On arrival at Heathrow airport, a private transfer will take you to the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, our hotel for the duration of our stay. In the evening you are invited to join the group for a welcome drink, followed by dinner.

We take a scenic drive to Ham House and Gardens, one of Europe’s greatest 17th-century houses nestling on the banks of the River Thames. This atmospheric mansion has remained virtually unchanged for 400 years and we find out more about the family who lived at Ham on our guided house tour.

Our afternoon visit is to Strawberry Hill House, a magnificent Gothic Revival villa created by author Horace Walpole in the 18th century to house his vast collection of treasures. Elegant and eccentric, it is Britain’s finest example of this style of architecture and we have the chance to see the highlights of both the house and garden with a guided tour.

We visit Red House, the only house commissioned, created and lived in by William Morris, founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Only recently acquired by the National Trust, conservation work has revealed more about the house including a previously undiscovered pre-Raphaelite Genesis wall painting. We enjoy morning coffee after our visit.

Next stop is Rainham Hall, a fine example of a Queen Anne house built in 1729 by an enterprising merchant and ship’s captain, when the River Thames was the gateway to the world. Re-opened in 2015 after a major restoration project, this remarkably intact house once held a pivotal place, connecting village life with river commerce until the 1920s.

We then head to St Dunstan in the East Garden, a unique city garden with imaginative planting, built amongst the ruins of a medieval church that was severely bombed during World War II.

We then make our way to Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields, where the rooms have been recreated to portray the lives of Huguenot silk weavers between 1724 and 1914. This “still life drama” takes us through rooms lit by fire and candlelight with different sights, smells and sounds that evoke the lives of its previous occupants.

We start the day at Dr Johnson’s House, a charming Georgian townhouse nestled in the midst of the City of London. Home of the 18th century writer Dr Samuel Johnson, the historic interiors have a wealth of original features and a collection of his effects, period furniture and portraits.

Next, our ‘Hidden Gardens of the City’ Walk explores the beautiful gardens and amazing history of the edge of the City of London. Somerset House is a spectacular Neo-classical building and a major arts and cultural centre in the heart of London. Here we view the Courtauld Gallery’s collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and decorative arts, ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

Later, we enjoy refreshments at Kensington Roof Gardens, situated on top of the former Derry and Toms department store. One of London’s secret treasures, the gardens opened in May 1938 and are divided into three distinct areas; traditional English, formal Spanish and Tudor.