Our Tour Directors

Chosen not only for their specialist knowledge, but equally for the clarity and enthusiasm with which they communicate and impart their passion to others, our expert Tour Directors are personally involved in the creation and planning of our tours. Biographies and further information about all of our Tour Directors are available at the back of this brochure, as well as on our website. Several of our tours, particularly our river cruises, combine the expertise of multiple Tour Directors, whose specialisms across distinct subject areas combine to create a unique amalgamation of perspectives. On many of our tours, the Tour Director or Directors will be supported by an experienced Tour Manager, responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of our itineraries.

Tom Abbott BA, MA
Tom is an art and architectural historian associated with the Foundation of Prussian Palaces and Gardens.

Harriet Allen PhD
Harriet is a geographer and a Fellow, Tutor and Director of Studies at Girton College, Cambridge.

John Binns PhD
Rev John Binns has visited and written about Ethiopia on many occasions

Meg Boulton PhD, FRSA
Meg is a specialist in Medieval art and on theories of space.

Christopher Bourne BA
Christopher is an expert on the art and architecture of Belgium.

Cosmo Samuel Brockway
Cosmo is a travel and interiors journalist, tour leader, and award-winning author of Glorious Hotels of India.

Judy Brown
Judy is a Scottish mezzo-soprano who trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

John Bryden MA, ARCM, ARCO
John is an international concert pianist and organist and classical music lecturer

Sarah Burles MA
Sarah is a freelance art historian and museum professional who worked at the Fitzwilliam Museum

Sandy Burnett MA
Sandy is a musician and former BBC Radio 3 broadcaster

Emilie Capulet RSA, MMus, PhD
Emilie is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Head of Classical Performance at the London College of Music.

Suzanne Fagence Cooper MA, PhD
Suzanne is a lecturer and historian who specialises in British art history.

Imogen Corrigan MPhil FRHistS FRSA
Imogen is a proficient lecturer on medieval history and particularly church art and architecture, and accredited with the Arts Society.

Rupert Dickens BA, MA
Rupert is an art historian with a specialism in the art of the Netherlands and Belgium.

Hugh Doherty DPhil
Hugh Doherty is a classical and medieval historian

Michael Downes MA, MPHIL, DPHIL
Michael is a conductor, writer and lecturer with a particular interest in opera

Peter Exley BSc
Peter is an ecologist and ornithologist who works for the RSPB.

Oliver Gerrish MSt
Oliver is an architectural historian who studied at the University of Cambridge.

Julia Griffin MA, PhD
Julia is a specialist in 19th and 20th century British and Polish art, design and cultural history.

Kevin Hand MSc, MCIEEM
Kevin is a conservationist, ornithologist and environmental consultant.

Juliet Heslewood MA
Juliet a lecturer on art and architecture who lived in France for 30 years.

Charles Hind MA, FSA
Charles is an architectural historian and Chief Curator and H J Heinz Curator of Drawings at the RIBA

Gillian Hovell BA (Hons)
Gillian is an archaeologist and expert on the ancient world, writer, broadcaster and lecturer at York University.

Nick Jackson
Nick Jackson graduated from the Institute of Archaeology at UCL, and has excavated widely in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Paul Jackson MA, PhD
Paul is a conductor, pianist and musicologist and former Director of Music at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.

Russell Keable BA, MMus
Russell teaches at the University of Surrey and is active as a composer, arranger, lecturer, broadcaster and performer.

Philip Kenrick MA, DPhil
Philip is a classical archaeologist and author.

Mike King BA, MA
Mike is a museum professional and Heritage Manager for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

Marcus Kohler BA
Marcus is an ecologist and ornithologist who works in the UK, South East Asia, Australasia and Africa and has led wildlife tours across the world

Alex Koller PhD
Alex is an expert in art history and architecture.

Marie-Anne Mancio MPhil, DPhil
Marie-Anne is an art historian, writer, experienced tour leader and Arts Society accredited lecturer

Eireann Marshall
Dr. Eireann Marshall is a Research Associate and Associate Lecturer with the Open University.

Steve Mastin MA, PGCE, FHA
Steve studied history and classics before becoming a teacher and is a Fellow of the Historical Association

Donald Maxwell
Donald is an operatic baritone, director and lecturer. He has been a professional opera singer for more than forty years.

Elizabeth Morrell BA
Elizabeth Morrell is a sinologist and Chinese speaker

Alan Powers PhD
Alan is one of the UK’s leading architectural historians.

Rita Roussos PhD
Rita taught archaeology and art history and has worked on archaeological projects in the Peloponnese.

Evelyn Silber MA, PhD, FMA, FSA
Evelyn is an Art historian and former Director of Leeds Museums and Galleries.

Ashley Solomon FRCM, FRAM
Ashley is Chair and Head of Historical Performance at the Royal College of Music and Director of Baroque ensemble Florilegium.

Andrew Spira MA
Andrew was a specialist in Byzantine and Russian icons at the Temple Gallery, London, before working as a curator at the V&A Museum.

Martin Symington BA
Martin is one of Britain’s most prolific travel journalists, regularly contributing to The Times, The Daily Mail and Wanderlust.

Lars Tharp MA, FSA
Lars is a Danish-born art historian, lecturer and broadcaster.

Lucrezia Walker BA, MA
Lucrezia lectures at the National Gallery and teaches the London Art History Programme for the University of North Carolina.

Diana Ward MSC, CBIOL, MRSB, MCIEEM
Diana is an ecologist and wildlife specialist.

Nicholas Wearne BA (hons), MPhil (Oxon)
Nicholas is an ACE Bursary student, a tutor and Junior Fellow at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Mark Welch BSc, PhD
Mark is a professional research scientist in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum.

Christopher Wellington MA
Christopher is a historian based in Italy with a special interest in the Church and art and architecture, especially of the Middle Ages.

Richard Wigmore MA, AGSM
Richard is a writer, broadcaster, lecturer and former professional singer.

Andrew Wilson BA, BD, FSASCOT
Andrew is a specialist in archaeology and ancient history with a particular interest in Roman frontier systems and Byzantine mosaics.