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:

Stockport Air Raid Shelters

Step back in time to 1940s wartime Britain
Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
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Now open to the public, the shelters, with a network of tunnels almost 1.6km (1 mile) long, once sheltered 6,500 people.

Come and experience life as it was during a 'black out' in wartime Britain and experience the sights and sounds of the home front. 

Opened in 1939, the shelters were the largest purpose-built civilian air raid shelters in the country designed to provide shelter for up to 6,500 people. Don't miss the facility of a 16-seater toilet.

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Auckland Castle Deer House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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A charming Gothic Revival 'eyecatcher' built in 1760 in the park of the Bishops of Durham. It provided deer with shelter and food, and had grounds for picnics and rooms for enjoying the view.

The Bishops of Durham have kept a residence at Auckland since the Norman period.

Built about 1760 by Richard Trevor, Bishop of Durham from 1752 to 1771, it provided a feeding place and shelter for the deer, and also had rooms in which the bishop and his guests could picnic, enjoy the views of the park and take a rest from hunting.

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Hurst Castle

Venue Type: 
Castles
Overall Rating: 
0

Hurst Castle provides a remote escape by the sea with plenty of things to do and see! Built by Henry VIII it was one of the most advanced artillery fortresses in the England.

The castle was used as a prison for eminent 17th century captives, including Charles I who was imprisoned here in 1648 before being taken to London to his trial and execution, and later strengthened during the 19th and 20th centuries.

It commands the narrow entrance to the Solent with glimpses of the Isle of Wight on clear days!

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Nottingham Heroes and Villains Tour

Venue Type: 
Tours
Overall Rating: 
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The City's heritage walking tour from the Nottingham Ghost Walk team! See the key sites of interest in the City and hear intriguing tales about Robin Hood and many other famous Nottingham characters. Tour includes a cave visit (subject to availability). Was Robin Hood a Hero or a Villain?

The Nottingham 'Heroes & Villains' walking tour is an entertaining introduction to the 'real' stories of Robin Hood and many other famous characters associated with Nottingham.

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The Wallace Collection

Venue Type: 
Art Gallery
Overall Rating: 
0

The Wallace Collection is a national museum in an historic London town house, which displays the wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897.

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Gawthorpe Hall

An Elizabethan gem in the heart of industrial Lancashire
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Affectionately referred to as the ‘Downton of the North’, Gawthorpe Hall was redesigned in the 1850s by Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament and the ‘real’ Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle.

The modest Hall houses the North West’s largest collection of portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery as well as The Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, a wonderful collection of intricate lace, embroidery and needlework amassed by Miss Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth.

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Elizabethan House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

On Plymouth's historic Barbican, you'll find an ancient doorway that takes you back in time to Drake's Plymouth.

Down panelled hallways and up spiral stairs, you'll find yourself in the furnished home of an Elizabethan merchant or sea captain.

Mind your head on the low ceilings and feel the creaking oak of the sloping floors as you explore the Elizabethan House.

See our restored kitchen and gardens on the ground floor. View the dining room and parlour on the first floor and bedrooms on the second floor.

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Hagley Hall

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Hagley Hall is a Grade I listed 18th-century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George, 1st Lord Lyttelton, secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer.

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Wardown Park Museum

Venue Type: 
Museums
Overall Rating: 
0

A good display of Luton history and a history of the development of Luton industries.

Wardown Park Museum is situated in the beautiful landscaped Wardown Park, on the outskirts of Luton town centre. The museum offers a range of displays including the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment Gallery and the popular Luton Life Gallery. The museum also holds around four temporary exhibitions a year on different subjects. Wardown Park Museum also holds events and activities for all ages and interests throughout the year.

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Waltham Abbey Gatehouse and Bridge

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Explore the fascinating remnants of one of the great monastic foundations of the Middle Ages at this important site, based in the historic market town of Waltham Abbey.

With origins dating back to the early 11th century, the site adopted many religious functions over the years (including as a church and priory) before eventually becoming home to one of the most prosperous and important abbeys in the country: the final resting place of King Harold II, the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, and later housing the Waltham Bible.

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