Christian Heritage Tours

christian heritage toursMuch of England’s turbulent history is a result of the aftermath of Henry VIII’s Reformation of the English Church in the sixteenth century.

England wrestled with a religious war that went from Protestantism to Catholicism and back again. During the Puritanical years of Oliver Cromwell, after the abolition of the monarchy, abbeys such as Westminster were closed and often used as stabling for the Parliamentarian troops! These same troops were responsible for wholesale vandalism of high churches with the destruction of most of England’s medieval stained glass and statuary that venerated saints.

During the nineteenth century in particular church attendance increased dramatically, with many new churches created in response to this demand. Many of the buildings can still be visited today, a testament to the huge sums of money and dedication invested in them. After the 1829 Catholic Relief Act, many new churches were built specifically for their congregations, and it was the architect AWN Pugin that proposed a return to the medieval aspects of church building, creating a burgeoning gothic revival style that had currency for the rest of the century. There were also other Christian faiths in England including, for example, Methodism that also built their own places of worship, often in contrast to the elaborate styles of Roman Catholicism and High Anglicanism.

There are many religious sites and points of interest to see in London and other places in England such as Canterbury. We offer a range of tours to key sites, revealing a 500-year history that has formed our current culture of tolerance and understanding. London is one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world that prides itself on its tolerance of other faiths and creeds, yet with 60% of the population professed Christians it is overwhelmingly the core faith in the UK.

The Blue Badge guides on these tours are themselves Christians, their deep knowledge and spiritual awareness of this history’s significance will provide you with insights into the Christian faith as part of the English culture.

We are very flexible and can offer both day and extended tours as required. Typical sites to visit are key churches and other sites of religious significance such as John Wesley’s house in London, abbey ruins and sites of pilgrimage.

8 hour Christian tour in London to see key sites £525/£550 *

8 hour Christian tour and pilgrimage to Canterbury £600/£650 *
