DETAILS AND ITINERARY

Situated near Burnham Beeches, Dorneywood was once part of the Dorney Court Estate. Purchased by Lord Courtauld-Thomson in 1919, he refurbished the house and added an east wing in the 1920s. In 1942 Lord Courtauld-Thomson decided that, on his death (which occurred in 1954) the House, with a small endowment, should pass to the nation for use by a senior member of the government (in recent times the Chancellor of the Exchequer) as a weekend retreat. It is now owned by the National Trust and leased to the Dorneywood Trust.

There appears to have been a house on the Dorneywood site since the sixteenth-century. The eighteenth-century manor house was partly destroyed by fire in 1910 and later rebuilt and restored. The house is decorated and furnished in the style of the 1930s and 1940s, Lord Courtauld-Thomson's furniture, books and works of art are carefully preserved and many are used on a daily basis in the house.

Booking details to follow

Restoration House is a unique survival of a city mansion, and represents the aggrandisement of several medieval buildings to create by 1667, in the words of Samuel Pepys, the ‘pretty seat of Sir Francis Clerke’ .
.Situated in the heart of historic Rochester (England) the house takes its name from the stay of King Charles II on the eve of the Restoration. It is also the Satis House of Dickens’ “Great Expectations”, the home of Miss Havisham.

Price: £39 per person. Includes coach travel, coffee and biscuits on arrival, guided tour of the Cathedral and driver’s gratuity.
Depart Cooper’s Hill:  9.30 am         Depart The Village Hall, Wraysbury: 9.50 am
Return: 5.30 – 6.00 pm
Booking:  Places are limited.  Booking can only be secured by completing a Booking Form and making payment. Forms will be available at the October meeting.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ST ALBANS AND CATHEDRAL

On Sale at June meeting
This is a National Trust Property

‘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!

Waddesdon Manor and grounds will be transformed before Christmas with captivating new festive displays and decorations, promising to surprise and delight with their most enchanting Christmas experience yet.

Inspired by the classic tale of Sleeping Beauty, Waddesdon will be an immersive experience. Enjoy the beautifully decorated ground floor of the House, new light projections on the Manor façade, a glittering Light Trail in the gardens and the ever-popular Christmas fair for gifts and refreshments.  Time in the House is unlimited, but allow about 45 minutes inside, and one hour to walk the Light Trail.

We will travel by coach and our itinerary is as follows:

12.45                           Depart The Hythe Centre

13.00                           Pick up at Audley Cooper’s Hill

14.30 approx               Arrive Waddesdon. Shuttle bus to the House

15.10.                          Visit the decorated Ground Floor only House

16.00                           Time to visit the Light Trail and Christmas Fair

18.00                           Depart Waddesdon Manor

19.30 approx               Arrive Audley Cooper’s Hill

19.50 approx               Arrive The Hythe Centre

Accessibility:  The ground floor of the House has ramps and the Light Trail is on level ground, but torches are advised as some parts are not brightly lit.

Price: £42 per person. Includes coach travel, shuttle bus, entrance to Waddesdon Christmas Light event (NT Members) and driver’s gratuity.  Price or non-NT members is £58.  Money is non refundable unless the booking can be resold.

For booking form please email Diana Poll Here

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!

Tuesday 2nd July 2024
        Longstock Water Gardens 
        and Romsey Abbey

       www.leckfordestate.co.uk

         www.romseyabbey.org.uk   

Tuesday 21st May 2024
Coach trip to Worthing

St Mary's House Bramber; 
Lunchtime in Worthing,
The Church of the English Martyrs
at Goring in the afternoon

SEE OUR NEWS PAGE FOR A REPORT ON THE OUTING

     www.stmarysbramber.co.uk

                       www.english-martyrs.co.uk                  

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.
 

Monday 22nd April 2024
Guided tour of Royal Holloway College
With afternoon tea and talk from the curator of the picture gallery
Members Only

Sold out

Guided tour of  Turner’s House, Twickenham

£15 per person
Limited numbers - booking from December - members only.  
Accessible by train with 10 minute walk from
 St Margaret’s station.

Members Only
Contact Diana Poll here

if you would like to join our society.

The Wallace Collection
Private Tour of the Dutch Collection
for the TASR Group
Wednesday 31st January 2024 at 11am
CLICK HERE for Booking Form
and further information

SOLD OUT - FURTHER DATES
TO BE ARRANGED

After several years we made our first visit, to Buckinghamshire on a beautiful May day on Wednesday 3rd.  We combined for the first time with residents of Cooper’s Hill retirement village, Englefield Green. This enabled both groups to join forces for the coach. We went to the picturesque Little Missenden Church with our expert guide, Bronwyn Mills, who placed the visit in the context of the landscape and history of the area, and gave us a fascinating tour of the 10th century church, complete with outstanding frescoes which were discovered from the 1930s and have now been conserved. A clever computer model presents the full images, as they would have appeared to worshippers through over a thousand years, projected on the walls. The vicar also spoke to us about how the paintings helped non-literate congregations to understand the services.

After coffee in a local ancient inn we went to the delightful town of Amersham for lunch, with its long high street full of coaching inns and appealing shops – not a chain-store in sight. We then drove to nearby Chenies, an outstanding Tudor house, which is open to the public on certain days. After telling us more on the coach about the local area and history, Bronwyn and her husband John could enjoy the tours, in small groups, with the Chenies guides. The rare house has been continuously occupied since 1460, when Sir John Cheyne built it, and as the seat of the Duke of Bedford hosted many royal visitors, such as Elizabeth I, and its intimate scale and setting have given rise to ghostly stories. The family who bought it in the early twentieth century still live there, with beautiful gardens, notably masses of tulips and a herb garden, and shady pergolas and nooks for the very welcome tea and cake in the glorious spring sunshine.

Altogether Marilyn and Diana created a wonderful day out for us.

  Jane Baker
           

T​HIS VISIT HAS BEEN CANCELLED

Early start coach from / to Hythe Centre

Arrive at Eltham Palace for coffee, introductory talk and guided tour of

the ART DECO home of STEPHEN & VIRGINIA  COURTAULD

b​uilt on the ruins of the moated palace

Lunch at own expense

Includes Thames Boat trip upstream from Greenwich to Westminster

Past Tower and London Bridges, HMS Belfast, Houses of Parliament

Return by coach from Westminster to Hythe Cente

Cost £51:45 per person

(£39:45 English Heritage Members)

Click here for full details and your booking form

When the textile millionaires Stephen & Virginia Courtauld built their 1930s mansion adjoining the Medieval Great Hall of Eltham Palace, once the childhood home of Henry V111, they created an art deco masterpiece that to this day captures the glamour and allure of the period. A visit to Eltham Palace will sweep us into theg glamorous lifestyle of 1930s high society – a world of tennis and croquet and cocktails on the terrace.

We will spend a very entertaining morning travelling from the Tudors to the Twenties. After an introduction by a Blue Badge Tour Guide we will enjoy a tour of the house and some time to browse as an invited guest in the 1930s. We will be ablet o walk into Ginie’s wardrobe and try on her hats and breath in her perfume.We will take a peek in the golden tiled bathroom and experience the glitz 

We will make an early start from Hythe Hall (8 am) and travel by coach to Eltham Palace where we will be met by our tour guide. coffee at Eltham will follow the tour and then we will transfer to Greenwich for Lunch at Greenwich (at own expense) then  embark on a riverboat upstream to Westminster where we will rejoin our coach.

Our Annual visit to the Theatre.

Two matinees 2nd and 4th.

George Bernard Shaw

CANDIDA

Tickets £15 each : NO transport provided.

SOLD OUT

Repeat of our first visit as a new Society 50 years ago.

KELMSCOTT MANOR --

(William Morris' summer home )

and onwards to

BUSCOT PARK (National Trust)

and

The Farringdon Collection.

£50.57 including lunch ...£42.57 if NT member

Coach leaves Hythe Centre at 08.30 am.

CLICK HERE for a booking form. 

Tickets on sale at May meeting.

CANCELLED

Due to insufficient numbers.

See Pam for refund.

Click HERE to download a booking form. Fill in and bring to lecture with a cheque.

We are joining our sister Society .... Windsor for this visit.

Cost is £15 .No travel included ...rail to Wimbledon then Underground is one way.

Meet outside the museum at 11:30 ... 

See Windsor website ...

http://theartssocietywindsor.org.uk/Visits/FutureVisits.aspx

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Victorian Galleries showcase the finest examples of Victorian decorative art from 19th Century Britain.  The impact of technological innovation, the Great Exhibition, the Battle of the Styles, the Gothic Revival, A.N.W. Pugin, William Burges, the cult of domesticity, the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, Christopher Dresser and Charles Rennie Macintosh are all included in the tour.

The Albert Memorial

The Albert Memorial is as remarkable as the man it commemorates.

George Gilbert Scott designed it not only to celebrate the Prince Consort’s life, but also to explain the ideals and aspirations of the whole Victorian Age.  The memorial’s unique combination of architecture, sculpture and craftsmanship makes it one of the masterpieces of the Gothic Revival and one of Europe’s greatest public monuments.

Click here to download a booking form (includes travel suggestions).

£17 ...  NO transport included.

15 Garrick Street WC2 9AY

Meet 9:45am outside (nearest tube Leicester Sq. exit 4)

Limited numbers -- repeat of previous year's visit for disappointed members.

Tickets on sale January meeting... or contact

Pat Miles  01 784 481 963

patriciamiles@waitrose.com

Arboretum visit – it will be the same as the cancelled one 

The Swan Antique Centre Tetsworth

then onward to 

THENFORD ARBORETUM - owner Lord Heseltine

Depart 9:15am from Hythe Centre

39 pounds per person - incude coach, Buffet lunch at the Swan., entry to Arboretum. 

(Morning Coffee at Swan available for purchase)

Booking Form... CLICK HERE

 Sunday 14th until Tuesday 16th October 2018 - Two nights/ Three days

£349.00 per person (based on two sharing a twin room, single supplements will apply)

ITINERARY

Day 1
Travel by private coach from Hythe Centre to the Blunsdon House Hotel, Swindon.
This evening there will be a welcome reception, dinner with wine and a talk by Dr Scott Anderson - Arts and Crafts in the Cotswolds.

Day 2
The Wilson, Cheltenham and Cotswold Farm.  

Our first visit of the day will be to the brand new and very impressive The Wilson, Cheltenhams Art Gallery and Museum which houses a superb arts and crafts collection. Then there will be a light lunch (included) at Cotswold Farm, privately owned by Iona Birchill who will guide us around her beautiful Arts & Crafts home and gardens, which was extended by architect Sidney Barnsley.  This evening there will be a second talk from Dr Scott Anderson - Inventing the Cotswold Style: Gimson and the Barnsleys and a buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant is included.

Day 3   
Rodmarton Manor, All Saints Selsley and Sapperton Church. 

This morning we will visit the Arts & Crafts Rodmarton Manor where we will be shown around by owner Simon Biddulph. Rodmarton was completed in 1929 and was one of the last great country houses to be built using traditional methods of construction  one of the Arts & Crafts movements ideals. 
After a light lunch (included) we will visit All Saints in Selsley, a church designed by GF Bodley. Whilst here we will have a short talk on the Gothic Revival style of the church and a look at its remarkable stained-glass windows that were supplied by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co., the predecessor of Morris and Co. in the 1860s and to Sapperton Church, burial place of many leading Arts & Crafts protagonists. 

Late afternoon departure from the Cotswolds and return to Hythe Cantre.

HOTEL  Blunsdon House Hotel, Swindon -   Details CLICK HERE

Located on the edge of the Cotswolds in the village of Broad Blunsdon near Swindon, the four-star family owned Blunsdon House Hotel offers comfortable, individually decorated and tastefully furnished bedrooms with en-suite bathroom, TV, mini bar, safe and tea & coffee making facilities in the room. Other facilities at the hotel include two restaurants, bar, and a health and leisure club including gym and swimming pool. 

INCLUDED:    
Transport throughout by private coach
Accommodation as specified
Welcome Drink on Day 1, breakfast daily, 2 light lunches & 2 dinners
Tour itinerary as detailed  all talks, guided tours & entrance fees
Accompanied by Dr Scott Anderson

NOT INCLUDED:
Meals not specified and all drinks
Single supplement: £65.00
Gratuities & porterage
Travel Insurance
Optional excursions & all items of a personal nature

Discuss with Gill Witney at any meeting

or to review the documents CLICK HERE

Celebrating The Arts Society's

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY

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.

Talk about Kelmscott Manor :  This visit has been moved to June 2019  --our Golden Jubilee Year -- in celebration of the fact that  this venue was the first ever Runnymede Society visit.

This June Visit is in subtitution for the previously announced Kelmscott Manor visit which will take place in our Golden Year -- 2019

Price £30 per person to include coach, tours & events..

Leave The Hythe at 9:30am hoping to arrive at Blenheim at approx. 10.30am

CLICK HERE for booking form

Entrance fee includes:--

-- Tour around the State Rooms

-- Churchill exhibition -- the untold story 

-- Self-guided trails around the extensive parkland and Formal Gardens

For Full Details of the Palace  CLICK HERE

Lunch is NOT included: -- there are four cafe/restaurants within the Palace, or the Woodstock Village is just outside the Palace Walls.  Village has multiple pubs/restaurants.

Coach will leave to return home at roughly 4.pm  if wet earlier.

Arrivng back to the Hythe 5.30-6pm 

Car parking on the church site - do not park in the Hythe Centre car park in case it is locked

Tickets available at  April meeting ... no special guide ... day at liberty.

Coach departs at 10am from The Hythe

CLICK HERE for the booking form.

Cost £46.15 to include coach and supper nobody needs to cook an an evening meal!

We will be having supper at the end of the tour in The Inn of Court Holborn -- a pub selected by the tour guide. (One course Supper included)

Leaving London after 6.30pm to avoid the rush huor traffic.

Arriving back between 7.30-8pm depending on traffic.

Morning tour on foot focuses on Staple Inn , Chancery Lane, Lincoln’s Inn and ending up in Carey Street.

Break locally in Holborn for self funded lunch.

In the afternoon we explore the Inner & Middle Temple where Rumpole had his chambers. We go inside the Temple church built by the fighting monks after whom the area is named.

We also visit the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand and there is free time on Fleet Street supper at the end of the tour in The Inn of Court Holborn -- a pub selected by the tour guide. (One course Supper) 

This new arrangement coach leaves after rush hour, and  a supper is included in price ---  

Visit includes

Lincoln’s Inn,

Royal Courts of Justice,

Church of Knights Templar

Arranged by City and Village Tours.This n

72 pounds per person

-- includes Coach, Guided Tour and Supper at the Abbey

Two page booking form & complete details CLICK HERE

Coach leaves 3:45pm :::: Return approx 10:30 pm

Hall Car Park closed :::: park at end of road in Church car park

A saturday evening guided tour of Westminster Abbey with musical accompaniment

by The Purcell Club

The Purcell Club, named for the composer and organist at the Abbey from 1680-1695, is a group of former Abbey choristers, some of whom sang at the coronation of Elizabeth II. They raise money for a variety of charities through these acclaimed musical tours 

24th February 2018

Annual Visit to Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond

A comedy by Bernard Shaw

A Surrey conservatory, a summer afternoon: marriage is in the air. So far, so conventional.

Hypatia Tarleton, uneasily engaged to bright yet immature aristocrat Bentley Summerhays, longs for adventure to drop out of the sky. And with a sudden crash of glass, it does.

Enter Lina Szczepanowska, Polish acrobat and daredevil pilot whose independent spirit galvanises the household.

Meanwhile, an unhappy cashier also infiltrates this Hindhead idyll, bearing a grievance and a gun…

By the end of the day, eight marriages have been proposed. But which are the misalliances?

Netherlands Study Tour 

In September, a group of 20 enjoyed  the third  Runnymede study tour; this time 5 nights studying “Art and History of the Netherlands”.  The journey by Eurostar and coach went very smoothly and the hotel in Amersfoot was comfortable and close to the town centre. The first day there was a guided walk in the beautiful town of Amersfoot including a visit to the Mondriaanhuis. The tour also included a day in Haarlam with a visit to the Franz Hal Museum, a day in Amsterdam including visits to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum plus visits to   the Kroller Muller Museum and Sculpture Park, the Open Air Museum in Arnhem and  Het Loo Palace. 
The trip was certainly full on but there was also time to enjoy the huge variety of restaurants in Amersfoot and the fun and  friendships which developed.
The group were all very grateful for our guide, Karen,  whose knowledge, flexibilty and good humour certainly enhanced our pleasure. 
Planning for the next tour is already in hand and we hope to bring you details early in 2018.

Netherlands Study Tour 207
In September, a group of 20 enjoyed  the third  Runnymede study tour; this time 5 nights studying “Art and History of the Netherlands”.  The journey by Eurostar and coach went very smoothly and the hotel in Amersfoot was comfortable and close to the town centre. The first day there was a guided walk in the beautiful town of Amersfoot including a visit to the Mondriaanhuis. The tour also included a day in Haarlam with a visit to the Franz Hal Museum, a day in Amsterdam including visits to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum plus visits to   the Kroller Muller Museum and Sculpture Park, the Open Air Museum in Arnhem and  Het Loo Palace. 
The trip was certainly full on but there was also time to enjoy the huge variety of restaurants in Amersfoot and the fun and  friendships which developed.
The group were all very grateful for our guide, Karen,  whose knowledge, flexibilty and good humour certainly enhanced our pleasure. 
Planning for the next tour is already in hand and we hope to bring you details early in 2018.

£38.25 per person   

Leave @ 8:30am from the Hythe Centre

By coach to visit The  Brunel Museum at Rotherhithe and the tunnel shaft sunk by Mark Brunel, father of Isambard.  The tunnel now contains a railway line but the shaft is still on view.  

On to the Museum of Docklands to see the exhibition entitled The Archaeology of Crossrail. Archaeological finds recovered from the Crossrail tunnelling.

Lunch can be taken in the restaurant and café at the Docklands Museum, or a Wetherspoons catering for merchant bankers or you can even take a picnic and enjoy the river. whilst sittting on top of a building site in a garden. 

A Blue Badge Guide will be with us all day  

For booking form   CLICK HERE

Brunel's Rotherhythe tunnel.. .. see the recently restored 

Grand Entrance Hall and the Engine House

of the first tunnel under the Thames. See prints watercolours and statues Peep shows and models show the story of the disaster that occured part way through.

Then through Blackwall tunnel (built later but using the same techniques) to the Museum of Docklands to see:

Tunnel: the Archeology of Crossrail

with 350 of the oldest and oddest atifacts unearthed during the digging of the CrossRail tunnel ...  showing 8000 years of London history as recently exposed.

 31 Pounds per persom

Coach Leaves outside the Hythe Centre @ 8:15am  

Visit the Arundel Castle Tulip Festival where over 32,000 tulips will be on display in full bloom

State rooms open from 12 noon.  if there is any time wander into Arundel village.  

See website http://www.arundelcastle.org

Refreshments are available to buy in the castle restaurant and café

CLICK HERE for booking form.

No transport provided  Meet outside at 11 a.m

nearest stations Hyde Park Corner or Green Park.    

Price £12.00 per person.  Numbers limited to 16.  Strict dress code.

If oversubscribed we will arrange a further tour at a later date. 

Application forms will be available at the end of the next meeting and online now ... CLICK HERE. 

Forms to be given/sent directly to Pat  

Numbers limited:

Tickets will be issued strictly in rotation... now a waiting list only.

A new exhibition celebrates the golden age of British watercolour, 1780-1850, with works by JMW Turner and leading artists of his generation 

This unique exhibition features thirty-six outstanding loans from the Higgins Museum, Bedford - one of the finest collections of British watercolours.

Price: £30.50 NT Members       { £34.10 non NT Members}

COACH DEPARTS THE HYTHE CENTRE AT 8.45AM

NT Cards required

COFFEE AND BISCUITS ON ARRIVAL
TOUR OF EXHIBITION, HOUSE AND OTHER AREAS
RESTAURANT OPEN FOR REFRESHMENTS

Booking form CLICK HERE

CONTACT Pat Miles – 01784 481963 patriciamiles@waitrose.com 

Price per ࢢtIcket £5.00 ( Non Members £6)

NO TRANSPORT PROVIDED**

A talk on the Chapel by Canon Martin Poll 

(HM The Queen’s Domestic Canon),
 

Introductionࢢon to Church Recording by Gill Whitney

  refreshments included

Find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and PRINT it out.
 ** Please note: Names and car registration numbers need to be provided for security

Ticket cost £37.72   (National Trust members £30.25)
 

Coach Departs Hythe Centre @ 9:15am

Includes

Coach & entrance fees

Guided tours of House and Garden

Coffee & Biscuits

Buffet Lunch

Find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and PRINT it out.

Price per ࢢTiicket £5.00 ( Non Members £6)

NO TRANSPORT PROVIDED**

A talk on the Chapel by Canon Martin Poll 

(HM The Queen’s Domestic Canon),
 

Introductionࢢon to Church Recording by Gill Whitney

  refreshments included

Find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and PRINT it out.

Tour and evensong sung by the entire choir

Price per ticket £16.60

Coach leaves Hythe Centre at 1.30 p.m.

Coach & entrance fees,

                                  tour of Chapel & Evensong                                                                                      
refreshments 
 

Find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and PRINT it out.

Shakespeare in London Guided Walk 

 A guided walk with Lance Pierson, meet at London Bridge 
  for a 2 hour walk. Full details of start etc.. will be sent by email to paid up bookings.

Ticket selling in March. 

Find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE  and PRINT it out.

Highclere Castle : The home of Downton Abbey

See  details on their website

Highclere Castle : The home of Downton Abbey

Click on the name above for their website

NOW FULLY BOOKED ,,, a waiting list is in operation.

EARLY START :::  Coach leaves at 8:15 prompt. Parking see below.

We hope to be home about 5pm but please park in the road or in the car park at St John Rochester at the end of the road (we have permission to open the gate) in case the Hythe  Centre car park is locked.

The Tea Rooms are open from 10:00am to 5:00pm during public opening times for morning coffee and afternoon teas made in the
Castle Kitchens.
The Tea Rooms also offer light lunches and hot food between 12:00pm and 2:00pm. We are unable to pre-book tables.

Full details of cancellations etc... click HERE

Annual visit to Orange Tree Theatre  £15:00  (No transport)

GERMAN SKERRIES

by Robert Holman

A friendship, a marriage, a holiday, a death – German Skerries fills the stage with the meetings and departures that make us human.

THURSDAY 10 MARCH 2016

Matinee at 2.30PM

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT JANUARY MEETING    £15.00

No transport provided – travel independently

To find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and print it out.

• We are planning a visit to the Garrick Club for a guided tour of their art collection
• Please note that transport will not be available for this visit
• Please arrive no later than 9:45am outside the Garrick Club at 15 Garrick Street London WC2 9AY 
• Nearest Tube Station : Leicester Square
• We will enter the Club at 9:50 am to begin the tour at 10.00am.  
• The tour will finish promptly at 12 noon after coffee and biscuits have been served
• The tour is strictly between 10am -12 noon  as we have to leave the Club at 12 noon.  
• For further information contact Pat Miles at 01784481963 or patriciamiles@waitrose.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10am - 12 noon Make your own way there

Displayed throughout the Club is its remarkable collection of art works representing the history of the theatre. There are over 1000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, a fascinating selection of theatrical memorabilia, and thousands of prints. .

See their website :-- http://www.garrickclub.co.uk

No transport provided. Limited numbers

To find the booking form for this visit CLICK HERE and print it out.

We will be visiting Salisbury Cathedral.  The coach will depart at 8:15am and we will be given a guided  tour of the Cathedral and then a chance to visit the Magna Carta Exhibition. The afternoon will be yours to see the town, shop, visit Arundells (the former home of Edward Heath, Mompesson House (NT) in Cathedral Close, The Salisbury Museum or just relax over a cream tea.  Morning coffee and lunch included.

GOING TOMORROW !!!   TWO SEATS LEFT!!!

RING :---

Pat {last call on Tuesday morning}  01784 481 963 

Hughenden Manor, High Wycombe Home of 18th Century Prime Minister Disraeli and 2nd World War Headquarters

Greys Court, Henley Tudor House inhabited by only five families until it was handed to the NT in the late 20th Century

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18th Century country mansion converted into an Art Gallery containing paintings, ceramics and textiles. There will also  a Canaletto exhibition taking place of British architectural paintings.

The historic capital of Lorraine, Nancy has enjoyed two golden periods in its history. The first was the transformation of the city by deposed King of Poland, Stanislas Leczinski in the 1750’s, making it a model of 18th century town planning. Highlights from this era include the elegant Place Stanislas, lined with gracious townhouses and the Gothic Palais du Gouvernement. Its second coming was at the turn of the 20th century when it became a forerunner in the Art Nouveau movement, thanks to the work of glassmaker Emile Gallé. Our Guide is Dr. Anne Anderson author, broadcaster, international NADFAS lecturer and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, was a senior lecturer at Southampton Solent University for 14 years, specialising in the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Modernism; she currently teaches at Kingston University.

Day by day outline itinerary Day 1. We will take a morning Eurostar to Paris and onwards to Nancy by TGV. On arrival, transfer by coach to your hotel and check in for the three night stay at the three-star Mercure Stanislas in the heart of the city. Dr Anderson will give an introductory lecture entitled “Nancy: Ville d’Art” which will be followed a welcome drink and dinner with wine at the spectacular Art Nouveau Excelsior restaurant which is a short walk from the hotel. Day 2 . Morning visit to the influential Ecole de Nancy Museum that houses a wonderful collection of furniture, fabrics, jewellery and Galle glassware in reconstructed Art Nouveau settings. Afternoon visit to the Villa Majorelle, built in 1908 for the artist Louis Majorelle by architect Henri Sauvage. Evening lecture, "Art Nouveau: new art for the modern era", followed by dinner with wine at the Excelsior restaurant. Day 3 This morning will be a visit to the Parc de Saurupt, a neighbourhood built in the early 20th century, which has some excellent examples of Art Nouveau houses. In the afternoon we continue on to the famous village of Baccarat, home of the world famous Baccarat crystal works, where you will see the manufacturing process and its output. Dinner tonight is by own arrangement Day 4 Your morning is spent visiting the wonderful collection of art and glassware at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts, (recently refurbished) whose collection includes works by Delacroix, Manet, Monet and a stunning collection of Daum glassware. Return transfer to the station for the late afternoon return TGV to Paris and Eurostar back to St Pancras. Cost £669* pp (based on a 20-25 members travelling) / £699* pp (based on 15 -19 members travelling) Included in the price: • Return standard class Eurostar/TGV from St Pancras to Paris and onwards to Nancy • Return coach transfers from the Nancy station to hotel • Three nights’ bed and breakfast at the three-star Mercure Stanislas Hotel • Two lectures, welcome drink and two dinners with wine at the Art Nouveau Excelsior restaurant • Coaching and entrance fees • Dr Anne Anderson and a tour manager throughout *Please note that the prices are based on shared occupancy of a twin room. Single rooms will incur a supplement as detailed. More information is available on special leaflets available at our lectures

SHAW'S FIRST PLAY FULL OF COMEDY AND ROMANCE WITH THE ETERNAL PROBLEMS OF MONEY, FATHER'S APPROVAL AND HOUSING TICKETS ON SALE AT NOVEMBER MEETING

Visiting Firle Place E. Sussex, originally a Tudor house, redesigned in 1744 by the 1st Viscount Gage and still home to the present Gage family.  Coffee and Biscuits on arrival followed by guided tour of the house.  Ploughman’s lunch included. Following lunch travel on to Eastbourne to the Towner Gallery, renowned for it’s collection of 4000 historic, modern and contemporary works.  A collection store tour has been arranged to see how an art collection is stored and conserved.   Cost £36.50 Tickets on sale at May meeting

Tickets for this visit will be available for purchase at the May meeting in 2013

The Royal Academy Magazine has written an article about the exhibition at Houghton Hall and edited extracts from this article are included below. "Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s first Prime Minister, amassed the greatest art collection in 18th century Britain and built Houghton Hall to house it. Yet he also accrued such debt that after his death his art was sold to Catherine the Great, and sent to the Hermitage. Now this priceless collection returns to Houghton in a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition.  If you can make only one trip this summer, it must be to Houghton Hall in Norfolk. Over a period of five months, Houghton will stage one of the most outstanding exhibitions ever seen in a British country house. Over 60 paintings from the great collection amassed in the mid-18th century by Sir Robert Walpole, and later bought by Catherine the Great of Russia, will return from St Petersburg to Houghton Hall. The present owner, Walpole’s descendant, the seventh Marquess of Cholmondeley, is recreating the precise settings of Walpole’s day. In the White Drawing Room for example, the Regency silk wall hangings will give way to the original green velvet, together with a miraculously preserved suite of chairs. To complete the ensemble, Maratta’s Judgement of Paris returns to Houghton after being painstakingly removed from the ceiling of Catherine the Great’s summer palace." Our coach will need to leave Hythe Centre at 9am as the journey is over 3 hours and we will have comfort breaks en-route. Lunch can be taken on arrival with a tour of grounds and gardens before our private guided tour at 4pm. We do not expect to be back at the Hythe Centre until after 9pm. The cost will be about £40 to include tour & coach, meals extra. More details and ticket sales will be available at our April meeting.

Cost £37 to include coach, entrance fees, guided tour, lunch, afternoon tea and gratuities. Coach departs The Hythe Centre at 9.30am. Tickets are on sale at the March meeting.

Tickets for this visit will be on sale at the February meeting in 2013

This visit is sold out, waiting list only now please.

An introductory talk before looking at the Chagall windows in this small country church, followed by lunch in the village hall before moving on to visit Smallhythe Place, former home of Dame Ellen Terry.yest Complements May lecture on Marc Chagall and December lecture by John Benjamin.