CHRIS VAN HAYDEN TOURS
Hi there,
I’m a London Blue Badge Tour Guide - the highest tourist guiding qualification in the UK - with a great passion for London, its history, art, architecture, museums, galleries, entertainment, shopping and everything that makes our capital such a special place.
Have a look at my site to see some of the tours I offer, but do enquire for any specialised tours or if you want me to help you devise an itinerary.
My particular interests lie in London’s Science, Art and Rock’n’roll history, as well as British and World History.
I cater for all occasion and groups, whether you want a friendly companion to join your family for a light entertaining few hours or you want an in depth overview of your topic of choice.
On this homepage you will find first listed my most popular and requested tours, followed by more specialised areas of interest.
Looking forward to meeting you. Safe travels!
Chris Van Hayden
Sitio en Espańol
Sito in Italiano
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
With over a 1,000 years of history Westminster Abbey is arguably Britain’s most famous church…
st paul’s cathedral
St Paul’s is the City of London’s cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London…
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS
Let’s explore the Cabinet War Rooms, where Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill planned strategy during WW2 along with his inner circle and the Generals Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, defying the odds when all seemed lost at the dawn of the Battle of Britain…
British museum
The first public museum founded in 1753, in lieu of instructing those interested in learning. The museum is dedicated to civilisations through material culture…
British Museum, Bloomsbury, "Photo by DAVID ILIFHistoryF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0"
TOWER OF LONDON
London’s castle the Tower of London takes us back to the Middle Ages, to William the Conqueror’s take over the English Crown and the Norman Conquest…
Royal London & Changing of the guard
Take a stroll through London’s Royal quarter…
Windsor castle
Step back in history and visit Britain’s most spectacular castle, spanning almost 900 years of history…
HAMPTON COURT PALACE
Henry VIII’s great house of entertainment…
Image by Luke Nicolaides - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukenicolaides/8845859010/
V&A Museum
The greatest collection of Decorative Arts and Design in the world with over 2 and a half million objects…
NATIONAL GALLERY & national portrait gallery
Both these galleries crown Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London.
The National Gallery offers a collection of over 2400 paintings from the mid-twelfth to the late eighteenth century, at the dawn of the modern period, covering all styles…
natural history museum
Described as a cathedral to nature, this beautiful Neo-Romanesque Victorian building houses some of the earliest dinosaurs discovered in the 19th c. by Gideon Mantell, William Buckland and almost complete Stegosaurus skeleton…
SCIENCE museum
Also based in Kensington next to the V&A and Natural History Museum is the Science Museum which has an extensive collection…
LONDON rock’n’roll
It was just over 60 years ago that the Beatles travelled down to London to audition, first with Decca who famously turned them down and then with EMI, who signed the Fab Four. Beatlemania was the beginning of a musical revolution which first took over Britain and then was exported globally as the British Invasion…
HERITAGE WALKS
Heritage Walks are great to explore the rich history & contemporary life in London’s Boroughs, town centres and off the beaten track attractive areas. To mention a few City of London, Barnes, Mortlake, Battersea, Chelsea, Putney, Fulham, Spitalfields, Wimbledon, Notting Hill, Covent Garden, Greenwich and more.
For private bookings please use my contact page.
LEIGHTON HOUSE
tate galleries
Why not travel in style and book a helicopter flight over London, a private luxury vehicle with driver or a classic London cab!
MORE…
Themed tour ideas
London Cemeteries
Architecture
Royal Parks, Public Parks, Gardens & Commons
Religious London - Churches & Burial Grounds
out of london tour
Stonehenge
Oxford
Bath
Cotswolds
Canterbury
Stratford-Upon-Avon - hometown of William Shakespeare
Hever Castle - childhood home of Anne Boleyn
Chartwell House - Private home of Sir Winston Churchill
SHORT Biography
I was born in Milan Italy but grew up in London. My father is English and my mother from El Salvador. I have lived 11 years in Italy, 10 in El Salvador and a year and half in Texas US, where I trained to be an Air Force pilot, as a member of the Salvadorean Armed Forces in the late 90s.
Back in London in the early 2000s I pursued my other passion as a musician and guitarist. From 2008 to 2012, I ran my own school of rock in Battersea, London.
In 2015 I published ‘The Rock Adventures of Rocky Rocks’ a fictional children’s novel which I authored, illustrated and created music for. This can be purchased: here
After completing a Bachelor’s degree in History and Art History I embarked on the Blue Badge London course 2018-20.
I am a serious rower and sculler, and when I’m not guiding, playing guitar or doing lots of research you’re likely to find me floating up and down the River Thames at speed!
My trek sculling down the Oxford and Cambridge Boatrace course, from Putney to Mortlake. Everything about the race and cultural heritage history along the route.
events
Heritage Walks, Galleries & Museum visits, and other events scheduled.
VLOGS
A variety of videos covering a range of subjects, from social reform in the Victorian Age to Rock’n’Roll London history.
blog
My blogs cover a variety of subjects related to London. Architecture, institutions, people, history, art, entertainment, reviews, music and else.
artwork & music
Some of my artistic projects.
Illustration from The Rock Adventures of Rocky Rocks
What People Are Saying
‘The Central London Highlights Tour with Chris was fantastic, and was a great orientation for the members of our family who are visiting London for the first time. Chris was filled with knowledge and he conducted the tour at a pace that worked for everyone in our group. The ride on the Thames was a great way to see the City from a different perspective and to also move our group efficiently. An excellent tour that I highly recommend!’
Central London Highlights Tour with Thames Riverboat Cruise
‘Chris was very informed and polite. Definitely a highlight of our trip.’
CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS - A CRASH COURSE
‘Chris is phenomenal. Set a great pace for our 7-year old and kept her engaged the entire time. Will absolutely seek out tours in the future that Chris leads. Many thanks!’
