Empire in a Cup : the history of tea

It was because I was previously the Governor of the British territory of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha that I became a tour guide. Sounds improbable, I know! Well, the story is that after a lifetime of being a diplomat working overseas on development and poverty, I decided to resign and do something completely different. I studied and qualified to be a tour guide. Why? Well one of my overseas roles was as Governor of St Helena - in the middle of the South Atlantic and mostly known as the island where Napoleon died. However, another fascinating part of the island's history is that it was governed and ruled by the famous and infamous East India Company for 200 years. When I wasn't working I used to sometimes do tours of my house…an old and magnificent mansion built for previous Governors by the EIC in 1792. I loved sharing the story. When I reinvented myself as a guide, I dedicated a year to researching the history of the East India Company in London and around the world. This was my first tour and others have been developed from there. I make my tours informative, but ultimately fun. We walk in the footsteps of different characters who have gone before. We uncover little-known nooks and crannys, alleyways, and niches in the City and elsewhere. Many people who come on my tours say they thought they knew London but that they've never been to some of the places I take them. I also love researching family history. I have exhausted my own (!) and come from a long line of ancestors from the East end of London, but you can often find me spending some of the cold winter days researching other peoples' family history, particularly where they have connections to London. I marry my genealogy expertise with my tour guiding skills and design a personal and bespoke tour of the connected sights. It's fascinating showing people their family history in such an immersive and individual way. So if you fancy spending some time with a former Governor, do get in touch. I'm happy to talk about my life and my experience living in the remarkable island of St Helena many, many miles from land. And I'd love to show you around and help you to discover the fascinating city of London. I am a qualified City of London Green Badge guide. Member of Institute of Tour Guiding Licenced Mudlarker Freeman of the City of London Genealogist researcher Certain of the big attractions (Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral etc) only allow their own guides to show visitors around and I don’t have a license for them.