Our Directors
ACE's tours are led by specialists in the fields of archaeology, history, art, architecture, wildlife and music. Chosen for their individual expertise and their ability to communicate, our experts follow the traditional ACE house style, where, as well as giving lectures and talks, they lead the tour from start to finish.
Colin Bailey
Colin Bailey, PhD, FSA, FSAScot, is an experienced art historian whose posts have included head librarian at the Barber Institute at Birmingham University, keeper of British art at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery and head of Humanities at Edinburgh College of Art. A trained linguist, Colin is one of only two westerners to have been awarded a permit to conduct tours in the Hermitage Museum.
Mark Baldwin
Mark Baldwin, MA (Cantab), MSc, PhD, is one of Britain’s most experienced speakers on World War II intelligence with a particular expertise in code-breaking and the Enigma machine, of which he is a proud owner. Mark has given lecture tours in Poland and Germany, as well as throughout the British Isles.
David Bostwick
David Bostwick, MA, PhD, is a lecturer and consultant on historic buildings for the National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Scotland. David teaches at the Universities of Sheffield and York and tutors periodically at the University of Hartford, USA. David established the Bishops’ House Museum in Sheffield, home to a fine collection of 17th century regional furniture.
John Bryden
John Bryden, MA (Cantab), is an international concert pianist and organist who has given concerts from Cornwall to Katmandu via Wigmore Hall. Formerly a senior lecturer in music at Dartington College, John currently teaches at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh and at Edinburgh University. As a coach at the Dartington International Summer School, John played in master-classes given by Jacqueline du Pré.
Mark Corney
Mark Corney, BA, FSA, is a specialist in Roman history and presenter on Channel Four’s Time Team. Mark is an honorary research fellow at Bristol University and is a former investigator with the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England.
Mary Dicken
Mary Dicken, MA (Oxon), DipEd, is former head of history at a leading Cambridge independent school and a specialist in the Tudor period. Mary lectures extensively for the WEA and U3A and is a principal examiner for A level history. Mary has also appeared as a contestant on Mastermind.
Peter Higginson
Peter Higginson, PhD, is an expert in art history and senior lecturer at Christie’s, London. Peter gained his doctorate on Caravaggio and his publications include Poverty and Papal Piety in Rome and The Pilgrims’ Experience of Old and New in Early Modern Rome.
Robert Hulse
Robert Hulse, MA (Oxon), is co-author of The Brunels' Tunnel, with a foreword by Michael Palin, and director of London’s Brunel Museum, housed in Brunel's original Thames Tunnel engine house. The museum was recently awarded the Freedom of the Ancient Metropolitan Borough of Bermondsey, thus bestowing on Robert twin rare privileges: he is now permitted access to any of the river-steps of the Thames… and may drive sheep across London Bridge.
Michael Nicholson
Michael Nicholson, OBE, was a war reporter and senior foreign correspondent at ITN, where his assignments included Northern Ireland, the Falklands War and the first Gulf War. Michael’s face is instantly recognisable following his 12 years presenting ITN’s news bulletins.
Malcolm Oxley
Malcolm Oxley, MA (Oxon), is a talented art historian, a subject to which he brings a historian's wider perspective. Oxford-trained, Malcolm is a man of catholic tastes, equally at home exploring the ecclesiastical architecture of his native Yorkshire as he is touring the art galleries of Europe. Malcolm was for many years deputy head of St Edward's School, Oxford.
Roland Randall
Roland Randall, MA, MSC, FIEEM, CEnv, PhD (Cantab), is a botanist and fellow of Girton College, Cambridge. Roland acts as an ecological consultant for the National Trust, English Nature and Scottish Natural Heritage. He is also a committee member for the European Union for Coastal Conservation.
Julian Richards
Julian Richards, BA, FSA, MIFA, is an archaeologist and broadcaster, best known for his appearances on BBC television's Meet the Ancestors and Radio 4’s Mapping the Town. Julian previously worked for English Heritage and spent a decade running the Stonehenge Environs Project, a detailed study of Stonehenge and its surrounding landscape.
Andrew Wilson
Andrew Wilson, BA, BD, FSAS, is a specialist in archaeology and ancient history. Andrew studied archaeology then theology before working overseas as an archaeologist, specialising in Roman frontier systems and Byzantine mosaics. Andrew is a member of the Hadrianic Society and a fellow of the Society for Libyan Studies. He also belongs to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Classical Association of Scotland. Andrew has led many tours and cruises for ACE in the Graeco-Roman world, with a particular emphasis on the archaeology of his native Scotland.