Join us for a private guided tour of Syon House. Meeting at 11.15am for an 11.30 start  the tour will last 1.5 hrs

Syon house is the London home of the Duke of Northumberland, a Grade 1 listed building set in the impressive grounds of Syon Park. Syon Park lies on the banks of the Thames some 10 miles upstream from London on what, in prehistoric times, was an island amid marshes and creeks. In 1415 Henry V laid the foundation stone of what become an Abbey of great influence throughout Tudor times until its dissolution when it passed to the Percy family. In the centuries that followed and up to the present day major refurbishment and redesign of the House and gardens have been undertaken , including the interiors by Robert Adam in 1762 and gardens by  Capability Brown.

Click here for further details and booking procedure

Join other members for a relaxed Afternoon Tea at The Wharf, Teddington. The restaurant has beautiful views of the Thames at Teddington Lock.

Meet at 2.15 for a 2.30 Afternoon Tea service

Click here for full details and booking procedure.

Founded by King Charles II in 1681, The Royal Hospital Chelsea was established to care for soldiers who were no longer able to serve due to injury or age, known now as The Chelsea Pensioners. They still continue in this proud tradition, living in the walls of The Royal Hospital designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Our tour includes The Great Hall, Soane Stable Yard and an Interactive exhibition and will be led by one of the pensioners giving us an insight of their lives in this unique community.

Cost of visit - £28.00.

Meet at Chelsea Gate, Royal Hospital Road, SW3 at 10.15am for the start of the tour at 10.30am.

Click here for full details and Booking Procedure

A Victorian masterpiece of engineering and architecture built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette to deal with London’s sewage. We will have an introductory talk illustrating the public health crisis that led to the Great Stink of 1858. Followed by a guided tour of the Crossness buildings and its historic engines, opened in 1865 and decommissioned in the 1970’s, learning about why a building made to pump sewage was designed to look so magnificent, what it was like to work there, and how the building and sewer system actually worked and the innovation and upgrades involved.The narrow-gauge railway will also be running Talk and tour - approx 2-3 hrs.

Travel: We will meet at 11.00 at Abbey Wood Underground Station, which is the last station at the eastern end of the Elizabeth Line. We shall be transferred to the site by taxi (3 km/8 min).

Cost of Visit £30 (including taxis from Abbey Wood)

For full booking details click here

Meeting point: 10.30 am St Paul’s station exit 2. End point: Bank station

Our guided walk will last for 2 hours

At the heart of London lies the City of London. Only one square mile in size but this historic area is where it all began. Founded by the Romans it has been inhabited by the people of London for nearly 2000 years but has almost been destroyed by fire, revolt and bombs. We will discover secluded courtyards, hidden gardens, a secret stretch of riverside.

For full details of this walk click HERE

We have arranged a private guided tour of Tower Bridge lasting about 1.5 hours. During the tour, there are 204 steps within the tower.

Tower Bridge is an architectural icon and one of London’s most famous attractions. Designed and built in Victorian times, it was the largest and most sophisticated bascule bridge ever completed when it opened in 1894, and it still endures more than 130 years later. Enjoy a panoramic view of city life from the glass floors and high-level walkways,

42 metres above the river, and visit the engine room. There is a permanent exhibition of photographs, films and interactive displays to bring the stories to life.

For full details and booking form, click HERE

Join us for a 1 hour private guided tour of Apsley House, starting at 11am. This is the London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington, a grade 1 listed building designed by Robert Adam. Much of the house is open as a museum and art gallery, exhibiting artwork and memorabilia of the career of the 1st Duke of Wellington. If of sufficient interest the visit will be extended to include a tour of the Wellington Arch, in the centre of the Hyde Park Corner roundabout.

The cost of the visit is £22.00 (£10.00 for members of English Heritage), If an additional tour of Wellington Arch takes place, there is an additional £14 (£8 for EH members), this to be paid on the day.

For full details and the booking form, click here. 

We have organised two guided tours, each of 60 minutes, of the Treasures Gallery of the British Library on the above date. The Treasures include an original copy of The Magna Carta, The Lindisfarne Gospels and other manuscripts and works taking the visitor through to the present day. The guides are provided by the British Library who , as well as being both knowledgeable and passionate , will divulge fun facts and lesser known insights into the exhibits. The maximum number of participants on this visit is 30, made up of two groups of 15, the first tour beginning at 11am and the second at 11.15am.       The cost of the visit is £12 per person.

If you would like to reserve a place please email: ANN GARDNER email address annggardner@btinternet.com.

Click here

Join us on this tour planned for 16th to 18th October

This tour has been arranged through Tailored Travel with Marguerite Brenchley as tour organiser and those of you who have been on our tours in pre-covid times will be familiar with both.  Tailored Travel will be managing the booking and administration of the tour and a brochure, incorporating a booking form, can be accessed via their website www.tailored-travel.co.uk using our own unique tour reference kngd251.

If you have any questions about the tour booking, itinerary or accommodation, Tailored Travel and Marguerite Brenchley will be very happy to help. Their contact numbers are

Tailored Travel:   www.tailored-travel.co.uk    Tel 020 7064 4970
Marguerite Brenchley:   marguerite.marie.brenchley@gmail.com   Tel 07756 269604

"Mayfair is the most expensive square on the British Monopoly board for good reason. For 350 years it has been the home and playground of the Aristocracy, the rich and the powerful. However, these people are not always the best behaved and Mayfair is full of scandalous stories too.  See the remnants of lost mansions, the site of illegal marriages and much more on this enthralling, educational and entertaining walk"

Blue Badge guide Russell Nash will take us for a morning exploration of this area of London's west end.

This year is commemorating the 1100th anniversary of the coronation of King Athelstan in Kingston on 4th September 925.The Seven Saxon Kings Embroidery Project has resulted in seven life-size embroidery panels now hanging in All Saints Parish Church. We will be there, this coming September 4th, when Tom Holland will be unveiling these panels. We will also be able to see the name of The Arts Society Kingston embroidered in a special Book of Names to commemorate this event

The Garden Museum explores and celebrates the art, history and design of British gardens and their place in our lives today. Housed in the deconsecrated church of St-Mary-at-Lambeth, the Museum contains the burial place of John Tradescant with a courtyard garden at its heart inspired by his journeys as a plant hunter and collector. Included in our visit is entrance to The Cecil Beaton Garden Party Exhibition. Best known for his iconic fashion photography, he was also an accomplished film and theatre set designer who used flowers in all his work from fashion photography and royal portraits to the famous floral costumes in My Fair Lady.

The visit is self guided and the cost is £13.

Click here for full details and Booking Form 

Located in the heart of London within the historic Horse Guards building, the museum offers a unique and immersive experience into the lives of the Household Cavalry, one of the British Army's oldest and most prestigious regiments.  The tour starts with "The Changing of the Guards" at 11 am followed by a short guided tour of the museum.

Click here for details and booking form

Battersea Power Station This is a walking tour of the exciting regeneration of the iconic former power station with its famous four chimneys. The vast scale of the building can only be appreciated close up. On this walk we’ll see the glitzy new apartment blocks by well-known architects including Norman Foster and Frank Gehry, then we’ll explore the power station building outside and inside. It is a triumph of redevelopment combining new retail, commercial and residential spaces, while maintaining many elements of the industrial heritage. We’ll hear about the construction of the original power station between 1929 to 1955, its importance for London, its decommissioning, dereliction, and recent multi-billion-pound rebirth.

Our guide, Ian Swankie, is well known to Kingston Arts Society.  He is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery, St Paul's Cathedral and is a freelance London tour guide.

Click here for booking form

A guided tour of these two unique houses that are the extraordinary legacies of Frederic, Lord Leighton and Edward Linley Sambourne.

Tucked away in Holland Park, a leafy neighbourhood in West London, stand Leighton House and Sambourne House. Combining living and studio space, the houses remain largely unchanged today. They are the legacies left by two ‘celebrities’ of the late Victorian era – Frederic Lord Leighton (1830-1896) and Edward Linley Sambourne (1844 - 1910).

Leighton and Sambourne lived as neighbours for over 20 years and had many acquaintances in common. They were widely known to their contemporaries; Leighton as the most prominent artist of his day, a celebrated painter and president of the Royal Academy of Arts and Sambourne as Chief Cartoonist at the infamous satirical magazine Punch. Their similar tastes were reflected in the furnishing of their homes, both filled with sculpture, blue and white ceramics and glassware. Leighton House is famed for it spectacular Arab Hall. Sambourne House was a family home and is an example of the late Victorian ‘House Beautiful’.

The history of the Charterhouse dates to the bubonic plague pandemic of 1348, when land which is now Charterhouse Square was leased by Sir Walter Manny to be used as an emergency cemetery to bury victims of the disease. After the plague had subsided Michael Northburgh, the Bishop of London, had the idea of founding a Carthusian monastery, known as a Charterhouse, in London. After Northburgh’s death Sir Walter Manny went on to found what became the impressive and well-respected London Charterhouse in 1371 on land adjacent to the emergency cemetery. Come and discover more about The Charterhouse dating from 1348 with a behind the scenes tour led by one of the resident Brothers. These tours are given from the perspective of each individual Brother and therefore no two tours are the same. They provide an in-depth look at the long history of the site and the lifestyle of the Brothers through the centuries and are a unique opportunity to learn more about the nuances of this fascinating historical gem hidden in the heart of London

Two groups of twenty enjoyed an enthralling and stimulating visit backstage at the National Theatre on November 11th. The guides were first class and we actually saw the main scenery for their new production 'The Importance of Being Ernest' being erected.

The National Theatre, designed by Denys Lasdun and officially opened in 1976 is a predominantly concrete structure. The design has invited controversy but was listed in 1994. The building houses three theatres, the Olivier, named after the company’s first artistic director Sir Laurence Olivier, the Lyttleton and the Dorfman, originally the Cottesloe Theatre.

Click here for booking form

The Wallace Collection, assembled by five generations of one family and now a public museum, is home to one of the most significant collections of fine and decorative art in the world. Highlights include works from the 14th to the late 19th centuries by artists such as Rembrandt, Titian, Rubens and Van Dyck, arms and armour, furniture and Sevres porcelain. Our tour will be guided by Norton Asbury, an Art Historian and tutor, who has worked at The Wallace Collection on a freelance basis since 2008. Norton will take us from room to room and explain how selected pieces came into the family collection , with descriptions, insights and anecdotes! The tour will last approximately 2 hours.

See photos post visit below!

Discover Soho’s development from the fashionable 18th century through the scandalous 19 th
century to its present day status as the centre of London’s café and club land. Hear how Soho
became a centre for international jazz musicians and ‘meet’ some colourful characters including
Casanova, Mozart, Karl Marx and Jeffrey Bernard. We will also discover the different groups who
made Soho their home over fthe years including the Chinese, Jewish, Italian and French
communities.
The walk will last approximately 2 hrs and will end at Carnaby Street 

Hughenden is best known as the country home of Victorian Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, and more recently as a top-secret map-making facility during the Second World War. We will start our self-guided tour with a talk about the history of the manor, gardens and Hughenden’s wartime story. Inside you will discover insights into the personal and political life of this most unlikely of prime ministers. On the ground floor the rooms are re-created as Disraeli would have known them, with the dining room set for supper and the library full of his beloved books. On the first floor is his study, bedroom and Mary Anne’s boudoir, along with the black silk robe worn by Disraeli as Chancellor of the Exchequer (and that he notoriously refused to give up). After viewing the house, wander around the formal Italianate-style gardens with Victorian parterre and classical statuary, pleasure grounds, apple orchard and walled garden.

Click below for:

Booking form

For further details and booking form email bthairturner@yahoo.co.uk

Join us for a 1 hour guided tour, starting at 11am

A centre for plant science, The Chelsea Physic Garden is the oldest botanical garden in London and has occupied four acres of land on the edge of the Thames since 1673. First established by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries in order to grow medicinal plants, this extraordinary garden has had wide reaching impact around the globe. Its plant
collections are among the largest and most diverse in the world.
Following the tour lunch can be taken in the Physic Garden Café where you may eat either in the indoor restaurant or on the outdoor terrace. Food is made with local produce from London’s artisan suppliers and recipes draw inspiration from the Garden.

For further details and booking form email a.horner@kingston.ac.uk

Join us for an afternoon guided walk around the Inns of Court, the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. These time-locked lanes and tucked away squares have witnessed some of the most important events in English history, and yet they remain a relatively little explored part of London. Our walk takes in the architecture and history of the Inns plus a visit to The Royal Courts of Justice and Temple Church.

This is a 2 hour walk, meeting at 1.30pm at Temple tube station

Please note this tour is now fully booked

For further details email annggardner@btinternet.com

We will meet at 1.30 at The Courtauld Gallery, located in the magnificent historical setting of Somerset House in central London. It has one of the most renowned art collections in the UK, including iconic Impressionist masterpieces such as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies Bergère, Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, and the most significant collection of works by Cézanne in the UK.

From Somerset House we will walk/bus, to meet at 4.30 at St Paul's Cathedral. This is a special opportunity to attend Evensong, arranged by one of our Lecturers, Patrick Craig, who will be participating in this treasure of worship at St Paul’s. It is a service of sung Evening Prayer, taken from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662. This service lasts for 45 minutes. Evensong gives visitors and worshippers the opportunity to experience the incredible voices of the Cathedral choir, who perform different, specially-selected choral works as part of each service.

For further details email louley@blueyonder.co.uk

We have organised two visits to the National Portrait Gallery on Thursday 11th January 2024 and Saturday January 13th.
Our first tour guide Suzanne Krogh-Nielsen, a Professional Blue Badge Guide.
will lead us on a themed talk on “the Royals and significant figures
between 1700 and 1800” and will start at 11am and finish at 1.00pm.

Our second visit with a different theme on Saturday
13th January 2024 will be hosted by Wendy Hammerston, also a
Professional Blue Badge Guide whose topic will be “Women who
cracked the glass ceiling”. This will also start at 11am and finish by 1.00

For further details email bturley@aol.com

Paul Smith, originally designer of menswear and now also designing for women and children, Paul has been designing clothes since the 1970s and is famous for his men's suits. He has invited us to meet with him and spend 1.5 hours viewing his office and design rooms and he will launch the visit with a personal talk to our members. The rooms are full of objects collected by him over the years. Paul is a keen photographer and is also passionate about cycling so the building reflects his enthusiasms. This will be a fun peek into the world of fashion. The tour will be limited to around 20 members.

For further details email bthairturner@yahoo.co.uk

The Corporation of Trinity House is the General Lighthouse Authority responsible for aids to navigation around the coasts of England, Wales, Channel Islands and Gibraltar.  Trinity House is the historic headquarters of the Corporation. We will have a guided tour of the beautiful Georgian house built by Samuel Wyatt in 1994 and restored by Sir Albert Richardson after World War II. Every room is full of pictures, models and artefacts which tell the history of the Corporation of Trinity House from its earliest days in Deptford until the present. The visit is limited to 20 members.

Join us for a 75min tour of the House, meeting at 10.30am

For further details email bthairturner@yahoo.co.uk

Kings Cross is one of the largest and most successful redevelopments in London. From former derelict and contaminated industrial and railway land a remarkable transformation has created a vibrant new area. With the coming of the railways in the mid-1800s Kings Cross became an important transport and industrial hub. Coal, grain, potatoes and other commodities arrived from the north of England to be transferred on. The buildings from that industrial heritage have been restored and reused, the Victorian architecture complemented with dramatic contemporary design.

 Join us for a 1½ hour tour of the Kings Cross development, led by a guide from the on-site Visitor Centre.

 The centrepiece of the visitor centre is the magnificent architectural model. Our guide will talk about the rich industrial history of the area pointing out key buildings, the canal and other landmarks. We then begin our walking tour.

For further details email: anniebeaumont51@gmail.com

Join us for a full day visit by coach to Petworth House and Park, West Sussex. You will be picked up at the Rose Theatre/Sandown Park racecourse. Arriving at the House at 11am and departing at 4pm you will have the time to enjoy a self guided tour of the House and the adjacent buildings, the park and the village.

Click here for more details and the booking form 

This is a half day visit. The first library at Guildhall was founded in 1425 and now houses treasures including a Shakespeare First Folio. This year is the 400th anniversary of its publication. On our 2 hour tour we will be shown the Folio, hear how the library has developed and how the City of London operates.

Click here for full details and the booking form

This is a morning guided tour of the Museum and an opportunity to visit the new exhibition 'Family'. How have artists represented and responded to family, in the past and today? Includes works from the National Gallery and the Museum's own collection. It is co-curated with graduates from The Museum's Tracing our Tales traineeship for care-experienced young people.

We will meet for an 11am start. More details will follow with the booking form.

Join us on a guided tour of The Dutch Golden Age at The National Gallery, London. The tour will
focus on the extremely creative and wide ranging period known as the Dutch Golden Age in the
17th century.  There are a large number of examples in the National Gallery and in this exciting
talk, art historian and artist Gayna Pelham will examine not only many of these works but also
some of the key factors which lead to the explosion of art at the beginning of the Dutch Republic. 
From early beginnings in the 15th century to influences from neighbouring European countries, this
talk will also encompass other artists from Italy, Spain and Flanders.

We will meet at 10.30 - 10.45 for an 11am tour.

Full details and booking form will be sent nearer the date

For details of booking and information about the format of the visit, contact Barbara Wood

email: barbarawood866@gmail.com

The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal was built in 1732 and served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. It is now the home of the Royal Opera , The Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Join one of the expert guides for an exclusive tour of the building , accessing areas normally off limits to the public to learn about how productions are staged and the history of the theatre. Each tour is different depending upon whatever production is on… so even if you have visited before, this tour may be new to you!

We meet at the Café on Ground Floor level next to the Main Bow Street Entrance.

Numbers may be limited so please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Join us for a full day's walking tour of Greenwich, led by Andrew Davies

There are still places available. Email anniebeaumont51@gmail.com for full details and a booking form

The itinerary will include the following:-

• Inigo Jones' Queens House 
• A Georgian chapel
• National Maritime Museum - (some fine London paintings)
• Greenwich Park and the finest view in London
• A Riverside stroll with views of Isle of Dogs, Greenwich Foot Tunnel, Trafalgar Tavern, Gothic almshouses etc
• Greenwich Market

Note: This visit is now fully booked

Join us on a guided walking tour of  the Old Jewish East End 

Old synagogues, a soup kitchen and famous Petticoat Lane Market are just some of the sights you’ll see on this fascinating walk around the Spitalfields area of London where we trace this area’s Jewish connections. Learn about the Yiddish theatres, the industries, the homes and the schools.  “Meet” the personalities such as a famous composer, a renowned playwright and the author described as “the Jewish Dickens”. In addition to Jewish connections we’ll hear about the other immigrant communities and their contribution to the rich tapestry of the area.

Our walk will be led by Diane Burstein, a Blue Badge Guide who many of you will have met before

A park, the “People’s Palace”, a hidden cemetery, a charity that cared for thousands of children, an ancient church, one of London’s oldest inner city farms, a 19th century synagogue building, a canal and some elegant 18th century houses all feature on one of Diane’s most surprising tours. Discover theatrical history of past music halls and radical history with an anarchist club and the fields where people assembled to challenge the system. Stepney is a hidden green oasis just a few minutes away from the busy Mile End Road.

Our guide will be Diane Burstein, a Blue Badge guide who many of you will already know from walks she has led for us in the past.

St  Mary's House & Gardens, Bramber, West Sussex

The origins of St. Mary's go back to the days of the Knights Templar, the present building constructed in about 1470 by the Bishop of Winchester, founder of Magdalen College as an inn for pilgrims.  Through the centuries, the house has had a number of distinguished owners and in 1984 was purchased by author and composer, Peter Thorogood, in collaboration with designer and landscape gardener, Roger Linton, both of whom were awarded the MBE in recognition of their services to the arts and heritage.  

The fine panelled rooms include the unique Elizabethan trompe l'oeil  Painted Room,  and the house has intriguing literary connections with Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, and the Sherlock Holmes story The Musgrave Ritual.   The five acres of beautiful gardens include amusing animal topiary, 'Secret' Garden, a beautiful rose garden, terracotta garden, King's Garden, an unusual circular English Poetry Garden, Landscape Water Garden and Rural Museum.

Stanley Picker House

Following on from our previous popular visits, we have arranged another opportunity to see this fascinating house and gallery.

Stanley Picker was a patron of the arts who formed a very individual collection of twentieth-century sculptures and paintings. He was born in New York in 1913 and died in England in 1982. In 1976 Stanley set up a Charitable Trust to encourage young artists at what was then Kingston College of Art (now part of Kingston University). Nowadays the Trust also encourages and supports students at many other establishments in London and other parts of the UK.

Stanley’s house, off Kingston Hill, was designed by the well-regarded local architect Kenneth Wood and built in 1968. The specification for the design was that it would house and display his art collection while at the same time being a home where he could live and enjoy entertaining.

The tour lasts for two hours. We will be given an introduction to the life of Stanley Picker, his art collection and the Trust he later established. A lecturer, who has researched Stanley Picker, his house and his collection, will guide you around the house and gallery, followed by a short walk around the attractive gardens.

Hever Castle and Gardens

Hever Castle dates back to the 13th century and was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, later passing into the ownership of Anne of Cleves. Its history has been rich and varied.  We will have the opportunity of a self-guided tour of the castle and will be able to explore the magnificent gardens set in 125 acres of grounds surrounding the castle.

Old Jewish East End Walk, London with Blue Badge London Guide - Diane Burstein

With a visit to the Bevis Marks Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in England dating to 1701, a soup kitchen and  the famous Petticoat Lane, these are just some of the sights you’ll see on this fascinating walk. In addition to Jewish connections we’ll hear about the other immigrant communities and their contribution to the rich tapestry of the area.

Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing was the country house of Sir John Soane, one of Britain’s most extraordinary architects. He bought Pitzhanger in 1800 in the hope of creating a showcase for his collection and his talents, and a family house for a dynasty of architects, starting with his young sons. 

The house and gardens are a lasting testimony to Soane’s skill and imagination as an architect. But the dynasty never materialised. In 1810 , when his sons proved a disappointment, Soane sold Pitzhanger. Now run by Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Trust, the house and garden have recently undergone major renovation to restore Soane’s original vision.

Discover the secrets of mail distribution at The Postal Museum in London.  Journey back in time through the original tunnels and station platforms of London's 100-year-old postal railway.  Take a ride on Mail Rail (a miniature train) and experience 15 minutes of immersive underground exploration deep under The Royal Mail's Mount Pleasance.  

In a separate building across Phoenix Square, there will be a Guided Tour of the Museum's Exhibition which will give us the opportunity to explore the history of one of the greatest of British inventions, the post – the beginnings of the earliest social network.  Some of the surprising exhibits range from cryptic Victorian Valentine cards to a lion encountered on Salisbury Plain.

The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and the largest national library in the world by number of items catalogued. It is estimated to contain 170–200 million+ items from many countries. We have organised a group visit/tour of the Library.

The Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library that aims to challenge how we all think and feel about health.

Through exhibitions, collections, live programming, digital, broadcast and publishing, it creates opportunities for people to think deeply about the connections between science, medicine, life and art.

Henry Moore Studios and Gardens

The sculpture gardens and studios, based at Henry Moore’s former home in Hertfordshire, are the best place in the world to appreciate the artist’s work. Moore’s home Hoglands is where the family lived for over 40 years. Our afternoon guided tour will give us the chance to hear about his life and work. In the Gardens we will be surrounded by over twenty of his sculptures. The 16th century Aisled Barn uniquely houses Moore’s remarkable tapestries. Hundreds of small models (maquettes), the starting point for his monumental bronzes, line the shelves of the Studios.

 And as a bonus our visit coincides with the largest exhibition of Henry Moore’s drawings in over 40 years. ‘The Art of Seeing’ includes over 150 works from the Studios’ collections, the Tate and other major museums. This new exhibition traces his career on paper from the 1920’s through to the 1980’s.

Date to be confirmed

Following on from our previous popular visits, we have arranged another opportunity to see this fascinating house and gallery.

Stanley Picker was a patron of the arts who formed a very individual collection of twentieth-century sculptures and paintings. He was born in New York in 1913 and died in England in 1982. In 1976 Stanley set up a Charitable Trust to encourage young artists at what was then Kingston College of Art (now part of Kingston University). Nowadays the Trust also encourages and supports students at many other establishments in London and other parts of the UK.

Stanley’s house, off Kingston Hill, was designed by the well-regarded local architect Kenneth Wood and built in 1968. The specification for the design was that it would house and display his art collection while at the same time being a home where he could live and enjoy entertaining.

The tour lasts for two hours. We will be given an introduction to the life of Stanley Picker, his art collection and the Trust he later established. A lecturer, who has researched Stanley Picker, his house and his collection, will guide you around the house and gallery, followed by a short walk around the attractive gardens.

There will be an overnight stay to 11th April, at The Murray Edwards College.

Join us on our Hampshire double bill. Our day begins with a tour of the oldest silk mill in the UK still located in its original building. A gem of industrial heritage it was built on land owned by Winchester Cathedral. The Georgian water mill re-opens this year after a Heritage Lottery funded refurbishment. The Mill still weaves silk on its historic looms - and there will be time to visit the shop!

After lunch we depart for a short drive to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery. The first official records show Laverstoke Mill as a corn mill in the 1086 Domesday Book. In 1719 A French Huguenot leased the Mill and converted it to make high quality hand-made paper. In 2010 Bombay Sapphire commissioned Heatherwick Architects to restore the historic buildings and design a new courtyard and two intertwining glasshouses used to grow the botanical plants which infuse the flavour of gin. It is the winner of an industrial award which recognises the buildings’ environmental sustainability.

Sandycombe Lodge was built by 1813 to the designs of England’s great landscape painter, JMW Turner; working here as his own architect to create a quiet retreat for himself, away from the pressures of the London art world. It also provided a home for his father, old William, in retirement from his trade as a barber and wigmaker in Covent Garden. With old William’s declining health and changes in his own life, Turner sold the house in 1826.

The connoisseur tour is intended for the seasoned art and history enthusiast and provides a detailed account of the history and architecture of Turner’s largest work of art, the artist’s time here, the restoration project and process of conservation. The tour is led by a trustee or member of staff with historical background and a thorough knowledge of the house and its history. 

Standing in the heart of London on Hyde Park Corner, Apsley House is the former home of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo. Designed and built by Robert Adam in the 1770s, the house was bought by the Duke in 1817.  He transformed it into a palatial residence to befit his status and filled it with works of art and gifts from grateful rulers across Europe. We will also have a guided tour of nearby Wellington Arch, a triumphal arch, built to a design by Decimus Burton. 

Please note date change

Guided tour of West Cemetery 75 mins (90 mins including introduction).  East Cemetery access unguided.  

Guided tour, bookshop etc.

A visit has been arranged to the Houses of Parliament on Saturday, 2nd December at 11am. This will be a guided tour in the company of a qualified ‘Blue Badge’ guide and lasts 90 minutes.

We will follow in the footsteps of the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament as she leaves the Robing Room and passes through the Royal Gallery to take her seat on the gilded throne in the stunning Lords Chamber. From Central Lobby, the heart of Parliament, we enter the rooms of the Commons before standing in the Chamber itself, home to the Speaker’s Chair, the green benches and many lively political debates. In St Stephen’s Hall, we discover why the Suffragettes and other ‘Votes for Women!’ campaigners inspired the beautiful contemporary light sculpture New Dawn. Tours end in medieval Westminster Hall, the place where Guy Fawkes and King Charles I were found guilty of treason and Nelson Mandela famously addressed both Houses of Parliament. 

This visit is now full. However, we are considering running it again, if interested please contact us.

We have arranged a walking tour led by Diane Burstein (a Blue Badge Guide) in the morning followed by a visit to Brunel Museum in the afternoon.

Historic Rotherhithe was an old riverside village which has been much altered by the development of the Docks, but still has many stories to tell. Connections with the Pilgrim Fathers, a Norwegian place of worship, two tunnels under the Thames, 19th century warehouses, breathtaking river views, contemporary sculpture, an 18th century church and a community centre with a sinister secret all feature on this tour of one of London's lesser known districts.

Brunel Museum tells the story of one of the world’s great engineering dynasties. The grand entrance hall is where work began on the Thames Tunnel by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which opened in 1843. The museum celebrates music and theatre as well as engineering. It is situated in Rotherhithe and hence will be easy to visit after our morning walk.

Join us on a day visit to the recently refurbished and extended George Watts Gallery and Artists’ village, set in beautiful countryside at Compton, near Guildford. Experience the world and work of the great Victorian artist, GF Watts, and his wife, Mary, through a comprehensive day of guided tours of the Gallery, the Chapel (Grade 1 listed and designed by Mary Watts) and Limnerslease House (Arts and Crafts style home of the Watts, and only available to view by special tour) Enjoy free time to explore the site and Watts’ studios. Some uphill walking is involved so please wear suitable shoes.

Lunch (sandwiches, fruit and elderflower cordial) is included in the overall price. Throughout the day there will also be opportunities to enjoy light refreshments in the cafe (though we are warned that this can often be crowded)

The exact date for this visit and further details will be confirmed as soon as possible.

Fashion, Food, Antiques and an Abbey – Historic Bermondsey

Once dominated by industry this area is now on the up, with fashionable restaurants, riverside apartments and museums devoted to fashion/design. Hear about Bermondsey’s renaissance on this tour which takes in the site of an ancient abbey, one of London’s most atmospheric streets, and the old Leather Market. We finish in a riverside area renowned for its cuisine.

STANLEY SPENCER - On this visit to the Thameside village of Cookham we enter the world of the artist Stanley Spencer, who was born in the village, and lived and worked there for most of his life. We explore the gallery which contains examples of his religious paintings, portraits, drawings, letters and personal items. In addition there is an exhibition entitled Paintings of the Natural World. We also take a guided walk of Cookham during which we will discover the settings of many of his works. The guide will carry a large display file so that you can compare the scene today with Spencer’s paintings.

NUFFIELD PLACE was the home of William Morris, latterly known as Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors and a well known philanthropist. His home and Arts and Craft style garden typify 20th Century taste and thrift. During the visit, we will see Morris’ workshop , the Iron Lung designed by William Morris, and Lady Nuffield’s car.

Join us on our visit to two National Trust properties in Kent - Ightham Mote and Scotney Castle. We start the day with a tour of Ightham Mote, which is a medieval moated manor house dating from the early fourteenth century. Today it is a Grade 1 Listed building set within peaceful gardens, with an orchard, water features, lakes and woodland walks. Following the tour of the house, coffee will be available in the café (included in ticket price) and members will have the opportunity to enjoy further exploration of the house and grounds at leisure. Please note that the walk from the coach park to the house is down a fairly steep slope, and the courtyard of the property is uneven in places.

We will leave Ightham Mote and travel to Scotney Castle, which is not one, but two houses. At the top of the hill is the new house, built in 1837 for Edward Hussey III, and at the bottom of the valley (steep slopes in places) are the ruins of a medieval castle and moat. This is the focal point of the celebrated gardens, featuring spectacular displays of rhododendrons, azaleas and kalmias in May & June. We will have time to enjoy lunch in the café, or you may wish to bring a picnic (not included in the ticket price) before entering the Mansion for a free-flow visit, after which members may wish to look round the moated castle and stroll through the beautiful grounds.

Following on from our previous popular visits, we have arranged another opportunity to see this fascinating house and gallery.

Stanley Picker was a patron of the arts who formed a very individual collection of twentieth-century sculptures and paintings. He was born in New York in 1913 and died in England in 1982. In 1976 Stanley set up a Charitable Trust to encourage young artists at what was then Kingston College of Art. Nowadays the Trust also encourages and supports students at many other establishments in London and other parts of the UK.

Stanley’s house, off Kingston Hill, was designed by the well-regarded local architect Kenneth Wood and built in 1968. The specification for the design was that it would house and display his art collection while at the same time being a home where he could live and enjoy entertaining.

The tour lasts for two hours. We will be given an introduction to the life of Stanley Picker, his art collection and the Trust he later established. A lecturer, who has researched Stanley Picker, his house and his collection, will guide you around the house and gallery, followed by a walk around the beautiful gardens. Tea or coffee is included.

Winchester is England's ancient capital and the former seat of Alfred the Great. The magnificent cathedral is the final resting place of early kings, where Mary Tudor was married and Jane Austin buried. Our visit will consist of refreshments on arrival, followed by a guided walking tour of the city including the cathedral. After free time for lunch (not included) we then drive to the Hospital of St Cross. Founded in 1132 and set in meadows by the Itchen river this charitable hospital of medieval architecture and fine 14th and 15th century chapel is home to 25 needy brethren. We will have a guided tour of the hospital before our drive home again.

Come and join us for what should be a magical evening with a Musical Tour of the Charterhouse, London.  ‘Charterhouse’ is the ancient foundation close to Barbican and Smithfield in London, whose origins go back to the foundation of a Carthusian Priory in 1372.  Following the dissolution the site was rebuilt as a stately home and became the London residence of the Dukes of Norfolk.  In 1611 the Charterhouse was purchased by Thomas Sutton, the wealthiest commoner in Tudor England, as the home for his dual foundation of alms house and school.  The famous Charterhouse School moved to Surrey in 1872 and today the Charterhouse remains as one of the hidden historical gems of London. 

We will have the opportunity to explore the history of this remarkable site, together with the architecture, by visiting the eight historical areas, where descriptions will be given before a piece of appropriate music is performed by a professional quartet – The Thomas Sutton Singers.  The Tour will be divided into two parts – Sacred and Secular.  It will also include a 10-minute recital on the restored 1842 Walker organ in the Chapel.  

The Foundling Museum explores the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity and first public art gallery. The Foundling Hospital, which continues today as the children’s charity Coram, was established in 1739 by the philanthropist Thomas Coram to care for babies at risk of abandonment. Instrumental in helping Coram realise his vision were William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel. The Museum building was constructed in the 1930s on the site of the Foundling Hospital, and incorporates many architectural features from the original 18th century Hospital building.

The Charles Dickens Museum holds the world’s most important collection of material relating to the great novelist and social campaigner. The rare books, paintings, photographs and memorabilia on display here give a unique insight into the life and work of the author. ‘My house in town’, as Dickens referred to 48 Doughty Street, was an important place in the writer’s life. It was here that some of his best-loved novels were written, including Oliver Twist.

Located in Shoreditch, the Geffrye is in one of the former early 18th-century almshouses of the Ironmongers Company. The museum explores life in the home from around 1600 to the present day. The focus is on the living rooms of the urban middle classes in England, particularly in London. It shows how homes were used and furnished over this period, reflecting changes in society, patterns of behaviour, style, fashion and taste. In December,  the museum's period rooms are decorated in authentic festive style, giving visitors an evocative impression of Christmas celebrations in English homes over the past four centuries. The switch from home-crafted to shop-bought decorations, the increasing popularity of Santa Claus and the growing prominence of children during the season will all be explored in talks and through the displays.

The restored Almshouse has been taken back to its original condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of London's poor and elderly in former times.

The visit will start with a talk from 10.00 to 10.45, followed by three separate tours to the Almshouse at respectively 11.00am, 12.00pm and 14.00pm. In the meantime, the other two groups will be able to visit the museum in free flow. A 'lunch' of mulled wine and mince pies (@ £ 5.50 pp – is included in the price) and will take place at 13.00pm.

The walk will start from Holborn Tube Station at 10.00am and will be led by Deborah Charles, a qualified London Blue Badge Tourist Guide who  has conducted previous very enjoyable tours for Kingston DFAS. Deborah is an enthusiastic guide with a great passion for London.

Disappearing into the small back streets, we enter into the quiet of Lincoln's Inn Fields, and discover one of London's oldest squares, site of executions and two major connections to Charles Dickens. Walking through the legal enclave Lincoln's Inn, one of the four Inns of Court, we may be able to visit the Chapel and discover a quirky pub en-route before we find the location of Sweeney Todd's establishment. From Fleet Street we wander through the old 18th century alleys and see where Dr Samuel Johnson lived. We will then have lunch (included in the price) in a private room at the Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub before visiting St Bride's Church at 13.00pm.

Stepping into 2000 years of history, the story of St Bride's Church is woven into the fabric of the City of London. A succession of churches had already existed on this site for about a millennium before the Great Fire of 1666 left the last church in ruins. It took nine years for the St Bride's to re-emerge from the ashes under the direction of Christopher Wren. In 1940, St Bride's fell to flames again as German bombs reduced it to a roofless shell. This time 17 years elapsed before rebuilding was completed but important excavations in 1953 uncovered the foundations of all six previous churches on the site.

The Red House in Beckenham was commissioned, created and lived in by William Morris, father of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Designed by Philip Webb and completed in 1860, it was described by Edward Burne-Jones as ‘the beautifullest place on earth’. 2015 marks the centenary of Webb’s death.

Eltham Palace is one of the few important medieval royal palaces in England to survive with substantial remains intact. In the 1930s a private house was built by the wealthy Courtauld family next to the original Palace and represents one of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture. Five new rooms have been unveiled for the first time. There will also be an opportunity to view the gardens.

Following on from our very popular visits in 2013 and 2014, we have arranged another opportunity to see this fascinating house and gallery. Stanley Picker was a patron of the arts who formed a very individual collection of twentieth-century sculptures and paintings. He was born in New York in 1913 and died in England in 1982. In 1976 Stanley set up a Charitable Trust to encourage young artists at what was then Kingston College of Art. Nowadays the Trust also encourages and supports students at many other establishments in London and other parts of the UK. Stanley’s house, off Kingston Hill, was designed by local architect Kenneth Wood and built in 1968. The specification was for the design was that it would house and display his art collection and at the same time to be a home where he could live and enjoy entertaining. The tour lasts for two hours. Visitors will be given an introduction to the history of Stanley Picker, the collection and the Trust he established. A lecturer, who has researched Stanley Picker, his house and his collection, will guide you around the house and gallery, followed by a walk around the beautiful gardens. Tea or coffee is included.

Please note the following:

• The garden, the main areas of the house and the gallery, which are built on a slope, can only be accessed by a series of steep stairs. There is no lift.
• No more than 6 cars may be parked on the forecourt, so please state if you need to travel by car. (Please arrive no more than 15 minutes before the tour is due to start.) The house can be reached by bus nos. K3 and 85 from Kingston or no. 57 from Wimbledon, followed by a 10-12 minute walk.
• Please wear flat, soft-soled shoes to protect the polished floors.
• No photography is allowed at the property (not even by mobile phones with cameras.)

Blenheim Palace was built in the early 18th century to celebrate the victory over the French in the war of the Spanish succession and was a gift to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill. It is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture with stunning portraits, tapestries and furniture and was the birthplace of Winston Churchill. In addition there are 2000 acres of Capability Brown parkland and formal gardens. Our visit will consist of tea and coffee on arrival, a short talk in a private room by an historian, followed by a guided tour of the palace. In the afternoon you will be free to explore the gardens.

Leighton House is the former studio-house of the Victorian artist Frederic, Lord Leighton. It is one of the most remarkable buildings of the nineteenth century, containing a fascinating collection of paintings and sculpture by Leighton and his contemporaries. Built to Leighton’s precise requirements, the house was extended and embellished over the 30 years he lived in it. From modest beginnings it grew into a ‘private palace of art’ featuring the extraordinary Arab Hall with its golden dome, intricate mosaics, and walls lined with beautiful Islamic tiles. Upstairs, Leighton’s vast painting studio was one of the sights of London, filled with paintings in different stages of completion, the walls hung with examples of his work and lit by a great north window. Many of the most prominent figures of the Victorian age were entertained in this room, including Queen Victoria herself, who called on Leighton in 1859. But Leighton lived alone in his palace, occupying the only bedroom on the first floor. Leighton House Museum is surrounded by a group of other studio-houses, all of which were built in the second half of the nineteenth century. This group provides a unique insight into the wealth, status and taste of successful artists in the late-Victorian period. 18 Stafford Terrace. From 1875 this was the home of the Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, his wife Marion, and his two children. The house gives an insight into the personal lives of the Sambourne family, and also provides a rare example of what was known as an ‘Aesthetic Interior’ or ‘House Beautiful’ style. The Aesthetic Movement of the late 19th century advocated the use of foreign or ‘exotic’ influences in the decoration of the home. This can be seen by the various Japanese, Middle-Eastern and Chinese objects throughout the Sambourne’s home. Our joint tour will allow us to experience both houses in the same day. We will enjoy a comprehensive tour of one house in the morning and then have a break for lunch, for which you can visit one of the local cafés or restaurants. We will then visit the other house in the afternoon for a second tour. This gives a really interesting insight into two artists, living close to each other, at precisely the same period, but with very different homes and professional standings.

The National Portrait Gallery is home to the largest collection of portraits in the world, with works dating from the Middle Ages to the present day. The Tour that we will undertake is called The Enlightenment. It identifies and explores the Movers and Shakers in Britain during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and allows us to be immersed in the intellectual, scientific and cultural milieu of the time. Our visit will consist of an hour’s guided tour with one of the gallery’s guides after which we will be free to explore the gallery on our own.

Following on from our very popular event in 2013, we have arranged another opportunity to see this fascinating house and gallery. Stanley Picker was a patron of the arts who formed a very individual collection of twentieth-century sculptures and paintings. He was born in New York in 1913 and died in England in 1982. In 1976 Stanley set up the Charitable Trust to encourage young artists at what was then Kingston College of Art. In addition, the Trust encourages and supports students on vocational training courses in Fine Arts and Performing Arts at many other establishments in London and other parts of the UK. Stanley’s house, off Kingston Hill, was designed by local architect Kenneth Wood and built in 1968. The specification for the design was that it was to be built to house and display his art collection and at the same time to be a home where he could live and enjoy entertaining. The garden gallery was added in 1976 to accommodate his expanding collection. The house, which was designed for its location on the side of a hill, is split level and there is no lift. Please note that the garden, the main areas of the house and the gallery can be accessed only by a series of steep stairs. The tour lasts for two hours. Visitors will be given an introduction on the history of Stanley Picker, the collection and the Trust he established. A lecturer, who has researched Stanley Picker, his house and his collection, will guide you around the house and collection to study the paintings, architecture and furnishings, with the tour then concluding (after tea or coffee) with a walk around the beautiful gardens.

This visit will start at St. Albans Cathedral for their 'Music in Bloom' Flower Festival, when the Cathedral will be transformed into a stunning oasis of colour and sound. Hundreds of beautiful and imaginative flower displays will clothe the ancient stones and architecture of this unique building - from delicate posies to majestic designs that scale the heights of the Cathedral nave. The arrangements will be themed on musical titles of every genre, from Vivaldi, Handel and Holst to Abba, Elton John and Kate Perry, to name a few. The visit will be self-guided, but experienced Cathedral Guides will be on hand to answer specific questions about the Cathedral. Coffee or tea will be available on arrival in the Abbot's Kitchen, and lunch (not included) can be had either there, or in the nearby cafes and restaurants in St. Albans town. After lunch, we will travel to Chenies Manor House, Rickmansworth, for a guided tour of the 15th and 16th century brick manor house with fortified tower and stepped gables. It was originally the home of the Russell family, then Earls of Bedford, and was visited by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Tea will be served after the tour, and there will be the opportunity to wander round the garden.

The Courtauld Institute of Art UK, commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art. The art collection of the Institute is known particularly for its French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings and is housed in the Courtauld Gallery. The Institute and the Gallery are both in Somerset House, in the Strand, London.

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn. It is located in the wider Temple area of London, near the Royal Courts of Justice, and within the City of London. In the 13th century, the Inns of Court originated as hostels and schools for student lawyers. The Middle Temple is the western part of "The Temple", the headquarters of the Knights Templar until they were dissolved in 1312; the awe-inspiring Temple Church still stands as a "peculiar" (extra-diocesan) church of the Inner and Middle Temples. There has never been an "Outer Temple", apart from a Victorian-era office block of that name: an order of 1337 mentions the "lane through the middle of the Court of the Temple", used by chancery justices and clerks on their way to Westminster, which became known as Middle Temple Lane and probably gave its name to the Inn. The Inns stopped being responsible for legal education in 1852, although they continue to provide training in areas such as advocacy and ethics for students, pupil barristers and newly qualified barristers. Most of the Inn is occupied by barristers' offices, known as "chambers". One of the Middle Temple's main functions now is to provide education and support for new members to the profession. This is done through advocacy training, the provision of scholarships (over £1 million in 2011), subsidised accommodation both in the Temple and in Clapham,and by providing events where junior members may meet their more senior colleagues for help and advice.