Don Whitfield

Profile updated 18/09/23

Regional Qualification(s):

London

Language(s):

English

Phone Number(s):

07850 657282

Contact guide

Introduction:

I am a qualified London Blue Badge Tourist Guide. I have worked and lived in various parts of London over the years. I love my city and country; I would love to show you their best treasures and places.

I can show you around the sites of London whether by foot, car, coach or public transport. Tours can be standard or tailor-made to your requirements.

Sites that I guide in include Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, St Paul’s Cathedral, the British Museum, the Tower of London and the National Gallery.

Walking tours include the financial and historical centre - the City of London, Westminster, St James's, Mayfair, Soho, Spitalfields, Southwark/the South Bank, the old Jewish East End, Shakespeare's London, Royal London.

If you are keen to venture out of London, I can show you around the beautiful Cotswolds, ancient Stonehenge, magnificent Bath, the cathedral cities of Canterbury and Salisbury, the dreaming spires of the university city of Oxford, Shakespeare’s home town of Stratford-upon-Avon or Royal Windsor.

Personal Interests:

Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
St Paul's Cathedral
British Museum
Science Museum
Natural History Museum
Victoria and Alfred Museum (V&A)
Walking tours of the City of London, Westminster, St James's, Mayfair, Soho, Bloomsbury, Camden Town and Hampstead
Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory
National Gallery
Tate Britain
National Portrait Gallery
Jewish London
Tate Modern
Harry Potter
Kensington Palace
Hampton Court

Special Interests:

Architecture

Tours of various areas of London; architecture from Roman times till present -
Roman architecture; Mediaeval architecture; Tudor, Jacobean and Stuart architecture; Georgian architecture; Victorian architecture; Modern architecture; Contemporary architecture

Castles & Palaces

Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court palace, Banqueting House

Churches & Cathedrals

Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and City of London churches.

Education

Educational walk around Bloomsbury, visit Oxford and visits to educational institutions.

Galleries

National Gallery, Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, Wallace Collection, Tate Modern, Courtauld Gallery

History & Prehistory

British History, Archaeological finds at various museum and sites.

Literature

William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and the fictional Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter

London Areas in Depth

City of London, Westminster, St James's, Mayfair, Marylebone, Soho, Bloomsbury, Hampstead, Camden Town, Spitalfields, Shoreditch, Kensington and Chelsea, Covent Garden, Holborn, Chelsea, Kensington

Military

Imperial War Museum, Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast, Army Museum, National Maritime Museum, RAF Museum

Museums

British Museum, Natural History, Science, Victoria and Albert (V&A), Imperial War Museum, John Soane Museum

Regional Tours

Cotswolds, Oxford, Canterbury, Salisbury, Stratford-upon-Avon, Bath, Stonehenge

Science

Science Museum, Natural History Museum, Science themed walks and tours in various areas and museums
Royal Observatory at Greenwich, National Maritime Museum, Royal Institute

Shopping

Oxford Street, Knightbridge, Camden Town, local markets, famous departmental stores - Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols

Theatre

Walking tours of the West End theatre district, Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde's London.

Walking Tours

Various themed tours (including Shakespeare, Dickens, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes) and areas in London (including the City of London, Westminster, St James's, Mayfair, Soho, Bloomsbury, Hampstead, Camden Town). Also walking tours of Oxford, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon and Canterbury.

Royalty

Visit the royal palaces from the ancient Tower of London to the present palaces - St James's, Buckingham and Kensington palaces. See the Changing of the Guard. Visit Royal Windsor or Henry VIII's palace at Hampton Court

Other

Genealogy and Family History
If you would like a bespoke tour to visit the UK to do some family history research or visit ancestral homes, I am the guide for you. I have personally been involved in my own family research and am a member of the Society of Genealogists. I am also a regular researcher at the National Archives at Kew.

Gay Tours

Bespoke tours or walking tours of Soho or themed tours eg Oscar Wilde.

Agriculture
Food & Drink

Would you like to explore foodie London? Try the different cuisines and markets throughout the metropolis. Explore the distilleries and breweries in London and the new wine area to the south. Experience the many traditional pubs, trendy wine bars or experimental cocktail bars.

Stately Homes & Country Houses

Visit the real Downton Abbey, the homes of the Rothschilds or the historical country seats of the English aristocracy.

Religion

Visit the sites of lost monasteries and convents in London and beyond, see the birthplace of Methodism, visit a Nonconformist graveyard. Bespoke tours on specific denominations or general religious tours of London.
Monastic London

Genealogy

I am a member of the Society of Genealogists and have researched my own family tree for 40 years. I regularly visit both the National Archives in Kew, London and the London Metropolitan Archives. I am happy to make your visit to your ancestors homeland a trip of dicsovery.

Endorsements:

Windsor & Eton

Driver Guide:

No