» Listings for July 2015

1. London Sightseeing Tour on Stanfords Victorian Horse Drawn Omnibus

   Posted on 7:30am Wednesday 29th Jul 2015

   

   Left to right:  Basil, Bob and Harney with Tim Wood

   I love exploring London and when I heard that Stanfords, reputedly the world's biggest travel and map bookshop, have just launched a London sightseeing tour by horse drawn Victorian omnibus I just had to check it out. So last night joined by Julie and Carolyn, friends and fellow guides, we were taken for an utterly delightful ride by Basil, Bob and Harney, three magnificent Dutch Warmbloods.

2. Swan Upping – Counting the Swans on the River Thames

   Posted on 8:00am Friday 24th Jul 2015

    

    David Barber, The Queen’s Swan Marker

   Swan Upping is an ancient ceremony which counts the number of mute swans on the River Thames.  This still relatively unknown tradition is an annual event, which takes place during the third week in July. Earlier this week Julie and I went to Oakley Court hotel to watch this spectacle and to partake of afternoon tea (seperate blog to follow). 

3. Coffin Works - Birmingham's Industrial Heritage Brought Back to Life

   Posted on 11:00am Sunday 19th Jul 2015

    

   As a volunteer at Barts Pathology Museum and a lover of all things macabre, quirky and unusual when I heard about the Coffin Works, a former coffin fittings factory in Birmingham, I just had to visit. I booked myself on a guided tour and just loved it. It's utterly fascinating, certainly not morbid or gruesome and it's suitable for children. It's an industial heritage museum, simular to Ironbridge or Beamish, but just on a much smaller and more intimate scale as it is a single building and it focuses on the death industry. 

4. Midsummer Night's Dreaming at the Museum of the Order of St John

   Posted on 2:00pm Tuesday 7th Jul 2015

   

   Chapter Hall

   Last week I was thrilled to attend  "A Midsummer Day's Dream" Champagne Tea at the Museum of the Order of St John. The museum occupies two historic sites, the  gatehouse which houses the museum's galleries and has a series of stunning rooms and a seperate building which includes the Priory Church and the Norman crypt. The magnificent suite of historic rooms provided the perfect backdrop for a splendid afternoon of Shakespearean entertainment of drama, music and dance and the balmy hot summer weather just addded to the surreal and magical atmosphere.