English Cultural Tours - Learning with a Difference

Our one-of-a-kind travel programmes allow guests to combine private english garden tours with exclusive tutorials led by Britain's cultural elite, focusing on social and cultural skills such as fine art, antiques, gardens, wine, architecture and design.

Alexandra Messervy has been leading cultural learning tours and english garden tours for over ten years, creating a range of visits and Masterclasses for connoisseurs to private palaces, houses, collections and gardens throughout the British Isles, Ireland and France. Each programme is handcrafted and led by experts in their field, and guests have the unique opportunity to step beyond the restraints of normal vacation travel, learning at first hand from owners and specialists.

We develop bespoke learning programmes for individuals, couples, and groups of up to 16 guests. Working with an exclusive network of suppliers, we ensure that every detail is taken care of throughout your journey with us, from the time of an initial enquiry to the moment you arrive home, from travel and health insurance to baggage loss, special dietary requirements and individual preferences, and our relationship worldwide with leading travel professionals ensures competitive airline and cruise ship rates.

Providing accommodation and dining with our tutors and hosts within some of our finest English and European estates and, on occasion, superb country house hotels, we have tried to recreate, as far as possible, the congenial atmosphere of a private house-party of days gone by, but with a modern twist. All of our travel programmes are designed by Alexandra Messervy and each is tailored to our clients needs and individual preferences and desires, incorporating the highest standards of accommodation, food and good company. Throughout the journey, our guests are taken care of; every detail is covered, every comfort anticipated, and groups are small and exclusive.

Only the best will do for guests of The English Manner - Accessing the inaccessible, with The English Manner.

A keen amateur gardener, Alexandra has become synonymous with outstanding private garden tours and each year leads groups to some of our best loved but often least known English, Scottish and Irish gardens. Often accompanied by our expert tutors, Rosemary Alexander, Penelope Hobhouse and Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, we can offer a Masterclass at the Chelsea Physic Garden or simply a quiet opportunity to enjoy Gertrude Jekyll's lost roses at Upton Grey.

Future exclusive programmes:

• Fine Arts, Antiques & Collectibles, South of England - April 2011 | More information

Recent learning programmes have included:

• A 'Behind the Ropes' tour of English architecture and design, including private visits to stately homes, interior design studios and furniture craftsmen
• Masterclasses and visits to some of our least known and breathtaking private gardens in the British Isles
• A programme on Irish ancestry, heritage and history incorporating Northern Ireland and Eire, emphasising links with the USA
• A weekend of antiques and art, with 'hands-on' tutorials in the Arts and Crafts movement, staying at one of our best loved country house hotels
• Tracing the designs and decoration techniques of Nancy Lancaster and John Fowler, and their influences on English country-house style in the 20th Century
• Masterclasses in Food and Entertaining, including a top ten of Do's and Don'ts and how to entertain like a King, on a Pauper's budget.....