Freemasons Hall vestibules
Carreras Cigarette Factory entrance
Art Deco Clock on Fleet Street
Freemasons Hall
Florian Court
Isokon Gallery
Freemasons Hall museum
Opening day of Isokon Gallery, photography by Edith Hart
Isokon Gallery
Fleet Street
Central London’s Art Deco landmarks
The opulent interior of Freemasons Hall
Private guided tour of the iconic Isokon Building Gallery
2 Willow Road in Hampstead
Two illuminating lectures from Art Deco expert, Professor Anne Anderson
As with so many other cities around the world, London embraced Art Deco with an astounding vigour, which was to define many London skylines and districts. Despite post-war redevelopment, London is home to an enormous range and quantity of truly outstanding buildings of all types from factories, garages, stations, hotels, apartment blocks and houses to offices, churches, palaces and cinemas. With a special private opening of the Isokon Gallery, and a guided tour of Freemasons Hall, explore Art Deco London with expert, Professor Anne Anderson.
Available Departures |
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| 16 - October - 2025 | £ 1195.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
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Provisional Timings |
Day 1: Arrive independently at the Malmaison Hotel, London from 15.00. This evening there will be a welcome drink, dinner with wine and an introductory talk by expert Professor Anne Anderson: 'Poirot's Art Deco London'.
Day 2: Florin Court, Freemasons Hall and London’s Art Deco landmarks.
We start our day with a two minute walk to Florin Court, an art deco residential building with a distinctive curved facade. It was completed in 1936 and featured on TV as Whitehaven Mansions, the fictional residence of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot. We then coach to Freemasons Hall, an Art Deco masterpiece in central London which was built between 1927-1933 as a memorial to the Freemasons who died in World War I. We have a guided tour with a Freemasons guide including a walk around the Museum of Freemasonry in the North Gallery, the Vestibules and the Grand Temple which includes classic geometric designs, ornamental features, intricate mosaics and stained glass. We also have time to explore the library and South Gallery before having a group lunch in the cafe.
This afternoon Anne will lead a walking tour of the Art Deco buildings around Aldgate and Whitechapel. From office buildings including Ibex House which was designed in the Streamline Moderne style with curved corners and long strips of windows, to the Grade II-listed Troxy Cinema. We finish our walk at the New Road Hotel where we enjoy a drink before returning to our hotel. This evening there will be a second dinner, plus another lecture from Anne: 'Putting on the Ritz: Art Deco style and fashion'.
Day 3: Isokon Gallery, Hampstead and more central London buildings.
This morning we head north to Belsize Park to view the Grade I listed Isokon Building, a pioneering modernist apartment block designed by Wells Coates as an experiment in minimalist urban living. The construction of the building, and its official opening in 1934 was documented by Edith Hart, who was a Bauhaus student, photographer and secret Soviet spy recruiter. The building was also a hub for intellectual and artistic life, with regular visitors like Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Agatha Christie who lived there from 1941-1947. We view the building's exterior before a guided tour of the Gallery inside the building before it opens to the public.
Next we walk to nearby 2 Willow Road in Hampstead, the 1939 modernist home of architect Erno Goldfinger. One of only two modernist houses in the country open to the public, we view the collection of modern art, personal possessions and innovative bespoke furniture. After free time for lunch in Hampstead (own expense) we spend the afternoon exploring metropolitan Art Deco delights travelling between West London and close to the centre of the city. In the west we will visit Park Royal tube station, Osterley Park tube station and the ‘Golden Mile’ of the Great West Road. There will also be an external viewing of the remarkable Carreras Cigarette Factory in Camden, with its iconic black cats flanking the company's Art Deco building entrance. Return to the hotel for approximately 18.00.
Please note: Post tour extra nights are available at a supplement
NB: Exact order of excursions may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion. Visits are a mixture of internal and external visits (many are public buildings) as time and traffic conditions allow. Most of the interest lies in the architecture which is best appreciated externally.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 25 passengers.
Tour Grading: This tour has been graded as demanding due to the amount of walking and standing for viewing at attractions. The walking tours will be at a moderate pace with plenty of stops for Anne to talk about the building features, but there will be limited places to sit. Please visit the mobility page of our website, or call our team prior to booking.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
Malmaison Hotel, London
Housed in a beautifully refurbished Victorian building, the four-star Malmaison Hotel offers a restaurant, bar, and comfortable, contemporary designed bedrooms with private bath/shower, air-conditioning, WIFI, hairdryer, iron, TV, and tea/coffee making facilities.
Limited car parking is available at the hotel costing £30 per night on weekdays and £6 per night on weekends. There is some pay and display street parking available nearby, or the Barbican Centre car park is a 10 minute walk from the hotel.
Hotel Website
Your expert lecturer – Professor Anne Anderson
With a first degree in archaeology and a PhD in English, Anne was a senior lecturer in Art and Design History at Southampton Solent University for 14 years from 1993 to 2007. She specializes in the Aesthetic Movement, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Modernism. She has published several books, including The Perseus Series, which accompanied the Edward Burne-Jones exhibition held at Tate Britain (2018), and Art Nouveau Architecture (2020). She has also published over 50 articles in respected academic journals. Anne has curated four national exhibitions, mostly recently Beyond the Brotherhood The Pre-Raphaelite Legacy (2019-20). American fellowships held include the Huntington Library, CA and the American Antiquarian Society, MA. She has lectured for The Arts Society, The Art Fund, the V&A Learning Academy, the National Trust and Christies’. Her career as an international speaker has taken her all over the world, including Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. She undertook her sixth lecture tour for Arts National Australia in 2024. She has also lectured on several cruise ships, Swan Hellenic’s Minerva, the Spirit of Adventure and the Hebridean. Anne has received a rapturous response from our travellers at the UK lectures and tours, as well as a host of tours overseas, and her knowledge, wit and enthusiasm bring her beloved subjects to life in whatever location she finds them.
Please note that all our UK tours start and finish at the relevant hotel.
You can normally check in from 3pm onwards but hotels will always be happy to store your luggage if you arrive earlier in the day.
For full details of how to get to the hotel, directions and the nearest train station, please click on the hotel website or call our office for details. These will also be sent automatically with your confirmation.
The welcome reception and first evening dinner / talk will commence at about 6pm - full details will be sent with your joining instructions about 10 days prior to the arrival date.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our Art Deco in London tour. Elain and Steve were a most knowledgeable and entertaining double act and Mark the driver coped with all the drop-offs and collections superbly. We learnt so much. Well done the whole team. We highly recommend Travel Editions.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
We all enjoyed the tour & appreciated that Elaine & Steve had stood in at short notice to save the need to cancel it as a result of the sad death of Mike Hope. The hotel- accommodation, food & staff attentiveness were all excellent. However, we found that the days were very long with much information to be absorbed and would have liked an earlier return to hotel in the afternoon, so as to freshen body & mind for the evening session and dinner. Elaine's knowledge was fantastic, as was her enthusiasm, but as guests that had little knowledge of the subject, we found this rather overwhelming and a bit disappointing that the architectural style wasn't given more context - perhaps contrasting to existing styles, as well as the influences on the creativity at play. We also found the lunch break on Saturday difficult -as 40 mins at Oxford Circus on a Saturday leading up to Christmas made getting sustenance as well as a necessary toilet break very challenging. However, we did enjoy the tour and found both Elaine and Steve excellent guides.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
We thought Elain Harwood was excellent. Her subject knowledge was very impressive and delivered in a easy friendly way. We would certainly be interested in any other UK breaks that she might do with you in future.
Review by Davies who travelled 18-November-2022
This was a really brillianr tour! Elain is so knowledgeable about Art Deco and is able to educate and inform in a way that makes it so interesting. Steve was an excellent tour manager, and his experience as a London Guide meant he could contribute to the commentary at various points. Mark the coach driver was also a valuable member of the team, dealing professionally with all the problems of driving in central London. We saw some fabulous buildings, including a few extras that were't on the original itinerary, and it's great that we have Elain's book to remind us of some of them. We hope to do future tours with Elain and Steve. My only criticism - and it's not about Travel Editions - is that some people had clearly not read your grading of the walking difficulty of the tour, or had overestimated their own abilities, as some people struggled to keep up. This is tough on them, but is also unfair on the tour manager who is trying to keep to a schedule, and for the other members of the group.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
Excellent tour guide
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
Most of this tour was absolutely first rate. Elain's enthusiasm and encyclopedic knowledge of buildings, architects (and listings) was a great asset to the tour. Steve's knowledge and experience complemented Elain perfectly. Two aspects of the tour were not so good. Firstly, the trip to Rayner's Lane was dropped, without being mentioned, and was replaced by a visit to Battersea Power Station. Visiting an enormous retail outlet on a Saturday afternoon when it was, inevitably, overcrowded was not the best use of our time. The visit to the Granada, Tooting was puzzling. The interior of the building is certainly extraordinary but it had no place on an "Art Deco" tour. The highlight for me was learning more about the various buildings along the "Golden Mile".
Review by Pritchard who travelled 18-November-2022
Our tour guide Elain was an amazing expert and so enthusiastic about her subject. We saw so many buildings that we lost count. What a holiday. The hotel was comfortable, although the buffet=style meals were not what we would expect in a 4* hotel. Magic Mike the driver was great as was Steve - another architecture enthusiast.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
We have been looking forward to this holiday for 3 years and it surpassed all expectations. The tour guide was expert, approachable and understanding as was the accompanying guide and driver. The ground covered was a delight in their capable hands. We still can't quite believe how much of London art Deco we managed to see. The introductory talks, with photographs were superb.
Review by Gordon who travelled 18-November-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 18-November-2022
An enlightening tour of buildings on my own doorstep many of which I was not familiar with. Mike Hope was an excellent and informative guide. I felt the evening meals were of poor standard.
Review by Owen who travelled 11-February-2022
Mike Hope is an exceptional tour leader with in-depth knowledge of his subjects. A very enjoyable weekend.
Review by Dean who travelled 11-February-2022
A thoroughly enjoyable tour with a relatively small number (12) led by Mike Hope, who is an outstanding guide and companion.
Review by Broadbent who travelled 11-February-2022
Mike Hope is a natural. Not only is he very well informed, but he remains enthusiastic about his subject, and presents it very well indeed, both when using slides and while visiting sites. I would certainly like to go on more of his tours. I was pleased to be able to commute to the tour from home, rather than staying in the hotel, as I live only 12 minutes drive away, with public transport options also available. TE should offer this option routinely.
Review by Pendse who travelled 11-February-2022
Excellent, pure and simple!
Review by Anonymous who travelled 11-February-2022
Overall it was a great tour due to our tour manager, Mike. He was very knowledgeable about art deco and he really loved his subject. I really feel like I have seen every great deco building in the London area. Now a few bad comments. The bus we had was a very modern bus, but the bathroom did not work. That was for two days!! Our group was an elderly group and that was a big problem for everyone. The hotel was basically fine, but it was surrounded on all sides by major roads so it was not a bit scenic. We had two dinners included at the hotel; the first one was fine, the second was a disaster: smelly fish, very tough lamb stew, nothing really good to eat.
Review by Walker who travelled 15-November-2019
Well organised; great itinerary; expert leader; nice crowd. All round good experience. Thank you.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 15-November-2019
Another very interesting and most enjoyable tour led by Mike Hope.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 15-November-2019
Learned so much and had good fun too. Lectures were fascinating and Mike's knowledge of architecture, history and culture of the 1930s made it a superb experience. Coach driver deserves praise too for negotiating busy London streets!
Review by Wiggett who travelled 15-November-2019
This was my third tour with Mike Hope, and each time he was excellent. I hope to be able to go on another of his tours before long.
Review by Holding who travelled 16-November-2018
Packed weekend, excellent leader with extensive knowledge, we learnt a lot!
Review by Jensen who travelled 16-November-2018
A really good trip. Mike, as ever, informative and good fun. He is a terrific Tour Manager. A really pleasant weekend. Even the weather was good.
Review by Burbidge who travelled 16-November-2018
This was a really excellent tour with Mike Hope whom we we so sad to hear had passed away. He is so very missed by so many people. He managed to fit in a huge amount of material and it was very impressive to watch how he, and the really able coach driver, managed the complexities of visiting all these sites in London. Too many highlights to set them all down here but a particular delight was the Carreras Cigarette Factory which brought huge smiles to every face in the tour group. We highly recommend this tour.
Review by Jones who travelled 17-November-2017
Mike Hope was, yet again, fantastic! His knowledge of the subject and enthusiasm are so infectious. We really enjoyed the talks, presentations and exploratory tours. It was great and look forward to deciding which tour to do next!
Review by Teasdale who travelled 01-December-2017
Excellent tour with excellent expert Mike Hope.
Review by Ryan who travelled 01-December-2017
Review by who travelled 17-November-2017
I learnt so much from our very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide over the weekend. My only disappointment was that we only had a short stop at Eltham Palace (and we had to find and eat lunch in that time). I would have preferred to miss out one of the other stops and see the palace properly.
Review by who travelled 17-November-2017
On balance we both thought that it was too ambitious to try to cover all the venues described in the brochure in a two day tour, especially at this time of year when the light fades fast after 4 pm. Although the hotel was well placed for the sites on the Great West Road, it is questionable that it was a good location from which to see Eltham Palace & (the advertised) Croydon Airport as well as Central London. Perhaps it would be wise to avoid weekend traffic in Greater London by changing the tour to mid week in future.
Review by Bradshaw who travelled 17-November-2017
Review by who travelled 17-November-2017
Mike Hope was an excellent guide and his lectures were educational, entertaining and well illustrated. Mike packs a lo in, but you come away feeling that you have had a special experience. The hotel had lovely rooms and very good food and attentive service.
Review by who travelled 17-November-2017
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The only reason the Accommodation got a 'good' rather than 'excellent' was because of the Air Conditioning in the room. You either had to freeze or boil. No way to open a window either. Made sleeping difficult. Other than that it was all wonderful. We met some lovely people too and Mike Hope was excellent.
Review by Fraser who travelled 17-November-2017
Mike Hope on very good form despite unfavourable weather on the Saturday afternoon
Review by Shaw who travelled 17-November-2017
Review by Ms Andrea Stilliard who travelled 02-December-2016
Review by Ms Frances De Freitas who travelled 18-November-2016
Very good hotel and tour led by knowledgeable, stimulating and approachable Mike Hope. Marred somewhat by November weather, number of outside and noisy venues, size of group and hurried meal stops.
Review by Mr Barry Carter who travelled 18-November-2016
A most enjoyable and informative weekend - well worth doing.
Review by Miss Carol Sockett who travelled 18-November-2016
Although we had advised that gluten free food was required for myself there was little or no choice at the two evening buffets. The hotel information was poor in that there was nothing in the rooms, other than the statutory fire notice and no on screen information available.
Review by Mr Rodger Partington who travelled 18-November-2016
As Mike had told you the print out of places didn't fit with the actual tour. Mike was brilliant! Unable to hear volunteer at Croyden airport due to noise from Indian party next door! Food area at Eltham was poor - cold, unheated greenhouse and limited space. Coach was v comfortable and driver excellent. A good weekend all round - thanks.
Review by Mrs Gillian Platt who travelled 18-November-2016
This was a superb tour. We were introduced to wonderful buildings by a guide who knows and loves them and shares his enthusiasm in a relaxed but memorable manner. We learnt so much and were left wanting more. We will join Mike Hope again.
Review by Mrs Patricia Chapman who travelled 18-November-2016
Review by Mrs Lesley Olley who travelled 18-November-2016
Review by Mr Kevin Moore who travelled 18-November-2016
Impossible to hear a lot of Mike's excellent comments due to road noise. Why on earth don't you use wifi mike and headsets like other tour operators? Couldn't recommend this tour because of this
Review by Mr John Allan who travelled 18-November-2016
Review by Mr Frederick Gruncell who travelled 27-November-2015
Mike Hope was first class, gave his all, and a very good bus driver too . Mike has great knowledge of his subject, a deep knowledge of London and Good with People. I h ad a wonderful weekend, Highlight was 15mins of ancient Croyden airport film! Hotel Great too.
Review by Mrs Elizabeth Kirkman who travelled 27-November-2015
Review by Mr Michael Angling who travelled 27-November-2015
Review by Mrs June Hardy who travelled 20-November-2015
We were very impressed with our Tour Manager, his knowledge and the way in which he managed to fit in the needs of everyone on the final day, not an easy task taking into account London traffic.
Review by Mr CHRIS LIGHTFOOT who travelled 20-November-2015
Thank you very much for a well run trip. Mike's talks gave us interesting background, lots of knowledge which we hope we will keep. Very pleased with Hotel and food. We look forward to joining Mike on another trip.
Review by Mr Alan Banks who travelled 20-November-2015
Staff at the hotel were particularly helpful. The hotel was in a good position
Review by Mrs Ann Berrow who travelled 20-November-2015
Review by Mrs Patricia Gibson who travelled 20-November-2015
Yet another wonderful tour which introduced us to hitherto unseen buildings from the Art Deco period. Outstanding were the Carrera Factory and Eltham Palace, the latter having the merit of the almost wholly original mediaeval hall. As ever, Mike Hope was fabulous - enthusiastic, erudite, patient and with a wonderfully self-deprecating but humorous approach. I can hardly wait for 2016.
Review by Mrs Margaret Birch who travelled 20-November-2015
Another excellent tour with Mike. It was a revelation to see so many great buildings in London. Eltham Palace exceeded expectations and the Carreras building was stunning. As always Mike provided just the right amount of context and detail, delivered with his customary erudition and humour.
Review by Mrs Ann Howe who travelled 20-November-2015
An excellent and informative tour - Mike Hope was brilliant!
Review by Mrs A Levene who travelled 20-November-2015
Hotel clean, staff very friendly,but food mediocre to poor.
Review by Mr Keith Biggs who travelled 03-October-2014
Travel Editions feedback:
Thank you for your comments and we have passed them onto the hotel with regards to the food. It is an ares across our complete UK programme that we hjave to keep monitoring closely.
Buffet diners were of rather low standard but breakfast satisfactory.
Review by Mr Nigel West who travelled 03-October-2014
Croydon Aerodrome too distant and too much hassle to include especially for clients returning home as well. Tour meals adequate but off tour restaurant poor.
Review by Dr D Price who travelled 03-October-2014
All aspects of the tour were wonderful, much of it down to the knowledge and enthusiasm of Mike Hope our tour leader. However, the Savoy hotel let us and itself down by not honouring its agreement to admit the group into the American Bar to view the decor. We do hope that Travel Editions send an official letter of complaint and maybe for future tours choose an alternative venue i.e. Claridges.
Review by Fothergill who travelled 10-April-2013
