Barry's unique background added some great additional color to our tours of both Museums. Very informative and followed a good pace for the time together.
Private tour in London Barry H
5.0
(11) reviews
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Barry H.
5.0
Guide rating
155
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3 hrs
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Hello, my name is Barry, a real local, who is an authentic born Londoner and has a lifetime working experience here. I am a sensitive, attentive, friendly and enthusiastic London guide! Patient with a sense of humour and a talker. Encyclopedic wide ranging knowledge, with many memorable stories to tell, and an ability to provide so much practical advice to enhance your visit and maximise use of time and the overall experience. I am from the same locality of London as Charlie Chaplin, actor Michael Caine, and pop star David Bowie. I am well educated, not only trained as a Blue Badge guide (the highest UK guiding qualification), but with a politics, philosophy & economics degree from the London University-London School of Economics (LSE), plus another from the University of Westminster in real estate. My profession until 2012 was "chartered surveying". This terminology means little to those outside the UK but is essentially "commercial real estate". Because my job was property investment and development for decades, I can "read" buildings from their appearance, assess, their age, architecture and construction, from any period of history. "Handy" when you realise London has been in existence for around 2, 000 years, and it has building structures from virtually every time period since its origins! I love history, culture, royalty, historical figures such as Churchill, Shakespeare, Dickens, and the military men - Wellington, Montgomery, Nelson. Some of my tours are closely associated with Shakespeare and Dickens and the London locality that inspired them. There is so much to see in London and the wider UK, and it is always a pleasure to share as much as I can with visitors, and tailor their time, experience, aspirations, to engagingly entertain them irrespective of age or origin. Over recent years it has been my pleasure to guide families, groups, and individuals. If you want someone flexible, friendly, fun and professional, then I am here to help. My in-depth knowledge extends to nearly all of the London major visitor sites, shopping and theatre areas and museums. For example I undertake Tower of London tours and City walks to include the nearby St Paul's Cathedral. Likewise I combine visits to see Buckingham Palace (and the changing of the guard) with tours of Westminster Abbey. It is the national place of coronations of Kings and Queens for nearly 1, 000 years, and burial place and memorials to many notables from British history (said to be some 3, 300) who have left their "mark". There is much much more to London than the obvious visitor haunts though! I can take you to any one of the 33 London districts many of which have an especial local character of their own with local specialist shops and markets. These accommodate an overall population thought to be currently around 9 million people. Outside of London I have special affection for some of the nearby historic towns such as Oxford, Bath, Salisbury, Canterbury, Stratford upon Avon where I also guide. My knowledge of castles, cathedrals and palaces around England is wide and Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace is a particular specialist subject which are easily visited by train or private motor vehicle. Other locations include Leeds and Hever Castles, which have beautiful settings and surrounding gardens and parkland. There is Arundel, Bodium, Dover, and Rochester castles that come to mind. These can all be seen on a day trip combining one or more. If you wish to see some of the beautiful English Countryside and its villages then this can be arranged combining it with some of the notable historic locations outside of London. I look forward to discussing and arranging something that you will find unforgettable and authentic Trained London Blue Badge Tourist Guide (M.I.T.G.) Fellow Of The Royal Institution Of Chartered Surveyors (F.R.I.C.S.) Authorised Local Islington & Clerkenwell Guide Windsor Castle & Eton Guide - Special in depth accreditation 2017 London University & University of Westminster Degrees Charterhouse (former monastery and school) Smithfeld & Clerkenwell - an accredited guide I can arrange car transport if required in a private vehicle.
Have a question or want to customize this tour? Message Barry H.
If you are daunted by the scale and size of London, I am your expert guide making the whole experience in a days outing friendly, meaningful, and concentrate on the essentials to make the most of your day. I am university educated, friendly, fun, helpful and informative. After a career in commercial real estate, now a Blue Badge trained professional guide, who is a local Londoner born and bred. I will make sense of what you see, and you will understand the formation and collections that are on display. Combined with the museum tours included is a brief walk about of the locality which surrounds them. These localities are rich in architecture, famous also for local landmarks and residents past and present
Barry's unique background added some great additional color to our tours of both Museums. Very informative and followed a good pace for the time together.
Outstanding tour of London museums! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed Barry's amazing insights and historical perspectives. Highly recommend.!
Barry was fantastic! Hit all the obvious spots in London the first part of the day so that our new people to London in the group could get a feel for the big stuff. Then we got into the alleyways, parks, and nooks that really took us deeper into London. The stories and the adventure were top notch. We will use Barry again, and I can't recommend him more highly.
It has been a year since our tour with Barry. We still talk about the tour and how knowledgeable as well as accommodating Barry was. No hesitation in recommending Barry.
Barry was great. VERY helpful, knowledgable, and energetic. Highly recommend. Thank you Barry! He went beyond....
Barry was awesome! Very knowledgeable and informative. It was a great way to spend the day and we enjoyed getting a chance to know Barry and learn about London. Highly recommend Barry to anyone looking for a nice tour of London
• 9. 00 am Meet in your hotel lobby and head off for the start of the day. • 9. 00 - 10. 00 am Make our way to The British Museum • 10. 00 -12. 00 noon Look at BM exhibits including Parthenon Marbles, Egyptian artefacts including Rameses 2nd Statue, Mummies, Chinese Gallery, Rosetta Stone (used to decipher the Hieroglyphic symbols), British Roman antiquities, Saxon Britain (circa 600AD) • 12. 00 - 13. 00 Travel to Kensington and Chelsea • 13. 00-14. 00 Lunch Break. Restaurant, Cafe, or Chelsea Gastro Pub • 14. 00 -16. 00 Victoria and Albert Museum. See British Galleries, fashion through the centuries, Entertainment and Theatre display, Silver Gallery, Jewellery Gallery, Religious Reliquaries (really old) containers said to have contained saintly remains. • 16. 00 -18. 00 see more local highlights and then return to client hotel This tour as a whole or partially, can be customized to fit your preferences - please inquire!
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Walking primarily with the potential use local buses and underground (subway)
London, England, United Kingdom
Airport: ,Cruise: ,ByGuide: Advise the guide of the hotel or accommodation address who will then collect the traveller. This can be arranged on the assumption that it is a central London location
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