Official Guides to the City of London

Amber Raney-Kincade

Languages:

English.

Themes:

Accessible tours, Architecture, Christmas Walks, Christopher Wren's London, City churches, Evening walks, Film locations, General city tour, Ghost walks, Great Fire of London, Guildhall Art Gallery, Harry Potter, Lectures and talks, Literary tours, Pub tours, Public art, River Thames, Seasonal, St Paul's Cathedral, Tours for children, Virtual tours, Women.

Biography

Don’t let the Texas accent fool you — this lady knows her stuff!

Amber has called London home since 2001 and is a qualified badge guide and avid London historian. She cut her teeth in guiding on a double decker bus in 2002/2003 while earning her MBA in International Marketing. You can find her in the City of London, at Changing of the Guard, on the rooftops of London or having tea with the Dowager Countess— all in costume, naturally!

Her background is marketing and social media, but when the rat race became exhausting and the recession hit, she returned to her passion for tour guiding. In 2009, she officially started providing walking tours and private guiding to clients full-time. “I love it when Londoners tell me I know more about their city than they do. It’s funny, but you rarely explore your own town, and why not see it through the eyes of a non-native!”

Her roots are now firmly planted in London, and in 2012 was granted the Freedom of the City of London. Some of her accomplishments include

City of London Badge: In 2012, she qualified as a City of London guide and was granted Freedom of the City the same year. She is a member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association, served on the board in various roles, and ran their Local London Guiding Day activity for three years.

City of Westminster Badge: In 2013, she earned her City of Westminster badge, is a member of the City of Westminster Guide Lecturers Association, and has contributed to their online magazine and social media.

Camden Guides: In 2014, she was a founder members of the Camden Tour Guide Association, where she even designed the logo and badge for that organisation, additionally contributing to their social media.

Southwark Cathedral: Amber completed the guide training, learning directly from some of the original members of the cathedral's esteemed guide team.

• Westminster Abbey: Amber serves as a volunteer guide in the education team, helping to provide interior tours of the abbey to students from visiting schools all over London from grades K - 12

• Friends of City Churches: She serve as a volunteer Church Watcher and social media consultant for Friends of City Churches, and work with St. Andrew by the Wardrobe on a series of lunchtime music concerts. She volunteers at Westminster Abbey and completed the St. Paul's Cathedral training course. She has successfully belted out the main verse of Amazing Grace in all of the City Churches! (“It’s a great way to test the amazing Wren acoustics!”) Her walk “Churches, Corners & Corridors” is a fascinating look at architecture and the stories behind the saints who give their names to these amazing buildings.

• St Paul's Cathedral: In 2016, she qualified as a guide for the cathedral, thus earning an additional Green Badge recognised by the ITG. In 2019, she climbed up to the top of the cathedral dome a record 10 times!

• Borough of Lambeth: In 2021, she qualified with distinction on the first cohort of the Lambeth Guiding course. 

Her tours are unique in that she is a dynamic presenter who wants to bring history to life. “You may not remember all the dates and facts, but you’ll remember a good story and I try to present history in a way that leaves you with some knowledge as well as a memorable experience. All factual of course!”

Her walks include:

Supercalifragilistic - a tour inspired by PL Traver's famous British nanny

Finding Bridget Jones – candy cigarettes and diary in hand, this is a fun tour!

People of the City – discovering historical characters that added life to the streets and surroundings

An American Walk through London – highlighting many American connections in The City of London including historical figures, events and locations

Churches, Corners and Carols – a tour through the City to discover churches, down narrow passages and with a carol or hymn thrown in for good measure

Client feedback:

“Great walk last night, which ended in a convivial fashion at the Hoop and Grapes. Amber designed a walk with a remarkable turnout of characters, ranging from an unforgettable pirate’s wife, two crutched friars, a music hall singer, Geoffrey Chaucer’s wife to the man who introduced Bank Holidays. Thank you so much for arranging it and for the linking commentary delivered in rhyming couplets!” PT

“Amber is a star! She’s the teacher you never had, the friend you always wanted. Her passion for London is unquestionable and she was quick to make sure that all our questions were answered. We were fully entertained and can’t wait to come back to London, and to see her again!” DF

"This tour was a blast. Amber is the best guide mixing movie and book facts along with taking you to key movie film making sites. She has great energy and keeps the walk so interesting you won't want it to end. Be prepared for a quiz and the prize is so worth participating! I've been a Bridget Jones fan since the movie came out in 2001. As a singleton and girl in love with London...it's always been relatable. Anyone who is also a fan of the books/movies will enjoy this walk with Amber!" Trip Advisor

 

Follow her on Twitter @AmericanLDN
Like her on facebook.com/AmericanLDN
Instagram @AmericanLDN

Tiktok @AmericanLDN

Also visit www.americantourguideinlondon.com

#amberisthebesttourguide 

Qualifications

Official City of London badge guide

Green Badge from Institute of Tour Guiding

Freeman of the City of London

Paralympic Opening Ceremony Performer

Former Big Bus tour guide (open top bus)

Former Flight Attendant with Continental Airlines

CITY OF LONDON GUIDE, Camden Guide, City of Westminster Guide, Lambeth Guide, St Paul's Cathedral Guide.

Guided Tours

Walks include:

Supercalifragilistic Tour -- London's best Poppins-themed tour, complete with costumed guide. Now in its 5th year, this tour is practically perfect in every way. Discover hidden corners of the City while learning about the original and new Mary Poppins films. Get behind-the-scenes information and visit the rooftops of London, too! 

An American Walk through London - highlighting many American connections in the City of London including historical figures, events and locations

Churches, Corners and Carols - a tour through the City to discover churches and enjoy a few carols along the way 

People of the City - discovering historical characters that added life to the streets and surroundings

Talks

I'm on all social media platforms! Find me using @AmericanLDN on Instagram, TikTok, BeReal, Lemon8, and Twitter. Like my page on Facebook.com/AmericanLDN

Reviews

"We booked the tour about PL Travers and Mary Poppins for our daughter, but it really was fun for the whole family. It was truly an awesome way to spend an afternoon. The walk was manageable for our children (8 and 10), and the pace was appropriate for them. We learned so much about the area and history of London. Absolutely will recommend Amber’s tours to anyone traveling to London!" -- Johanna H.