Tour guide in London England Paula F.

Hello my name is paula and I am a 5th generation Born and Bred Londoner. I was born and educated in East London and have spent all of my working life in london as a whole. Firstly as a Civil Servant and for the past 20plus years as a Licensed Taxi driver (often called london cabbies or Black Cab driver). I have always loved showing people around london and even when I first got my taxi licence back in 2001 I would often take my family and friends on days out in the cab to see the sights and in the winter this would extend to the famous Christmas lights on oxford street, a privilege us cabbies still enjoy today as licensed taxis are the only vehicles legally allowed to Travel on Oxford Street, apart from red buses that is. In 2016 I took the Cab Guide course, a guiding course specifically for Licensed taxi drivers, as they already have the geographical know-how safely stored in their brain from their days studying the knowledge of london, and I have been guiding professionally ever since. The cab guide course is run by the worshipful company of hackney carriage drivers, one of the city of Londons livery companies, ( A livery company is an ancient form of trade association with medieval foundations) and accredited by the city University. Since doing this course I have gone on to obtain two more qualifications, one in the borough of Camden(a huge and interesting borough which includes the areas of Camden town, Hampstead, Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia) and another in the City of London, the square mile and oldest part of London with examinations set by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. I offer both Taxi and walking tours and can also tailor make your tour to exact requirements with either those listed or if you would prefer something relating to a particular interest or off the beaten track please do get in touch as I love putting together bespoke tours. For Taxi Tours I drive one of the more recent Mercedes Benz Vito taxi's which is very spacious, air conditioned with full wheelchair access. The vehicle seats up to 6 people conference style, (3 forward facing and 3 rear facing) The rear facing seats are traditional taxi tip seats, giving an incredible amount of space when not in use. My taxi tours are not limited to London, I also offer day excursions to places of historical interest laced with the beautiful English Countryside. Licensed London Taxi Driver (All London/Green Badge) passing the KNOWLEDGE OF LONDON examinations in 2001 Qualified Cab Guide accredited by The Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers Qualified City of London Guide/Institute of Tourist Guiding Green Badge and member of City of London Guides and Lecturers Association Qualified Camden Guide and member of Camden Tour Guides Association Member of Ealing and West London Tour Guides Association Member of London Historians Member of The National Trust Member of English Heritage Member of The Art fund Member of Camden History Society Although I am a multi-qualified & registered guide I am not a Blue Badge guide so am unable to guide inside of Westminster Abbey, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower of London & Windsor Castle, I can however ‘accompany only’ inside these Historic buildings