Chris Van Hayden Tours

Hi there,

I’m London Blue Badge Tour Guide Chris Van Hayden with a great passion for London, its history, architecture, art, entertainment, museums, galleries, shopping and everything that makes our capital such a special place.

Have a look at my site to see some of the tours I offer, but do enquire for any specialised tours or if you want me to help you devise an itinerary.

My particularly interests lie in London’s Rock’n’roll, Science and Art History, Tudor & Stuart History and the city’s development through the centuries.

I cater for all occasion and groups, whether you want a friendly companion to join your family for a light entertaining few hours or you want an in depth overview of your topic of choice.

WESTMINSTER ABBEYSite of coronations, royal weddings and burials — **WESTMINSTER ABBEY**
Site of coronations, royal weddings and burials

st paul’s cathedralThe spiritual heart of the City of London and the country’s greatest English Baroque masterpiece — st paul’s cathedral
The spiritual heart of the City of London and the country’s greatest English Baroque masterpiece

Albert Bridge, Chelsea view from Battersea

Heritage walks

Heritage Walks are great to explore the rich history & contemporary life in London’s Boroughs. Barnes/Mortlake, Battersea, Chelsea, Putney/Fulham, Spitalfields & more…

British Museum, Bloomsbury, "Photo by DAVID ILIFF. License: CC BY-SA 3.0"

British museum

London has some of the most beautiful museums in the world. My tours offer a great opportunity to explore the highlights of these collections. National Gallery, British Museum, Tate Galleries & more…

Buckingham Palace, Westminster

beyond london

Here you can find many ideas about what to see in London & what to do, as well as many outside London locations where I can take you to.

Rock’n’Roll Tours in London

London Louder

Covering al the great bands - Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Marc Bolan, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols and more. Social history, fashion, Swinging 60’, Punk revolution and so on.

Victoria & Albert Museum

V&A Museum

The greatest collection of Decorative Arts and Design and my favourite museum in London. Bespoke by theme or highlights tours.

Natural History Museum, South Kensington

natural history museum

Described as a cathedral to nature, this beautiful Neo-Romanesque Victorian building houses some of the earliest dinosaurs discovered in the 19th c. Its founder Richard Owen coined the term Dinosaur. The collection also showcases geology, mammals and mineral galleries.

CHURCHILL WAR ROOMS

Let’s explore the Cabinet War Rooms, where Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill planned strategy during WW2 along with his inner circle and the Generals Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, defying the odds when all seemed lost at the dawn of the Battle of Britain.

City of London Tour

Hampton Court Palace Tour Image by Luke Nicolaides - https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukenicolaides/8845859010/

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

Henry VIII’s great house for entertaining himself and the court. Part Tudor, part Baroque place, Hampton Court Palace offers stunning architecture, beautiful artwork and and stories of intrigue and tragedy of the Tudor, Stuart and Georgian court.

Royal London Tour

Science Museum

Religious London Tours

London Cemeteries

Architecture Tours

Greenwich Tours

Biography

I was born in Milan Italy but grew up in London as a child. My father is English and my mother from El Salvador. I have lived 11 years in Italy, 10 in El Salvador and a year and half in Texas US, where I trained to be an Air Force pilot, as a member of the Salvadorean Armed Forces in the late 90s.

Back in London in the early 2000s I pursued my other passion as a musician and guitarist. From 2008 to 2012, I ran my own school of rock in Battersea, London.

In 2015 I published ‘The Rock Adventures of Rocky Rocks’ a fictional children’s novel which I authored, illustrated and created music for.

After completing a Bachelor’s degree in History and Art History I embarked on the Blue Badge London course 2018-20.

I am a serious rower and sculler, and when I’m not guiding, playing guitar or doing lots of research you’re likely to find me floating up and down the River Thames at speed!