Guided Tour

Guided Tour

What is it? 

A guided tour is the practice of an individual leading a group of people around a point of interest and giving them information about it, which can cover topics such as religious significance, cultural history and how it relates to other locations and events in history. 

What does it involve?

Attending a guided tour basically just involves paying attention! All the work is done for you in finding out the facts and presenting them in an interesting manner; the role of the participant just calls for a level of interest in your surroundings and an eagerness to learn!

Why do it and what are the benefits?

Tour guides can be extremely educational - physically interacting with the place while learning about its history will provide a different kind of academic experience to the classroom by giving the students something more tangible to focus on.

What equipment do we need?

You shouldn't need any equipment for a guided tour, but check beforehand to make sure; some tours involve their participants even further by getting them to write down their own thoughts, or make drawings - so you may need to ensure students have something to write on!

Who is it suitable for?

Guided Tours are suitable for pretty much anybody if you pick the right one - smaller children will find it harder to focus on more complex subjects and will need more visual aids, but if they are engaged correctly they will have a great time! Likewise, teenage students will get bored if the subject isn't engaging enough, so make sure to choose the tour appropriate for the age and interests of the group. 

Costs?

Around £20 or less per person, but it can vary greatly depending on the location of the tour - for example, a minibus tour around a park will cost more than a short walk around a country manor! Make sure to shop around to get an idea of the prices in your area. 

Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)

A guided tour should be suitable for all ages, but students with condtions such has ADHD may have trouble focusing for an extended period of time - make sure to be aware of the specific needs of your group. 

How do we include?

Many guided tours have disabled access for those with limited physical movement, but it would be wise to doublecheck beforehand. Those who are deaf and blind can also be included in guided tours but may need more specialist staff - again, you will need to check with the specific establishments. 

Doing it abroad?

There are points of public interest all around the world, so wherever you can find something well known chances are there will be a guided tour available! Foreign tours may be conducted in another language though, so make sure to confirm the specifications of the tour before booking it. 

Main website: 

This website gives a good overview of places where you can go for a tour guide, but you're best looking at the specific areas around you to find out details!

 

See the list below for venues and providers who deliver this activity:

East Riddlesden Hall

17th-century manor house with romantic, intimate gardens
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Come and explore East Riddlesden Hall, home of 17th century cloth merchant James Murgatroyd.  See the changes he made and discover why his work was never completed.

For generations, this estate was a hive of farming activity; producing enough milk, cheese and bread to adequately supply the household and its workers.

Read more

Foundling Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Foundling Museum explores the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity, and first public art gallery, and celebrates the ways in which artists of all disciplines have helped improve children’s lives for over 270 years. Our programme of regular public events includes exhibitions, displays, weekly lunchtime concerts, talks, performances, workshops and drop-in family activities.

Read more

Netheravon Dovecote

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Set a mere four miles from Stonehenge, Netheravon Dovecote is a charming yet practical building - and an excellent example of an early 18th century dovecote. It still retains most of its original 700 chalk nesting boxes.

You can see the exterior of Netheravon Dovecote from the nearby Millennium Park. You can access this via the lane to the Church, opposite the village garage. Visitors should park in the Netheravon Church car park and then walk back down the lane from the Church and turn left into Millennium Park, via a black pedestrian gate.

Read more

Grange Barn

13th-century monastic barn
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

One of Europe's oldest timber-framed buildings, it has a cathedral-like interior and is linked to a local Cistercian abbey.

Inside the barn hosts an exhibition of local woodcarving, tools and a collection of agricultural carts.

Read more

Dorneywood Gardens

1930s-style garden, with herbaceous borders, cottage garden and lily pond
Venue Type: 
Parks and Gardens
Overall Rating: 
0

Did you know?

Dorneywood is traditionally the country residence of a senior member of the Government, usually a Secretary of State or Minister of the Crown. It was given to us by Lord Courtauld-Thomson and it is administered by the Dorneywood Trust.

Useful information

Dorneywood is open on selected summer dates.

Read more

Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker

The Deepest Nuclear Bunker in the South of England
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Come and witness the three lives of the bunker starting with its role as an RAF ROTOR Station, then a brief period as a civil defence centre through to its most recent life as a Regional Government HQ. Designed for up to 600 military and civilian personnel, possibly even the Prime Minister, their collective task being to organise the survival of the population in the awful aftermath of a nuclear war.

Read more

Houghton House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Houghton House today is the shell of a 17th century mansion commanding magnificent views, reputedly the inspiration for the ‘House Beautiful’ in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

It was built around 1615 for Mary, Dowager Countess of Pembroke, in a mixture of Jacobean and Classical styles: the ground floors of two Italianate loggias survive, possibly the work of Inigo Jones.

Information panels describe the house, its owners and the surrounding hunting estate. 

History

Read more

Eton College Natural History Museum

Venue Type: 
Science & Technology
Overall Rating: 
0

The museum was opened in 1875 to house the Thackeray Collection of British Birds and other collections and has been located in its present site since 1895. It now houses over 15,000 specimens, donated from the nineteenth century onwards. Initially, the museum belonged to Eton College Natural History Society and was actively curated by boys.

From 1994 to 2000 the displays were extensively refurbished and reorganised and are now used extensively for teaching biology and geology as well as being open to the public and visited by numerous outside groups. 

Read more

Malone House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Located on the site of a 17th century fort, Malone House was built in the 1820s for William Wallace Legge, a rich Belfast merchant who had inherited the surrounding land. A keen landscaper, he designed and planted most of the estate's grounds, which remain relatively unchanged today. 

Read more

Farnborough Hall

Honey-coloured stone house with exquisite plasterwork and fine landscaped garden
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Nestled in the heart of rural Warwickshire, surrounded by elegant lakes and fine landscape gardens sits Farnborough Hall. Made from the locally quarryed Horton honey-coloured stone, this country house shimmers in the sunlight.

Inside, the finest 18th-century plasterwork, depicting natural beauty and wildlife, adorns the interiors. On your way around you'll spot many treasures that were collected during the Grand Tour, as well as sentimental family items and photographs.

Read more

Pages

Login/Sign Up

Latest News

Schoolboy Falls From 60ft Cliff on School Trip

A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries. 

TELL ME MORE