May
13
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Follow in Royal Footsteps with British Heritage Walking Tours at DUKES ST JAMES LONDON
Explore the heart of historic London this summer with five-star boutique hotel DUKES ST JAMES LONDON’s new British Heritage Walk offering, designed for the whole family to enjoy together. Centrally located in St. James’s Place, DUKES ST JAMES LONDON is just a stone’s throw from London’s ‘Royal Village’ and now guests can take in the sights and sounds of the capital’s most regal and luxurious streets on foot with two-hour guided strolls.
During the educational tours, led by a highly-experienced Blue Badge guide, guests of DUKES will experience what makes this prestigious address tick and will amble through iconic landmarks including St James’s Park, Pall Mall and Jermyn Street; with the backdrop of Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square providing those all-important picture-perfect moments. St James’s is an area which boasts some of the prettiest courtyards, passageways, squares and parks in London and visitors will meander between them as they discover the hidden side of a well-known area of London. The tour will provide a cornucopia of information which will fascinate, enthral, shock and surprise.
Leaving behind the quintessentially English hotel DUKES ST JAMES LONDON with freshly brewed coffee in hand, guests will take in a wide range of retailers – many of whom boast Royal Warrants – including Lock & Co milliners and Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant, Berry Bros & Rudd. On world-famous Jermyn Street, they will enjoy cheese tasting at Paxton & Whitfield which started life as a humble market stall in 1742, while around the corner they can enjoy memorable anecdotes about Henry VIII’s St James’s Palace, where the christening of Princess Charlotte is thought to take place later this year.
Keeping up with the well-heeled residents, the tour will move to St James’s Park with magnificent views of royal residences Clarence House and, of course, Buckingham Palace. Reminiscent of the parade following the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, participants will then walk The Mall passing the remarkable Horse Guard’s Parade. Guests will learn some of the rich history of this vibrant capital city including gruesome stories of the Great Plague and Great Fire of London which will have the whole family enthralled. They’ll also discover hideouts of the most distinguished members of British Society when the tour passes several of the world’s oldest Gentleman’s clubs. One such club boasts Princes Charles and William as members, and another is the setting where fictional adventurer, Phineas Fogg, accepted a £20,000 bet to travel around the world in 80 days.
After an hour and a half of absorbing fun, fascinating facts and stories, it’s time to head back to the understated luxury of DUKES ST JAMES LONDON for a refreshing tipple in the PJ lounge.
The British Heritage Package is priced at £499 inclusive of VAT, for one room, up to two guests, inclusive of breakfast on the Superior Room category. The walking tour is two hours long and will take groups up to four people. Children are complimentary as the superior room category is DUKES’s family suite. The package is valid until 31st March 2016.