CHRIS VAN HAYDEN TOURS
Hi there,
I’m a London Blue Badge Tour Guide - the highest tourist guiding qualification in the UK - with a great passion for London, its history, art, architecture, museums, galleries, entertainment, shopping and everything that makes our capital such a special place.
Have a look at my site to see some of the tours I offer, but do enquire for any specialised tours or if you want me to help you devise an itinerary.
My particular interests lie in London’s Science, Art and Rock’n’roll history, as well as British and World History.
I cater for all occasion and groups, whether you want a friendly companion to join your family for a light entertaining few hours or you want an in depth overview of your topic of choice.
On this homepage you will find first listed my most popular and requested tours, followed by more specialised areas of interest.
Looking forward to meeting you. Safe travels!
Chris Van Hayden
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
With over a 1,000 years of history Westminster Abbey is arguably Britain’s most famous church. The oldest parts of the Abbey date from the reign of King Edward the Confessor who re-founded the Benedictine Monastery (consecrated in 1065) and had his royal palace built next to it, making Westminster the royal and spiritual centre of the nation.
The Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066, the venue for numerous other royal celebrations, including sixteen royal weddings and the more recent funeral services of Lady Diana and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Highlights include: The Grave of the Unknown Warrior, the Henry VII Chapel, Poet’s and Scientist’s Corner, tombs of Kings and Queens and more.
Discounted tickets for the Abbey can be bought on the day with me at the group entrance.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
st paul’s cathedral
St Paul’s is the City of London’s cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London. This treasured English Baroque masterpiece, the work of Sir Christopher Wren, is the latest incarnation of many churches that stood on this site since 604.
Whilst Westminster Abbey is associated with the Monarchy, St Paul’s is considered the Nation’s cathedral. Since the Napoleonic Wars, it has become the resting place of military heroes including Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, and where the funeral service to Sir WInston Churchill took place.
Highlights include: its spectacular dome which can be climbed, extensive mosaic decorations, monuments in the nave, tombs in the crypt and more.
Tickets to St Paul’s Cathedral can be pre-booked here: St Paul’s Cathedral
For private bookings please use my contact page.
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS
Meeting Room in the Churchill War Rooms
Let’s explore the Cabinet War Rooms, where Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill planned strategy during WW2 along with his inner circle and the Generals Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, defying the odds when all seemed lost at the dawn of the Battle of Britain.
The War Rooms are located in the heart of Westminster, within walking distance to the Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.
Tickets to the Churchill War Rooms can be pre-booked here: Churchill War Rooms
For private bookings please use my contact page.
British museum
British Museum, Bloomsbury, "Photo by DAVID ILIFHistoryF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0"
The first public museum founded in 1753, in lieu of instructing those interested in learning. The museum is dedicated to civilisations through material culture. Some of its highlights include the Rosetta Stone, used to decipher hieroglyphs in the 19th century, the Parthenon Marbles that decorated the temple topping the Acropolis, Roman, Islamic, Greek, Japanese galleries and much more. Tours can be tailored to special interests: i.e. the Enlightenment Gallery and the development of the Museum, Egyptian galleries, Greek galleries, Roman galleries, etc.
The British Museum is one of my favourite museums to guide in.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
TOWER OF LONDON
Ravens at the Tower of London / Tower Bridge
London’s castle the Tower of London takes us back to the Middle Ages, to William the Conqueror’s take over the English Crown and the Norman Conquest. By the Renaissance, the Tower was feared by those who upset King henry VIII, the place where many who stood up to him during the English Reformation, were incarcerated and the likes of Thomas More and Queen Anne Boleyn lost their heads. Other highlights include the Royal Mint, the Ravens pictured above, the Beefeaters, tales of torture, fortifications, weaponry, armour and the famous Crown Jewels, still used for the Coronation Ceremony.
Tickets to the Tower of London can be pre-booked here: Tower of London
For private bookings please use my contact page.
Royal London & Changing of the guard
Buckingham Palace, Westminster
Take a stroll through London’s Royal quarter. Here you can see where our Monarchs have lived for almost 1000 years. Highlights include Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, Clarence House, Marlborough House, the royal district of St James, the Royal Parks and the Palace of Westminster - Houses of Parliament.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
Windsor castle
Step back in history and visit Britain’s most spectacular castle, spanning almost 900 years of history. Closely related to our reigning House of Windsor, this is where Queen Elizabeth II lived the last two years of her reign. The Royal Palace is still used for state events which take place in the beautiful State Apartments, decorated with painted masterpieces, elegant porcelains, antique weapons and diplomatic gifts from across the globe.
In the Chapel of St George, tombs of monarchs from George III to date can be seen, as well as that of Henry VIII, Charles I and the more recent burial of Queen Elizabeth II alongside her parents, sister and husband prince Philip.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
HAMPTON COURT PALACE
Image by Luke Nicolaides - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukenicolaides/8845859010/
Henry VIII’s great house of entertainment. Part Tudor, part Baroque palace, Hampton Court Palace offers stunning architecture, beautiful artwork and stories of intrigue and tragedy of the Tudor, Stuart and Georgian courts.
Tickets to the Hampton Court Palace can be pre-booked here: Hampton Court Palace
For private bookings please use my contact page.
V&A Museum
The greatest collection of Decorative Arts and Design in the world with over 2 and a half million objects. Having studied Art History this is one of my favourite museums and a very special place to visit.
Besides painting and sculpture, the V&A holds extensive collections of ceramics and porcelain, dress from all periods including contemporary fashion, ivories, metal work, religious artwork in all media, stained glass, tapestry, drawings, miniature painting, jewellery, casts and metal reproductions of famous works from around the world. Highlights include the Islamic, Japanese, European Medieval and Baroque galleries.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
NATIONAL GALLERY & national portrait gallery
Both these galleries crown Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London.
The National Gallery offers a collection of over 2400 paintings from the mid-twelfth to the late eighteenth century, at the dawn of the modern period, covering all styles and movements - Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Rococo, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Furthermore the collection is arranged by styles within each movement - religious, portraiture, historic, landscape, still life, etc.
The National Portrait Gallery as the name suggests covers only portraiture, in various mediums: painting, sculpture and photograph. The collection is ideal for learning about the history of Britain through the lives of notable individuals, including monarchs, scientists, authors, thinkers, political leaders, artists and musicians.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
natural history museum
Described as a cathedral to nature, this beautiful Neo-Romanesque Victorian building houses some of the earliest dinosaurs discovered in the 19th c. by Gideon Mantell, William Buckland and almost complete Stegosaurus skeleton. It also holds many of the marine reptiles found by the pioneering fossil huntress Mary Anning and animal and plant specimen collected by Charles Darwin during his voyage of the Beagle. The museum’s founder Richard Owen coined the term Dinosaur.
A visit to this remarkable museum is an opportunity to admire the animal kingdom’s diversity and beauty and understand the processes that lead to such diversity around the Earth.
The collection also covers geology and minerals.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
SCIENCE museum
Also based in Kensington next to the V&A and Natural History Museum is the Science Museum which has an extensive collection with specialised galleries covering Space Travel, the Industrial Revolution powered by the steam engine, developments in transport, computing, communications, medicine galleries, time keeping and aviation.
This is the perfect museum to inspire young inquisitive minds or those curious about science, medicine and technology.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
LEIGHTON HOUSE
tate galleries
LONDON rock’n’roll
It was just over 60 years ago that the Beatles travelled down to London to audition, first with Decca who famously turned them down and then with EMI, who signed the Fab Four. Beatlemania was the beginning of a musical revolution which first took over Britain and then was exported globally as the British Invasion. The Beatles paved the way for countless British bands, which having grown up on American Rock’n’roll and Blues, were now in high demand in the US and beyond. It is no surprise that a young Jimi Hendrix came to London to launch his brief musical career, fusing blues, psychedelia and flamboyant guitar histrionics, inspired by the likes of Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.
I created London Louder for all those music lovers, who like me grew up listening to the golden era of Rock music. I can remember my toddler years surrounded by the sounds of Pink Floyd and the Beatles, and once I started playing guitar, my hunger for the vintage sounds of the 70’ led me to ransack my Dad’s vinyl collection and discover Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and Cream, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Yes, King Crimson, Black Sabbath and the list goes on.
With London Louder I am hoping to share locations where albums were made, bands formed or broke up, cover albums were created, gigs were played, rockstars lived, partied, died, enriched by anecdotes, the social context and fashions of the period.
Some band and artists: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, David Bowie, Marc Bolan and T-Rex, Queen, Bob Marley, Iron Maiden. Bespoke tours and more artists on request with sufficient notice.
Rock On!
For private bookings please use my contact page.
HERITAGE WALKS
Heritage Walks are great to explore the rich history & contemporary life in London’s Boroughs, town centres and off the beaten track attractive areas. To mention a few City of London, Barnes, Mortlake, Battersea, Chelsea, Putney, Fulham, Spitalfields, Wimbledon, Notting Hill, Covent Garden, Greenwich and more.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
Why not travel in style and book a helicopter flight over London, a private luxury vehicle with driver or a classic London cab!
MORE…
Themed tour ideas
London Cemeteries
Architecture
Royal Parks, Public Parks, Gardens & Commons
Religious London - Churches & Burial Grounds
out of london tour
Stonehenge
Oxford
Bath
Cotswolds
Canterbury
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Hever Castle
Chartwell House
SHORT Biography
I was born in Milan Italy but grew up in London. My father is English and my mother from El Salvador. I have lived 11 years in Italy, 10 in El Salvador and a year and half in Texas US, where I trained to be an Air Force pilot, as a member of the Salvadorean Armed Forces in the late 90s.
Back in London in the early 2000s I pursued my other passion as a musician and guitarist. From 2008 to 2012, I ran my own school of rock in Battersea, London.
In 2015 I published ‘The Rock Adventures of Rocky Rocks’ a fictional children’s novel which I authored, illustrated and created music for. This can be purchased: here
After completing a Bachelor’s degree in History and Art History I embarked on the Blue Badge London course 2018-20.
I am a serious rower and sculler, and when I’m not guiding, playing guitar or doing lots of research you’re likely to find me floating up and down the River Thames at speed!
My trek sculling down the Oxford and Cambridge Boatrace course, from Putney to Mortlake. Everything about the race and cultural heritage history along the route.
events
Heritage Walks, Galleries & Museum visits, and other events scheduled.
VLOGS
A variety of videos covering a range of subjects, from social reform in the Victorian Age to Rock’n’Roll London history.
blog
My blogs cover a variety of subjects related to London. Architecture, institutions, people, history, art, entertainment, reviews, music and else.
artwork & music
Some of my artistic projects.
Illustration from The Rock Adventures of Rocky Rocks
What People Are Saying
‘The Central London Highlights Tour with Chris was fantastic, and was a great orientation for the members of our family who are visiting London for the first time. Chris was filled with knowledge and he conducted the tour at a pace that worked for everyone in our group. The ride on the Thames was a great way to see the City from a different perspective and to also move our group efficiently. An excellent tour that I highly recommend!’
Central London Highlights Tour with Thames Riverboat Cruise
— cynthia monahan
‘Chris was very informed and polite. Definitely a highlight of our trip.’
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS - A CRASH COURSE
— PATRICIA YOUNG
‘Chris is phenomenal. Set a great pace for our 7-year old and kept her engaged the entire time. Will absolutely seek out tours in the future that Chris leads. Many thanks!’
