There is an old Glasgow saying, inferring that the locals are unable to appreciate the city’s architecture because they are too busy looking at the floor for money – a reference to the legendary frugality of the Scottish race! However true this may or may not be, there are certainly many grand buildings to appreciate in the Merchant City – among them Glasgow Savings Bank. Though it is now occupied by a retail operation, this was once the headquarters of the bank. Built to a Baroque-inspired design in the 1890s by the architect JJ Burnet, the building features statues designed by George Frampton – including one of St Mungo, patron saint of Glasgow, above the doorway.

Find out more about St Mungo on our Glasgow tour. Click here for more information

Charlotte Square, a classical Georgian Square in the city of Edinburgh, has deservedly been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Completed in 1820, the there are few architectural features in the whole of the UK that can compete with its grandeur. As visitors move round the square, they often note the ‘louping-on’ stones that connect the high pavements with the road below. These stones were placed in such a way so that the ladies of the age – many of them clad in voluminous dresses – could mount horses, side-saddle, without fear of revealing their undergarments! This arrangement was especially popular in these times and louping-on stones could also be found outside many churches at the time.

Find out more about Charlotte Square on our Edinburgh tour. Click here for more information

Find out more about Mackintosh on our Glasgow tour. Click here for more information

One of Oxford’s oldest pubs is The Bear Inn, dating back to 1242, which is thought to have been named after a bear-baiting pit on the site in medieval times. It’s heyday was in the 17th century, when a series of high-profile guests stayed at the pub – for example, the heir to the Danish throne is known to have stayed there in 1652. What most visitors to The Bear will remember longest, however, is the astonishing display of neck-ties that adorn its walls. The collection has built up over the centuries as customers (some of them famous) paid for their pints with a tie instead of cash. Present-day customers may want to try this unusual method of payment, but we cannot be sure whether there is any space left on the pubs overcrowded walls (and ceiling!)

Find out more about The Bear Inn on our Oxford tour. Click here for more information

Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum has once of the great collections of art and antiquities. There are painting masterpieces from the 14th century to the present day, sculpture, furniture, armour, pottery and manuscripts – from Egypt, the Ancient Near East, Greece, Rome and Cyprus – as well as an ever-changing series of exhibitions. The museum hit the headlines in January 2006 when a visitor reportedly tripped on his shoelaces and completely demolished three 17th century Qing Dynasty vases, which has stood undisturbed in the museum for 60 years. Amazingly, the museums restoration team managed to completely repair the three vases and, less than two years later, they were back on display – in a specially designed safety case!

Find out more about The Fitzwilliam Museum on our Cambridge tour. Click here for more information

The English city of Brighton was one of the first to embrace the concept of bathing in the sea for pleasure, after the somewhat risque Prince Regent made it his home and the country’s trendy young things made it THE place to visit. But bathing was somewhat different in those days – men and women would generally wear all-in-one costumes covering pretty much everything except the ankles, while the most demure women would use a bathing machine (like a miniature beach hut on wheels) to enter the water. This would ensure the absolute bare (!) minimum was on show, and that the local menfolk’s sensibilities were not offended. Things are rather different these days, of course – Brighton proudly opened the country’s first naturist beach in 1980.

Find out more about bathing etiquette on our Brighton tour. Click here for more information

There are many myths and legends in English history; one of the strangest is the legend of King Bladud, reputedly the founder of the city of Bath. Ancient manuscripts suggest that he ruled for around 20 years – but nobody is sure whether this was 500 years BC, or 300 years earlier than that. He is believed to have founded Bath after noticing that pigs he was herding were bathing in a black mud bath. Bladud himself began to do the same thing, and soon found that the leprosy he was suffering from was cured. Accordingly he founded the city, which to this day is famed for its hot-water baths. Amazingly, the water that flows into the city’s bathhouses today fell as rain on nearby hills some 1,000 years or more before Bladud’s existence, filtering through the rocks over four millenia. The legend of Bladud, however, remains just that – there is absolutely no historical evidence that he ever existed, despite his huge importance to the city of Bath.

Find out more about Bladud on our Bath tour. Click here for more information

There are many fine churches in the City of London, between them sharing thousands of years’ worth of history and intrigue. On the banks of the River Thames, right by London Bridge, is the church of St Magnus the Martyr – originally built around 1,000 years ago but upgraded in the late 17th century following the great fire of London in 1666. The work was completed by London’s most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, for the grand sum of £9,579 – at the time, a huge amount of money. But, for many visitors, the most astonishing fact about the church is a lump of wood displayed outside its front door and known to be at least 2,000 years old – it was pulled from the river during the construction of London Bridge and originally formed part of a Roman wharf allowing boats to dock in the heart of this commercial hub.

Find out more about St Magnus the Martyr and the Great Fire of London on our City of London tour. Click here for more information

London’s Leadenhall market has its origins in Roman times, where is was the site of the largest forum in northern Europe. Fast-forward 1,400 years or so, and the site was bought by the mayor of London Dick Whittington, who helped develop it as an important market place for grain and leather. Following its destruction by the Great Fire of London in 1666, the market was rebuilt under cover – but it was not until the late 1800s that it was rebuilt once more in its present, distinctive shape. These days you’re more likely to find designer clothing and upmarket bars in Leadenhall Market, due to its position right in the centre of the City of London, but it retains a distinctive charm. In 2001, it was used to film the famous ‘Diagon Alley’ scene in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Find out more about Leadenhall Market on our City of London tour. Click here for more information

Just a short walk south of London Bridge, hidden away in the roof space of an old church, is The Old Operating Theatre Museum. The museum is certainly one of the most unusual in London, comprising the oldest operating theatre in Europe, where students would watch gruesome operations in the early 19th century, along with a herb garret used to store medical potions for the nearby St Thomas hospital. These days visitors can check out the herbs used in days gone by, along with a selection of gruesome-looking medical instruments that were in use in the operating theatre. Not for the squeamish!

Find out more about the Old Operating Theatre Museum on our London Bridge tour. Click here for more information