Classic England Latest News

The Beatles and North West England Tours

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:33:00 GMT

The Beatles are the most famous band in the world and visitors can visit the most important locations in England associated with the four men who transformed the music industry. Beginning in London, you can walk across the famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing and visit Saville Row where they played their last concert from the rooftop. At the Hard Rock Café you can enjoy a relaxed lunch and see the hand written lyrics of John Lennon’s Imagine and Instant Karma as well as the jacket he wore in a New York concert.
Travelling to Liverpool, the home of the Fab Four, you see the Beatles Story Exhibition, celebrating their music and culture. You can visit the Cavern Club where they appeared over 300 times and stay in the sumptuous Hard Days Night, a Beatles themed hotel.

The Classic England Liverpool and Manchester tour can include a private tour of this great city including the homes of the members of the band and Strawberry Fields. A Beatles tour can be combined with a sightseeing tour of the region including the nearby Lake District, one of the most scenic areas of Britain and our finest National Park.

From 16 sparkling lakes and England’s highest mountains, to sheltered valleys and heather moorlands, the Lake District has inspired and captivated generations of visitors and famous writers and poets such as William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. With thousands of miles of footpaths through this stunning scenery, visitors can travel on foot, by steam boat and wind through country lanes to their luxurious lakeside hotel.

Classic England offers a variety of tours in this iconic region of England including our Lake District tour, which takes in the castles, country houses and homes of Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth. We can create an Itinerary which satisfies your personal requirements and interest. Please contact us for more information.

The Building of The Shard

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 10:17:00 GMT

London’s skyline is constantly changing and visitors to our capital city cannot avoid noticing the striking outline of London’s newest skyscraper, known as The Shard. Nearing completion, this will contain one of the finest hotels in the country and at 1,016 feet it is regarded as one of the most ambitious architectural feats in the country. The Shangri-La hotel at the top of the Shard will provide Far Eastern luxury for the discerning traveller.

If you cannot wait until 2013 to come and visit us when the hotel is due to open, Classic England Tours provides clients with a wide range of accommodation choices from cosy B&B’s, country Inns, sumptuous castle hotels and country mansions. Choose from our range of Platinum Tours, which include Fine Dining Tours, Castle Tours and even Helicopter Tours and you will experience the finest that England can offer. Stay in a rural paradise in Oxfordshire at Raymond Blanc’s Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons or the historically significant Cliveden House in Royal Buckinghamshire.

We regularly visit the hotels that we choose for our clients to ensure that they receive the highest standards of quality and service. If you have any questions about the hotels we recommend, or if you wish us to prepare a personally planned itinerary for your private tour of any region of England, please contact us.

Things to see & do in England this Summer

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:58:00 GMT

The 2012 Olympics in London is rapidly approaching and Classic England still has opportunities for visitors to this event to extend their stay and visit the beautiful countryside around London.

The Garden Tour of Kent takes in some of the finest gardens in the world, including Sissinghurst Castle, created around the remains of an Elizabethan mansion by Vita Sackville West, and Great Dixter, the pioneering garden of Christopher Lloyd, famed for his experimental planting schemes. At Wakehurst Place you can see the country home of the Royal Botanic Gardens of Kew, an internationally significant botanic garden with plants from around the world, carefully planted in a secluded valley. Included in this is Kew's Millennium Seed Bank which contains 10% of the world's seeds. This garden tour can be combined with visits to some of England’s great castles such as Dover, Hever and Leeds Castle.

Alternatively, you could visit the scenic Cotswolds, with its rural villages hewn from the golden limestone of the area. Visit historic Bath on the Southern fringe and wind along country roads to Shakespeare’s Stratford, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Visit the City of Oxford, with its secluded colleges and visit Blenheim Palace nearby, birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and the seat of the Duke of Marlborough.

2012 is also an important year in the literary world, celebrating the works of Charles Dickens to mark the 200th year since his birth. Visitors will have the opportunity to visit places and attractions of some of the greatest authors in the English language including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, as well as more contemporary authors such as J.K. Rowling.

If you would like to extend your visit to London, during the Olympics, or would like our Official Olympics Tour Guide to take you around the venues for the sporting events, please contact us and we can build a personal itinerary for your perfect vacation in England.

The History & Culture of England

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:25:00 GMT

England today, is a small island with a small population, home to around 52 million people. However, over the centuries, England has been one of the most influential countries on the world stage, from arts and literature to history and politics.

Throughout England there are magnificent monuments to the past and present from the incomparable pre-historic megaliths of Stonehenge, to the modern art at the galleries of London.

One of England’s most iconic monuments are it’s castles. From the beginning of time, man has fortified his homestead. In early times, earthworks were built around the highest point to oversee any possible danger. As time went by, these earthworks grew into stone forts and eventually into magnificent castles dominating the landscapes. As political tensions eased, these castles were turned into opulent stately homes crammed full with art and fine furniture. You can visit some of England’s outstanding castles with one of our castle tours.

Landscapes too, have been influential. After taking ideas from the near continent in the 14th and 15th centuries, garden design and gardening grew into a national passion with a eclectic range of gardens from vast rolling landscapes to city centre parks. One of the most prominent gardeners of the early age was Capability Brown – known as Capability for famously saying that, whilst designing a garden, it has capabilities. Then, over the next few hundred years as the country grew rich through overseas trade, many designers grew famous. These included Vita Sackville West at Sissinghurst, Lawrence Johnson at Hidcote Manor and Gertrude Jekyll for many commissions around England. Take a tour through the garden history of England with our garden tours.

With a growing worldwide Empire from the 16th century onwards, the political system in England was exported throughout the globe. From the Magna Carta giving citizens many new rights as far back as the 13th century to the Civil Service in the 19th century, the democratic process which evolved in England can be seen in the four corners of the planet. Why not see how democracy was created in England with a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament as part of any of our London tours.

The English language is often regarded as England’s most enduring legacy. From Shakespeare, Jane Austen and J.K. Rowling, English Authors have produced some of the most outstanding works of literature. With our literature tours, you can visit and tour some of the places your favourite author knew and the movie sets from many of the films made in England, including our Harry Potter tour of the movie locations. 2012 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birth and we have created some new trails and tours.

So there are certainly lots of things to see and do in England this year!So there are certainly lots of things to see and do in England this year!

Our Guide To The Queen & Her Diamond Jubilee

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:13:00 GMT

In a year with many outstanding events in England, arguably the highlight is The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years of her reign. The celebrations will centre around an extended weekend in June 2012 – the 2nd to 5th. To mark the upcoming event, we have produced a quick guide to The Queen.

Who is The Queen?
Born in 1926, Princess Elizabeth was the eldest daughter of King George and Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). At the time of her birth, she was not expected to become queen, but with the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, she became first in line to the throne. King George died suddenly in 1952 and Princess Elizabeth came to the throne on 6 February 1952. The following year, her coronation took place in Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953.

The queen is now the second longest serving monarch after Queen Victoria. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002.

What does the Queen do?
The British Sovereign can be seen as having two roles: Head of State and Head of the Nation.

As Head of State, The Queen undertakes a number of constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. There are inward duties, with The Queen playing a part in State functions in Britain. These include the opening of Parliament, the signing of Acts of Parliament, and holding meetings with the Prime Minister.

There are also outward duties of State when The Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world. For example, The Queen receives foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertains visiting Heads of State and makes State visits overseas to other countries in support of diplomatic and economic relations.

As Head of Nation, The Queen's role is less formal, but no less important for the social and cultural functions it fulfils. These include: providing a focus for national identity, unity and pride; giving a sense of stability and continuity; recognizing success, achievement and excellence; and supporting service to others, particularly through public service and the voluntary sector.

Interesting facts about the Queen

There have been 12 Prime Ministers since the Queen took to the throne. The first was Winston Churchill and Tony Blair was the first to be born in her reign.
She is patron of 600 charities.
Elizabeth is head of state of 15 other countries including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Jamaica.
The Queen has sat for 129 portraits during her reign.
The Corgi is her favourite breed of dog and she has had more than 30 during the last 60 years.
The Queen and Prince Philip have been married for 64 years.
Elizabeth is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror.
She has signed more than 3500 acts of Parliament.
The Queen has answered more than 3.5 million pieces of correspondence.
Over the last 60 years, the Queen has visited 116 countries. She has visited Australia 18 times, Canada 22 times and New Zealand 10 times.

There are a number of events planned for the Jubilee. These include a concert in the front of Buckingham Palace, a river pageant along the Thames, street parties in every town and village plus the lighting of thousands of beacons throughout the land.

You can visit many of the places associated with the Royal family with our Royal London tours and castle tours.

Events for England Tours in 2012

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:51:00 GMT

Classic England’s tailor made England Tours can include the wide range of events and festivals planned throughout the country in 2012. There is a huge selection of events to choose from and we have selected our top ten favourites for 2012, including National Festivals and obscure local celebrations:

The 2012 London Olympic Games – As the greatest sporting event on Earth approaches, the Olympic Torch will begin its 70 day journey across the UK, beginning at Land’s End in Cornwall and travelling to Alnwick, where the magnificent Castle was used as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies.
200 Years of Charles Dickens – To celebrate the bicentenary of one of our greatest authors, many events have been planned from the famous dockyards of Portsmouth to Teesdale where the industrial north of England was immortalised in Hard Times. While he was researching Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens stayed in Barnard Castle, just across the county border from Yorkshire.
The World Shakespeare Festival – begins in March with a production of ‘Twelfth Night’ at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon. There are many new productions of his plays throughout the country and The British Museum will host a major exhibition.
Fire Garden at Stonehenge – as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival and the London Festival 2012, French fire-starting art troupe Compagnie Carabosse will create a truly unique visual experience known as the elemental Fire Garden with all sorts of fiery sculptures bursting to life. This can be seen as part of our Stonehenge tours.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration –On 3rd June the largest flotilla ever seen in London will be seen from the banks of the River Thames. The Queen will lead 1,000 boats in her Royal Barge from Battersea to Tower Bridge.
Chelsea Flower Show – as part of our England garden tours, why not combine a visit to the World’s most famous gardening show with a visit to the spectacular gardens at Kew, Sissinghurst and Great Dixter.
The Annual Cheese Rolling Festival 2012 – A truly magnificent experience is to watch the locals chase a Double Gloucester Cheese down the precipitous Coopers Hill in rural Gloucestershire.
The Maldon Mud Race – Why not take part and get dirty in the famous mud race in Essex in support of 4 great charities!
The Birdman of Bognor – An annual event where ‘birdmen’ attempt to fly off the end of the pier in Bognor Regis to win prizes of up to £30,000.
Badminton Horse Trials – attend England’s greatest equestrian event in the grounds of a magnificent stately home. Use this opportunity to explore the beautiful towns and villages in our Cotswold tours.

Why not incorporate the festival or event of your choice in your Classic England Tour? Contact us for more information on any of these events and tours.

New England Tours Added!

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:06:00 GMT

Classic England’s range of UK tours has been expanded significantly to cover every region and county of England and Wales. These have been launched to mark our new website which has been developed to showcase the huge range of possibilities our country has to offer. These tours can be used as a starting point to create an England Tour which meets their requirements and interests.

Your regional England Tour can incorporate a theme of your choice, whether it be History, Literature and Movies, England Gardens, the wilds of rural life, the art and culture of England’s cities or the coves, cliffs and beaches of our spectacular coastline.

Our England History Tours can take you from the Roman legacy of the hot springs in Bath to the cobbled streets of York and the 1,000 year old castle of Dover, with its maze of underground tunnels used during WWII.

Our literature and movie tours include the magnificent colleges of Oxford where Tolkien studied, the rural peace of Hardy’s Dorset, the bleak Moors of Bronte country , Stratford upon Avon, a haven for those who love Shakespeare and the majestic cathedral at Winchester, resting place of Jane Austen. For our younger visitors, the Harry Potter tour locations at Alnwick Castle, Lacock Abbey and Leadenhall Market in London are always popular.

England contains the finest gardens in the world and our England Garden Tours include locations such as Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst, Great Dixter in the South East and delights such as the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall.

Whatever region you choose for your England Tour, Classic England can incorporate a theme of your choice. Please contact us for a personally planned itinerary.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:50:00 GMT

The plans for Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee have been announced. The Royal Family will visit all 15 countries where the Queen is still head of state, including Australia and Canada.

The Queen and Prince Philip will take a well paced tour to the four corners of Britain and Northern Ireland.

During the celebration in first few days of June, the Queen will lead a flotilla of up to 1000 boats along the river Thames.