History and Art of the Rhone. 9th -16th October Riviera Travel

A group of 10 enjoyed a wonderful cruise on the beautifully appointed and comfortable MS Thomas Hardy. We flew from Heathrow from whence we travelled by coach to our boat moored at Avignon.

We admired the lovely countryside as we cruised gently along the Rhone and the many and varied visits when we were accompanied by excellent local guides. These included Avignon, where some of did dance on the bridge, Arles, where we followed in Van Gogh’s footsteps, Chauvet’s prehistoric cave paintings, incredibly well-preserved Roman remains, Beaune’s beautiful medieval town, the Pont du Gard and the stunning Ardeche Gorge. We finished our cruise at Lyons, where among other places, we visited the old town where went in secret corridors which were used by the Resistance to evade Nazi occupiers during WW2.

We all enjoyed the huge variety of visits, the excellent all included food and drink and the companionship and camaraderie of the group. An added bonus is that Riviera is making a generous donation to our society.

The Arts Society announced their arrival in Wraysbury with a stand at the annual Garden Party in  grounds of The Grange, a historic building in the heart of the village.

Amidst a host of stalls selling  everything from jewellery to cuddly toys, games to suit all ages and the ever popular tea and cake tent , committee members took turns to meet visitors and invite them to lectures in the Village Hall. Greeted with lots of interest and promises to take up our offer , first  lecture is free;  guests left with a pack of  information. So if you meet someone  new at our Wraysbury venue please make sure you give them a warm welcome.

Jackie and Cathy welcome visitors to our stand

31 people enjoyed a wonderful visit to Suffolk.  The weather, hotel, coach and guide were perfect and we were able to visit Ickworth, Constable country - East Bergholt, Flatford and Dedham, Christchurch Manor, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, Sutton Hoo, lavenham, Bury St Edmunds, Gainsborough’s house and Beth Chatto’s garden!   It was a very busy week but everyone enjoyed the break and very grateful to Bronwen Mills, assisted and supported by John, for a really good holiday and the chance to discover a varied and fascinating county.

‘The wind was cold and the air was chill, You know how it is on an April day’ – Robert Frost’s poem could not have been more appropriate for our visit to Chiddingstone Castle and the Ashdown Forest on the 9th April.  The morning spent inside the Castle was very welcome, and the story of its eccentric last owner Denys Eyre Bower, is intriguing.   His collection of Japanese, Egyptian , Buddhist, and Jacobite artefacts built up through visiting salerooms and using agents is remarkable.   His personal life involving broken romances and time spent in Wormwood Scrubs even more so.
Most of those on the tour made the short walk through the Castle grounds to the village of Chiddingstone.  This tiny village comprises a row of historic buildings, including an inn, shop, tea room, and school, all owned by the National Trust .  Some of our group also ventured along the path to the rocky outcrop called the Chidding Stone – possibly once used by Druids as a meeting place, and said to have been used as a ‘chidding’ place for the village scolds in the Middle Ages!
Our afternoon took us on a tour of the Ashdown Forest, the home of Winnie the Pooh.  A A Milne lived here while writing his famous books.  Our tour took us through Hartfield village, past Pooh Corner, once a sweet shop visited by Christopher Robin and his nanny.  As we climbed to the highest point on the Forest, we were greeted by a sea of yellow gorse covering the heathland around us.  We had a short stop to look at the map of places associated with Winnie the Pooh.
Our journey home was smooth and swift, with a short tea break at Haskins, a very large garden centre with enormous pieces of cake!

For the final visit of the year 30 people visited a very festive Waddesdon Manor on a cold November afternoon visiting the house which was spectacularly and beautifully decorated retelling the tale of Sleeping Beauty.  Of course the style of the manor lends itself to the story, even incorporating the spiral staircase, stunning Christmas trees throughout and even a huge paper dragon.
As darkness fell a light show played on the front of the house for over 10 minutes, cleverly done and changing constantly.  Many of us took the opportunity to purchase some festive gifts and treats from the Christmas market that led up to the house and enjoy something to eat and drink, ranging from fish and chips to a beautiful afternoon tea in the house.  Fully restored, we set off for the light trail, set in the gardens close to the house, offering very effective lighting viewed from different areas of the garden. 
Thanks to Bronwen Mills for arranging this special afternoon which was enjoyed by us all.

Finally, after cancelling our original booking due to a train strike, a small group of members enjoyed a morning at the Wallace Collection, Manchester Square.  We had an engaging and knowledgable guide who gave us the background to the collection and then took us to see some of the highlights of their collection of dutch paintings.  Phillipa had a huge knowledge and took us through the social history, economic history and development of the 7 counties of the Netherlands which became Holland and the art that resulted from the growth of this important sea-fairing nation.  Philipa advised us to always look at a painting and ask yourself what is this picture telling us and why is it telling us this - a fascinating morning.  Several of us enjoyed lunch before joining the general tour of the collection in the afternoon - another great guide showed us the highlights of the collection - if you are ever in London in the afternoon do sign up for this free tour which is available each day - a real treat!

Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park
Handover of the Inventory of Art
Compiled by the Arts Society Runnymede
Presentation to Canon Dr Edward Newell - Chief Executive
More information on Cumberland Lodge here

We handed over our Audit of the artworks at Cumberland Lodge to the Principal, Ed Newell on 27th June 2024. The project was a mammoth task, as was organising the audits and it was good to see so many of our volunteers there for the handover. Thank you so much to all the Cumberland Lodge auditors.

On 21st May a party made up from members of TASR, The Arts Society Windsor and Audley Village residents went by coach to West Sussex to visit St Mary’s Pilgrim Inn at Bramber, and The Church of the English Martyrs at Goring-on-Sea.
St Mary’s Inn dates to around 1450. It stood beside a toll bridge over the river Adur which led to one of the most important harbours on the South coast. Today, the river has silted up and Bramber is some 5 Km inland. Historically, pilgrims making their way to Canterbury could stop at the inn knowing that they would be looked after by the monks who lived in the nearby Sele Priory. Tolls from entry both into and out of the harbour funded the Inn and Priory.
The house, which is still lived in, features oak beams and fine panelled rooms. It has one of the earliest windows present in the United Kingdom. This has no glass, but a series of shutters can be opened or closed in 12 different combinations to control light and air circulation. Part of the original front door remains and ornamentation indicates that this was a pilgrim house. The house has literary connections with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and the Sherlock Holmes story The Musgrave Ritual.
The Church of the English Martyrs at Goring-on-Sea is modern, dating from the 1960s.  While it is nothing special on the outside, this building has the most amazing interior. In 1987 parishioner Gary Bevans, a sign-writer with no formal art training, visited Rome and saw the Sistine Chapel. The church at Goring had little decoration and he wanted to embellish it with a copy of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. By chance, the ceiling at Goring scales almost exactly to 2/3 the size of the Sistine Chapel. Over a 5 year period, the entire Sistine Chapel artwork was reproduced beautifully on the ceiling. It is an astonishing achievement.
 

We were a group of 41-17 from TASR and the rest from Audley Village.

We began with a guide telling us about the history of the college and The Chapel, which was where we began our tour. Mr Holloway, who financed the building of  the college, was an interesting and very rich man. The Chapel is beautiful with an amazing roof.
 

We then walked around The Founders' building, both inside and out. It did rain a little but we were so interested in the history of the building that it wasn't a problem.
 

We had lunch in the Picture Gallery, which is opposite the Chapel and contains the College's art collection. After a tasty lunch, we were introduced to some of the marvellous paintings in the gallery and had leisure time to have a closer look, before we all departed for home.
 

If you missed this trip, the College is having an Open Day in September, when you can visit the Picture Gallery and the other buildings.

Please consult the College's website for more information.
 

Marilyn Stevens

• The Arts Society has opened a new site as part of their main website, called The Arts Society Connected.This is a very simple site on which they host blogs and forums on which all Members can exchange views, ideas, tips and thought-provoking during this time of social isolation. CLICK HERE  

So, a lot going on at Head Office and our Society will be working with them to bring these new benefits to you.    At a local level, we will be aiming to keep in touch with you by newsletter and particularly to reach out to our members who do not have an email address.   More information on this project will follow.

We are delighted to announce that the Society has secured funding for the projct from The Prince Phillip Trust.   To learn mofre about the Trust  go to www:theprincephiliptrustfund.org

The St Lawrence, Chobham  trail is now complete and was launched on September 20. The launch set off with teams of six pupils from year 3 at St Lawrence Primary School who successfully completed their questionnaires;  the answers and interesting details were further explained by the teachers. The excited schoolchildren were rewarded with refreshments to round off their very enjoyable afternoon.  Click Here to see the trail itself..

An invitation to other local schools will follow and the question sheets will be available in the church for all young visitors in the future. 

On the evening of September 17, the Runnymede Arts Society joined four other societies – Ascot, Englemere and Old Windsor evening and afternoon – for a special celebration.  Commemorating the Society’s Golden Anniversary and as part of the 2018 Windsor Festival, Jonathan Foyle,  well known architectural historian and Arts Society lecturer gave a spellbinding insight into the Chapel’s  origins  and inspirations. Along with 300 guests, the evening was attended by HRH the Duchess of Gloucester, The Arts Society Patron.
At the end of the evening the guests were welcomed to displays in the cloisters filled with information from each of the 5 societies. The Duke and Duchess  took time to chat to members  and explore the latest news and activities on the noticeboards .
After this very successful event, Runnymede is looking forward to its own Golden Anniversary celebrations in 2019