The amazing story of Empire brought two great civilisations, India and Britain, together and we have become who we are today because of that shared history.  Our destinies have become intertwined. This tour will walk through that amazing story from its genesis to the modern day.  Along the way, you will meet Elisabeth I and her “sea dogs” who took to piracy and plunder.  We will follow the trail to trade and the East India Company.  We’ll meet Robert Clive who took the fateful step from trade to occupation.  And then we’ll watch as Warren Hastings loses the legitimacy of the East India Company and the Crown takes over.  We’ll discuss the pillars of Empire – naval superiority and the economics of empire – and meet Queen Victoria, Empress of India at the height of empire.  Then we’ll share in the fall; the two world wars which inflicted terminal wounds, Mahatma Gandhi, the father of independent India, and Mountbatten, the man sent to deliver independence.  We finish with a discussion of what Empire is today – perhaps an Empire of Ideas or Values – and this Empire is very much alive. 

About Your Guide: 

Ameet Shah is an East African Indian who came to London when he was 9. As such I am a product of Empire who loves London. Along the way, I graduated with a First in Economics from Cambridge, had a long and sufficiently successful career in management consulting and telecoms to have given up the day job. Now I give tours to share my passion for my City and its incredible story.