Mayflower

MAYFLOWER 400 PRIVATE TOUR – ITINERARY

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Introduction
Your driver-guide will pick-you up from your Central London hotel or place of residence at the specified time. Then our Mayflower & Founding Fathers Tour will begin in earnest, commemorating the 400 years since the famous ship set sail.

In July 1620, the Mayflower left from London to rendezvous with another ship, the Speedwell in Plymouth in the far south-west of England. Unfortunately the Speedwell did not live up to its name and sprang a leak! So 102 passengers piled onto the Mayflower to make the hazardous yet successful voyage to the New World.  400 years later, and there are now 35 million descendents of those early pioneers.

This tour includes a walk around historic Rotherhithe – the south London dock district from where the Mayflower originally set sail. We will visit the ancient church of St Mary’s in Rotherhithe with its 14th-century origins. It has many connections to the Mayflower: the Master (captain) Christopher Jones, was married here, the first mate, John Clark,  was baptised here, and the ship’s owner John Moore was buried here. We will also see the school for the children of Rotherhithe seafarers and many other connected monuments and statues.

And of course, no visit to this part of London would be complete without lunch in the historic Mayflower pub, which stands at the very spot from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail.

The religious aspirations of the passengers was key to the Mayflower voyage. Thus, we will also visit the south London district of Southwark, where we will discover the stories of Baptists and Brownists.

So, as we will see, in many ways, London was the cradle of modern America, helping to supply the first English-speaking settlers in the 16th century. But the city was also home to the revolutionary spirits of 1776, and this tour revives the ghosts of those pioneers past by visiting and exploring Benjamin Franklin’s London home.

Other Highlights

  • Hunt out the birthplace of John Harvard and Shakespeare’s link to the new world.
  • Discover the Salem witch trial connection, and the Cockney First Lady.
  • Uncover the legend of Captain Smith and Pocahontas, and hear the tale of the native American in her adopted city.
  • Find out why Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh and Baltimore all owe their origins on the other side of the ‘pond’.
  • Hear how the Star-Spangled Banner, Liberty Bell and the traditional Thanksgiving turkey all have their roots in old London town.

MAYFLOWER & FOUNDING FATHERS PRIVATE TOUR – NOTES

Tour price includes:

  • Personal qualified guide/driver-guide.
  • Private guided tours of all attractions in your itinerary except where stated.
  • Tour vehicle, fuel costs, parking, taxes, tolls & local charges.
  • Tickets to Benjamin Franklin’s House will be booked in advance and added them to your tour price. These are priced at the attraction’s standard rate including any transaction fees and are non-refundable.
  • Note: Benjamin Franklin’s House is closed on Tuesdays.

Tour price does not include:

  • Meals or refreshments.
  • Gratuities or tips to guide (at client’s discretion).
  • Pick-ups or transfers from outside central London (unless agreed at time of booking).

MAYFLOWER 400 YEARS TOUR
PRICES & PRACTICAL INFORMATION

● Description: day tour by private vehicle in London
    conducted by accredited driver-guide.
● Depart/return times: 8:30am-4:30pm.
● Pick-up/drop-off: any central London address.
● Price (based on number of passengers: max 7):
    1-2 = £605.00;  3-5 = £645.00; 6-7 = £680.00.
● Attraction tickets: for this tour we book standard
    tickets in advance and add them to your tour price.