On Wednesday 6 March, a group of OJs and St John’s former parents gathered in London for the latest in our series of guided walks exploring the capital.
With rain forecast, we were pleased that our walk on this occasion was a guided tour of Tate Britain, so we were safely sheltered from the elements. And what a great tour of the collection it was! Tate Britain covers a period of 500 years of British painting and sculpture and Viv Haxby, awarded Guide of the Year when she qualified as a Blue Badge Guide, who conducts all of our OJ London tours, regaled us with fascinating stories about the paintings, the artists and their history: from Holbein, Constable and Gainsborough to Holman Hunt and Millais.
The two hours of the tour went by in a flash and we all came away determined to revisit the gallery and to discover more of London’s premier galleries. After the tour, the group enjoyed well-deserved tea and cake in the Gallery café and took the opportunity to catch up and relax before departing for home.
Previous walking tours have included visits to Westminster Abbey, Greenwich, Soho, street art in Spitalfields and Shoreditch and Wren churches in the City of London and these informative strolls have proved a great success. They are an enjoyable way to learn about different areas of London, whilst also providing a relaxed and informal way to meet up with other OJs and friends of St John’s.
