My name is Patricia.
I am a professional licensed tour guide in the UK with 20 years experience and holder of the prestigious Blue Badge.
Because of the Corona virus situation,nearly all real-life tours are not happening with the exception of couples or family visits. All of my most popular tours are running online now via Zoom and are great fun. Contact me so I can send you more info on my 10 popular virtual talks ranging from Gardens to historic sites and art gallery visits. I do these mostly for private groups and societies with fabulous feedback so far.
Here are some examples of my virtual tours.
The History &=> Highlights of Kew Gardens
*Surprising stories from the greatest botanic gardens in the world.
Meet me on Zoom to hear fascinating stories of suffragette arson, giant waterlilies, and the world's smallest Royal Palace. Meet "the loneliest bachelor in the world," plants that save people from illness, and get useful advice on what not to miss on your next visit to the Gardens.
<p=> St. Paul's Cathedral
*Learn about Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece and its treasures.
On Ludgate Hill, the highest point of the City of London stands St. Paul's Cathedral, London's largest Anglican church and the seat of the Bishop of London. Hear how this baroque cathedral came to be after 35 years of shaping and what happened to it during World War II. Let me show you some of its best artworks. Listen to its 17th cent organ and virtually descend to the crypt to see the tombs of some important historic people buried there.
=>Peter Paul Rubens and Van Dyck in London
*Baroque masters of the turbulent English Stuart times.
Learn why the two most famous 17th century Flemish baroque masters came to England to work for the British royal family, and what political climate they encountered not long before the outbreak of the civil war. Learn what their perceptions were of the English aristocracy from archived correspondence. See some of their most important works such as the famous Whitehall Palace ceiling paintings by Rubens, the propaganda paintings of king Charles I by Van Dyck and some significant paintings from the National Gallery.
=>The history of English Gardens
*A look at the ever- changing fashions in English Gardens throughout the last 500 years.
From structured Tudor Gardens to French and Italy influenced Stuart gardens to the birth of the magnificent English landscape garden in the 18C. From fashionable Victorian gardens with intricate designs, the first flower beds and greenhouses full of exotic colours to some of England’s famous 20 C garden designs. Join me on a journey through England’s most beautiful gardens.
=> 17C Masters of the Low Countries: Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck and Teniers at the National Gallery.
Interesting stories of the lives of 4 major 17C artists with focus on some beautiful paintings on display at the National Gallery in London.
Why did these contemporaries become so famous? What did they have in common with each other? What was fashionable in painting in the 17C Low Countries and how did some of these paintings end up in England?
I am fully insured and licensed to guide inside Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, St.Paul's Cathedral, Windsor Castle, Parliament and a number of galleries and museums in London.
I love combining my passion for languages with history.
I can create a bespoke tour, tailor-made to your personal interests and time available so you just relax and let the professionals take care of creating nice memories for you.
I also offer a few online virtual tours and talks via zoom which you can watch from the comfort of your own home or can do one privately for your family and friends. My tours are personalized, interesting and fun and will hopefully inspire you to travel to England for real in the future...
Oh, and you can ask me all your questions too during our Q&A session.
As a true European and linguist, brought up bilingually and having traveled extensively I offer my tours not only in English, but also in Dutch, Spanish, French and Japanese, all languages I use regularly.
My interests are broad and range from royal history to architecture and art history to English gardens etc... . . .
Are you travelling ro real or virtually as a family with children or teenagers? You are very welcome on my tours as I also have extensive experience in working with educational tours through my own company with great feedback from schools and groups. I can adapt my tours for families with young children or teenagers with something of interest for both.
I offer a wide array of themed tours in London such as for example :
- Royal and aristocratic London
- Architecture in London br>
- Imperial Britain and the Docklands
- Street art in trendy Shoreditch
- Harry Potter film locations
- A stroll along the river Thames in central London
- Highlights of the British Museum
- The history of British fashion and interior design with the
highlights of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
- Must-see paintings of the National Gallery
- Visit Tate Modern, the building and its important collection of modern art
art
paintings
- a guided tour in the John Soane Museum
- Historic walk from the Royal Borough of Chelsea and Kensington to Notting Hill.
- A guided tour of the world-renowned Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew
- What was it like to live in London during World War II ? (option to include a visit to Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms)
- Ecologic living in London with a visit to a Container City in East London
- History of the city of London from Roman settlement to the financial powerhouse of the world.
. . . . .
I look forward to welcoming you on my private tours soon.
To book for my online virtual tours and talks click here: