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:

Eton College Natural History Museum

Venue Type: 
Science & Technology
Overall Rating: 
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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. 

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Malone House

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
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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. 

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Bath Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Pilgrims and visitors have been made welcome at Bath Abbey for hundreds of years. As one of the most visited places in the South West, we welcome over 420,000 people through our doors each year, but are fully aware that every visitor comes with their own expectations, beliefs and purpose.

Whether it's to admire our magnificent architecture, to enjoy our wonderful choral music or for a quiet moment of contemplation, we invite you to come and experience the Abbey's special environment for yourself.

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Lincoln Cathedral

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

We welcome thousands of children from schools across the world to the Cathedral every year. Many hundreds visit during our annual schools’ festivals: Church Schools Festival, Infant Schools Festival, Secondary Schools Festival and Special Schools Festival and we offer schools’ tours and trails throughout the academic year.

Lincoln Cathedral is an exceptional resource for learning outside the classroom. It offers opportunities for children and young people to explore Art and Design, Citizenship, History, Maths, RE, Science, and much more.

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Buckfast Abbey

Home of a Community of Roman Catholic Benedictine monks
Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

The monks are pleased to welcome school groups to their Abbey.

We have a long established Education Department (over 25 years!) with full-time education staff. This means that we can provide facilities and resources for all ages and ability levels covering a wide range of subject areas.

Our aim is to make a visit an active learning experience, encouraging pupils to understand by asking questions and solving problems.

We hope to provide experiences and memories that will last beyond the length of their visit.

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Old Sarum

Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

Discover the story of the original Salisbury and take your students of any age for a day out to Old Sarum, two miles north of where the city stands now.

The mighty Iron Age hill fort was where the first cathedral once stood and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark.

Even though the site is over 2,000 years old, there are new discoveries still being made here.

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Buscot Old Parsonage

Early 18th-century riverside house with small garden
Venue Type: 
Historic Buildings & Monuments
Overall Rating: 
0

This 18th-century house has a small walled garden, and is situated on the banks of the River Thames.

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Haughmond Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

The extensive remains of an Augustinian abbey, including its abbots' quarters, refectory and cloister.

The substantially surviving chapter house has a frontage richly bedecked with 12th and 14th century carving and statuary, and a fine timber roof of around 1500.

Pictorial interpretation boards guide the visitor, and an introductory exhibition displays archaeological finds.

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Chapter House and Pryx Chamber

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Built by the royal masons in 1250, the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey was originally used in the 13th century by Benedictine monks for their daily meetings. It later became a meeting place of the King’s Great Council and the Commons, predecessors of today’s Parliament.

A beautiful octagonal building with a vaulted ceiling and delicate central column, it offers rarely seen examples of medieval sculpture, an original floor of glazed tiles and spectacular wall paintings.

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Muchelny Abbey

Venue Type: 
Religious Buildings
Overall Rating: 
0

Muchelney Abbey, which lies two miles south of Langport, was once a landmark in the Somerset Levels and still has much to offer its visitors – history lovers in particular will enjoy this fascinating site but there is also plenty for families to do.

It was once a wealthy Benedictine house and the second oldest religious foundation in Somerset, but as part of the dissolution the abbey’s principal buildings were demolished by Henry VIII in 1538.

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