National   Society  Magna  Charta  Dames and Barons

May 2002 Educational Tour

   Departure from the U.S.A.

    Arrive in London , where you will be met by your guide who will accompany you during your visit to England .

    This morning visit Eton College, one of the oldest and most famous of the private schools in England . Eton has a long list of famous students, 20 Prime ministers, Great writers, Orwell, Shelley, Fielding to name a few.

    Lunch possibly in the Eton College dining Hall.

    You will then be driven to your hotel in Windsor , where you will stay in a hotel just next to Windsor Castle for the next 4 days.

    After some time at leisure to relax and settle in after your flight, there will be welcome drinks  when you will hear about the many events planned for your trip.

    Dinner in Sir Christopher Wren’s House. Beautifully appointed, steeped in history and uniquely situated, the hotel is the original home of the celebrated 17th Century architect, Sir Christopher Wren.

Overnight at the CASTLE HOTEL, WINDSOR

    This morning we will visit   Runnymede , site of the signing of the Magna Charta. 

    Late lunch at leisure.

    In the afternoon visit Windsor Castle, a very special Tour of the Royal Library awaits you, an opportunity only available to the few.

    Dinner will be at the Dungeons of Windsor Castle – an unusual and interesting venue. Windsor Castle remains today a working palace and the queen’s official residence. The site is above the River Thames, on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground and one day's march from the Tower of London .

    Today we drive to Kent to visit Chartwell, the family home of the late Sir Winston Churchill. 

    Lunch in a private home, Squerryes Court, hosted by Mrs. Warde, the owner.  Squerryes Court is a beautiful manor house, built in 1681, set in parkland.  The Warde family has lived in the house since 1731.  The family have been avid collectors of paintings, porcelain, furniture and tapestries.  The magnificent gardens, landscaped in the 18^th century, are interesting throughout the year. 

    You will have an afternoon tour of Chartwell, accompanied by Arabella Churchill , granddaughter of Sir Winston.  Arabella will show you the studio where her Grandfather spent many hours painting and then give you a private guided tour around the house still filled with many mementoes of this extraordinary man!

Overnight at the CASTLE HOTEL, WINDSOR

    2002 is the Golden Jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty The Queen.  Her Majesty has asked that her Golden Jubilee be celebrated by her loyal subjects all over the United Kingdom .  Her Majesty plans to tour the country to meet her people and join their celebrations locally.  To start these celebrations, an extraordinary event is to be held in Windsor , where Her Majesty’s favorite home, Windsor Castle is located.     

    Queen Elizabeth II has had a lifelong fascination with horses, and it is, therefore, horses which have been chosen to feature in the first of her celebrations.  “All the Queen’s Horses” will be an equestrian extravaganza, featuring 1,000 horses, culminating in the show’s finale which will recreate the 1953 coronation procession with the Gold State Coach, built by George III in 1762, and its eight grey horses in harness, pulled on a special track to carry its four-ton weight. 

    A special dinner will be arranged with a guest speaker.

Friday May 17^th 2002

    Depart from Windsor to drive to London .

    Lunch at the House of Lords hosted by a Peer of the Realm. This is only possible at the kind invitation of the Peer.

    The House of Lords today remains steeped in history and tradition. After your lunch and you will take part in a private tour of the Houses of Parliament. The tour will include The Chamber of the House of Lord’s, the Central Lobby, the House of Commons, Members Lobby, Division Lobby, St. Stephens Hall and Westminster Hall.

Overnight at the RUBENS HOTEL, LONDON (or similar)

    This morning take a private tour behind the scenes of the amazing Globe Theatre, built as an exact replica of the original Globe theatre where Shakespeare had his plays performed.     The Director of the Theatre will personally guide the group and there will be an opportunity to meet some of the actors and also view close–up, the costumes.

    Lunch at the Old Globe Theatre.

    Followed by a matinee at the Globe Theatre.

    This evening visit The London Eye, one of London ’s newest attractions put up by British Airways to celebrate the millennium.  The panoramic views from the top are quite spectacular.

     Overnight at the RUBENS HOTEL, LONDON (or similar)

Sunday May 19^th 2002

    Leave this morning for Newbury in Hampshire where you will visit Highclere Castle .  Designed by Charles Barry, it was home to the 3^rd Earl of Carnarvon, one of the great hosts of Queen Victoria‘s reign. The interiors of the house are extravagant and range from church Gothic through Moorish flamboyance and rococo revival. Old master paintings mix with portraits by Van Dyck and 18^th century painters, and Napoleon’s desk and chair, rescued from St. Helena , sits with other 18^th and 19^th century furniture.

    The 5^th Earl of Carnarvon discovered the Tomb of Tutankhamun with Howard Carter, and there is a unique exhibition of some of his discoveries at the castle. The brother of the current Earl is the Queen’s Horseracing Manager, and he opened an exhibition entitled The Lord Carnarvon Racing Exhibition, which offers a fascinating insight into a racing history that dates back three generations.

    The gardens were designed by Capability Brown, and the walled gardens date from an earlier house at Highclere Castle . There is a secret garden, as well as an orangey and fernery.

    After visiting Highclere Castle , we will take lunch hosted by the owners, Richard & Katherine Astor, in Kirby House. Kirby is a charming Queen Anne House built in the early part of the 18^th Century. It is situated in four acres of formal gardens amidst a parkland setting, surrounded by the dramatically beautiful rolling hills of the South Berkshire Downs.

 Overnight at the RUBENS HOTEL, LONDON (or similar)

    A tour of Churchill’s War Cabinet Rooms reveals a seldom-seen side of this remarkable man.

     Lunch at leisure.

    In the evening enjoy a guided tour of the College of Arms . Hear all about the heraldry of England whilst enjoying a glass of wine.

    Then, depart  for  Greenwich to attend a banquet on board the Cutty Sark hosted by the Royal Society of St George with a guest of honor connected to the Royal family.

    The Cutty Sark was launched in 1869 on the Scottish Clyde. She went on to become the fastest ship to sail from China with tea destined for England .  Now moored in dry dock at Greenwich , the Cutty Sark has become one of the best loved ships in Britain .

Overnight at the RUBENS HOTEL, LONDON (or similar)

Tuesday May June 21st 2002