Spirit of the Blitz

Our friend, and fellow guide, Marc Blake has only gone and published a book.

Called ‘Spirit of the Blitz’ this young adult thriller is set during the height of the bombing of London in WW2 and will make a perfect addition to any mystery fan’s bookshelf.

During the Blitz of 1940, many thousands of Londoners sheltered in the Underground. On the very first day, twelve-year-old William Lumley, his mother, and little sister Aggie are bombed out. Fleeing to the safety of the Tube, they begin a subterranean existence and Will befriends the station marshal, Mr Sands. Although they are protected from the constant bombing above, there is great danger underneath the streets. There’s a gang of spivs as well as temptation and frustration in the form of Will’s fickle cousin Evie. But worst of all an evil, malignant being lurks deep in the tunnels, appearing at night to steal the children away. Only Will has seen the beast, but can he find a way to convince others of the danger amidst the chaos and destruction of war-torn London?

You can get a copy via Amazon, here.

Winston Churchill locations

As part of the research for his talk on the life of Churchill, Don has been plotting various locations associated with Sir Winston on the map below (it’s still very much a work in progress, so it’s being added to all the time).

You can see, for example, the addresses where he lived in London, monuments to him or his works, where he went to school, where he’s buried, even where he bought his cigars.

Enjoy exploring the map – and do drop us a line if you think there are other addresses that should be plotted.

Our tours: What Lies Beneath Part II – the Archaeology of Crossrail

Part two of LEO HEATON’s ‘Archaeology in the City’ series, this virtual tour will escort you down into the tunnels and brand new rail stations of Europe’s largest ever infrastructure project, Crossrail, to have a closer look at the finds unearthed during its construction.

From everyday items, like Victorian chamber pots and Roman coins, to rare treasures such as medieval water pumps and a piece of 55 MILLION year old amber – come and explore the sites and some of the objects that this remarkable project uncovered one by one. Is it true that bodies were discovered still carrying 14th century plague pathogens? What gruesome discovery had to make way for the new Liverpool Street station ticketing hall? And why on earth were 13,000 jam jars buried underneath Tottenham Court Road?!

Join Leo to spend a fascinating hour putting together a few more of the pieces that make up London’s archaeological jigsaw puzzle.

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Our tours: Westminster – City of Power and Glory

The City of Westminster is home to royal palaces, the national church of Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, monuments to famous Britons (and others), Royal Parks and much more.

Join DON BROWN on this classic ‘walk’. We will start in the dead centre of London at Trafalgar Square, ‘stroll’ down Whitehall to see the Prime Minster’s home at 10 Downing Street, the Household Cavalry guarding the entrance to Horseguards, and the Cenotaph. In Parliament Square we’ll take in the Victorian gothic Palace of Westminster and discuss the differences between the Commons and the Lords.

Nodding to Churchill, Mandela, Gandhi and Fawcett, we will admire the medieval Gothic of Westminster Abbey – the site of every English coronation since 1066, and then make our way through beautifully preserved 18th century streets to St James’s Park.

Then a quick jog down the royal processional route of The Mall, (calling in to see Henry VIII’s palace and one of the sites where ‘The Crown’ was filmed) to end up at HM the Queen’s principal London residence – Buckingham Palace.

This is the classic London walk – enhanced by being online as we can look inside the palaces and parliament, and even behind the famous door at 10 Downing Street.

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Our tours: Ancient Wessex – Stonehenge, Avebury and more

TIM BARRON takes you on a journey through the Wessex civilisations with the latest scientific discoveries and re-analysis of existing information leading to some astonishing ‘new‘ finds.

Wessex is the ancient title for the area of central southern England notably the rolling chalk lands of Salisbury plain, rich in stone age, bronze age and iron age archaeology. Perhaps the most significant innovation is to look at the spectacular megalith Stonehenge as part of the massive group of significant structures that surround it. To look at it in isolation is akin to studying a Cathedral without referring to a city’s surrounding countryside, its history and religions and most importantly its people.

We will look at over 5000 years of civilisation from the Stone age to the origins of Salisbury cathedral in the 1200s. The ups and downs of earth, stone & wood megastructures, some well known, others less so, some waiting to be explored, others still to be discovered!

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Our tours: 1000 Years of British Rule – Kings and Queens since William the Conqueror

Do you know your Stuarts from your Tudors? How about which King signed Magna Carta? Do you know how many Kings called Edward there have been on the throne? How about how many Queens?

In this condensed look at the history of the British Monarchy, RACHEL PEARSON will steer us through some of the key moments in British Monarchic history including the Norman Conquest, the Wars of the Roses, the Tudor dynasty, the split that took place between Parliament and Monarchy and the flamboyant Georgian era.

The talk will touch briefly on the 20th century, but will largely focus on the centuries before this. It will also consider how a royal line of succession that today is seemingly so well established, has overcome years of trouble; when men and women found themselves in line to reign almost by accident.

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Our tours: A Walk Around Old Chelsea

An historical virtual stroll through Thameside Chelsea, with local resident EMMA MATTHEWS.

In today’s London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, come and find out what has brought Kings, courtesans, actors and artists to Chelsea from the 1500s up to the trendiest and wealthiest of today. With stunning architecture and great stories this will be an hour of history and scandal not to be missed.

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Our tours: From Imperial Outpost to World City – a short history of London

How did a Roman trading post rise to become the biggest city the world had ever seen, the capital of the biggest empire the world had ever seen? And how did it reinvent itself for a post-imperial age?

Discover the history of the world’s greatest city with DON BROWN, as we take in the Romans (who founded Londinium), the anglo-saxons (who made it their capital), the Normans (who built its castles), through the Tudors and beyond, to the Victorians (who made it huge) and then to the 20th and 21st centuries.

We’ll encounter invasions, wars, plagues, fires and worse; look at the trade, industry and people that made it rich; meet the immigrants – from the rest of the British Isles and around the globe – that made it the most dynamic city in the world.

And we’ll do all of that in just 60 minutes.

To see when this tour is next taking place, visit our ‘forthcoming tours‘ page.

If you would like to arrange this as a private tour for a group, organisation, family or others, please email us to find out more.

Saints, murderers, rogues, heroes: the best and the worst of British monarchs.

Our latest ‘chat’ – the five of us talking about our favourite and least favourite British monarchs. Spanning 1,000 years of history, it includes Tudors, Plantagenets, Stuarts, an anglo-saxon and even a Windsor. Click on the link to see the whole conversation.

Our first charity talk

Yesterday evening (25 August) we did our first virtual tour for charity, a ‘trip’ around the British Museum looking at seven of its treasures with a connection to Britain.

Attendees donated what they felt they could afford, and all ticket money went to Prostate Cancer UK.

We’re very pleased to announce that £630 in ticket sales was generated, from around 50 people; once Gift Aid is factored in we will have donated just shy of £800 to the charity. A very big thank you to all who attended and donated.

We shall do more of these in the future (so sign up for our mailing list if you want to find our what’s coming up), but in the mean time, you can find out more about Prostate Cancer UK and the work it does by clicking here.