I lead tours in London, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire looking at aspects of architecture and history that are beyond the obvious. This means that you might join me in looking for traces of the lost palaces which lined the Strand in London in the 17th Century. Alternatively you could join me in looking at architecture and history in a market town or visiting a less well known country house to discover its hidden treasures.
If my schedule doesn’t suit yours I will take bookings for private tours for individuals or groups of up to 20 people at £200 per tour. Please have a look at my list of tours and contact me to arrange a time and date; my diary is often quite full but if I can fit you in at short notice I will alternatively I’m used to taking bookings weeks or months into the future.
My tours usually last two hours and are suitable for those aged 10 and over with an interest in buildings and the past. Individuals can book onto scheduled tours, but remember places are limited to a maximum of 20 people.
My current programme of tours and visits is below with prices. Please email me at zilphahistory@gmail.com to book places or if you have any queries.
10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. Wednesday 10th June, Dayschool : Buildings and History in Great Missenden.
This dayschool will look at what buildings can tell us about local history. The morning will consist of two lectures looking at some of the clues we can discover from buildings by looking at style and materials to help in dating and to think about the intentions of the builders. In the afternoon we will walk through Great Missenden to apply some of the ideas discussed in the morning. £30 per person. N.b. the venue has parking and is accessible by rail and bus. Morning refreshments provided.
2.00 – 4.00 p.m. Wednesday 17th June. Walk : Between the Strand and the Thames; Traces of Palaces.
Unsurprisingly the Strand, as the street connecting London and Westminster, was by 1600 lined with houses of enormous ambition which have almost entirely vanished. We will find traces of these great houses, an echo of them in the exterior of Astor House and a replacement in Somerset House. (Walk previous held December 2022),£12.50 per Person.
2.00-3.30 p.m. Wednesday 15th July : Kimbolton Castle, Cambridgeshire.
From 1615-1950 Kimbolton was the seat of the Montagus; Earls and Dukes of Manchester. The house was substantially rebuilt between 1690 and 1720 including much work by Sir John Vanbrugh; the 300th anniversary of whose death is being marked in 2026. The house combines the baroque, including murals by Pellegrini, with what Vanbrugh termed “something of the castle air”. Kimbolton has been a school since 1950 and occasionally opens to the public but is in a little known corner of west Cambridgeshire north of Bedford. £22 per Person (there will be a maximum of 30 places for this visit).
1.30-3.30 p.m. Monday 27th July. Walk : Rebuilding after the Blitz, Piccadilly to Soho.
This walk will look at a mix of buildings redeveloped in the 1930’s and those restored or built after the Second World War. We will start at Piccadilly Circus and take in Leicester Square, St. James’ Piccadilly before ending at St. Anne’s Soho. (Walk previous held November 2022) £12.50 per Person.
11.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. Thursday 6th August. Walk : Letchworth Garden City.
Ebenezer Howard had a vision of a new type of urban development which avoided the pollution and overcrowding of so many Victorian cities. In 1903 this was begun with the purchase of land in Hertfordshire on which a new town would be founded with areas zoned for housing, commerce and industry. We will see how Letchworth fulfilled this vision and the influence it had on town planning. £10 per person.
1.30-3.30 p.m. Wednesday 2nd September. Walk : Clapham, a Common and a Suburb.
In the Georgian period Clapham Common was fringed with substantial villas and became associated with anti slavery campaigners like William Wilberforce. During the Victorian and Edwardian periods many of these villas were replaced with terraced housing but the Common was preserved and developed as a place of recreation. We will explore these layers of history. £15 per person.
1.30-3.30 p.m. Tuesday 15th September. Walk : Fitzrovia, Between Large London Estates.
Starting from Warren Street Underground station we will explore this area which was sandwiched between the much larger estates of the Dukes of Bedford and Portland. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Fitzroy and Berners families developed their properties but were not very successful in maintaining the social standing of the area despite some fine houses. The area’s decline was reflected in the building of a workhouse in 1770’s on Cleveland Street. £15 per person.
11.00 a.m – 1.00 p.m. Tuesday 6th October. Walk : Architecture and History in Brill, Buckinghamshire.
Once a royal manor and a small town by the 19th Century Brill had become a large village. In addition to agriculture it was known as centre of making pottery and bricks. The hilltop location was also suitable for windmills, of which one remains. We will explore what the buildings have to say about Brill’s history. £12 per person.
Bookings.
To book a place on the above lectures, walks or visits please contact me at Zilphahistory@gmail.com with details of which events you would like to book and for how many people, I will then confirm that places remain and invoice you. Payment will confirm the booking.
Cancelations.
In the unlikely case of my having to cancel an event everyone who has paid will be refunded in full or the credit carried over. In cases where a participant would like to cancel a place a full refund will be given if I am able to resell the place(s).