ACE Cultural Tours
Encyclopedia
ACE Cultural Tours is an operator of educational and cultural travel tours. Specialising in small group tours with expert leaders such as Humphrey Burton
, Andrew Wilson, Colin Bailey, Michael Nicholson
& Julian Richards
, the organisation provides tours in the UK, Europe and across the globe. The tours cover a variety of subjects and include cultural cruises as well as natural history courses and music festivals. In 2009 a series of European tours were devised in partnership with English Heritage
.
ACE Cultural Tours is owned by the ACE Foundation
, an educational charity which forms links with the countries visited by ACE Cultural Tours by supporting local educational projects and providing scholarships. ACE Cultural Tours currently conducts operations in over 50 countries worldwide.
The company was founded in 1958 by Philip Brooke Barnes
as The Association for Cultural Exchange and is currently based in Babraham, Cambridge, England. The company was inspired by Philip Brooke Barnes’s visits to India during his time with the Intelligence Corps and also time spent in Scandinavia. The founding members of the organisation were Philip Brooke Barnes, Tony Crowe, James Hockey (both of the Farnham School of Art, now the University for the Creative Arts) and Professor John Evans (Director of the Institute of Archaeology, London). In its early years ACE mainly provided courses for student and professional groups coming to Britain from abroad, particularly, but not exclusively, from the United States and Scandinavia. One of the first summer schools, entitled Tradition and Experiment in British Society, held at Exeter College, Oxford, included a keynote speech by Clement Attlee
.
In 1964 archaeology became of greater significance within the organisation and Mr Barnes was able to arrange placements on excavations for students from England in Denmark and students from Denmark on digs in England. In 1967 the National Trust
commissioned ACE to devise a programme for Czechoslovakian conservationists to visit country houses and national parks in England and Wales. The reciprocal British group scheduled to visit Czechoslovakia on a similar programme were unable to do so because of the Russian invasion (see Czechoslovakia
). Programmes with the National Trust in England, and the equivalent organisation in Denmark, continued into the early seventies. On one occasion tour participants were personally shown around the Royal summer palace at Sofiero, in Sweden, by the King of Sweden, Gustav VI Adolf. The first musical appreciation course was held in 1970 at Merton College, Oxford and was directed by the musicologist Denis Stevens
. The music courses expanded to include festivals, such as the Three Choirs Festival
, in the 1980’s.
Following his retirement as Director of Norwich Museum, Francis Cheetham
lectured extensively for ACE between 1993 and 2006. The ACE Foundation co-published two books written by Francis Cheetham, an expert on Medieval Alabasters, The Alabaster Images of Medieval England and English Medieval Alabasters: With a Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 1992 Philip Brooke Barnes handed over the administration of ACE to his son Hugh Brooke Barnes who had worked with the company for eight years previously, and his son Paul became General Secretary in 2002 having worked as his assistant since 1998.
Humphrey Burton
Humphrey Burton, CBE is a British classical music presenter, broadcaster, director, producer, and biographer of musicians....
, Andrew Wilson, Colin Bailey, Michael Nicholson
Michael Nicholson
Michael Nicholson OBE is an English journalist and former ITN Senior Foreign Correspondent.- Journalistic career :Born in Romford, Essex, Nicholson attended the University of Leicester. Nicholson was a war reporter for ITN, who reported from wars in Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, Cambodia,...
& Julian Richards
Julian Richards
Julian Richards FSA, MIFA is a British television and radio presenter, writer and archaeologist with over 30 years experience of fieldwork and publication.-Early career:...
, the organisation provides tours in the UK, Europe and across the globe. The tours cover a variety of subjects and include cultural cruises as well as natural history courses and music festivals. In 2009 a series of European tours were devised in partnership with English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
ACE Cultural Tours is owned by the ACE Foundation
ACE Foundation
ACE Foundation is a non-profit, educational charity based in Cambridge, England, which supports cultural and international understanding in a variety of ways. These include running courses, seminars, study tours, summer schools and lectures...
, an educational charity which forms links with the countries visited by ACE Cultural Tours by supporting local educational projects and providing scholarships. ACE Cultural Tours currently conducts operations in over 50 countries worldwide.
The company was founded in 1958 by Philip Brooke Barnes
Philip Brooke Barnes
Philip Brooke Barnes was a pioneer of cultural travel who did much to foster understanding of different cultures amongst the more than 80,000 participants who signed up for his tours and the hundreds of scholars and projects he supported over five decades...
as The Association for Cultural Exchange and is currently based in Babraham, Cambridge, England. The company was inspired by Philip Brooke Barnes’s visits to India during his time with the Intelligence Corps and also time spent in Scandinavia. The founding members of the organisation were Philip Brooke Barnes, Tony Crowe, James Hockey (both of the Farnham School of Art, now the University for the Creative Arts) and Professor John Evans (Director of the Institute of Archaeology, London). In its early years ACE mainly provided courses for student and professional groups coming to Britain from abroad, particularly, but not exclusively, from the United States and Scandinavia. One of the first summer schools, entitled Tradition and Experiment in British Society, held at Exeter College, Oxford, included a keynote speech by Clement Attlee
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
.
In 1964 archaeology became of greater significance within the organisation and Mr Barnes was able to arrange placements on excavations for students from England in Denmark and students from Denmark on digs in England. In 1967 the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
commissioned ACE to devise a programme for Czechoslovakian conservationists to visit country houses and national parks in England and Wales. The reciprocal British group scheduled to visit Czechoslovakia on a similar programme were unable to do so because of the Russian invasion (see Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
). Programmes with the National Trust in England, and the equivalent organisation in Denmark, continued into the early seventies. On one occasion tour participants were personally shown around the Royal summer palace at Sofiero, in Sweden, by the King of Sweden, Gustav VI Adolf. The first musical appreciation course was held in 1970 at Merton College, Oxford and was directed by the musicologist Denis Stevens
Denis Stevens
Denis William Stevens CBE was a British musicologist specialising in early music, conductor, professor of music and radio producer....
. The music courses expanded to include festivals, such as the Three Choirs Festival
Three Choirs Festival
The Three Choirs Festival is a music festival held each August alternately at the cathedrals of the Three Counties and originally featuring their three choirs, which remain central to the week-long programme...
, in the 1980’s.
Following his retirement as Director of Norwich Museum, Francis Cheetham
Francis Cheetham
Francis William Cheetham was a leading authority on Nottingham Alabaster and the author of several books and articles on the subject.-Career:...
lectured extensively for ACE between 1993 and 2006. The ACE Foundation co-published two books written by Francis Cheetham, an expert on Medieval Alabasters, The Alabaster Images of Medieval England and English Medieval Alabasters: With a Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 1992 Philip Brooke Barnes handed over the administration of ACE to his son Hugh Brooke Barnes who had worked with the company for eight years previously, and his son Paul became General Secretary in 2002 having worked as his assistant since 1998.