The charming Amersham fairground organ museum, which is usually open a few Sundays per year, has now started offering guided tours. The occasional open days are more a chance to sit and listen to the old fair organs playing their pipes, and have a nice lunch at the same time. However, the guided tours, which will take place on Saturdays, will offer a deeper dive into their collection of organs and the music cards that control them.
Buckingham Palace will resume tours of the usually private East Wing in the new year, the front from which the royals are seen on the balcony. The summer opening mainly focuses on the state rooms on the west wing of the palace, and they only started occasional tours of the east wing in 2024. It's not cheap though, as the 90-minute tours are designed to give you a more in-depth look at the East Wing, at a time when the Palace is not usually open to the public.
Hear how Christmas was observed in Shakespeare's time and the folk traditions that people practised to welcome in winter. From wassailing to the winter solstice, 'kissing boughs' to proper mince pyes, this family-friendly guided tour will enchant, fascinate and warm even in the frostiest of weather. But do still wrap up well - don't forget our wooden 'O' is outdoor!
Deep under Tower Bridge lies a vast space that almost seems larger than it can be, and during the winter months, the public can go inside for a look. This is one of Tower Bridge's two bascule chambers and is basically where the heavy counterweight swings into when the bridge opens to let boats pass through. But not when you're standing in it - and that's why tours take place during the winter, when fewer boats ply the Thames.
