The first recorded date of Christmas in England was in the year 597 when Augustine baptised 10,000 Saxons in Kent on Christmas Day. Since then, through the centuries Christmas has been a time for feasting and merriment (except for a rather dour period under Cromwell).

The Grand Tour was the utlimate Georgian / Victorian gap year experience. Expensive and glamourous, this was a rite of passage for rich aristocratic young men (and later, women) who travelled Europe, broadening their minds with culture, art, music and architecture.

Wander the crowded, busy streets of London and surprisingly, you’re never far away from a horse, whether it’s Boudica in her chariot on the Embankment or the Household Cavalry at the State Opening of Parliament…