“Mr. Woilde, we ‘ave come for tew take yew …” One of the greatest thrills on this trip was our visit to Oscar Wilde’s house in Tite Street, Chelsea. Even though it was long ago broken up into flats, Jen, the charming occupant of the ground floor, welcomed us into her home and shared with us much Oscar Wilde lore and many memorabilia. We stayed in a wonderful hotel in London, The Bloomsbury, with sitting rooms decorated à la Duncan Grant, and a first class staff including several tall & handsome Bulgarian doormen, who always wished us a pleasant day when we set out, and inquired after us when we returned. We were within easy walking distance of most of central London and the theatre district, just down the street from the British Museum, and with an easy commute to Heathrow via the Elizabeth Line. Other memorable tour highlights: Oscar Wilde’s College at Oxford (Magdalen); high tea at the Pump Room in Bath, with echoes of Jane Austen, and ascending Beckford Tower, built by an wealthy gay eccentric; Edward II’s 14th century tomb in Gloucester Cathedral, along with some 2004 Jesus paintings in the Lady Chapel that were highly virile; experiencing the over-the-top interior of Brighton Royal Pavilion; pilgrimages to the Bloomsbury group homes in Kent (Monk’s House & Charleston Farmhouse, Sissinghurst & Knole); and, on the York extension, visiting York Minster, Castle Howard (scene of the 1981 “Brideshead Revisited”), and Shibden Hall, Anne Lister’s home outside Halifax. We consumed several delightful meals together, at pubs and inns — British cuisine has come a long way from Blimpie’s! And our local guides (especially Nick!) were, as always, superb. Thanks again to Professor Andrew Lear for his design and execution of a splendid fortnight for us!

I’ve taken wonderful Oscar Wilde tours of Italy, Greece and France, but this was the long awaited tour of England. It was everything I’d hoped for. A wonderful tour into the hidden corners of English history and literature. From Oscar himself to the Bloomsbury group and everyone else. As always, a great collection of fellow travelers. We ate in historic places, saw great art, homes and gardens. Even as I’ve been to some of these, I saw them anew from a different perspective. Go and enjoy!

This was my second trip with Oscar Wilde Tours, and it did not disappoint. There’s so much to see in England, having the LGBT focus is a wonderful way to sample great sights without being overwhelmed. With 16 other gay men on board (at least half of whom were repeat OWT customers), we shared so many fun and enlightening moments. Andrew Lear was in top form, especially apparent in the National Portrait Gallery, and it was obvious that he loves England and its LGBT history. He and our local guides (Nick, thank you!) made sure that every day was pleasurable and intellectually stimulating. And there was just the right amount of free time to see plays, etc. and explore on one’s own. Thanks to Professor Lear’s connections, we were able to tour Oscar Wilde’s Tite Street home, which is not open to the public. I’m so glad I took this trip! David S.

This was an absolutely wonderful trip. There is so much LGBTQ history in England and Andrew and the other guides he chose did an excellent job. History, art, music, theatre all covered. Seeing some of Oscar Wilde’s haunts, a queer tour of the National Portrait gallery, visits to Charleston and Monk’s House, Castle Howard were all highlights for me. I have special food requirements and I felt well taken care of at all of the group meals. I would definitely recommend this trip for anyone with an interest in LGBTQ history in England.

Oscar Wilde Tours has done it again! This was our second tour with Oscar Wilde tours. This tour of England equaled or even exceeded the expectations we had after last year's Greece and Turkey experience. Led by Professor Andrew Lear, an expert on ancient Greece and also gay history, he crafted a tour of England that included a carefully curated selection of sites in London and southern England that was both delightful and educational. In London, we had a walking tour of Bloomsbury, famous for the early 20th century Bloomsbury group; LGBT focused-tours at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Portrait Gallery; historic homes in Kensington once occupied by gay artists; and an LGBT focused tour of the reconstructed Globe Theatre, built near the location of Shakespeare's original. The pièce de résistance was a visit to Oscar Wilde's old house in Tite Street. This is a private residence and not open to the public, but one of the current residents kindly opened her home to our group. Her exuberant hospitality at the home of the tour company's famous namesake was the cherry on top of our time in London. During our time in the countryside we visited Bletchley Park, where gay mathematician Alan Turing led the team of codebreakers during World War II; an excellent LGBT tour of Oxford University, including Oscar Wilde's alma mater Magdalen College; a visit to stunning Blenheim Palace, built by Queen Anne's favorite, Sarah Duchess of Marlborough; magnificent Gloucester Cathedral, site of the burial of one of England's (probably) gay kings, Edward II; beautiful Bath where we had high tea in the Pump Room in the steps of Jane Austen; seaside Brighton (England gayest city) and the fabulous Brighton Pavilion; and the great country houses associated with Vita Sackville-West, Knole and Sissinghurst. Finally, we also opted to do the York extension. Here we saw the glorious York Minster and had an LGBT walking tour of the city that was once the leading city of the North of England. This was followed by visits to lovely Castle Howard, famous as the film setting for Brideshead Revisited; and Shibden Hall, the country house of Anne Lister, who married her female partner, and left coded diaries of their lives together. All of the hotels throughout our stay were top-notch (especially the Bloomsbury in London), we had excellent food (despite English cuisine's less than stellar reputation), and convivial compony throughout. Beside the quality of the tour, the experience was enhanced by Andrew and the group of guys that made up the participants. The camaraderie amongst all of us, coupled with Andrew's expertise and leadership, made this a trip to remember always. P.S. We can't wait for the next one (Germany, next year, I hope!)