Northumberland Castle May Have Crowned World’s Youngest Tour Guide

A nine-year-old from Whickham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne has become what could well be the world’s youngest tour guide.

Leo Grant took on the role of tour guide at medieval Langley Castle Hotel in Northumberland, on October 30.  He presented his own version of the four-star castle’s history, with a little toilet humour thrown in, as he drew attention to the hotel boasting the best example of medieval garderobes in Europe. 

With other parts of the narrative to appeal to kids of his own age, his talk went down a storm.  Langley Castle guests who had stayed on to listen to it, after taking the castle’s official daily Battlements Tour, thought he was “very good”, helping them learn more about the place in which they had spent the night.

Leo then threw himself into more in-depth explanations of particular features within the castle, such as the seven-feet-thick walls and the chapel on the Battlements.  This was created with the express permission of another Leo, Pope Leo XIII.

Leo demonstrated fully why he has been christened ‘Encyc’Leo’pedia’ by one of his teachers at St Mary’s RC Primary in Whickham.  He also highlighted why he fully deserves the title of ‘Langley Castle Young Battlements Tour Guide of the Year’. 

The youngster was presented with a trophy by Langley Castle’s general manager, Mohamed Serag.  Mr Serag said, “When Leo speaks about the history of the castle, it is as if he is transferring his energy to you.  It is impossible not to pick up on his passion.”

Leo was thrilled with the experience and loved the opportunity to communicate the facts and figures he has acquired when planning his campaign for the title of Young Battlements Tour Guide of the Year. 

He says, “It is incredible to be here in the castle.  It is like stepping into the history books and living in a different time.  We can all learn so much about the present from appreciating the past.  I love being the young tour guide of the year and helping to share the love of history with others.”

Mohamed Serag says: “It is quite remarkable for someone so young to have taken on this challenge and done it so brilliantly.  When we launched a search for the Langley Castle Young Battlements Tour Guide of the Year, we never thought that the winner would be just nine years old. We are pretty sure that makes Leo the youngest tour guide in the world.”

Leo can’t wait to return to the castle for a family stay, with his mother, father and younger brother, which is part of his prize from Langley Castle. He will also be helping the castle put a new leaflet together, to spread the appeal of its Battlements Tour amongst a younger generation. In the meantime, Leo is taking his trophy to be part of a ‘show and tell’ talk at school, where he plans to wow his teacher with the fact that he has become Langley Castle’s youngest ever tour guide and, possibly, the world’s too.

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Editors notes

Langley Castle, built in 1350, is located in Langley-on-Tyne, Northumberland and is one of the few authentic, fortified medieval castles in England. It has a rich history, with strong links to Jacobite rebellions, is located just a stone's throw from the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall and boasts features including battlements, seven-feet-thick walls, window seats set into the walls and the best example of medieval garderobes in Europe. It is one of the most exquisite wedding venues in the north and also offers a wide range of options when it comes to exclusive use, with the castle being available for weddings, family celebrations, Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, D&D-style events and a wide variety of corporate functions.