After your tour with me you too will be satisfied, as were my previous guests!
Peter West, Mike Starling and Ed Miller at Forbes Brasserie.
"Many , many, thanks for a super holiday. Sharing your incredible knowledge, enjoying your guiding technique and driving expertise, made it all a fantastic experience"
Alice & Ed Miller |
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The Bardsleys at Shakespeares birth place.
Here is the Bardsley family at the end of their five day tour which started in the beautiful city of York. In this classic tour we covered all the major sites of York on foot. Then we moved on down south to Warwickshire countryside and visited wonderful Warwick Castle with all its interesting and attractive interpretations of history.
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The Tadlocks at Shakspeares birth place.
This clever family rented a house in Chelsea and so really lived the London life for a week. We went touring for four days including well and truly exploring the fundamentals of the London experience and history. Here we are just outside Shakespeare's Birth Place at the heart of Stratford Upon Avon. After discovering the life and times of the Shakespeare family in a wonderful exhibition we then go onto to see thievery bedroom where the Bard was born. After leaving Shakespeare's Birthplace it was time to walk through the town and past New Place, Nash's House, Harvard House and onto Halls Croft. This is most magnificent of the Stratford timber framed houses and was owned by Shakespeare's Son in Law the eminent Dr Hall. |
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The Topper family on the London Eye
"Peter, We've finally returned from our trip to Europe, and I wanted to take a moment to write and thank you for the wonderful time we spent touring with you in London. You were ever so helpful and accommodating before we arrived and during the time we spent together. Your knowledge of all things London, and British, is amazing. You are truly a wealth of information. You really helped us learn, and enjoy, a great many things. We will remember the time we spent with you as one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you too, for being so flexible in the scheduling. I hope your daughter recovered. Thank you,"
Joe Topper
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The Bardsleys at Warick Castle
The Bardsley family went on a five day tour with me. This day it was also possible to discover the Bards territory in and around Stratford Upon Avon starting with Shakespeare's. Birth Place. The overnight stop gave us the perfect opportunity to enjoy one of Stratford's quality hotels. Here we are on the edge of the picturesque Cotswold area as we moved on down to Oxford and Blenheim Palace. This party loved the Cotswolds so much that the next night was spent in an ancient and classic Cotswold Hotel. Now we were well positioned to move back to London via Stonehenge whose heritage we still only partially understand. The perfect opportunity for amateur and professional historians to speculate on the whys and wherefores of this 5,000 year old monument and World Heritage Site.
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Bardsleys at the Savoy.
Finally our last day together in London where the Bardsleys enjoyed an overview of London's history and major Landmarks from the Tower in the East, through the Cities of London & Westminster and lastly to the Western central area of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea with Kensington Palace. This five day classic tour never fails to satisfy aesthetically and historically. |
The Young family enjoyed the traditional Gilbert Scott designed London red Telephone box.
Here we are just by the glamorous Regents Park Road area, having come down off top of Primrose Hill which is a pretty special place (ask me why on your tour). After this picture I took the party to a very lovely Gastro Pub whilst we watched the local gentry and the occasional film star go by. |
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These visits were part of a London Tour with special emphasis on Harry Potter sites. And we did all this on a pretty miserable and cold January day but as you can see this sporty Australian family were fully out to enjoy themselves. |
This party are standing just beyond the Middle Tower at the Tower of London where they discovered stories and sights behind the most dramatic episodes of English history. Also not to be missed is the opportunity to see the Crown Jewels including the Worlds largest cut diamond at 530 Carats. Our Crown Jewels are more than just decorative items being also symbolic religious Coronation regalia uniquely used by our Monarchy.
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Peter West with his clients outside the Imperial War Museum The picture is dominated by these amazing WWI 15 inch naval guns. The clients point of interest at the museum was actually the Holocaust Exhibition. There is an equally interesting WWI trench warfare exhibit. This is an example of tour crafted to suit the particular interests of a visitor.
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Peter West and his happy party are in the garden of a very special pub in the southern Cotswolds. The pubs history and licence goes back to Cromwellian times and the whole village two the thirteenth century. Its unspoilt character is thanks to its ownership by the National Trust. Although part of a Stonehenge and Bath tour a visit to this village is quite a surprising delight in itself making for a wonderful lunch stop.
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The party are in the heart of Oxford enjoying the Walk from the Broad Street area to Christchurch College, one of the highlights of an Oxford visit. Within Christchurch we find the Oxford City Cathedral and the wonderful dining Hall with its amazing portraits and the stairs where Harry Potter scenes were filmed. Characters such as Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), John Ruskin, John & Charles Wesley went to Christchurch. Charles I lived at Christchurch during our Civil War (1642-1647) Christ Church was originally founded by Cardinal Wolsey as Cardinal's College in 1524.
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The college buildings took over the site of St. Frideswide's Monastery, which was suppressed by Wolsey to fund his college. The monastery dated back to the earliest days of Oxford as a settlement in the 9th Century AD. When Wolsey fell from power in 1529 the College became property of King Henry VIII. Henry re-founded the College in 1546 and appointed the old monastery church as cathedral of the new diocese of Oxford. The new institution of cathedral and university college was named Aedes Christi, which is rendered in English as Christ Church. It is due to its ecclesiastical function that Christ Church's principal, the Dean, is always a clergyman.
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Peter West with the Pokorney family in The Formal Gardens of Blenheim Palace which owe much to the 9th Duke of Marlborough who, in the 1920's, with the help of the French landscape architect Achille Duchêne, redesigned the previously uninspiring gardens to provide the Palace with the formal majestic setting that visitors see today. A trip to Blenheim Palace would not be complete without visiting the Water Terraces, Rose Garden, Arboretum, Cascades or the Secret Garden. |
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This sporty family covered a lot of ground with Peter West. Here we are with Tower Bridge in the Background which was built in 1894 to ease the river congestion in the Pool of London. Hard to imagine such a situation nowadays. The Victorian steam engines that power the hydraulics to lift the bascules in 90 seconds are still in working order though not used nowadays due to the expense of keepings the boilers at the ready for the occasional lift. Nearby we have one of Britain's greatest WWII cruisers that operated from 1937 right through to and past the Korean War only retiring in the early 70's . We are standing on the gun emplacements where the HAC fire gun salutes just by the Tower. |
The Derricksons are among Peter Wests favourite and most loyal customers. Here we are at St Michaels mount having firstly toured around London from a cruise ship based at Dover and then the Lands End area from the same cruise ship that went to Falmouth. These are fun people they really know how to enjoy life ! St Michael's Mount is truly unique; a tiny, rocky island filled with astonishing history and natural beauty, yet still a living, working community of people. This is no dusty old museum - St Michael's Mount is full of life, a place where ancient and modern sit side by side, and where nothing is quite as it seems. An island - which you can walk to when the tide is low. A medieval castle - that is still home to a modern family. A tranquil, beautiful location - that has played its part in many furious battles. |
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Here is that same sporty family that was by the Tower now outside the Henry VII Chapel. As you can see Peter West is pointing out the glories of this finest and latest example of the English Perpendicular Style, Inside the outstanding feature of the chapel is the spectacular fan-vaulted roof with its carved pendants. Around the walls are 95 statues of saints. Behind the altar is the tomb of Henry VII and his queen Elizabeth of York. The bronze screen around it is by Thomas Dutchman and the gilt bronze effigies and Renaissance tomb were designed by Italian Pietro Torrigiano. James I is also buried in the vault beneath the monument. In 1725 the chapel was first used for installations of Knights of the Order of the Bath and the heraldic banners of living knights hang above the oak stalls. Beneath the hinged seats of the stalls are beautifully carved misericords. |
This truly adorable and wonderful family enjoyed a seven day tour starting in London ending in York. Here they are with Peter West outside York Minster. York Minster acts as a beacon welcoming all visitors to the City of York. Built over 250 years, and renowned worldwide as an artistic and architectural masterpiece, it offers a wealth of things to see for people of all ages, and offers thrilling memories for all who visit. The Minster is much more than a superb building. It is a site where history has been made over the centuries. The Emperor Constantine began his progress to greatness here, and the Roman buildings in which he lived still stand beneath the central tower. St Paulinus baptised the local Saxon king here, and here are buried many of the Archbishops of York, including St William of York. You know York is a wonderful City to visit with many and diverse places to visit. It even has the NRM (ask me what this is ) . On top of all this the people are warm and helpful. And I know a couple of really smashing hotels that I will tell you all about if you book a tour with Peter West Tours ! |
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Peter West with his clients outside the Imperial War Museum The picture is dominated by these amazing WWI 15 inch naval guns. The clients point of interest at the museum was actually the Holocaust Exhibition. There is an equally interesting WWI trench warfare exhibit. This is an example of tour crafted to suit the particular interests of a visitor. |
Another successful London tour ends This one at the Royal National Hotel. The client was an American Professor of English History and so quite a test for Peter West |
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Peter West with his clients outside the Imperial War Museum an example of tour crafted to suit the particular interests of a visitor. |
Peter West and his party are standing just in front of Friary Court, St James Palace where fateful Proclamations of the decease of the Monarch but also hopes for the next Monarch are read out. This is also the place where the Old Guard forms up with the Guards Band and the Colours then marching proudly off to Buckingham Palace. As you can see a wheelchair is no problem and we had two full half days together. |
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Everybody looks very happy enjoying WWI Trench Warfare re-enactments at the Imperial War Museum !! |
This brilliant group which are known as the Woltman party in the annals of Peter West Tours are having a celebration dinner with Peter West at a very special Victorian Style Restaurant near Primrose Hill. They look happy here and they stayed happy as we covered all the major sites in Southern England from London to Hampton Court and on to Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford Upon Avon, Oxford and so on. |
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Here is the Woltman Party outside the Main gate at Hampton Court. Once upon Cardinal Woolsey’s Palace which was finally ceded to Henry VIII in an attempt to save Wolsey from yet another of Henrys famous Treason Trials. Do you know that before the Victorians decided to try to ‘restore’ this Gate House it was twice as high and truly impressive. Exactly what you would expect from the likes of Wolsey and Henry VIII ! |
Peter West explains the significance of the ancient Market Cross to the Woltman Party. This set in another dreamy Southern Cotswold village near to Bath. A quite amazing and unspoilt place constructed almost entirely out of Oolithic Limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock formed from the remains of skeletons of sea creatures. Shelly limestone and gastopod limestone contain sea shells. Oolithic limestone is made from rounded grains called ooliths. The rounded grains are formed from calcite (calcium carbonate) contained in skeletons being deposited on sand as the sand is rolled about by the action of the waves. The rock is grey in colour. Limestone is a very useful mineral. When heated it is turned to lime which is used in agriculture. it is used in making Portland cement and in smelting iron and lead. This village also has its Manor House, one that nowadays is set right in the 21st century as a five star Hotel. As you might expect there have been many film sets here and in the local Inn you can see the pictures relating to them. A great place for a last drink after a long Stonehenge and Bath day and before the long journey home to London |
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The Ayers family are enjoying Hadrian’s wall on their two week tours starting with four days in London and ending in Edinburgh. Hadrian's Wall was constructed over a period of six years by order of the Emperor Hadrian, who came to Britain in AD 122. According to one of Hadrian's Roman biographers it was built to 'separate the Romans from the Barbarians' a feat it achieved for over 250 years. Today, the area between South Shields and Ravenglass is studded with forts, milecastles, temples and turrets. These 2000 year-old remains are brought brilliantly to life by museums, reconstructions and fascinating visitor centres, all with something different and all waiting to be discovered. |
This young couple were given a tour with Peter West as a gift by one of my best clients. They have just finished a long days tour and are standing in the driveway of the Gloucester Hotel which is often plays a part in the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Club |
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This couple were able to visit all the normal sites with the wheel chair.
Even Westminster Abbey which is not disabled access friendly. |
The Picture Postcard Cottage in the background is more than just a pretty place. Its where Shakespeare’s wife’s family farmhouse ! And the Shakespeare Trust has cleverly only planted flowers in the garden that were prominent in the Elizabethan age. Inside you will find out how people lived in those days and the origins of English words and phrases. |
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Peter West sometimes takes the larger ‘Private Tour’ group and these people have just completed a day in the Kent Countryside looking at a Outstanding 14th-century moated manor house owned by the National Trust. If you want to see timber frame and charm par excellence this is the place to go. There are also a Tudor chapel with hand-painted ceiling, a Grade I listed dog kennel and Lovely gardens, with lakeside and woodland walks, in a secluded valley. We then moved onto another rather grander house with 650 years of historical drama behind it.
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The House and Gardens has changed little over the centuries. This mediaeval masterpiece has been the seat of the Sidney family since 1552 and retains the warmth and character of a much-loved family home. Today, Philip Sidney, Viscount De L'Isle, continues the family guardianship of this wonderful old house and garden with his wife Isobel and their two children, Philip and Sophia. At the heart of the mediaeval manor house lies the Barons Hall with its awe-inspiring 60 foot high chestnut roof, supported by satirical representations of peasants and estate workers at the time. A rare surviving central octagonal hearth in the centre of the hall, still lit on special occasions, formed the focal point of the household, where servants and estate workers slept, ate and lived out their lives, whilst the Lord of the Manor and his family resided upstairs in the Solar.
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