Historic Tours UK Ltd

About

Overview
I am available for daily hire as a guide during those times I’m not running the Historic Tours. Our excursions will cover historical background of the cities and their wider context, particular sites and museums. For six hours, with a break for lunch, I will take you around the highlights of some northern English cities. Chester, Manchester, York, Durham and Hadrian’s Wall are my current offerings. Manchester, Durham and Chester can each individually be explored effectively in one day and I can offer two or even three-day packages in York where I grew up for those who are especially interested in this beautiful and historic city. A day or two is standard for Hadrian’s Wall. For the Wall, you must provide the transport and be willing to pick me up and drop me off from Hexham Railway Station. I have taught all these cities as part of my Study Abroad programme based in northern England (NOEP) as a tenured History professor at James Madison University, located in the United States.

 

Personalised Guiding
If you would like to emphasise particular sites in these cities or have a particular historical interest, please contact me at stephen@historictours.co.uk. I’m happy to discuss personalised itineraries.

 

Rates
My basic daily charge is £250 for groups up to ten and £300 for groups of eleven or more. There is a 10% nonrefundable deposit due on booking and the balance must be paid in full two days before the day of guiding. Payments can be made to the relevant account (USD, GBP, etc) in my Wise multi-currency account. My fees do not include tickets or entrance costs. Contact stephen@historictours.co.uk for details.

 

Instagram
You can view my instagram account here.

TOURS

https://historictoursuk.co.uk/tours  See drop-down menus for individual tours.

York, Durham and Hadrian's Wall  31st May to 8th June 2025
This tour is designed to give a good overview of York throughout its history and an introduction to Durham and Hadrian’s Wall. Dr Chappell will give five talks of 30-60 minutes just after breakfast to give the context helpful to the sites we visit. The main focus of the tour is York and its sites, which we will navigate on foot. We will see the lovely countryside of Durham and Northumberland as we travel to and from Durham and Hadrian’s Wall.

 

Durham Mid-Week Tour 22nd to 25th July 2025
You will see the main sites of the city of Durham itself, both the cathedral and castle, as well as the lovely Romanesque St Margaret of Antioch church. Additionally, we’ll visit four Roman forts on or near Hadrian’s Wall (Corbridge, Chesters, Vindolanda, Housesteads), a Mithraeum and the Wall itself. Our last venue in a village outside Durham is Ushaw Historical House, a huge former Roman Catholic seminary with impressive architecture and gardens.

 

Northern Religious Life from Romans to the Present  25th August to 7th September 2025
This tour is designed to give a good overview of religious life in Northern England from the ancient world to the modern. Its core focus is Christianity: Catholic, Anglican and to a lesser degree Nonconformist. But Roman paganism, Judaism and Islam also receive attention. The Museum of Faith at Auckland Castle is remarkably comprehensive and goes beyond these limits. The supplementary talks give a broader context which is useful for understanding particular sites.