For 2015, ACE Cultural Tours introduces three new 20th century tours led by expert Tour Directors. Art and architectural historian Ayla Lepine leads an examination of Victorian Oxford, while Alan Powers, one of the UK's foremost architectural historians whose publications include Modern: The Modern Movement in Britain, explores Cornwall and the Cotswolds.

20th Century Cornwall: Art, Architecture & Design

April 14–18, 2015; £795

Alan Powers traces the rich artistic and architectural heritage of Cornwall from late Victorian through Edwardian Arts and Crafts and into the birth of modernism. Privileged access to houses and museum collections as well as visits to significant sites such as the Barbara Hepworth studio and garden chart the emergence of towns like St Ives into international centres for artistic experiment.

More: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tourdetails/4330

Victorian Oxford: Pre-Raphaelites, William Morris & the Gothic Revival

July 27–30, 2015; £750

Ayla Lepine places William Morris at the epicentre of Victorian art, taste, and design in the 'city of dreaming spires'. Highlights include the sumptuous Victorian chapel of Exeter College, stained glass at Christ Church College, and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, a 'cathedral of science' built to encompass John Ruskin's mediaevalist ideals.

More: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tourdetails/4370

The Cotswolds: From Arts & Crafts to Modernism

August 25–28, 2015; £725

The quiet remoteness of the Cotswolds was chosen by some of the most original thinkers in the applied arts of the early 20th century as the place where they could experiment in building a new future from the inspiration of the past. Visits include Cheltenham's newly reopened Wilson museum with its extraordinary collection of Arts and Crafts products as well as Modernist private houses of the 1960s. We also encounter the survival of traditional skills through visits to local craftsmen including stone-carver Rory Young.

More: http://www.aceculturaltours.co.uk/tourdetails/4374

NOTES

For further information or any images, please contact Jessica Burrows at jessica@aceculturaltours.co.uk

Founded in 1958, ACE Cultural Tours is the UK's most experienced cultural tour operator. With a growing portfolio of over 1000 specially tailored tours for small groups, ACE offers over 200 departures every year. Every tour is led by a Tour Director – both a specialist in their field and a convivial host – and the tour groups regularly enjoy privileged access to private buildings, collections and special guests. Owned by the charitable organisation, the ACE Foundation, all tour profits are used to support educational projects in the UK and worldwide.

ACE Cultural Tours is a bonded tour operator, holding ATOL licence no 1204 and is also a member of AITO and ABTOT.

Visit the ACE Cultural Tours website here: www.aceculturaltours.co.uk

Visit the ACE Foundation website here: http://www.acefoundation.org.uk

Visit the Stapleford Granary website here: http://staplefordgranary.org.uk