​​Meet Alan, your guide to the art and history of London.

Growing up in Edinburgh, Alan’s early fascination with history and heritage was inspired by Scotland’s unrivaled wealth of castles, abbeys, and stately homes. He studied at Glasgow University, completing an MA in History of Art which incorporated everything from classical sculpture to medieval architecture and modernist design. This led him into a career in the London art world. After working as both an antique dealer and an auctioneer, he ended up as a senior specialist in Contemporary Art at an international auction house.

A return to academia in 2010 set him on a new course – reviving his love of history, he completed a master’s degree in Classical Civilisation at Birkbeck, the University of London which focused on the art, culture, and society of ancient Greece and Rome. This was followed by a Ph.D. at the same institution during which he researched eighteenth-century attitudes towards the classical world. He continues to write on both Contemporary Art and history, and his first book, Classical Caledonia, will be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2020. Much of his recent research has focused on how the ancient world has been interpreted, emulated,, and collected over the last three centuries.

When not reading, writing, or talking about art and history, Alan enjoys walking in the English countryside and holidaying in Scotland. He is also a regular visitor to France, where he spends his time rooting around in antique shops and sampling the local cuisine. He is a music fan with a particular interest in early and baroque music, and he relaxes by playing the piano and the harpsichord.

Join Alan on his favorite route through London on this full-day exploration of its history and culture, highlighted by a tour of the British Museum, and of course, a stop for lunch in one of his favorite local spots!

We’ll meet Alan at the British Museum where we’ll spend the morning exploring the incredible collection of art and antiquities. Starting with an overview of how the British Museum came into existence in the mid-eighteenth century, we’ll explore The Enlightenment Gallery and discuss how the discipline of archaeology evolved from the work of antiquaries and also look at how art history was born with the study of ancient Greek sculpture and vase painting. 

We’ll traverse the halls of the museum, visiting its most important rooms, including the Egyptian collection, the Rosetta Stone, and time permitting, the Parthenon Marbles. We will emerge with a better understanding of this major institution and its key role in intellectual life worldwide, leaving us with a sense of wonder and appreciation.

For lunch, we’ll stop in a restaurant in the surrounding neighborhood of Bloomsbury, an elegant enclave made famous by Virginia Woolf and other literary stars of London’s past (and present).  

Refreshed after lunch, we will set out towards the City of London, also known as the Square Mile, the heart of old London where we will admire many of the city’s most historic streets and iconic buildings. Viewing a variety of monuments, from a Roman amphitheater and an ancient temple to the tall glass towers of the modern city, the afternoon stroll will allow us to get to grips with the long history of the British capital.  

We’ll walk across the famous London Bridge to visit Southwark, home to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and a medieval cathedral, its world-famous Borough Market a perfect spot to end the day with drinks and snacks.