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Queen Victoria's Great Britain Tour
The Queen Victoria's Great Britain tour is an educational small group tour which takes the traveller with an interest in political, social environmental and technological history on a journey through Victorian Britain.
This was an era of enormous change; change which occurred in almost all areas of life. Victoria came to the throne in 1837 and reigned as monarch until 1901. During this period the British Empire expanded to its greatest extent fuelled by the industrial revolution. Goods poured into the country from across the globe. Railway tracks criss-crossed the country. Gas lighting for domestic purposes was introduced and then superseded by electricity. Charles Darwin wrote his revolutionary On the Origin of Species, and the right to vote was extended to all male householders, though women in England had to wait quite a bit longer.
By the time Victoria died, there were bicycles, motor cars and even aeroplanes; the telephone was in use and photography had become part of everyday life. Clean water and new sanitation methods dramatically increased life expectancy. Florence Nightingale helped improve hospital conditions and the introduction of anaesthetics increased life expectancy during operations. Even the queen accepted the use of chloroform during the delivery of her last two children.
About Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
When Victoria was born she was fifth in line to the throne after her three elderly uncles and her father. Victoria (or Alexandrina as she was christened, after the tsar of Russia) was the only child of Edward, the 4th son of George III.
Her father died when she was less than a year old and Victoria was left to the care of her mother, her mother's close companion, Sir John Conroy, and a governess. They went to live in Kensington Palace on a limited budget but supported by her mother's brother, Leopold of the Belgians. She was raised as a queen in isolation.
Victoria turned 18 on the 24th of May 1837 and succeeded to the throne a month later. Now that she was queen Victoria quickly took control of as much of her life as was possible. She removed her headquarters to Buckingham Palace and banished her mother and Sir John to a remote wing. She began to enjoy a social life and formed a warm relationship with the Whig Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne. Fortunately she fell in love with her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a match promoted by her mother and her mother's brother, Leopold, and she married Albert in 1840.
Victoria reigned for 63 years and 7 months. The Britain of 1901, the year of her death, was a very different place from the one she had found when she first ascended the throne.
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About our Queen Victoria's Great Britain Small Group Tour Victorian England (and Scotland)
Our guided tours of Victorian England and Scotland take us from London to Glasgow as we travel the country in search of the people who helped to bring about this change, and the places in which they lived. During our trip we will come to a greater understanding of what made this one of the most amazing periods of Great Britain's history, and a realisation of what this change means for us in the 21st century.
This program over 21 days visits 23 contributing locations that provide participants with an understanding of Queen Victoria's Great Britain. Our trip visits some 30+ places and includes talks and short lectures from knowledgeable guides. We will look at the important developments in technology, science, medicine, politics, social life, art and architecture, with an examination of Gothic Revival and the iconic Arts and Crafts movement, including works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Highlights of our trip:
- Our visit to London includes a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament, as well as trips to the Florence Nightingale museum, the Victoria and Albert museum, and the home of Charles Dickens.
- In Manchester, we walk around this nineteenth century with an expert tour guide, in order to explore the history of Victorian philanthropy.
- In Glasgow, we explore how this city evolved in the Victorian period, with a visit to the Tenement House. While more Edwardian than Victorian, it gives us insight into the lives of working class people in the nineteenth century.
- We also enjoy a trip through the Lake District, passing through the Yorkshire Dales national park. The rugged scenery of the Lake District inspired Victorian writers, artists, and thinkers. We make a visit to the homes of John Ruskin and William Wordsworth.
- In the Cotswolds, we journey to the town of Selsley for a visit to All Saints Church, with stained glass by the famous Arts and Crafts designer, William Morris.
The tour provides a learning platform that complements Odyssey's program Britain's Canals & Railways. Our tour guide takes you to some of the great cities, including the rave new factory towns at Port Sunlight & New Lanark, and inspirational landscapes to learn about the way people lived and worked in Victorian Britain across all classes.
If you have enjoyed Canals & Railways, then this tour focused on Queen Victoria continues your learning about this unique period in British history and the world.
Tour in Britain with Odyssey Traveller
This tour is only one of many small group tours offered by Odyssey Traveller in Great Britain, England and Scotland. These active tours are designed for the mature traveller to enjoy in a small group holiday and learning environment.
For more details on this tour, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right-hand side of this page.