London, Cumbria, South West, Liverpool City Region / Merseyside, South East England, Yorkshire, Heart of England, North East
English
020-8949-7843, 07977-273454
Born a Londoner (with Scottish and Irish roots) who then travelled the world. Passionate about Art, Architecture, Literature and History.I hold Blue Badges for London, Cumbria and the City Region of Liverpool. I also hold a City of London Badge and I have a Master of Philosophy degree in Art History, specialising in Victorian art and 20th century American art. Fascinated by any kind of art, I give tours of all the major art galleries and offer linking architectural walks of 'Artist's Abodes'. I guide in the London museums such as the BM, V&A and Imperial War Museum, as well as the major London sites, and those out of town.
As a City of London Guide and 'Freeman of the City', I can show you the oldest 'square mile' of London in depth (down to the 2,000 year old Roman remains!), and I love to guide people through the maze of secret alleyways full of the ghosts of historic characters such as William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Charlotte Bronte and Benjamin Franklin. I'm dedicated to helping visitors experience the infinite variety of London with all its cultural diversity and I would plan tours to be as serious or as light-hearted as you like. London has much to offer for those who want entertainment, shopping, good food and relaxation.
I am happy to organise tours centered around 19th century art, the Pre-Rapaelites, the 18th century Golden Age of British Art, Renaissance works, 17th century Dutch Painting, Renaissance Art, and topics from the Art of Ancient Greece and Rome up to the 20th and 21st century.
I am a qualified teacher with a BA Hons in Philosophy and Politics and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education. I have two grown-up sons and I have taught children (of all ages) and adults many subjects including: English, Literature, History, and Arts and Crafts, in many different countries. (I have lived in the USA, South Korea, Cyprus, Germany, Singapore and Northern Ireland.) I enjoy guiding school groups and families.
From a family of 'Men in Uniform', and with a personal interest in Military history, I have helped to host war veterans, for commemorative events, battle-field tours and museum visits. I am a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides.
| Art and Architecture |
| Literature, Theatre, Music and Dance |
| Gardening and the countryside |
| Arts and Crafts |
| Architecture | Walks: 'Artist's Abodes'. The Cutting Edge City, Wren's City Churches, Kensington's Amazing Maze of Mews, Palladian Westminster |
| Art/Paintings & Sculpture | Highlight or more specialised tours of: National Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery, Guildhall Art Gallery, Wallace collection, Courtauld gallery, |
| Museums | Including highlight tours of: The British Museum, Victoria and Albert, Imperial War Museum, National Army Museum, Museum of London, The Foundling Museum London, Coniston Ruskin Museum, Lady Lever Art Gallery at Port Sunlight, The Walker Gallery Liverpool, Tate Liverpool. |
| Walking Tours | A selection: Pomp, Power and Politics, The Literary City, Roman London, Westminster at War, 'Down by the Riverside', American Connections, Fleet Street - Street of Ink, Shakespeare in London, 'What the Dickens!' , 'Handel and the Court', '2012 Venues and Regeneration', 'A Chelsea Amble', 'London Inns of Court', 'Poets in Penrith, Cumbria', Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool Beatles Tour, 'Walk in Hope in Liverpool' |
| Castles & Palaces | Including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, The Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Warwick Castle, Leeds Castle, Guildford Castle. |
| Churches & Cathedrals | Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, York Minster, Lanercost Priory, Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Chester Cathedral, Wren's City Churches, Medieval Churches in the City |
| History & Prehistory | Pre-historic Stone Henge, Celtic hoards, Ship burials, Norman castles, Medieval cathedrals, Tudor palaces, 'Wrenaissance' architecture, Georgian Squares, Victorian Gothic fantasies and the legacy of Empire. |
| Literature | Visit the places haunted by writers: London, a character in Charles Dickens Novels, Bohemians in Bloomsbury, Jane Austen's Bath, Thomas Hardy's Wessex, T S Eliot's City Wasteland and the Shakespearean legacy in London and Stratford upon Avon. |
| Lecture Subjects | 'Artistic Artist's Abodes', 'Symbolism in Victorian Art', 'Sir Christopher Wren's City Churches', 'Sex, Sewing and Art in Victorian Britain', 'The Sartorial City', 'Men in Uniform at the Guildhall', 'The Case for the Basket in Art', 'Artists in the City'. |
| Decorative Arts/Arts & Crafts | Let me take you on a tour of the V&A to follow the history of applied and decorative arts in Britain, influenced by trade with the World. Come and see the Hampton Court Tapestries or the Patchwork Quilts at Bath's American Museum. |
Salisbury Cathedral, 2012 Venues, York Minster, Windsor & Eton, Canterbury Cathedral, Virtual Tours
City of London Guide, M Phil History of Art, PGCE
No
Regional Qualifications: London, City of Oxford Green Badge
Language(s): English
