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:

Loughwood Meeting House

17th-century thatched Baptist meeting house
Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Discover Loughwood, one of the earliest surviving Baptist churches in the country. Founded in secret during a time of great persecution towards non-conformists, this beautiful chapel is set into the hillside and looks out over the rolling east Devon countryside with views of the Axe Valley.

Step through the front door to travel back in time and explore this place of worship which has remained virtually unchanged since the 18th century.

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Royal College of Physicians Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is the oldest medical college in England. Its collections relate to the history of the College, and to the physician's profession.

Collections range from portraits, providing a pictorial and sculptural record of presidents, fellows and other physicians associated with the RCP, from its foundation in 1518 to the present, the fascinating Symons collection of medical instruments, and the Hoffbrand collection of apothecary jars.

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Buildwas Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Impressive ruins of a Cistercian abbey, including its unusually unaltered 12th century church, beautiful vaulted and tile-floored chapter house, and recently re-opened crypt chapel.

Situated in a wooded Severn-side setting, not far from the Iron Bridge and Wenlock Priory.

Don't Miss
  • The chapter house with its amazingly intact tiled floor and decorative stonework
  • The remains of the fine 12th century church
  • Taking the nature trail, including the abbey fishponds
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Lilleshall Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Extensive ruins of an Augustinian abbey, later a Civil War stronghold, in a deeply rural setting.

Much of the church survives, unusually viewable from gallery level, along with the lavishly sculpted processional door and other cloister buildings. 

History

The founding community was brought to Lilleshall Abbey from Dorchester Abbey in Oxfordshire and, as at Dorchester, for a time the canons followed the specific customs and daily religious observance of the important Augustinian monastery at Arrouaise in north-eastern France.

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Rievaulx Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

If peace and tranquillity is what you seek from a family day out in Yorkshire, then Rievaulx Abbey is the perfect choice. Set in a remote valley in the North York Moors National Park, Rievaulx is one of the most complete, and atmospheric, of England’s abbey ruins. It’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular visitor attractions in the North.

Learn about the monks in medieval times – how they devoted their lives to spiritual matters and at the same time established a thriving business to become one of the wealthiest monasteries in Britain.

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Royal College of Nursing Library and Heritage Centre

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Royal College of Nursing Library and Heritage Centre is home to Europe’s largest nursing specific collection.

In 2013 we opened an exciting new space which includes public exhibitions, a cafe and a shop within the Library space.

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Royal Society of Medicine Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Medical and Chirurgical Society of London was founded on 22nd May 1805 with the aim of bringing together physicians and surgeons in order to further scientific, professional and social communication. This body eventually became the Royal Society of Medicine.

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The National Museum of Computing

Venue Type: 
Science & Technology
Overall Rating: 
0

A museum housing the world's largest selection of working vintage computers. It tells the story of computing from the 1940s Colossus computer, which helped the father of computers Alan Turing break the Nazi Enigma Code machine in the Second World War, through the monster mainframes of the 1970s, home computers of the 1980s to the Touchtable of the present. Most machines are working and many are hands-on.

The National Museum of Computing is located on the secret wartime codebreaking campus of Bletchley Park.

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Colman's Mustard Shop & Museum

Victorian style shop filled with memorabilia of Norwich’s most famous export
Venue Type: 
Factory Visits & Industry
Overall Rating: 
0

Colman’s have been making fine quality mustards in Norfolk for 200 years and this tradition is celebrated in Colman’s Mustard Shop & Museum. Housed in the historic Art Nouveau Royal Arcade near Norwich Market, the shop is a careful replica of a Victorian trade premises.

Displays illustrate all aspects of the history and production of Colman’s mustard, with many historic items on show such as wartime mustard tins and Victorian and Art Deco mustard pots.

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Anaesthesia Heritage Centre

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

The Anaesthesia Heritage Centre at the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland was founded from a donation by A Charles King but has since embraced numerous contributions. The collection encompasses the entire history of anaesthesia, from Morton's demonstration of ether inhalation in 1846 to modern anaesthetic machines and appliances still in use today. An archive and library provide excellent facilities for research into the history of anaesthesia.

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