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Itinerary
Day 1
We depart by private executive coach from our designated pick up points. En route to our hotel we enjoy a guided tour at the New Cathedral at Coventry. Seemingly with a defiance that summed up the resolute character of the English citizens during the darkest days of the Second World War, the decision to build the New Cathedral was made the day after the old one was destroyed in the blitz. During our tour we see the tapestry of Christ in Glory, by Graham Sutherland. The world’s largest tapestry has hung in the cathedral since the building was consecrated in 1962. We also see the baptistery window, designed by John Piper and created by Patrick Reyntiens. We finally see the Chapel of Unity, with its detailed mosaic floor representing the nations of the world and lit by shafts of light from the narrow stained glass windows around the circumference of the star shaped chapel. On arrival in Birmingham we check in at the centrally located 4* Clayton Hotel for a four night stay on a half board basis.
Day 2
We enjoy a guided tour at the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter this morning, depicting the history of Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage. We continue with our Blue Badge guide to The Coffin Works. The museum explores the social history and cultural changes that have influenced a once highly prestigious Jewellery Quarter firm that produced some of the world’s finest coffin furniture, including the fittings for the funerals of Churchill, Chamberlain and the Queen Mother. This afternoon we visit Aston Hall, one of Birmingham’s most treasured buildings. Redisplayed as part of the development project, Aston Hall boasts sumptuous interiors from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, including the magnificent Long Gallery. Display rooms illustrate the part Aston Hall and its residents played in key moments in history, including the English Civil War, and how it prepared to receive royalty on more than one occasion.
Day 3
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. This morning we visit Harvington Hall for a guided tour, a moated, medieval and Elizabethan manor house. Many of the rooms still have their original Elizabethan wall paintings and the Hall contains the finest series of priest hides in the country. Our afternoon guided tour at the Barber Institute, introduces us to a fine selection of works by artists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir, Rubens, Rodin, and van Dyck.
Day 4
This morning we have a guided tour at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, home to a fine collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Renaissance masterpieces and 9,000 year old Middle Eastern treasures. During our visit we discover the story of the Staffordshire Hoard, the largest hoard of Anglo Saxon gold ever found. Hundreds of pieces from the Hoard are on show at the museum, alongside displays that explore how these intriguing items were used, before they were buried some 1400 years ago. With our Blue Badge guide we continue to Soho House, the elegant home of industrialist and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton from 1766 to 1809, and once a regular meeting place of the Lunar Society of Birmingham, who were some of the greatest minds of the 18th century. Carefully restored, this fashionable Georgian house features period room interiors with fine collections of ormolu, silver, furniture and paintings.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel and en route home we visit Ragley Hall, the family home of the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford. Designed by Robert Hooke in 1680 and one of England’s earliest Palladian Houses, the Great Hall is adorned with exquisite baroque plasterwork by James Gibbs.
Featuring
4* Birmingham hotel
Half board accommodation
All excursion travel, entrance fees & guided tours included
Blue Badge guide on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
New Cathedral at Coventry – guided tour
Museum of the Jewellery Quarter – guided tour
The Coffin Works
Aston Hall
Harvington Hall – guided tour
Barber Institute – guided tour
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – guided tour
Soho House
Ragley Hall
Hotel
We stay four nights on a half board basis at the centrally located 4* Clayton Hotel (www.claytonhotelbirmingham.com) at Birmingham. Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant, bar, and a gymnasium. All rooms are en suite and feature a television, and tea & coffee making facilities.
Extras
Insurance (including Covid cover) £28
Single room supplement £149
Gratuities
Optional Excursions
All excursion travel, entrance fees & guided tours included
