uk and ireland

durham and the kingdom of northumbria Based in Durham and touring the Northumbrian countryside, out tour takes in highlights from the Middle Ages to the 21st century	palaces of the peak district These Derbyshire properties are set in stunning scenery, extremely well preserved and offer an impressive overview of English patronage by related families over 3 centuries	glories of york and yorkshire York is Britain’s most important archaeological site, with three earlier cities buried under the medieval city. The Minster, northern Europe’s largest Gothic cathedral, stands on the site of the Roman Principia where Constantine was crowned Emperor
dumfries house –castles & stately homes of the scottish lowlands Visit some of the most outanding stately homes and castles in the region	london – art nouveau and art deco London’s wealth has sometimes found expression in lavish design styles that are not generally well represented in Britain. This tour highlights some of the more exuberant examples	the pre-raphaelites and art in northern england The magnificent city galleries of Manchester and Liverpool re-opened in April 2002 after major refurbishment. They house a great collection of European Art. There is a special emphasis on British works and, in particular, the Pre-Raphaelite movement
classical and romantic edinburgh The Georgian town planning of the ‘Athens of the North’ has won World Heritage status. Edinburgh also boasts Europe’s first mediaeval skyscrapers in the Old Town	art, architecture & gardens of the west country Two of Britain’s most celebrated artists’ and potters’ colonies grew up 100 years ago in St Ives and Newlyn and are still thriving. New and restored gardens reflect our increasing appreciation of earth’s ecology	william morris and the arts and crafts movement “Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful” – William Morris
constable and gainsborough country Based in Cambridge, this tour visits the countryside where Constable grew up and which, he said, "made me a painter"	canterbury and kent The Garden of England is rich in historic buildings of all kinds, furnished with interesting art works. • Sissinghurst Castle Gardens created by Vita Sackville West and her husband around an Elizabethan mansion	great galleries tour – london, oxford and cambridge 3 day tour
art treasures of glasgow and the clyde valley Broughton House, Galloway – home of painter E A Hornel	cardiff and south wales South Wales offers more than the Valleys; it has an unjustly overlooked and rich cultural heritage which includes: • Cardiff Art Gallery - magnificent paintings, drawings, sculpture, silver and ceramics of the past five centuries with one of Europe’s best collections of Impressionist works	london – stately homes and villages An “upstairs, downstairs” tour reflecting 400 years of English social history
charles rennie mackintosh – artist, architect and designer At the turn of the 20th century and largely ignored by the art establishment, an extraordinary flowering of architecture and design was under way in the city of Glasgow.	royal and ancient tayside Glamis, Blair and Scone are furnished with luxurious art & antiques. The author Walter Scott’s Borders home is the expression of one man’s passion for history	bath, wells and somerset Wells Cathedral with its cloister, chapter house, Vicar’s Close and Bishop’s Palace, occupies a large part of the small market town. Bath’s Georgian town plan is world heritage class and the Bath Spa re-opened in 2006 to great fanfare
castles and gardens of north wales North Wales has the greatest concentration of castles anywhere in Europe, most of them World Heritage Sites. The scenery of Snowdonia, with several mountain peaks of over 1,000 metres, inspired Tolkien’s novels and its mines still provide the gold for our royal wedding rings	dublin & irish art treasures This Dublin-based art tour starts with a specialist guided tour of the city and visits: