our tours
Antiquing Trip - Ardingly Antique Fair, West Sussex & Wakefield Place
A full day tour. We will spend the morning at Ardingly Antiques Market, West Sussex. Ardingly is one of Europe's largest markets with over 1700 stalls. The market runs for 2 days, 7 times a year (see below). The market offers a fascinating insight into the antiques trade. Meet eccentric dealers, barter for the bizarre and possibly spot a celebrity!
I will collect you from your hotel or cruise terminal in a luxury Land Rover Defender 130 (Britain’s answer to the Chevy Suburban) and take you to the market. As a seasoned antiques dealer, I can guide you through the market or merely point you in the right direction. I am happy to advise on purchases and help with negotiations.. If you need items shipping home, i can arrange this for you
At lunch time, I can take you for lunch at a historic local pub
In the afternoon, we will visit Wakehurst Place, a wild botanic garden in the heart of Sussex, home to the Millennium Seed Bank, over 500 acres of diverse landscapes and plants from across the globe. Managed by the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew. The original home was built in 1205 by William de Wakehurst with the current mansion built by Edward Culpeper between 1571 and 1590.
ITINERARY
8.00 - Collect from London hotel, Dover Cruise Terminal or other locations
9.30 - Arrive at Ardingly. Morning at the market
12.00 - Travel to local pub for lunch
2.00 - Travel to Wakefield House
2.30 - Arrive Wakehurst Place. Afternoon at the house & gardens
4.00 - Return to London
- January: Tuesday, Wednesday 20-21
- March: Tuesday, Wednesday 3-4
- April: Tuesday, Wednesday 21-22
- June: Tuesday, Wednesday 23-24
- July: Tuesday, Wednesday 21-22
- September: Tuesday, Wednesday 1-2
- November: Tuesday, Wednesday 3-4
Our Team
Our team of experienced and passionate tour guides are dedicated to ensuring that you have the best possible experience. They are knowledgeable about the history, culture, and natural beauty of the places we visit and are committed to providing you with a safe, fun, and informative tour.
Antiquing Trip - Sunbury Antiques Market, West London & Richmond upon Thames
Sunbury Antiques Market runs on the second and last Tuesday of every month (see calendar). About 45 minutes from central London it features over 700 stalls and is one of Europe’s largest markets. This is the dealers market - where they get their stock but it is open to the public. You can enter as early as 6.30 am but most arrive around 8 to 8.30 - it’s all over by 2 pm. The market offers a fascinating insight into the antiques trade. Meet eccentric dealers, barter for the bizarre and possibly spot a celebrity!
I will collect you from your hotel or cruise terminal in a luxury Land Rover Defender 130 (Britain’s answer to the Chevy Suburban) and take you to the market. As a seasoned antiques dealer, i can guide you through the market or merely point you in the right direction. I am happy to advise on purchases and help with negotiations.. If you need items shipping home, i can arrange this for you
In the afternoon, we can add lunch and a half day tour of one of London’s prettiest boroughs, Richmond upon Thames. Sometimes known as ‘Rockstars upon Thames’ because of the number of stars that live or have lived there - Mick Jagger & Jerry Hall, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones payed their first gig here at the Crawdaddy Club in 1963. Actors Tom Hardy and Richard E Grant. Brad Pitt also owns a home here. Founded by Henry VII in 1501 when he built Richmond Palace, this beautiful town on the River Thames features fascinating alleyways of shops, restaurants and bars and a wealth of history. Richmond Green offers some of the mosts expensive houses in London. Richmond Park, originally King Charles I private deer hunting park in the 1500’s now features herds of wild red deer
ITINERARY
7.30 - Collect from London hotel, Dover Cruise Terminal or other locations
8.30 - Arrive at Sunbury. Morning at the market
12.00 - Travel to Richmond upon Thames
12.30 - Lunch in Richmond
2.30 - Tour Richmond upon Thames - shops, architecture, The Green, celebrity homes
4.00 - Return to London via Richmond Park
- January
Tuesday 13th & Tuesday 27th - February
Tuesday 10th & Tuesday 24th - March
Tuesday 10th & Tuesday 31st - April
Tuesday 14th & Tuesday 28th - May
Tuesday 12th & Tuesday 26th - June
Tuesday 9th & Tuesday 30th - July
Tuesday 14th & Tuesday 28th - August
Tuesday 11th & Tuesday 25th - September
Tuesday 8th & Tuesday 29th - October
Tuesday 13th & Tuesday 27th - November
Tuesday 10th & Tuesday 24th - December
Tuesday 8th
The Magical Leeds Castle, Hidden Kent Villages, a Pub Lunch and Chartwell, Sir Winston Churchill's Home
Leeds Castle is my favourite - when Walt Disney was looking for inspiration for the Disney castle, he should have visited Leeds. The Castle has a history spanning over 900 years, evolving from a Norman stronghold built in 1119 to a royal palace and residence for six English queens. It was significantly renovated by King Edward I and later by Henry VIII for his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. After periods as a private home, prison, and Georgian mansion, it was bought in 1926 by Anglo-American heiress Lady Baillie, who transformed it into an elegant country house retreat and reopened it to the public. Olive Cecelia Baillie was born in New York in 1899 and lived in the castle until the mid 1970's.
For lunch we can travle to a traditional English pub for some famous 'pub grub' and a pint
In the afternoon we will travel to Sir Winston's Churchill's Chartwell home. Left almost untouched from when he died, a cigar still nestles in the ashtray on his desk! The origins of the estate reach back to the 14th century when the property was owned by William-at-Well. It passed through various owners and was auctioned in 1836, as a substantial brick-built manor. In 1848, it was purchased by John Campbell Colquhoun, whose grandson sold it to Churchill. The Campbell Colquhouns greatly enlarged the house and the advertisement for its sale at the time of Churchill's purchase described it as an imposing mansion. Between 1922 and 1924, it was rebuilt and extended. From the garden front, the house has extensive views over the Weald of Kent, "the most beautiful and charming" Churchill had ever seen, and the determining factor in his decision to buy the house.
ITINERARY
8.00 - Collect from London hotel, Dover Cruise Terminal or other locations
9.30 - Arrive at Leeds Castle. View the Castle, grounds and gardens
12.00 - Travel to a traditional English pub for lunch
2.00 - Travel to Chartwell
2.30 - Tour the house, the 'Rose Garden' & 'Walled Garden'. Visit Churchill's studio
4.00 - Return to London