TASHE (The Arts Society Harpenden Evening) have organised a day trip by coach from Harpenden.

Cost:  approx. £26 (tbc) for NT/RHS  members
 +Admission for non-NT/RHS  members: £18.05

Anglesey Abbey has a rich history and many treasures, with extensive gardens, meadow and woodland.  Believed to date back to 1135, it became a priory in the 13th century, falling into decay following the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. It had a series of private owners until Lord Fairhaven bought it in the early 20th century, creating a comfortable home full of world-class furnishings.

 Would you be interested in  joining us?
We still have a few seats available.

The coach will depart from central Harpenden.  Admission includes access to the house and the extensive grounds.  Lunch is not included but there are plenty of places to buy refreshments.

Please contact us giving your name, email address and mobile number, and state whether you are an NT or RHS member

theartshe@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!

For information on this event, please see the listing under 'Special Interest Days' 

We are very pleased to offer our members a fully escorted tour to Sussex, including a performance of “La Boheme” at Glyndebourne Opera House, as part of their Autumn festival. 

The cost will be £699, with a single supplement of £29.The tour manager is Tailored Travel, who have a lot of experience providing Arts Society Tours. The tour also includes visits to Standen House and Gardens, Brighton Pavilion and Rudyard Kipling’s House, Bateman’s. 

The cost will be £699, with a single supplement of £29. 

Booking forms and further details will be available at our lecture on 13 March, and on the website later in the month. 

Itinerary 

Day 1

We meet our private executive coach at our designated pick-up point in Harpenden. En route to our hotel we visit the delightful NT Standen House and Gardens. We continue to the centrally located Hydro Hotel at Eastbourne for a two-night stay. A choice 3 course dinner without drinks is included in our hotel this evening.  

Day 2

Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. This morning, we enjoy a guided tour of Brighton Pavilion. Built for the Prince Regent, later King George IV, in stages between 1787 and 1823, the Royal Pavilion is remarkable for its exotic oriental appearance both inside and out. This magnificent royal pleasure palace was revered by fashionable Regency society and is still a distinctive landmark for Brighton today. This afternoon we continue to Glyndebourne where we take our seats for the 4pm performance of la Boheme. After the performance, we enjoy an included set 2 course dinner without drinks at one of the excellent restaurants in the opera complex. 

Day 3

After checking out of our hotel and en route home we visit the National Trust’s Bateman’s property in Kent. This magnificent 17th century manor house was the home of Rudyard Kipling from 1902 to 1936, and most of the rooms including his book lined study are much as Kipling left them. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up point.   

Click Here for more information and booking form

Booking now closed

The Grade 1 listed house and historic garden date back to around 1520.  Today it houses the permanent collection of Gainsborough’s work, from early portraits and landscapes painted in Suffolk to later works painted in Bath and London.  In addition, there is an extensive collection of works by other artists related to the house or to Sudbury.

The following exhibitions will also be on at the venue during our Visit:

• Masterpieces from Kenwood:  The Splendour of British & French Painting
• Katharine Jones, R.A.:  contemporary printmaker and painter.
• Helaine Blumenfeld, OBE:  one of the most esteemed sculptresses working in the UK today. 

We hope you can join us!

A coach tour from Harpenden, staying in Seaburn, Sunderland. Visiting a number of towns and venues including Alnwick Castle and Gardens.
Details available on the TASHE website https://tashe.org.uk/events.html

Visit Syon House & Gardens, the London home of the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, for over 400 years.

Built in the 1500s on the site of a former abbey, the House includes some of Robert Adam’s finest interiors, an extensive art collection and a Great Conservatory.  The superb gardens are Grade 1 listed, with an unbroken Capability Brown landscape stretching across the Thames to Kew Gardens. 

Join us for this coach trip from Harpenden. For full details, download the flyer:

  Download Flyer  

We have a visit to attend Choral Evensong at Westminster Abbey on Sunday 26th November. The cost is £63 to include a fish & chips lunch, a tour of the city by night with a Blue Badge guide and with free time in Covent Garden before we head home.     
 The anticipated programme is:
1 pm    Lunch
3 pm    Choral Evensong
4 pm    Christmas London Tour
6 pm    Covent Garden for free time
7 pm    Head home

There are a few places still available to TASHA members.
Please register your interest in our proposed visit by email: visits.tasha@gmail.com or at the Visits table at lectures in September, October and November.

By Coach – Cost £ 54

We travel by coach, having coffee & biscuits together on arrival, followed by a self-guided audio tour of the Treasury Gallery and the House (guides are available for advice/guidance throughout the rooms). A group buffet lunch in the Orangery is included and then the afternoon is free to explore the extensive gardens and parts of the wider estate.

Being one of the largest and grandest houses of the 16th Century, built for William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Elizabeth 1, it is still lived in by his descendants. Artworks, painted ceilings, wood carvings and a large collection of Japanese export porcelain, plus parklands designed by Capability Brown, a more recent sculpture garden, and a garden of “Surprises” there should be something for everyone to enjoy!

For those with mobility difficulties, there is much to be seen within easy walking distance of the house. There is a stairlift to the Orangery and a stairlift to the main staircase in the house if assistance is needed.

Please email Linda Burton at visits.tasha@gmail.com, to get your tickets. 
We are now opening the visit to family members and guests of members.

Join The Arts Society Welwyn Garden on their trip to Liverpool & Salford - September 2023

Get away this September with TAS Welwyn Garden to Liverpool and Salford.

Liverpool boasts a plethora art galleries and fascinating maritime history. They are also visiting the City of Salford's Lowry gallery.

ALL WELCOME

For further details please contact Cheryl Kellaway

ckellaway@btinternet.com

The Arts Society Welwyn Garden

The proposed trip to Hampton court is now fully booked and those who have "signed up" are asked to make full commitment with payment in advance this week. This is because we have to pay well ahead for the booking of coach and discounted entry tickets. The amount required is £52; Linda Burton will be in the Foyer on Thursday to take payments for the trip. 

Independent Travel by car – 20 places available to TASHA members

Fully Booked

Visit Henry Moore Studios & Gardens
Dane Tree House, Perry Green, Much Hadham, SG10 6EE

Henry Moore Studios & Gardens is the work-place and family home of 20th century sculptor Henry Moore.  With over 70 acres of sculpture gardens and rollings fields, each year over 20 of his world-famous monumental sculptures are displayed, showcasing his work as he intended, against the landscape he shaped.

Six different studio spaces reveal Moore’s creative process while the 16th century Aisled Barn is the only place in the world to see his unique tapestries.  Your visit includes entry to the special exhibition Henry Moore: The Sixties which presents an insight into his life and work during a pivotal decade of his career.

11.00    Arrive – coffee & biscuits (included).   Maps, entrance stickers and a brief introduction to our visit.
11.45     Meet with guides for 1 hour tour of some of the sculptures
13.00    Time for lunch (not included)
Afternoon:  group free to tour the Studios and Gardens, the Aisled Barn and Henry Moore:  The Sixties exhibition.

Ticket Price – Entrance and Guided Tour
£ 18.50 per person
Payable by BACS transfer as follows:-
To HADFAS:   Sort Code 30-93-90  Account no. 00034327
Please email visits.tasha@gmail.com to confirm payment and contact the
same address if you have any queries.

Travel Information
Independent travel by car.

Other information
If for any reason you are unable to attend, please contact Linda Burton on 01582 624815 or Judy Munton on 01582 621578.  Please note The Arts Society is not responsible for any personal injury or loss of or damage to personal effects during the day out.

Mobile, for use on the day only is:-
    Linda 0794 122 6021
    Judy   0741 497 8563

Independent Travel – 30 places available to TASHA members

The Courtauld Gallery reopened in November 2021 following a three year major renovation.   Visitors are now able to see the Gallery’s collection completely redisplayed and reinterpreted across elegantly refurbished galleries.

Bringing together around half of the self-portraits Van Gogh created during his short years as a painter, the Exhibition features an outstanding selection of 16 paintings including Van Gogh’s iconic self-portrait with bandaged ear.  Unfortunately we have just 30 places as group numbers are limited at present due to Covid restrictions.

The Courtauld is not taking reservations for coffee/lunch but the Arts Café, an all day restaurant and bar on the ground floor, opens at 10am.  There is a Pop Up café in the Vaults, plus the Courtauld Shop, and there are venues within Somerset House itself for lunch.   Hopefully we will be able to meet for coffee 10.15 – 10.30 at the Arts Café. We will be split into 2 groups for entry to the Exhibition.

11.00   Guided Tour of the Permanent Collection

Lunch

1.45     Timed entrance to Exhibition

2.00     Timed entrance to Exhibition

Ticket Price – Guided Tour and Exhibition Entrance

£ 22.00 per person

Cheques made payable to HADFAS please

Please contact visits.tasha@gmail.com if you have any queries.

Travel Information

Independent travel by train.

By train to City Thameslink and bus along Fleet Street to Courtauld/Somerset House on the Strand or by train to Blackfriars and walk along Embankment to Somerset House and cross the courtyard to the Courtauld.

Other information

If for any reason you are unable to attend, please contact Linda Burton on 01582 624815 or Judy Munton on 01582 621578.  Please note The Arts Society is not responsible for any personal injury or loss of or damage to personal effects during the day out.

Mobile, for use on the day only is:-

            Linda 0794 122 6021

            Judy   0741 497 8563

This visit with Gordon Davidson, a local guide, concentrates on the beautiful  north peninsula Trotternish. Gordon will take us there, illustrating his talk with photographs he has taken in good weather!

He will show us The Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and Quirang, with links to culture, folklore and will also make reference to whisky the water of life!

He will also be happy to answer your questions at the end of his presentation.

Gordon has always lived in Scotland.

His interests and knowledge cover it’s culture, heritage, history and mythology.

Join us for a Virtual guided tour of Bath on Thursday 13th May at 10.30am

Our guide Daniel , who  lives in the city,  will take us on a Virtual Tour of the historic centre of Bath. He will show and, tell you about the springs, the Pump Room, the Abbey, and one of the famous delicacies, Pulteney Bridge, Great Pulteney Street, Jane Austen and other interesting stories.
Due to time constraints, we shall not be visiting the Royal Crescent nor the Circus which are in the upper part of the city. Daniel will, however, be happy to answer questions at the end of the tour.

Join us for a Virtual guided tour of Canterbury on Wednesday 24th February at 10.30am

Our guide will take us on a tour of the beautiful city of Canterbury, exploring its fascinating history using a series of images and slides.

We'll follow a timeline from the very beginnings of Canterbury, through its world famous history including Romans, the start of Christianity in this country, the antics of a few monarchs, plenty of murdered Archbishops, the famous Pilgrims and other travellers. The effects of World War II, right up to the modern, vibrant City of tourism, education and retail that it is today.

Join Us on a Virtual Walk in Liverpool and Port Sunlight  on Wednesday 13th November at 10:30am 

The Highlights of Liverpool virtual tour is an hour-long experience which shows you the main sights of Liverpool as well as a little bit of Art, and with the addition of a quick visit to Port Sunlight. 

Our guide Julie Kershaw has been Liverpool resident for 52 years. Julie passionate about the city, its history and its future. She has been guiding for 13 years, first as a local foreign language guide and then, since 2013, as a qualified, insured Blue Badge Guide, Britain's highest professional qualification for tour guides. She graduated as the winner of the prestigious Institute of Tourist Guiding's "Guide of the Year" and also won a prize for creating a walk in a contest held by Liverpool RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects). With a degree in French and 5 years in France, she offers tours in French as well as English.

Join Us at 10.30am by Zoom - Please wear walking shoes and  have an umbrella  

It is one of the best loved stories of all time, and the second most famous Christmas story ever told.

The virtual world is not constrained by time or place, so you can follow Richard our guide on a journey back to Christmas Eve, 1843, as he leads you, ghost-like, through the snowy alleyways of London where you will pick your way through the narrative of Dickens's timeless classic.

Richard will begin my telling you how Dickens, finding himself heavily in debt in the autumn of 1843, paid a visit to Manchester where he found himself suddenly inspired to write a novella that he would have to finish in time for Christmas of that year. Racing back to London, he set to work, and walked the streets of London night after night in search of inspiration. And now you will have to join our walk to find out what happened next.......

Richard is a Blue Badge Guide who has been devising and conducting walking tours since 1982, he is also a lecturer on the Blue Badge Guiding Course. A published author with over twenty books to his credit,  he is frequently seen on television throughout the World talking about subjects as diverse as Jack the Ripper, Haunted London, The Norman Conquest, Charles Dickens, the history of Halloween, hidden and secret London, the historic pubs of the City and even Harry Potter's London.

Join Us on a Virtual Walk to the New East End on Thursday 5th November at 10:30am 

Back  for Part Two by poular demand!

This vibrant virtual tour tells the incredible story of the transformation that the East End has gone through in recent times. Just a generation ago it was considered be one of the worst slums in Britain, today it is one of the most important areas for the .com industries.

This tour takes us from the mass Bengali immigration in the 1970s and gives us some of the key moments in this incredible story. It will introduce us to some key figures in its transformation including Banksy and Tracey Emin, before finishing in the middle of Britain's Silicon Valley.   

Pepe Martinez is an award winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide.  He was born in the East End and has lived there all his life.  He is a accredited Institute of Tourist Guiding Trainer and is currently tutoring on the London Blue Badge training course. 

 The Arts Society Richmond has invited us to join them for a virtual walk in Venice.

Venice tour guide Luisella Romeo will be taking us on a live walking tour of the Dorsoduro district of Venice taking in Santa Maria della Salute, the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, the Accademia, gondola maintenance yards and much more.  Fingers crossed for good weather as its live after all. 

If you'd like to join in their Chairman asks that we please pay a donation of £5 per person either by bank transfer to sort code 40-38-18, account 31024191 or by sending a cheque payable to The Arts Society Richmond,238 St Margaret's Road, Twickenham

Luisella was born and raised in Venice. After graduating at the University in Venice Ca’ Foscari in Foreign Languages and Literatures, she studied overseas. She became a registered tourist guide in May 2000 and conducts tours in engligh, german and italian.

Join Us on a Virtual Walk to The Old East End on Thursday 27th August at 10:30am 

The East End is one of London’s most fascinating and dynamic districts.  It has been shaped by wave after wave of people coming to London to seek refuge, looking for a better life. The Story of the Old East End Virtual tour tells their story.  Using powerful images, video and google street view our journey takes us from the arrival of French Huguenots in the 1680’s through to the more than 10,000 Jewish Kindertransport children who arrived at Liverpool Street station in 1939. 

Our guide is Pepe Martinez who is an award winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide.  He was born in the East End and has lived there all his life.  He is an accredited Institute of Tourist Guiding Trainer and is currently tutoring on the London Blue Badge training course. 

Bury Xmas Fayre and a lot more...... 

We travel by coach having coffee together on arrival, then you are free to explore the Georgian town centre of Bury St Edmunds with it's Cathedral, Xmas Market,  Abbey Ruins and Gardens,  Moyse’s Hall Museum and the Guildhall.

Fayre

The Christmas Fayre is now in its 18th year and stalls are situated all around the town including a Christmas Bazaar inside the Cathedral.   Explore medieval streets and architecture, Georgian squares, Britain’s last remaining regency theatre, and the town’s literary links to Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Norah Lofts.

Cathedral

 A church has stood on the cathedral site since 1065 and it finally became a cathedral in 1914 being Suffolk’s only cathedral. You can discover Bury St Edmunds’ role in the Magna Carta, the story of Saint Edmund and where a French Tudor Queen rests. George Gilbert Scott was responsible for a new chancel and a stunning  hammerbeam roof.

Abbey Ruins

The abbey was once one of the richest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. Its remains are extensive and include the complete 14th century Great Gate and Norman Tower, as well as the impressive ruins and altered west front of the immense church.

The relics of the martyred Anglo-Saxon king St Edmund, whose remains were moved to this site in 903, and his shrine became a place of pilgrimage. The abbey itself was founded in 1020 and grew in power and wealth up until its suppression in 1539.

Cost £25 includes coach and morning coffee on arrival. Usual pick up points.

Please be aware that the number of coaches entering the town is strictly controlled by Bury Council and the coach will have to wait during the day at a depot so you must be able to carry any purchases that you make until our pick up.

Special Exhibition at The National Army Museum-  The Art of Persuasion  by Abram Games

A Guided tour by the curator of this major exhibition explores the life and legacy of the iconic designer Abram Games, focusing on his time as “Official War Poster Artist” during the 2nd World War. Always direct, and occasionally controversial, Game’s wartime posters have left a legacy that continues to influence the art of persuasion employed by visual designers today. He is considered to be amongst Britain’s greatest 20th century graphic designers despite one of his posters being banned by Churchill and another being withdrawn by the War Office after a heated debate in Parliament. The craft is intimately connected with selling things and Games did his share of advertising design, for Guinness, Shell and the Times, but those who remember him say he was never comfortable with commercial work. His most powerful works, and the ones about which he cared most, were for good causes. A “Poster boy of principles” !

The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

The Museum started in 2005 in Gloucester and is based around 12,000 items put together by Robert Opie. In 2005 it moved to Notting Hill and in 2015 moved again to its current larger location.  See the history of the Museum’s collection and the story of our consumer culture from Victorian to present days. Explore the Museum’s Time Tunnel and Branding Hall at our own pace. Robert Opie is considered to be an expert in the field and had his first exhibition in 1975 at the V & A on the “Pack Age”. There is also a temporary exhibition which will be exploring sustainable packaging, this exhibit showcases latest initiatives by brands including Tesco, Waitrose.

Cost £47 includes coach, guided Curator tour at National Army Museum Art of Persuasion exhibition, morning coffee & pastry, lunch that you preselect on booking, self-guided tour at the Museum of Brands and afternoon tea and cake. Usual Pick up points.

Please note coach journeys into London and now slighlty more expensive due to congestion charge increases.

Open to Friends and Family

Guided Tour at Kew Gardens

This is a private tour for us which will finish at lunchtime leaving you free to have a leisurely lunch (cost not included) and to explore the other areas of interest at Kew. The tour will allow us to gain an insight into their science and conservation work, view the iconic buildings designed by eminent architects, experience the landscapes conceived by distinguished garden designers and the discover the gardens’ history of royal patronage.

Botanical Art within Kew

Kew celebrates the excitingly exotic and different in the plant world at the "Exotica" exhibition at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery and  in addition, Chihuly's special exhibition "Reflections on Nature” in which his  dazzling sculptures transform the gardens and glasshouses into a contemporary outdoor gallery space. The celestial vibrant blue masterpiece Sapphire Star will welcome you as you walk through Victoria Gate and in a Kew Gardens first, the Temperate House will be home to a brand new, specially designed sculpture inspired by the cathedral-like space it inhabits.

Your Ticket includes the Explorer Hop on and Off Land Train to help you travel around Kew or just have a ride.

Discover some of the world’s rarest and most threatened species of plants in the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse, experience the drama of life inside a real beehive in "the Hive". Visit the  Arboretum, Bamboo Garden & Minka House, Carnivorous Plants Area, Grass Garden, Japanese Gardens, Kitchen Garden,Library, Art & Archives area.

Your entrance includes access to Kew Palace, the oldest building in the Gardens, where you may want to visit the Royal Kitchens and Ice House giving an insight into servant life and culinary tastes in Georgian England, etc

By Coach £41 from our usual pick up points- Open to friends and family and on sale at our lecture on Thursday 20th June. 

Guided tour of Peterborough Cathedral

Peterborough Cathedral is one of the finest Norman cathedrals in England. Founded as a monastic community in 654 AD, it became one of the most significant medieval abbeys in the country, the burial place of two queens and the scene of Civil War upheavals. The Visitor Centre was officially opened in September 2016 by the historian Dr David Starkey, following two years’ work on carefully conserving and converting the listed buildings which it occupies. Amongst the priceless artefacts on show are the original letter from King James I, written in 1613, requiring the mortal remains of his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, to be removed from Peterborough to Westminster Abbey. Also on show is the actual Deed of Endowment by which King Henry VIII changed Peterborough Abbey into a Cathedral on the creation of the Diocese of Peterborough in 1541.

Lunch served in the walled garden at Elton Hall

followed by

Guided tour of EltonHall

Elton Hall has been the home of the Proby family since 1660, although previous generations held land at Elton from the time of Elizabeth I. The house contains superb treasures, including fine French furniture, one of the best libraries in private hands and a magnificent collection of paintings. Art enthusiasts can gaze upon works by Renaissance artists dating from the early 15th century, to marvellous 19th century works by J.F. Lewis, Landseer and Millais. The collection also has works by renowned British artists, Gainsborough, Constable and Reynolds. There should be time to visit part of the gardens that have  recently been renovated.

By coach £48 from our usual pick up points- On Sale at Lecture 21st March.

 – A guided tour of the Museum of the Jewellery quarter in Birmingham- NOW SOLD OUT

This museum is one of  run by the Birmingham Museums Trust, the largest independent museums trust in the UK.

Built around a perfectly preserved jewellery workshop it offers a unique glimpse of working life.  When the owners of the Smith & Pepper jewellery manufacturing firm retired in 1981, they simply ceased trading and locked the door, unaware they would be leaving a time capsule for future generations.  Today the factory is a remarkable museum which tells the story of the Jewellery Quarter and Birmingham’s renowned jewellery and metalworking heritage.  Watch live demonstrations at the jewellers’ bench of the traditional skills of this fine trade and discover what it was like to work there. The tour includes a Jewellery Quarter guide book and refreshments.

 – Lunch at the Edwardian Tearooms at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (included)-

– A guided tour of the Pre-Raphaelite Collection at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery-

The museum holds the most important collection of Pre-Raphaelites anywhere in the world, numbering over 3,000 paintings, drawings, prints and examples of decorative art and design.  The seven young friends who formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848 changed the face of British art for ever.  Led by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, they rebelled against conservatism in Victorian painting.

By coach from our usual pick up points

 Join us at the British Library for an introductory expert talk, then independent visit to the exhibition. The exhibition presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to encounter original evidence from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, a time when the English language was used and written for the first time and the foundations of the kingdom of England were laid down. The exhibition highlights the key role manuscripts 

After an independent lunch our next stop is The London Canal Museum which is the only London museum of inland waterways.  We have an introductory talk about the canal systems and then are free to explore the museum, victorian ice well, and the victorian stables. The museum charts canal history in the 19th and 20th centuries up to today's leisure uses as well as the economic impact of their construction and the social history of the people who lived and worked on them.

Leighton House Museum

 A guided visit  to the former home of Lord Frederic Leighton, Victorian artist. The House was built to Leighton’s precise requirements and was extended and embellished over the 30 years that he lived there. It houses   a collection of paintings, an extraordinary Arab Hall with a golden dome, intricate mosaics and a vast painting studio on the 1st floor. 

The Sambourne Family Home

 Guide led tour of 18 Stafford Terrace which in 1875 was the home of Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, his wife Marion, their two children and their live-in servants. The house gives an insight into the personal lives of the Sambourne family, and also provides a rare example of what was known as an 'Aesthetic interior' or 'House Beautiful' style. The Aesthetic Movement of the late nineteenth century advocated the use of foreign or 'exotic' influences in the decoration of the home.

Join us for a double delight- with Private Tours of both The Courtauld Gallery  and Somerset House.

Somerset House is a magnificent 8th century building on the banks of the Thames.Now a major arts & cultural centre, the building we see today, dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries but its history goes back to the 6th century. Our morning tour will introduce us to the history of the House from Tudor intrigue to Georgian enlightenment.

The Courtauld Gallery is located at Somerset House & is renowned for its collection of Impressionist & Post-Impressionist paintings. It also holds an outstanding collection of drawings, prints and fine works of sculpture & decorative arts. It is at the heart of The Courtauld Institute of Art, one of the world’s leading centres for the study of art history & conservation. Our afternoon tour focuses on the highlights of their permanent collection.

?Tour Price is £20 and Independent travel to our meeting point at Somerset House.

Southill Estate
 Southill has been the home of the Whitbread family for over 200 years and is open for just 2 weeks of the year to groups and charities.
 Join us for a tour of the house and an opportunity at the end of the tour to visit the gardens. Charles Whitbread and archivist James Collet-White will each guide one of the tours. We will hear how Samuel Whitbread I bought the building in 1795 and how he commissioned the architect Henry Holland, to rebuild the existing house. (Henry Holland reconstructed Carlton House in Pall Mall for George IV and was a fashionable architect of the time.) Most of the furniture that he also designed for specific rooms at Southill House is still in situ for us to see.

?Lunch at The Crown in Northill and onto

Kathy Brown’s Garden
In 1987 Kathy and her husband purchased The Manor House at Stevington and began to transform the now 4 ½ acres of garden.  Kathy is taking us on a guided tour of some of her gardens. There is a gallery of gardening art including a Monet garden, a Mondrian garden, a Hepworth garden, a Hokusai garden. There are also 2 Rothko inspired garden rooms. Kathy’s edible flower garden featured in Gardeners world and she has written several books on edible flowers as well as container gardening, planting bulbs, plants with good luck. She will be happy to give advice on plants and planting to garden lovers.

We will finish with an afternoon tea.

?Coach Pick Up 9.00am

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 - 08:30

A guided tour of the stud ?and self-guided tour of Palace House and the Sporting Art Museum

A guided tour of the stud is a fantastic way of learning more about what goes on behind the scenes of a busy commercial stud farm. In May, we can expect to see mares with their young foals in the paddocks, yearlings and stallions, all in the truly beautiful grounds of The National Stud. We will be taken around by mini bus with various stop offs and will hear about the history behind the stud, and an overview of the work that goes in to producing the future champions of the turf.

Palace House is the home of Great Britain’s National Heritage Centre of Horseracing and Sporting Art in the remaining part of Charles II's racing palace. It is home to the National Horseracing Museum, the British Sporting Art Trust and Retraining of Racehorses, and was opened by Elizabeth II in 2016. It is home to the finest collection of sporting art in the world.

This is a self-guided tour on a very varied site with many options- 

• Audio guides are available for the museum 
• Have a ride on the racehorse simulator 
• Meet the racehorses in Rothschild’s yard 
• Demonstration of retraining of former Racehorses in Peter Sullevan’s yard. 
• Visit the art galleries 
• Or just have tea in a beautiful setting  

?Coach will Pick up at 8.30am. We are limited to 42 people 

"A Right Royal Day Out" visiting Charles I and Charles II

Join us for an audio- guide visit to this landmark exhibition which for the first time since the 17th century brings together astounding treasures that changed the taste of the nation. King Charles I amassed one of the most extraordinary art collections of his age, acquiring works by some of the finest artists- Titian, Mantegna, Holbein, Durer- and commissioning leading contemporary artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens.
 
We will then have Cake and tea or coffee at the Royal Academy and onto Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham, Palace.

After a decade of austere Cromwellian rule, the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 led to a resurgence of the arts in England. The court of Charles II became the centre for patronage of leading artists and the collecting of great works of art, which served not only as decoration for the royal apartments but also as a means of glorifying the restored monarchy and reinforcing the position of Charles II as the rightful King. Charles II: Art and Power shows the rich material world of Charles II’s court and the role of the arts in the re-establishment of the Stuart monarchy.

There is no coach organised for this day, we will meet outside the Ticket Barrier at St Pancras International station at 10.15 am to travel together to the Royal academy by tube. Our timed entry at Royal Academy is 11.00am so anyone arriving late at St Pancras will have to make their own way to the Royal Academy.  Both venues are approximately 10 minutes’ walk from their nearest tube stations.

Backstage Tour of the Royal Opera House & Freemasons' Hall
  
Join us for a backstage Tour including an introduction to the colourful history of the theatre, an insight into the redevelopment of the Royal Opera House and a look at aspects of current productions, which may include the Royal Ballet in class or the magnificent backstage technology in operation. Each tour is unique. 
Freemasons’ Hall has been the centre of English Freemasonry for 230 years. It is the meeting place for over 1,000 Masonic Lodges and is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England, the oldest Grand Lodge in the world. The Grade II listed building is richly decorated and we shall be taken to the Grand Temple and ceremonial areas.

We will also have the opportunity to visit their “Brethren Beyond the Seas” exhibition which explores the development of many of the Grand Lodges within the British Empire and marks the contribution of their forces to the First World War. It features objects, books and documents from across the world.  

?Choose from Tour 1 which starts at 11.00am or Tour 2 which starts at 11.45am- Meeting at St Pancras International train station, outside ticket barrier. 

The Charterhouse

Join us for a professional guide led tour to see the highlights of the Charterhouse, taking in the Great Hall where the Brothers sit together to eat their meals, the Great Chamber where Queen Elizabeth I held court during the first days of her reign, Wash-house Court associated with the medieval monks of the Charterhouse and Master’s Court which reveals the opulence of Lord North’s Tudor mansion. Visit the museum and chapel.

The Museum of the Order of St John

We will have a guided tour of The St John’s gate, Priory Church and Crypt as well as the Museum.

There is no coach organised for this day as both venues are very close to Farringdon Station. We will meet outside the Ticket Barrier in London to escort you to the first venue. Timing is tight, so you should not be late. There is quite a lot of walking with spiral staircases at the St John’s Museum as well as cobbled stones at the Charterhouse, so sensible shoes.  

Learn about the world’s oldest living faith and enjoy exquisite Indian art and architecture in this traditional Hindu temple. Our tour will include a history of the Mandir, an exhibition on understanding Hinduism, a guided tour of the Upper Sanctum and the opportunity to witness the “Arti” ceremony performed every day at 11.45 a.m. View the beautiful sculpted gardens and, at the end of our tour, enjoy a vegetarian curry lunch at Shayona Restaurant

Discover more about the history of the 18th-century walled garden, created by “Capability” Brown. Enjoy a tour of the garden and the associated buildings and speak to the Volunteers to learn about the restoration work they are involved in, followed by a Traditional Afternoon Tea in the Shooting Lodge. Independent travel by car.

Discover more about the history, collection and architecture on a tour of the public areas of the Library including the Viewing Gallery and learn more about some of the most iconic items held within the Library. After lunch we will take a historic tour of the St. Pancras Hotel, a Victorian masterpiece, to hear the fascinating story of the hotel’s rise, fall and rise again. Independent travel by train to St. Pancras. On sale March, May & June as venues require payment 6 weeks in advance.

Enjoy a guided tour of the ground floor of the House before it is opened to the public. The Manor was built in the 1870s for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild to house his superb collection of 18th century are treasures. Many of the key features of the Grade I Victorian gardens have been restored and may be viewed on an optional guided tour or wandered round at leisure. The Wine Cellars are open to the public to discover more about “Mouton Rothschild”. On sale March and May as visit takes place day after our June Meeting.

Established as the Apothecaries Garden in 1673, it is the 2nd oldest botanical garden in Britain with a unique collection of over 5,000 different edible, useful, medicinal and historical plants. Enjoy a fascinating tour in the morning before travelling a short distance by coach for an afternoon tour of Fulham Palace to discover over 1,300 years of British history at the historic house and garden of the Bishop of London.