature reserves in Hackney; Barnes; Kings Cross; Chiswick; Highbury and many more places in between. Wimbledon Common in the south-west and Hampstead Heath in north London are huge wild spaces, as are Hackney marshes and the network of reservoirs in north east London. The city's so-called 'Magnificant Seven' cemeteries are wonderful habitats for wildlife and rare fauna, as are disused railway lines, like the High Line, which runs north from Finsbury Park. I'm a keen gardener myself, growing plants and veg on my North London roof terrace.

London's art galleries are wonderful. Join me to explore the national art collection at the National Gallery, where we can discover Italian and Northern European Renaissance masters including Paolo Ucello, Leonardo da Vinci and Boteccelli. The Gallery also houses the early Impressionists, like Seurat and Manet and the work of great British artists like JWM Turner, John Constable and George Stubbs. Van Gogh's famous 'Sunflowers' can be seen here as well as 'The Ambassadors' by Hans Holbein. All this wonderful art can be viewed for free. The Tate Modern runs an ever-changing programme of exhibitions in the former Bankside Power Station. People love to visit the famous Seagram Murals by Mark Rothko here. Tat Britain houses British art and includes may works by William Blake. It also houses the Turner Bequest.
The Briish Museum is the world's oldest, Come here to see the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles and the mummies of Ancient Egypt.

London is a City based on folklore. Gog and Magog are Old Testament figures later celebrated in the City of London. The City has many unusual folkore traditions from Swan Upping to replacing the quill feather on the effigy of John Stow in the Chuch of Mary's Undershaft. The Crossbones Graveyard in Bankside is a medieval burial ground built on unconsecrated ground. But it's also an example of 20th century folklore. It's the shrine to the outcast dead. Here counter-culture poets, writers, DJs, outsiders and local people are remembered in a candlelit vigal on the 23rd of every month.
London is full of ghosts and ghosts stories. Join me to explore the ghosts of Clerkenwell - the sensational Cock Lane ghost of the 17th century was a major news event, eventually involving the intestes of high-society and even Royalty. Rahere was a medieval politician, apothecary, court jester and mover-and-shaker. He founded St Bartholomew's Hospital. He is buried in St Bartholomew the Great and, legend has it, that his ghost re-appears every July.

I used to work at the Museum of London, which had its own Archaeology Service. Join me to see some of the incredible archaeology unearthed by my colleagues. The discoveries include huge sections of Roman wall revealed after the bombing of the Second World War. They also include the atmospheric Crossbones Graveyard, a medieval burial ground investigated by the Museum of London Archaeology Service.
The City of London was the Roman centre established as Londinium following the Roman arrival in 47 AD. There is still plenty of evidence of those Roman invaders?

I am an experienced speaker and lecturer. I have delivered talks in person and online for Oxford Brookes University; UCL; University of Chicago; East London University and Goldsmiths College.
Contemporary topics I cover include: the British Constitution; UK Etiquette; Museums and culture; Urban planning; Architecure; Museum management; Post-pandemic recovery; Green London; street art and fashion. History topics include London at War and the life and times of Sir Winston Churchill; the archaeology of London and Menswear and Making.
I now lecture on the future of the City of London following the pandemic. Will we ever return to those glass and steel skyscrapers?

I love the UK's stately homes and write about them regularly. London has some treats. They include Kenwood House and Kenton House in North London and, on the other side of the city, the Red House, the home of William Morris, in Bexleyheath, in south east London.

London has some fantastic decorative arts collections. The V&A Museum is the largest collection of design in the world. It's full of glorious textiles; ceramics; paintings, prints and drawings; sculpture and more. It's also home to the world's most important fashion collections. London is a city of makers. We can discover gold and silversmiths at work, as well as jewllers and textile designers. William Morris was a leading light of the arts and crafts movement. He has left his footprint in all of London's four corners. See his former home, the Red House, in Bexleyheath or head over to north London to see the museum dedicated to his memory in Walthamstow.

If you want to own a piece of unique design, I can introduce you to the delights of the Conran Shop or the Aram Store. Each of these high-end retailers sells the work of established designers as well as up-coming talents.

The pandemic has changed the way we think and live. It has put a spotlight on mental health and also on the environment. In London, the 33 boroughs that make up Greater London have made their own responses to the crisis in our environment, to global warming, to pollution and improving air-quality. Thsi has ranged from creating school streets and low-traffoc neighbourhoods to tree planting and I now run post-pandemic cycle tours to re-wilding public spaces. Join me to explore how London is responding to the key issue of our days - and how this compares with efforts in other cities, like New York, Paris and Amsterdam.
The City of London has some of the capital's very best pocket parks. These are tiny but provide a refuge for nature wildlife - from ferns and grasses to a rare pipistrelle bat.

You would be surprised to see the way land is used in and around London - fruit and vegetable allotments, wild foraging and even fishing in our rivers and canals. In the East End of London wine is made from grapes grown in southern England.

I began my early career in the Home Office and Ministry of Defence, as a press officer.

One of the most frequently requested of my tours is of the City of London. This is our financial district and the original Londinium, established by the Romans, following their arrival in 47AD. The City of London - called the Square Mile by Londoners - is full of surprises. This financial powerhouse is home to banking, insurance and fin-tech. It's also famous for ancient churches, glorious architecture and its 'pocket parks'. These may be tiny but they're havens for flora and fauna. The City is proud, and fiercely protective, of its traditions, its independence, its Lord Moyor and its very own police force.

James Bond's London is a fascinating place to discover. We take a fresh look at the original books and really films and the very streets that inspired the creation of 007.

My tours explore the places frequented by Bond author Ian Fleming and that inspired his writing. >