Our educational tours offer a truly memorable experience which will unlock new levels of understanding and appreciation for Bristol’s wartime past.
Step inside our original air raid shelter—an authentic, immersive, and powerfully evocative space that leaves a lasting impression on every student.
Your group will be welcomed outside the Corn Exchange by a friendly ARP Warden in full period dress. The tour begins with a vivid account of life in 1940s Bristol and the dramatic events of the first night of the Bristol Blitz. Students will see surviving evidence of the bomb damage inflicted on 24 November 1940 and discover how that night reshaped the city forever.
From there, you’ll head beneath the streets to explore the largest public air raid shelter in the Old Town – a remarkable time capsule and hidden gem.
Your ARP Warden will guide you through rooms left untouched for more than 80 years, bringing to life the realities of the Home Front. Students will see original posters still fixed to the walls and even spot beautiful drawings created by Bristolians as bombs fell overhead.
The tour concludes with a 15‑minute presentation featuring key items from our extensive collection of artefacts and memorabilia, followed by a 10‑minute Q&A session before you return to the world above and step back into the 21st century.
Tours generally take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 09:30, or at various times on Wednesdays. Each tour lasts 75 minutes.
The cost is £175 for up to 30 students and 4 members of staff.
We also offer a 90‑minute tour that includes a guided walk through Castle Park to examine Blitz damage and the ruins of St Peter’s Church. This option is particularly effective when bringing multiple classes.
When bringing more than one class, we can run two tours simultaneously. While one group explores the air raid shelter, the other takes a guided walk through Castle Park—the former heart of Bristol’s Old Town—where we examine further Blitz evidence, visit the ruins of St Peter’s church, and uncover more wartime clues. Students will compare the modern landscape with historic photographs of the streets and buildings lost during the Blitz. We then return to the Corn Exchange after 45 minutes and swap with the group who have been beneath the streets. This extended tour lasts 90 minutes in total and costs £220 per group of 30 students plus 4 staff.
To book, simply email us with your preferred dates, times, and any specific requirements, and we’ll be delighted to help.
Tours generally take place on Thursdays and Fridays at 09:30 or during the day on Wednesdays.
Our tours explore every aspect of life in Bristol during the Second World War, with a particular focus on the first night of the Bristol Blitz: 24th of November 1940.
During this devastating raid, Bristol’s Old Town was almost entirely destroyed, with the loss of 84 businesses, including 5 theatres, 3 churches, one hospital, and a secondary school. The area where these buildings once stood is now Castle Park.
As part of every tour, we examine images of the lost streets and a detailed model of the Old Town to help students visualise the scale of the destruction. If you would like additional reading material for your pupils—either to prepare them before their visit or to support learning afterwards—just let us know and we’ll be happy to provide it.
We can cover all aspects of WW2, the Blitz and life on the home front. Let us know if you have specific areas you would like to include, or maybe you have pupils from specific countries that we can reference.
Our tour focuses on the first night of the Bristol Blitz: the 24th of November 1940.
Your tour begins above the street, looking at evidence of Blitz damage and photographs of the Old Town as it once was.
Hidden beneath the Corn Exchange lies one of the best preserved WWII air raid shelters in the country. We explore multiple rooms and see original signage and posters which are still in place.
We even discover original pencil drawings which were produced during the Blitz.
Hear about what Bristol was manufacturing during the 1940s, and the huge amount of materials and resources which were arriving into the city from America.
Every tour includes a demonstration of wartime artefacts from our museum collection. These include gas rattles, sirens, whistles, and more.
Your guide will be dressed in full wartime uniform, and there are opportunities to try on helmets and other items throughout the tour.
Bristol Guided offers unique access to the city’s hidden historic secrets. We are the only tour company with access to the Corn Exchange; the city’s most historic building.
We offer guided tours of the spectacular air raid shelter hidden beneath the streets, with access to other hidden parts of the building, including the wonderful architecture of the Long Room and Exchange Hall roof.
Our guides are dressed in period costume, and have extensive knowledge of their specific areas.
Duncan McKellar is the founder of our air raid shelter tours and museum space. Duncan has battled hard for 6 years to preserve and open the space to the public. His perseverance has paid off and now Bristol has another world class heritage attraction for all to enjoy!
Owen is a trained Actor with a passion for history! Owen has been head warden at our air raid shelter for two years and is a weath of knowledge for all things WW2.
Theresa has many years experience guiding in both Bristol and Bath. She is a trained actor with a history degree and particular interest in WW2 and the French Resistance. She has performed on stage and T.V and currently teaches Georgian dance classes!
Send us a quick email with your preferred dates, times and any special criteria and we’ll make it all happen
