Welcome to the page for Mike Armitage, London Tourist Guide. As one of London's most popula
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Today, I was lucky enough to take a small group into the Map Room at Southwick House on the hill above Portmouth. It's still the original map used for Admiral Ramsey's planning of Operation Neptune - the naval part of the DDay landings.
Not usually open to the public, as it's on a working military base, we were escorted off by a soldier in a 4x4. My ex Royal Marine coach driver kept referring to him as a 'pongo'!
On the ferry to Normandy with the group, as I type this.
I only visit Salisbury Cathedral once or twice a year, and today it coincided with a marriage blessing and rather fabulous solo version of Ave Maria.
It impressed my clients from Florida.
This is War Graves Week and yesterday I led a guided walk around Windsor cemetery for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I told the stories behind several of the 87 graves looked after by the CWGC, including the one here. Lt Cyril Battye joined the Royal Berkshire Regiment at the outbreak of the First World War and was wounded in the trenches in October 1914 and again in early 1915. After recovering, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and was killed on Salisbury Plain in a training accident on 13th March 1916 when he flooded his aircraft engine by applying too much choke.
His father was a Military Knight at Windsor Castle.
11th - 17th May is Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s War Graves week. As part of this I am leading two tours in Windsor Cemetery on Monday 13th May at 10:30am and Thursday 16th May at 5pm.
The free tour will give people in Windsor the chance to discover the remarkable stories of some of the men and women of the Commonwealth forces that died in the First and Second World Wars who are buried in their community, as well as hearing about the work of the CWGC.
More than 80 casualties from World War One and World War Two are buried at Windsor Cemetery. Behind every name on a war grave in Windsor is a human story waiting to be discovered and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
Among the burials are an RAF pilot who came from Argentina to enlist, a former MP, two brothers killed within 18 months of each other and the daughter of a Police Sergeant from Windsor.
Although the tours are free numbers are limited, so please book at the link below.
For Monday 13th May
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cwgc-war-graves-week-2024-windsor-cemetery-tickets-877201111137?aff=oddtdtcreator
For Thursday 16th May
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cwgc-war-graves-week-2024-windsor-cemetery-tickets-877201151257?aff=oddtdtcreator
Our tours are free to the public, but if you would like to support us then please consider donating to our charity The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation (CWGF).
https://foundation.cwgc.org/donate/
I hope to see some of you there.
Now that April is here, the warmer weather means that you don't need woolly hats, gloves and thermals to go to a football match in London.
On Saturday I watched Fulham lose 1-0 to Newcastle in the Premier League.
And today I was at the always impressive Wembley Stadium, to see Wycombe Wanderers lose 2-1 to Peterborough United in the EFL Trophy final. All the goals in the last 10 minutes
I used Kristian, a local guide on the last day in Norway, to visit more WW2 sites, this time the German battery near Kristiansand that covered the approach to the Baltic.
I was pleased to discover that he is the same age as me!
A slightly different job this week, taking a young man and his Mum from New England, to the Battle of Britain bunker and IWM Duxford museum. Lots of aircraft, and its always gratifying to have constant comments of 'Awesome'.Although I suspect that was the exhibits and history, rather than me.
But I did introduce him to sausage rolls which he liked, although HP sauce was less of a success!
Hi, I'm Mike, one of Londons top guides. Let me show around this fantastic city on a tour tailored to what YOU want to see.
Today, I was at the Blessing of the River Thames which takes place in the centre of London Bridge. It a celebration of the baptism of Jesus and a wooden cross is tossed into the river.
I've been guiding some slightly more unusual places in the last couple of days. Views of the rooftops of London from the Post building near Holborn, a nice coffee and lunch at the café attached to the Cordon Bleu school in Pied Bull Yard and finally a full size Tyrannosaurus in a Christmas jumper at the Natural History Museum.
The weather has definitely changed, along with the clocks and the Guards.
The video is 26 seconds.
Today I was able to visit the Roman House and bathhouse remains, under a modern building, opposite Custom House on Lower Thames St.
It was better preserved than I had realised with much of the hypocaust and a non-pictorial mosaic floor. And as there always is, a tile that a dog had walked across before it had dried.
A solo Australian client yesterday on a walking tour and I made sure that we included the Australian War Memorial at Hyde Park Corner. He was very pleased when I found the small town where he was born among the 23,800+ towns and settlements listed there.
Superimposed on these are the names of 47 of the major First and Second World War battles that Australian servicemen & women took part in.
I was on my way into Central London for this morning's guiding job, when this came steaming out of the September morning mist. A small unexpected pleasure.
I spent the day at Hampton Court yesterday, with a lovely family from Boston. The guy in the wheelchair used a speech synthesiser and had a history degree. He would ask me a very succinct question in 5 or 6 words and it took me 10 minutes to answer each one. But I think I held my own on the politics and intrigue of the Tudor court.
I've been guiding for 13 years but today was the first time I was asked go to 'Build a Bear'.A happy Mum and daughter.
I'm repeating my Chelsea at War walk as part of the Chelsea History Festival walk at 2:30 on Friday 29th September. If you couldn't make the walk on Saturday 9th September, here's another chance.
https://chelseahistoryfestival.com/events/chelsea-at-war-tour/
And I am on the same bill as Michael Palin and Bill Wyman. A long way down, but even so!
Following in my footsteps, possibly?
A walking tour around Westminster yesterday with a delightful Canadian family.
But there comes a time when you have to stop sightseeing and climb between the paws of a giant bronze lion in Trafalgar Square.
I'm slightly ashamed to admit that after 13 years of guiding, today was the first time that I had gone up to the Stone Gallery at St Paul's Cathedral. It IS 378 steps up there but the views are quite good.
A very warm day guiding at Hampton Court. I have even dispensed with the tie!
Hampton Court Palace a couple of days ago , with the wild flower meadow looking particularly good.
Now that the railway line from London to Oxford has re-opened after bridge repairs, I took the opportunity to visit the Knossos exhibition at the Ashmolean museum in Oxford. An underrated institution, I think, a sort of British Museum lite.
They even have ginger beer in the cafe!
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries are always worth a visit, if you're in the north of France or Flanders. These young people will be delighted to explain about the cemeteries, the work of the CWGC, help you find a grave or name, and tell you the stories of some of the people commemorated there.
The one in sunglasses is my son, by the way.
Meet our new team of guides in Belgium.
Joe, Luke and Erin will be here until late August guiding visitors at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
On Saturday 9th Sept at 11am, I am leading a guided walk around Chelsea for the National Army Museum. Come on the walk then have lunch in a posh part of London!
£15
Join tour guide Mike Armitage as he reveals some of the lives and stories that showcase Chelsea’s military heritage.
Another great day guiding in London.
I spent this morning in Studio 2 at Abbey Road, while the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra recorded Moon River for an album to celebrate Henry Mancini's 100th birthday next year.
The guy in the photo with me is Tom Scott of LA Express fame. He also wrote the theme tune to Starsky & Hutch.
All finished with dinner in the White Tower and the Ceremony of the Keys.
Bloody long day, though!
Yesterday I visited the Mondrian and Hilma af Klimt exhibition at Tate Modern. Here are some photos.
Plus one of the view from the 6th floor as seem in 'Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince'.
A day in Parliament with some influential Americans. This is Westminster Hall where the Queen lay in state. It's the only part that I'm allowed to photograph.
Watched the Archbishop of Canterbury speak in the House of Lords. I thought it was usual uninteresting political stuff, but found it all over the news websites when I came out!
The Americans were pleased to see him because he was in the Coronation.
Lunch at the Savoy afterwards. Very nice!
I was on my second visit of the week to the fascinating landmark of Stonehenge,when I saw this chap.
He's a Great Bustard, a bird that became extinct in Britain in 1832, but since 2004 they have been reintroduced to Salisbury Plain from the Spanish population, with some success.
You can see why they became extinct - he wandered fearlessly up to human visitors, looking delicious!!
Fun public art works are always popping up in London. Currently in the courtyard of Somerset House is this double spiral mixing familiar road signs with distances to everywhere from London Zoo to the Large Magellenic Cloud, via Buenos Aires and the moons of Saturn.
It made me smile 😃.
I often guide the very fabulous Churchill War Rooms and occasionally I am lucky enough to go 'behind the glass' with my visitors, into rooms that are normally not open.
This is me in the 'not entirely' bomb proof cabinet room, created from an old storeroom for office furniture.
I am standing in front of a ni****ne discoloured world map and behind Churchills chair, desperately fighting the urge to do an impression of Winston!
Hi, I'm Mike Armitage, one of Londons top guides. Let me show you around here and other world renowned museums, sites, memorials and still visible traces of our country's finest and darkest hour
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The theme to 'The Rockford Files' played at yesterday's Guard Change at Windsor Castle, by the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas. The video is a little short, so you may have to take my word for it. For those of you under 45, it was a 1970s detective show set in Los Angeles.
Tomorrow evening I’m presenting a virtual tour covering the firebomb attack on the City of London on 29th December 1940. I’ll be online at 7pm (8pm Europe; 2pm EST; 11am PST) and it’ll be available as a recording for the following three days. The cost is £11.37 incl. the booking fee and you can book here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-second-great-fire-of-london-a-wartime-conflagration-tickets-219200744327?fbclid=IwAR0uVVuQAw-9QJWfusQUsZZYE2KMpFFozRFCuD0QdJcn3N4vX_VoTahwrV8 By Christmas 1940 Britain and its empire were standing alone against the might of the Nazi war machine. France had been defeated and the United States and the Soviet Union were not yet at war with Germany. The country, and especially London, had endured nightly bombing raids for over three months. On Sunday 29th December, the City of London was subjected to an incendiary bomb attack lasting over three hours. When the All Clear siren sounded over 400 high explosive bombs and 22,000 incendiary bombs had been dropped by the Luftwaffe that had devastated the financial district. This virtual tour by Mike Armitage will look at the impact of this raid, the fire and at the traces and damage that is still visible today. We shall hear stories of historic buildings destroyed and the miraculous survival of St Paul's Cathedral in the midst of all the destruction,
A visit today to the Battle of Britain Bunker at Uxbridge. RAF Uxbridge contained the HQ of 11 Group Fighter Command who were defending London and SE England during the Battle of Britain on summer 1940. In the woods at the edge of the station was the 11 Group plotting room, where Spitfires & Hurricanes were scrambled and directed towards incoming German raids. And amazingly it’s still there and can be visited. It is 77 steps down and therefore 77 back up, but well worth it. I’ve included a 60 second video that I took, if you’re interested. http://battleofbritainbunker.co.uk if you want to know more
Today in Windsor we were celebrating the Queen's 95th birthday. Her official one, not her real one in April, obviously Here's 50 seconds of some of the things I saw. The lady talking as the Kings Troop pass by is the ITV reporter doing her piece to camera.
