London Tours & Excursions
The Science Museum
Monday, 17 June, 09:00-13:00 or Tuesday, 18 June, 12:45-16:45
$90 USD per person
The Science Museum is one of London's most distinguished venues, situated on Exhibition Road in upmarket South Kensington. Whilst the museum is indeed a very popular tourist attraction, we would like to offer members a bespoke opportunity to be guided through the more relevant exhibitions with one of the museum's specialist curators. Areas to be included are as follows:
Communications and Computing - focusing on the historical aspects of early electronic computers, based on the plans drawn up by Charles Babbage in the 19th century, this exhibition enables members to discover how communication was officiated when a phone was simply a phone and computers were the size of a car! The Telecommunications gallery provides an insight into the many uses of the electric telegraph, the telephone and radio. A prominent feature is a mock-up of a telecommunication exhibition of about 1929, a 'show within a show' which captures a little of the excitement of the rapid advance of telecommunications technology in the 1920s.
The Web Lab - made of up five experiment installations that bring the extraordinary workings of the internet to life. This exhibition aims to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of the power and possibilities of the modern web and how an exhibition or other product can have both a physical and an online presence. It will bring an awareness of the technologies that makes the modern web work and will hopefully motivate the desire to further embrace computer science learning.
Codebreaker - celebrates the centenary of the birth of Alan Turing. This biographical exhibition explores Turing's inspirational story and examines his profound influence on the fields of codebreaking, computing, mathematics, artificial intelligence and biology. The life and legacy of Alan Turing will be told using objects (including some which have never been on public display), archival material, interactive exhibits, photographs and quotations.
The museum often holds pop-up exhibitions throughout the year, therefore once these installations are confirmed; there may be further opportunity for additional content of the experience. Another point to note is that the museum recently received funding for a new gallery "Making Modern Communications" commissioned to open in the Autumn 2014. Showcasing the Science Museum's world class collections, this new venture will tell the story of 200 years of innovation in communication technology and how we connect and share information with each other. Whilst the exhibition is not due to option just yet, we may be able to incorporate an advanced insight into the experience.
The Churchill Cabinet War Rooms & Household Cavalry Museum
Monday, 17 June, 09:00-13:00 or Tuesday, 18 June, 12:45-16:45
$105 USD per person
Members will encounter an exclusive experience, commencing with a walk along the prestigious Whitehall, viewing along to Downing Street; the home of the British Prime Minister. In 1940, shortly after becoming Prime Minister, Churchill stood in the War Cabinet Room and declared: 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'. Today, you can step back in time to explore the secret headquarters where Churchill and his staff changed the course of history. See where Churchill and his War Cabinet met, sometimes late into the night, and look through the lens of history into the Map Room, where the books and charts have remained exactly where they were left in 1945.
A specialist guide from the museum itself will chaperon the members, whilst they view this important snapshot of British history. A private gallery will be allocated for the members to enjoy a unique, educational seminar surrounding the importance of Churchill’s role in WWII and the effect this had on communication both at the time and moving forward through post-war Britain.
After the experience at the War Rooms, we will continue our walk along Whitehall, passing the building of the original Palace of Whitehall, Banqueting House and the Cenotaph before visiting The Household Cavalry Museum. Here, members will have the opportunity to take a “behind- the-scenes” look at the work that goes into the ceremonial and operational roles of the Household Cavalry Regiment.
Bletchley Park
Monday, 17 June, Full Day (09:00-17:00)
$115 USD per person
Bletchley Park is situated North of London, making this excursion to the secret home of the code breakers of WWII and birthplace of the modern computer, a full day experience.
Morning refreshments will welcome the group to Bletchley after their transfer from central London. A specialist guide will provide an introductory talk, before commencing the first part of this significant experience. This will take place around the outside of the wartime buildings in the grounds of Bletchley Park, where members will be given a detailed history of the site and its code breaking activities. They will discover the actions that occurred at each of the key locations, including the famous code breaking huts; there will also be an opportunity to see the Polish Memorial in the stable yard.
A timely break for lunch will be had before the experience resumes. The remainder of the day will include a visit to the Block B museum which houses the Abwehr Enigma machine, the Lorenz machine, Bombe Rebuild and Alan Turing statue. Here, the specialist guide will educate members on the complete Bletchley Park story; focussing particularly on the Enigma cypher. The Enigma cypher was the backbone of German military and intelligence communications. Invented in 1918, it was initially designed to secure banking communications, but achieved little success in that sphere. The guide will highlight how the German military were quick to see the Enigma's potential and how this impacted on communication channels at that time.
Finally, the excursion will end with a look at the Colossus Rebuild; the first semi-programmable electronic computer, followed by a very traditionally British afternoon tea in the Mansion House. For members wanting a closer look at the exhibition, this would be the opportune moment to revisit any areas of interest; the guide will be available for should there be any questions.
Charles Dickens Experience
Monday, 17 June, 12:45-16:45 or Thursday, 20 June, 12:45-16:45
$100 USD per person
For a literary, informative experience; the Charles Dickens Museum in London offers a fantastic option for the ICA members. Experience an insight into the life of Charles Dickens, a man who is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and the creator of some of the world's most memorable fictional characters.
Now the home of the Charles Dickens Museum, the group will start the day at 48 Doughty Street where Dickens once lived with his wife and three children. The décor is reminiscent of how the house may have looked when Dickens owned it; the various rooms displaying personal possessions of the author including manuscripts, letters and portraits. The specialist guide will provide a comprehensive and in-depth account of the life of Dickens; his inspirations as one of the most celebrated novelists of our heritage and how he campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education and other social reforms.
Currently undergoing an incredible refurbishment; the Charles Dickens Museum is due to reopen in the New Year. This three million pounds restoration was instigated by the importance to preserve the heritage of this site for future generations; promoting its potential for a more diverse audience today and continuing the communication surrounding this famous author and how his literary genius has influenced the writing of the future.
The experience will continue with a walk through the ‘Inns of Court’ of London, just as Dickens would have done. Finally, members will have the opportunity to enter one of London’s great and prestigious Victorian Gothic Buildings, ‘The Royal Courts of Justice’. Known as the Law Courts, you will be guided through this cathedral-like building, with more than a century of history; over 1000 rooms and a 3½ mile labyrinth of hallways it is one of London’s best kept secrets. The building was opened by Queen Victoria on 4th December 1882 and by day is home to the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales.
Southwark Cathedral and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
Monday, 17 June, 12:45-16:45 or Thursday, 20 June, 12:45-16:45
$100 USD per person
The experience will start with a guided tour of Southwark Cathedral and its literary connections, followed by a short walk through the Borough Market, to the famous Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
Southwark Cathedral - because of its location on Bankside, Southwark Cathedral has enjoyed a long connection with literature and the theatre. The Shakespeare memorial (designed by Henry McCarthy in 1911) can be found at the east end of the south aisle and three additional Shakespearean connections can be found in the choir floor; one of which being a tablet dedicated to his brother who is buried in the church.
Moving around the Cathedral, the windows of the north aisle commemorate other "men of letters" who have connections with Southwark. The Geoffrey Chaucer window shows the Canterbury pilgrims departing from the Tabard Inn in Southwark on their pilgrimage to Canterbury. Chaucer's narrative poem; Troilus and Criseyde, was one of Shakespeare's sources for his own play; Troilus and Cressida. The Gower window is a monument to the medieval poet and contemporary of Chaucer, John Gower. Shakespeare took the tale of Apollonius of Tyre from Gowe's Confessio Amantis and again, used it as the source for his own play, Pericles, Prince of Tyre.
Other literary characters depicted in stained glass include Samuel Johnson (of dictionary fame), who was a frequent visitor to Southwark, and Oliver Goldsmith (the dramatist), who was a Bankside doctor for a brief time. American visitors to the Cathedral will also be interested to find links to John Harvard, the founder of the university bearing his name, and to Oscar Hammerstein, the lyricist.
The Globe Theatre - in 1970, American actor and director Sam Wanamaker founded the Shakespeare Globe Trust with the objective of building a faithful recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, close to its original location at Bankside, Southwark. This educational experience gives you an opportunity to learn more about this unique building and its most famous playwright. Led by a specialist guide of the theatre itself, the experience explores the life of Shakespeare, the London where he lived, and the theatre for which he wrote. Members will be able to imagine the Globe as it would have been; the centre of what was once London's most notorious entertainment district, surrounded by raucous taverns and bawdy-houses.
Photo courtesy of ©Pawel Libera 2009.
Samuel Johnson’s House
Monday, 17 June, 12:45-16:45 or Thursday, 20 June, 12:45-16:45
$70 USD per person
Samuel Johnson, often referred to as Dr Johnson, was an author, acclaimed for his influence on English literature as a poet, essayist, literary critic, biographer and editor. It is said that Johnson changed the whole course of biography for the modern world and a visit to his house will provide members with a real insight into the mind of this literary, critical genius.
Dr Johnson's House is a charming 300-year-old townhouse, nestled amongst a maze of courts and alleys in the historic "City of London". Samuel Johnson, the writer and wit, lived and worked here in the middle of the eighteenth century, compiling his great "Dictionary of the English Language in the Garret". It had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been described as "one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship." This work brought Johnson popularity and success. Until the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years later, Johnson's was viewed as the pre-eminent British dictionary.
The collection has been built up since Cecil Harmsworth purchased the House and opened it to the public in the early 20th century. He was adamant that Dr Johnson‟s House should not be filled with "irrelevant 18th century bric-a-brac". Items in the collection had to be connected to Johnson and appropriate for the cheery home of an impoverished writer. Over the years many generous donations of relevant books, paintings and artefacts have entered the collection.
A specialist house guide will educate members; explaining Dr Johnson's fascinating life, whilst mulling over the great "Dictionary in the Garret" where it was written. Relax in the Library, soaking up the tranquil atmosphere and explore the seventeenth and eighteenth-century architecture of this historic venue.