Wednesday 17th June

Longbarn Gardens, Sevenoaks

For Visit details and booking click here

Long Barn is an ancient house nestled into the edge of Sevenoaks Weald Village. It is believed to date back to at least 1360. A mint condition Rose Noble coin of this date was discovered in the floor when the house was renovated in the early 1900s. In 1915, Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson bought the house on their return from Constantinople. Almost immediately they set about attaching a 16th century barn and creating the three acre formal garden. In 1930, they bought Sissinghurst Castle and permanently moved there in 1932, eventually selling Long Barn in 1945. The history is rich and detailed, involving world famous characters and intrigues. Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh lived here from 1936 to 1938. Much of the garden remains original and today it is lovingly curated by the current owners Lars and Rebecca Lemonius.

TUESDAY 12 AND THURSDAY 21 MAY

Andrew Davies 2 x walks – Wapping and the River Thames

Execution Dock where pirates were dispatched, the extensive remains of London and St Katharine’s Docks, the Prospect of Whitby and the Town of Ramsgate pubs, the Thames River Police from 1798, Georgian Wapping Pierhead and Tobacco Dock, fabulous riverside views.

For the poster and booking details click here

TUESDAY 12 AND THURSDAY 21 MAY

Andrew Davies 2 x walks – Wapping and the River Thames

Execution Dock where pirates were dispatched, the extensive remains of London and St Katharine’s Docks, the Prospect of Whitby and the Town of Ramsgate pubs, the Thames River Police from 1798, Georgian Wapping Pierhead and Tobacco Dock, fabulous riverside views.

For the poster and booking click here

Thursday 23rd April

Restoration House – Rochester Private Guided Tour

For the details and booking, click here

House is the amalgamation of two medieval buildings which were combined in the late 16th or early 17th-century to create a mansion house just outside the city wall of Rochester.

Over the past ten years the present owners have uncovered various parts of the decorative scheme which were the “run up” for King Charles II’s visit on the eve of his Restoration to the throne. These provide fascinating examples of fashionable mid-17th century Continental taste seen through provincial eyes at a time when such innovations had been quashed by Cromwell.

Within these “interiors of rare poetry and historical resonance” (Jeremy Musson, Country Life) is a collection of beautiful English pictures and furniture, with nine Gainsboroughs’.

The walled gardens enclose a stunning parterre, topiary and other formal features, along with herbaceous borders, greenhouses, and a cutting garden. An amazing early 17th-century Italian garden, with wide terraces on three levels, statues, ponds and beautiful brickwork is now nearing completion.

See Special Interest Days

STUDY DAY 17 February at the URC Bluehouse Lane

Three lectures

Includes morning tea/coffee and a buffet lunch

Georgina Bexon – The art of the Mughal world (Links with current V&A exhibition: The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence)

The 16th to 18th centuries in India witnessed the golden artistic period of Mughal rule, marked by a unique flowering of art and architecture and unrivalled in luxury and opulence. These mighty Emperors were dedicated patrons of skilled artists, sculptors, jewellers, engravers, architects, poets and calligraphers whose creativity produced breathtakingly beautiful artworks and monuments. From Mughal miniatures with their luminous, jewel-like colours to the exquisite design and ornamentation of imperial palaces and tombs, this talk considers the fascinating fusing of Persian, European, and indigenous Indian influences that produced this glorious work. Importantly, Mughal art and architecture served another purpose; these powerful rulers were astute politicians, and the magnificence of the Mughal court served as a highly successful form of propaganda, which provides a further fascinating topic for exploration.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 11th

Tour of the Royal Albert Hall

For full details click here

Did you know that the Royal Albert Hall once hosted a séance; flooded the auditorium with 56,000 litres of water for an opera concert; and that criminals’, as well as musicians and politicians, have graced the Hall’s stage?

Together with a friendly guide, you’ll take a peek at the royal areas of the Hall, see the breath-taking auditorium, and the stage that’s hosted some of the world’s biggest change-makers, history-shapers and stars – from Arctic Monkeys to Muhammad Ali, BBC Proms to Beyoncé, Cirque du Soleil to Winston Churchill, and Albert Einstein to Ed Sheeran.

You’ll discover how the building was founded 150 years ago, the royal love story that made it happen, and how we solved one of the UK’s most enduring engineering challenges – the Royal Albert Hall echo. You might even be lucky enough to hear an artist in soundcheck!

NOTE NEW DATE: THURSDAY 29th January

Previously Wednesday 4th March

For full details click here

Dulwich Gallery – Anna Ancher

Bringing together recently discovered paintings from Anna Ancher’s home, alongside an extensive body of work made throughout the artist’s long career, the exhibition will feature more than 40 of her paintings, including the artist’s most famous masterpieces on special loan from Art Museums of Skagen. A central figure of the Skagen artist colony, based at the northernmost point of Jutland, Ancher is considered to be the leading female artist in Denmark’s history. She is widely celebrated in her homeland yet remains relatively unknown to British audiences.

Ancher was an influential figure of the Scandinavian ‘Modern Breakthrough’ movement that sought to capture real life, demonstrated in her intimate, observational works, which documented everyday experiences in the fishing town of Skagen. Influenced by her travels to Paris, as well as French Impressionism, the artist produced vivid interiors and evocative landscape scenes in which light becomes the central figure. The exhibition will demonstrate Ancher’s bold approach to colour and radical interpretation of everyday scenes as a truly pioneering modern painter.

TUESDAY 13 JANUARY

Tate Britain – Lee Miller

For full details click here

With the most extensive retrospective of her photography yet staged in the UK, Tate Britain celebrates Lee Miller as one of the 20th century's most urgent artistic voices.

First exposed to a camera by working in front of it, Miller was one of the most sought-after models of the late 1920s. She quickly stepped behind the lens, becoming a leading figure in the avant-garde scenes in New York, Paris, London and Cairo.

The exhibition will showcase Miller’s extraordinary career, from her participation in French surrealism to her fashion and war photography. Exploring her artistic collaborations, the exhibition will also shed light on lesser-known sides of her practice, such as her remarkable images of the Egyptian landscape in the 1930s.

With around 250 vintage and modern prints, including those never previously displayed, the exhibition reveals Miller's poetic vision and fearless spirit.

Determined to forge her own path, she later commented, ‘It was a matter of getting out on a damn limb and sawing it off behind you.’

TUESDAY 11 NOVEMBER

National Maritime Museum – Pirates

Booking opens at the September lecture

For more information, click here

Heroic rascals or violent criminals?

Pirates, traces the changing depictions of pirates through the ages and reveals the brutal reality behind the fiction.

The exhibition explores the perception of piracy in popular culture – from comical characters like Captain Pugwash and Captain Hook to anti-heroes like Long John Silver and Captain Jack Sparrow – and examines why the idea of a pirate’s life still fascinates us today.

While often portrayed as swashbuckling scoundrels, the real history of pirates is far more complex.

Pirates follows the global history of piracy from the South China Sea to the coast of North Africa and explores the issues of modern piracy facing seafarers today. The exhibition illuminates real-life figures, including Edward 'Blackbeard' Teach, William Kidd, Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and reflects on how perceptions of pirates, both past and present, are shifting.

WEDNESDAY 15 OCTOBER

V&A Cartier

Booking now open, for information click here

A major exhibition featuring more than 350 objects, including precious jewels, historic gemstones, iconic watches and clocks, that chart the evolution of Cartier's legacy of art, design and craftsmanship since the turn of the 20th century.

THURSDAY 18 SEPTEMBER

Farley’s House and Gallery – Lee Miller

Bookings start at the June Lecture

For details click here

A warm welcome awaits you at Farleys House in the spirit of its former Surrealist occupants, the photographer Lee Miller and artist Roland Penrose. Tucked away in the Sussex countryside Farleys House conjures up an extraordinary atmosphere that testifies to its position as a meeting place for some of the key personalities in twentieth century art. Lee Miller and Roland Penrose came to live at Farleys in 1949 and for the thirty five years that followed they built up a collection of contemporary art treasures, many of which were created by their friends and visitors including Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Max Ernst, Paul Éluard and Joan Miró. The work of these and numerous others are exhibited in the house alongside those of Penrose and Miller giving the visitor a fascinating look into the world of the Surrealists. Today the collection is managed by the Penrose family as a privately run archive and museum.

NOTE: Change of date to Tuesday 10th June

For booking and details, please click here

St Mary’s House is an enchanting historic pilgrim inn, c1450, in the downland village of Bramber, West Sussex. Still a lived-in home, the fine panelled rooms include the unique Elizabethan trompe l’oeil Painted Room. Intriguing literary connections with Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, and the Sherlock Holmes story The Musgrave Ritual.

The five acres of beautiful gardens include an exceptional example of the prehistoric Ginkgo Biloba living fossil’ tree, amusing animal topiary, and the ‘Secret’ Garden with original Victorian fruit wall and pineapple pits, beautiful rose garden, terracotta garden, King’s Garden, unusual circular English Poetry Garden, Landscape Water Garden and Rural Museum.

Wednesday 14 May 2025

 Wallace Collection – Guided Tour of the Collection 

Click here for the poster

The Wallace Collection is home to one of the most significant collections of fine and decorative arts in the world.

Highlights include oil paintings from the 14th to the late 19th centuries by artists such as Titian, Velázquez, Rubens and Van Dyck; princely arms and armour; and one of the finest collections of 18th-century French paintings and decorative arts. Visitors can also enjoy superb medieval and Renaissance objects, including Limoges enamel, maiolica, glass and bronzes.

Displayed at Hertford House, former home to Sir Richard and Lady Wallace, this outstanding collection is set out in a manner designed to evoke the lives and tastes of its founders, creating a special ambiance that remains an essential part of its charm.

Tuesday 15 and Thursday 24 April 2025 – Andrew Davies 2 x walks – A Kensington Canoodle

For full details click here

From Britain's most expensive house (£300 million) to elegant squares, crescents, mews and love-nests, a disused tube station, the oldest post box, several churches, the Forsyte Saga plus the story of Mr Harrod - this fashionable neighbourhood has it all.

Tuesday 15 and Thursday 24 April 2025 – Andrew Davies 2 x walks – A Kensington Canoodle

For full details click here

From Britain's most expensive house (£300 million) to elegant squares, crescents, mews and love-nests, a disused tube station, the oldest post box, several churches, the Forsyte Saga plus the story of Mr Harrod - this fashionable neighbourhood has it all.

Join us for a lovely social event with friends.

Our annuall Spring Lunch is always popular with members.

This year we have a talk from Kate McCafferty, curator at Hever, of the story of Anne Boleyn's Book of Hours.  

Our lunch will be the usual good value with a welcome drink, good food and drinks at the table provided.

For the poster click here

THE ARTS SOCIETY LIMPSFIELD - “EXTRA VISIT” THE GREAT MUGHALS - V&A

Open for booking at the February lecture.

For full details click here

This visit links with our Study Day in February 2026 which will be about the Art of the Mughal World. This major exhibition celebrates the extraordinary creative output and internationalist culture of the Golden Age of the Mughal Court (about 1560 – 1660) during the reigns of its most famous emperors: Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The great age of Mughal art spanned the reigns of these three emperors. Hindu and Muslim artists and craftsmen from the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent worked with Iranian masters in the royal workshops. Their very different traditions were combined to produce a radically new, and rapidly evolving style of art for the court.

Wednesday 19 March 2025 – Lord Leighton’s House

Leighton House - From its first construction in the 1860s up until shortly before Leighton’s death, his studio-house on the edge of Holland Park was a constant preoccupation. Absorbing large amounts of his time, money and effort, the house combined spaces for living, working and entertaining and the display of Leighton’s collections.  Regularly featured in the press, his home came to embody the idea of how a great artist should live.

Bookings start at the January Lecture.  For more information click here

CINDERELLA

AT THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

THURSDAY 16 JANUARY 2025 - EVENING PERFORMANCE AT 7.30

by coach

COST PER PERSON:  Twenty tickets have been reserved in the First Circle for the evening performance at 7.30.  Please book and pay for your ticket(s) as soon as possible.  

GETTING THERE: A minibus has been arranged to take to us to Covent Garden.  There would be three pick up points Hurst Green Station, St Peters Church Hall Limpsfield and Oxted Station.  The idea is that we do not have to worry about catching the last train home.  The first pick-up would be about 3.30.  We would arrive at Covent Garden about 5.15/5.30 which would give time to have something to eat before the ballet.

Please let me know if you wish to make your own travel arrangements.

Total Cost: £184 per person including minibus.  (Please let me know where you would like to be picked up from)

For booking and the poster please click here

NOTE  due to problems with the Courtauld the Monet Exhibition has been replaced

by The SILK ROAD EXHIBITION at the British Museum

BOOKING STARTS AT THE OCTOBER LECTURE

For the poster click here

 Rather than a single trade route from East to West, the Silk Roads were made up of overlapping networks linking communities across Asia, Africa and Europe, from East Asia to Britain, and from Scandinavia to Madagascar. This major exhibition unravels how the journeys of people, objects and ideas that formed the Silk Roads shaped cultures and histories. 

The Silk Roads were in use for millennia, but this visually stunning show focuses on a defining period in their history, from about AD 500 to 1000. This time witnessed significant leaps in connectivity and the rise of universal religions that linked communities across continents.

Working with 29 national and international partners to present objects from many regions and cultures alongside those from the British Museum collection, the exhibition offers a unique chance to see objects from the length and breadth of the Silk Roads. From Tang Chinese ceramics destined for ports in the Middle East to Indian garnets found in Suffolk, they reveal the astonishing reach of these networks. 

Highlight objects from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan that have never been seen in the UK before also underpin the importance of Central Asia to this continent-spanning story. 

Meet figures whose stories are entwined with the Silk Roads, including Willibald, an ingenious balsam smuggler from England, and a legendary Chinese princess who shared the secrets of silk farming with her new kingdom. Crossing deserts, mountains, rivers and seas, the Silk Roads tell a story of connection between cultures and continents, centuries before the formation of the globalised world we know today. 

Thursday 5th December BOOKING STARTS AT THE OCTOBER LECTURE

Photograph: JM Haedrich/Sipa/Rex/Shutterstock

The first exhibition of its kind exploring the extraordinary career of Naomi Campbell. Through the work of leading global designers and photographers her creative collaborations, activism and far-reaching cultural impact is celebrated.

For the poster and details, please book here

The National Gallery's 200th Anniversary Exhibition

Wednesday 20 November 2024 – Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers.

See Van Gogh’s most spectacular paintings in a once-in-a-century exhibition.

Walk with a pair of lovers beneath a starry night. Look up at swirling clouds and cypress trees swaying in the wind. Stay a little while in Van Gogh’s favourite park, the ‘Poet’s Garden’, or under a shady tree in Saint-Rémy.

This exhibition brings together your most loved of Van Gogh’s paintings from across the globe, some of which are rarely seen in public. They are paired together with his extraordinary drawings.

Over just two years in the south of France, Van Gogh revolutionised his style in a symphony of poetic colour and texture. He was inspired by poets, writers and artists. His time in Arles and Saint-Rémy as a decisive period in his career. His desire to tell stories produced a landscape of poetic imagination and romantic love on an ambitious scale.

See up-close his ‘Starry Night over the Rhône’ (1888, Musée d’Orsay) and ‘The Yellow House’ (1888, Van Gogh Museum), as well as the gallery's own ‘Sunflowers’ (1888) and ‘Van Gogh's Chair’ (1889).

For the poster click here

Tuesday 8- October 2024  REPEATED Thursday 17th October

Tower Hamlets Cemetery – Guided Tour with Sheldon Goodman

Image: The grave of Will Crooks ‘servant of the People’

 Highgate, Brompton, Kensal Green...these are just some of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London. One of its lesser known members is Tower Hamlets Cemetery, the last of these great Victorian cemeteries, nestled behind the bustling A11 in Mile End. Despite its woodland appearance, it is the fullest cemetery in the country, boasting 365,000 souls buried within its ten acres. A cemetery for everybody and active from 1841-1966, cockney kids, mums and dads were buried here aplenty. Join cemetery historian and tour guide Sheldon K. Goodman as he shares his research into the East end dead and explore life stories often overshadowed by those buried in more prestigious cemeteries: such as the arctic explorer turned Sunday School teacher, the sex worker whose funeral was remembered for decades afterwards and the music hall star who was married to one of the greatest women of the 19th and 20th century.'

To book and for more information please click here

Should the link not work then go to About Us/Documents

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO THURSDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2024

(Previously Tuesday 10 September 2024)

London Canal Museum plus canal boat trip (optional)

The London Museum where you can see inside a narrowboat cabin, learn about the history of London's canals, about the cargoes carried, the people who lived and worked on the waterways, and the horses that pulled their boats. Peer down into the unique heritage of a huge Victorian ice well used to store ice imported from Norway and brought by ship and canal boat to be stored. This unique waterways’ museum is housed in a former ice warehouse built in about 1862-3 for Carlo Gatti, the famous ice cream maker, and features the history of the ice trade and ice cream as well as the canals.

For booking and more details please click here 

Should the above link not work then you can find the poster in About Us, Documents

Tuesday 16th July

By coach

Built by the Knight family in the 1580's, the house has undergone centuries of change.  Its most famopus association is with Jane Austen, whose brother Edward owned it.  The nearby bailiff's house was the home of his mother and his sisters.  It is now the Jane Austen House Museum.

Bookings will start at the May lecture

For more information and to book please click here

Shgpould the link not work, you can find the poster under Our Society/Documents

Thursday 20th June visit to the Tate Britain

By train to Victoria Station then taxi,bus or walking

John Singer Sargent Exhibition 

Celebrated for his striking portrait paintings, this exhibition sheds new light on John Singer Sargent’s acclaimed works. It explores how he worked like a stylist to craft the image of the sitters he painted, who he often had close relationships with.

Sargent used fashion as a powerful tool to express identity and personality. He regularly chose the outfits of his collaborators or manipulated their clothing. This innovative use of costume was central to his artwork – for example, tugging a heavy coat tighter around a man to emphasise his figure or letting a dress strap sensuously slip from a woman’s shoulder. It was these daring sartorial choices that allowed him to express his vision as an artist.

Almost 60 of Sargent’s paintings will be on display, including major portraits that rarely travel. Several period garments will also be showcased alongside the portraits they were worn in. The show examines how this remarkable painter used fashion to create portraits of the time, which still captivate today.

For the poster click here it can also be found under Our society, Documents

For booking: : Please contact visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org or phone 01 883 713205. Pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account No. 75668327. Account Name TAS Limpsfield giving the reference “JSS” and your surname. Cheques made payable to TAS Limpsfield should be sent to the Visits Secretary, The Arts Society Limpsfield, 36 Silkham Road, Oxted RH8 0NY.

All details are provisional and will be confirmed at a later date.

We are free to book a suitable exhibition in June 2024, when it is announced,in late 2023 or early 2024.

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO THURSDAY 9TH MAY

Original date: Wednedsday 8th May

Orignally built in 1610, the interiors of Ham House, as you see them today, are the creation of William Murray and his daughter Elizabeth, later Duchess of Lauderdale.

Housing a large art collection and an historic, restored garden, it is a rare survival of 17th Century luxury and taste.

For more information please click here NOTE: Cost varies - see the poster 

If the link does not work the document is available under About Us, Documents

Booking: Please contact visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org or phone 01 883 713205. Pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account No. 75668327. Account Name TAS Limpsfield giving the reference “Ham House” and your surname. Cheques made payable to TAS Limpsfield should be sent to the Visits Secretary, The Arts Society Limpsfield, 36 Silkham Road, Oxted RH8 0NY. 

Thursday 25th April (repeat of the walk on Tuesday 16th)

Belgravia and Pimlico were known as the "Five Fields" during the Tudor period, they were a dangerous place due to highwaymen and robberies.  Developed in the 19th Century by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, under the direction of Thomas Cubbitt, they were made habitable by using spoil from the London docks.

In the hall starting at 12.30 pm

ANNUAL LUNCH 12.30 pm, St PETER’S HALL, LIMPSFIELD

FRIDAY 12th APRIL 2024

Cost £39: includes Welcome Drink, wine and soft drinks with the meal.

Our Talk: Delius – A Tale of Two Villages

How did Delius find a resting place in Limpsfield?  And a place to live in Grez-sur-Loing near Paris?

By Graham Dixon

Former Head of Radio, European Broadcasting Union, Managing Editor BBC Radio 3

Join us for a very popular event with good food, good company and a very interesting, eye-opening talk by Graham Dixon.

For more infiormation please click here

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO TUESDAY 9TH APRIL

Originally Tuesday 16th April

Belgravia and Pimlico were known as the "Five Fields" during the Tudor period, they were a dangerous place due to highwaymen and robberies.  Developed in the 19th Century by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster, under the direction of Thomas Cubbitt, they were made habitable by using spoil from the London docks.

Learn about the achievements and connections of Holbein - famous in the 16th Century and still today

Note: The visit to the Huguenot Museum in Rochester is not going ahead.

Thursday 21st March

COST PER PERSON: £17.50 Includes a multi- media guide. (Your ticket can be changed to an Annual Pass which will allow you to go to other exhibitions at the Queen’s Gallery for a year) Hans Holbein was one of the most talented artists of the 16th century. From his arrival in England in search of work he rose to royal favour, chosen to paint the portraits of Henry VIII, his family and leading figures, among them Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas More. 

GETTING THERE: The 10.53 train from Oxted arrives at Victoria at 11.32 from where we can walk to the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. We have tickets for 1.00pm so we will have time to get a sandwich and coffee before entering the exhibition.

Bookings start at the January lecture

For more information click here

Tuesday 13th February

Held at the United Reform Church in Bluehouse Lane

For the poster and booking details, please click here

Celebrate the centenary of the Roaring Twenties with an interdisciplinary exploration of the art,design,music, literature, fashion and lives of the era's protagonists: Gershwin, Hopper, Sheeler, Tamara de Lempicka, Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

Dr Marie-Anne  Mancio

Our speaker trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory from the University of Sussex. She has lectured in art history for the City Lit, Tate Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Nth Degree Club and many private art societies.  Dre Mancio also runs art history study tours abroad. 

Wednesday 10th January

Simple and Chic: the invention of "modern".  The V&A is holding the first-ever Uk exhibition of the work of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, from her first millinery boutique in Paris in 1910 to the showing of her final collection in 1971.

For the poster with full details, please click here

NOTE  CHANGE OF DATE from Tuesday 12 th December to Wednesday 13 th December

MAKE SURE YOUR LEAFLET IS CORRECT

The "Strictly Come Dancing" costumes are made exclusively by DSI, a Croydon based company.

From initial design by Vicky Gill, to the final "performance dress" learn how much (little) time they have to make the dresses.

For booking and more information click here

Thursday 16th November

Gain an insight into the history and architecture of the Royal Opera House.  Explore the beautiful front of house spaces, hear the stories of the performers and the state-of-the-art technology that keeps the theatre running.

Subject to availability we may be able to watch a rehearsal.

BOOKING OPENS AT THE SEPTEMBER LECTURE

For more information, please click here

Wednesday 18th October

NOTE: Change of date from 17th October

This walk will not be repeated.

 For more details and to book, click here

Join this engaging and enjoyable walking tour for some fun and social history.  Led by historian and tour guide Sheldon K Goodman we will explore the enigmatic streets and alleyways of Holborn, Farringdon and Clerkenwell.  Areas which play host to a roster of legendary pubs such as The Cheshire Cheese, The Rising Sun and the Fox and Anchor.

For more information and to book, click here

Dulwich Gallery Exhibition: Berthe Morisot

This exhibition brings to light a lesser-known artist but someone who was very well connected with the Impressionist movment's main characters.  She was an artist in her own right, connecting with 18th Century culture.  She painted speedily and gave glimpses of everyday subjects - subjects previously considered too banal.  She was highly influential in the movement.

NOTE NEW DATE OF 27th JULY  Bookings open at the May lecture 

Join us for a tour of exotic Gothic decoration at Strawberry Hill.  By coach.

For more information, click here

Grand Tours of France and Italy inspired Walpole’s white stucco palace. 

Strawberry Hill House’s story begins in 1747, when Horace Walpole discovered and purchased ‘Chopp’d Straw Hall’, one of the last remaining sites available on the banks of the Thames in fashionable Twickenham. He set about transforming what was then a couple of cottages into his vision of a ‘little Gothic castle’ with pinnacles, battlements and a round tower. Thus, Strawberry Hill House was born – the House became a tourist attraction in Walpole’s lifetime and beyond.

Built as Walpole’s summer residence, the castle (or villa) soon became of interest to local inhabitants. Walpole allowed four visitors a day – with tours conducted by his house-keeper – and published rules for their guidance (no children allowed). Walpole also delighted in entertaining foreign ambassadors, royalty and English aristocracy, several of whom were near neighbours. Highlights include a beautiful collection of painted glass.

For more information and to book, click here

Join us for a fascinating historical tour of the London Cinema Museum

London’s Cinema Museum is based at the old Lambeth Workhouse, where Charlie Chaplin lived for a while. It has a unique collection of artefacts, memorabilia and equipment that preserves the history and grandeur of cinema from the 1890s to the present day

The museum's collection includes items relating to film production, film exhibition and the experience of cinema-going from the earliest days of cinema to the present. It holds examples of every gauge of film projector, professional and amateur, ever manufactured. The museum holds a collection of early films by Mitchell and Kenyon, the Blackburn film production company, dating from 1899 to 1906.

According to Time Out "The Cinema Museum in Lambeth boasts an idiosyncratic collection of film memorabilia, including posters, art deco cinema chairs, ushers' uniforms from the 1940s and ‘50s, tickets, ashtrays and popcorn cartons, as well as an archive boasting hundreds of books, an estimated one million plus photos and 17 million feet of film.” At its events volunteers regularly dress in original cinema attendants' costumes.

The museum seeks to celebrate all aspects of cinema and the moving image from silent films shown in exactly the correct gauge and at the right speed using specially adapted projectors, to screenings of modern television culture. It is developing a growing reputation for its eclectic range of events.

Visit to the National Gallery Exhibition "After Impressionism"

To book and for more information, click here

Explore a period of great upheaval when artists broke with established tradition and laid the foundations for the art of the 20th and the 21st centuries.

The decades between 1880 and the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 were a complex, vibrant period of artistic questioning, searching, risk-taking and innovation.

The exhibition celebrates the achievements of three giants of the era: Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin and follows the influences they had on younger generations of French artists, on their peers and on wider circles of artists across Europe in Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna.

With over a hundred works by artists ranging from Klimt and Kokoschka, Matisse and Picasso to Mondrian and Kandinsky complemented by a selection of sculpture by artists including Rodin and Camille Claudel, the exhibition follows the creation of a new, modern art, free of convention, taking in Expressionism, Cubism and Abstraction.

The exhibition includes some of the most iconic works of art created during these decades. Important loans come to the exhibition from institutions and private collections worldwide including Museum of Modern Art, New York; Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Art Institute of Chicago; Musée Rodin, Paris; National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh; Museu nacional d’arte de Catalunya, Barcelona; Tate; and Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut.

Tuesday 18 repeated on Thursday 27 April 

Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl of Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent, formerly owned by the historian William Camden. Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network. The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues that are strongly associated with alternative culture.

Tuesday 18 repeated on Thursday 27 April 

Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl of Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent, formerly owned by the historian William Camden. Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network. The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues that are strongly associated with alternative culture.

For booking and more information please click here

Our annual Spring Lunch is always very popular. 

Talk: The Titsey Canalettos: Lunch including drinks £39

We now have a local guide and speaker, Alexandra Sheldon, who will entertain and educate us on the local treasures and how they came to Titsey.

For information and booking please click here

Book early!

About Alexandra:

Alexandra is a guide at Titsey Place, at Knole in Kent and at Tate Britain. For her MA in Art History Alexandra wrote her dissertation on the nude sculpture of the 18th-century ballet dancer Giovanna Baccelli at Knole. 

 Alexandra has a portfolio of talks, both online and in-gallery, on a wide range of subjects from 17th-century male portraiture to the history of pregnancy portraits, and from representations of the 18th-century actress Frances Abington to the mid-20th-century artists of St Ives.  In addition she has written talks on the Venetian-born sculptor Antonio Canova and the elite culture of collecting copies of Classical sculpture in Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Last year Alexandra led tours of the British-Guyanese artist Hew Locke’s highly acclaimed work ‘The Procession’ which was the Tate Britain Duveen Galleries' commission for 2022, and wrote and presented an online talk on Locke’s work.  Her current project is preparing an in-gallery talk at Tate Britain on ‘Women in British Art’ and an online presentation for Tate on ‘Reynolds at 300’ to mark the tricentenary of the artist’s birth this year.

Thursday 16 March - Royal Opera House – Velvet, Glamour and Gilt

EVENT CANCELLED, due to Train strikes, it will be in next year's Visits

Backstage at the ROH - © Rob Greig

The Royal Opera House has played host to spectacular performances from The Royal Ballet, The Royal Opera and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House since it was built in 1858. The current theatre is the third to stand on this site, with centuries of history to explore on every level of the auditorium. Gain an insight into the architecture, explore the beautiful front of house spaces, learn some little-known facts about the theatre and gain a special insight into the colourful history of the theatre, hear stories of performers who have taken centre stage and learn about the state-of-the-art technology that keeps the theatre running. Subject to availability we may be able to watch a rehearsal.

For more information and the poster, please click here

Please Note:  This event is listed under both Visits and Study Days

This event takes place at the URC in Bluehouse Lane, starts at 10.00 am and includes morning coffee and buffet lunch

For more information, to book please click here

Presented by Vivienne Lawes 

‘What have the Huguenots ever done for us?’

French Protestant Huguenots migrating in the 16th and 17th centuries impacted our arts, the military and finance sectors. Focusing on the Baroque style of Versailles through the Huguenot designer Daniel Marot, who also ushered in the French Rococo style.  

It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 people settled in the British Isles, and that perhaps one in six of the country’s current population descends from Huguenot lineage. This lecture focuses on three areas of the arts impacted by the migration: the baroque style of Versailles that arrived in London through the great Huguenot designer, Daniel Marot, who worked for William and Mary at Hampton Court; the growth of the silk weaving industry in Canterbury, Spitalfields and later Sudbury and Macclesfield; and on the silversmiths and ceramicists who ushered the French Rococo style into Britain. This is put into the context of how their work changed material culture and was absorbed into British national identity.

Image: Jean Tiyou, Privy Garden screen at Hampton Court, 1690's.  Photograph courtesy of Tim Winter 

Vivienne Laws

Viv is an art historian, curator, author and journalist with over 25 years’ experience in the art market, she teaches at several Higher Education institutions in London.  In January 2021 she received the Geoffrey Bond Bursary for Art, an annual prize awarded by the Worshipful Company of Educators to an “outstanding educator” nominated by their institution.

Since 2011 she has have been Senior UK Consultant to Singapore gallery One East Asia and has co-curated many exhibitions of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art in London and Singapore.

When time allows she also lectures as an on-board art historian for Viking and Fred Olsen cruise lines.

Now open for booking.

For more information and the booking details click here

Treasures from the Hispanic Society Museum and Library

Our tour of the exhibition will show the rich history of Spanish and Hispanic art and culture from antiquity to the 20th century, through masterpieces by Goya, Velazquez, Zurbaran and El Greco.  Sculptures, silk textiles, silverwork, precious jewellery and the World map of 1526 by Giovanni Vespucci complete this stunning exhibition.

The Hispanic Society Museum & Library is home to the most extensive collection of Spanish art outside of Spain. Presented for the first time in the UK, it will offer visitors a chance to trace the cultural and religious influences that shaped Spanish culture, from Celtic, Islamic, Jewish and Christian to American, African and Asian.

This exhibition brings together, for the first time, items from two of the largest collections of the Beatrix Potter artefacts in the world held by the National Trust and the Victoria and Albert Museum. It follows her footsteps and achievements from artist to farmer, natural scientist to conservationist and explores her passions and pursuits, as well as the people and places that inspired her along the way. It, also, includes rarely seen personal letters, family photos, sketches and watercolours.

For more information click here

To book follow the instructions here

Image: Girl With Balloon – Banksy

A walking tour of the Shoreditch area of London which has been an internationally significant street art location since the early 2000's. Its walls have beenb decorated by leading local street artists such as Banksy, Eine, D*Face and others while many of the world's leading artists such as Swoon, Ros, Blek Le Rat and others have placed beautiful artworks on the street.  The area supports a thriving community including street artists, graffiti writers, street art galleries, street artists, studies and other creative industries.

For more information click here

To book follow the instructions here

For more information and how to book and pay, please click here

Henry Fuseli (1741 – 1825) is famous for his stylised paintings of heroic and supernatural scenes. The 50 remarkable drawings show the modern woman as a figure of disturbing power.

The Courtauld Gallery will stage an exhibition devoted to a remarkable group of around fifty drawings by Henry Fuseli (1741 – 1825), one of 18th-century Europe’s most original and eccentric artists. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, Fuseli spent a formative period in Rome in the 1770s before settling in London, serving as both Keeper of the Royal Academy Schools and Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy when it was based at Somerset House.

Famous for his stylised paintings of heroic and supernatural scenes from classic and contemporary literature, The Courtauld’s exhibition explores an altogether different dimension to Fuseli’s art. It focuses on a striking group of drawings which reveal the artist’s private preoccupation with the figure of the contemporary woman. Often featuring his wife Sophia Rawlins, the drawings show women in elaborate hairstyles and striking costumes and describe the modern woman as a figure of disturbing power.

Join our self - drive Visit to this beautiful house with its extensive art collection and gardens.

If you would like to car-share or need help getting there then please contact Seanne Giddy.

Chiddingstone Castle has Tudor origins, Victorian rooms and was remodelled in the 19th century by members of the Streatfeild family to resemble a medieval castle. It has been owned and lived in by an eclectic mix of people: the Streatfeild family, Lord Astor, military forces during WWII, Long Dene School and the collector Denys Eyre Bower.

In 1955, Bower bought Chiddingstone Castle to house his extensive collections of art and antiquities which includes Japanese, Stuart, Jacobite, Ancient Egyptian and Buddhist art and artefacts. His dream was to share his collections with the nation and to preserve them for future generations. After his death in 1977 a charitable trust was set up to honour his wish.

“It is my wish that the collections be kept intact in their present setting so that future generations may enjoy them as I do now.” Denys Eyre Bower

To see the booking details and the poster:

TASL 2022 23 Chiddingstone Castle.pdf (theartssocietylimpsfield.org.uk)

 https://theartssocietylimpsfield.org.uk/DocumentStore/TASL%202022%2023%20%20Chiddingstone%20Castle.pdf

Please Note: Bookings will start to be taken at the lectures on May 25th

For more details and to book please click here

The House

To all intents the house that you see now would still be familiar to its original occupants.The story of Loseley Park begins with the purchase of the Manor of Loseley during the reign of Henry VII. As Sheriff of Surrey and Sussex the purchaser, Sir Christopher More, was a man of considerable influence and power, yet it was his son, Sir William More, also a direct ancestor of the current owner, who first began building work in earnest.

As was common, much of the stone was reclaimed from earlier buildings, in Loseley’s case from the Cistercian Abbey of Waverley ten miles away at Farnham where ruins can still be seen. That honey-coloured monastic stone was fortunate, for it lends Loseley House a peaceful, deep and mellow mood.

In the centuries that followed the fortunes of the More-Molyneux family waxed and waned. As in every ancient family, there were unfortunate marriages and political successes, times of influences and times when it seemed the family and the house might finally be parted. The 500 year story of the More-Molyneux family at Loseley Park still contniues. 

The Gardens 

Comparable with gardens considered national treasures, the Walled Garden covers 2.5 acres and is divided into ‘rooms’ each with its own unique planting scheme and personality.

There’s the Rose garden with over one thousand bushes, the Flower Garden with its maze of pathways and hidden corners and the White Garden that contrasts spectacular, showy, blooms with lush yet subtle silver and grey foliage.  There is an extensive Herb as part of the Vegetable Garden. 

Please Note: The date of the Visit is 14th June.

For more details and booking details then please click here  then, scroll down to the Sissinghurst Visit.

Sissinghurst Castle and Gardens

From Saxon times, Sissinghurst Castle has been the site of a pig farm; a prison for French sailors during the Seven Years War; a poor house and farm for the local parish. Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson purchased Sissinghurst Castle in 1930 spending the next 30 years restoring the house and the now famous "White Garden".

For those who wish to travel to see it, then the Winter Garden has also been replanted and is a fabulous display of winter-flowering plants ina naturalistic design and usually at its best in March/April.

Photograph: The Famous White Garden

Union Mill, Cranbrook (a grade-one listed Smock Mill)

Cranbrook Windmill was built for Mary Dobell by the Cranbrook millwright, James Humphrey, in 1814, just before the end of the Napoleonic Wars.  Originally the mill had common sweeps with canvas to catch the wind and the cap was turned manually by a chain and Y-wheel. However, in 1840 the Russells decided to modernise the mill. They employed the millwrights Medhurst of Lewes to fit a new iron windshaft and gearwork, as well as the new style Cubitt's patent sweeps. Next, they employed Warrens, the millwrights of Hawkhurst, to fit a fantail.

In 1960 the Mill was taken over by Kent County Council who, with the support of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, put the Mill into good repair. The Cranbrook Windmill Association was formed in 1982 to look after the Mill, open it to the public and carry out further restoration work.

Now re-opened after restoration work.

Please note: The date  is now confirmed as Thursday 12th May

Exhibition Japan: Court and Culture Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace

Photograph: IWAI YOZAEMON (1585 – 1610) Armour

Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2020

The Royal Collection holds significant examples of Japanese art and design from 300 years of diplomatic, artistic and cultural exchanges between the two Royal and Imperial families. Highlights include rare pieces of porcelain and lacquer, samurai armour, embroidered screens from the reigns of James I to Her Majesty the Queen.

For booking and payment details please click here

This is a repeat of the walk on the 20th April

Bermondsey has a very interesting and varied history which dates as far back as Anglo-Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Bermundesy or Bermundesye.  By the mid-19th century it had one of the most notorious slums around the St Jacobs Dock area which was immortalised in Charles Dickens novel “Oliver Twist”.  Now it is the most sought-after address in London.  Why?  Because it offers an invigorating mix of the old, that is, converted Thames warehouses, the river Neckinger, the remains of Bermondsey Abbey and Spa, a Victorian Leathermarket, fine river views, a delicious 17th century house, with the new which includes museums, art galleries, trendy restaurants, a pop-up market and an ingenious little garden.

For booking and payment details please click here

This walk will be repeated on the 28th April

Bermondsey has a very interesting and varied history which dates as far back as Anglo-Saxon times and appears in the Domesday Book as Bermundesy or Bermundesye.  By the mid-19th century it had one of the most notorious slums around the St Jacobs Dock area which was immortalised in Charles Dickens novel “Oliver Twist”.  Now it is the most sought-after address in London.  Why?  Because it offers an invigorating mix of the old, that is, converted Thames warehouses, the river Neckinger, the remains of Bermondsey Abbey and Spa, a Victorian Leathermarket, fine river views, a delicious 17th century house, with the new which includes museums, art galleries, trendy restaurants, a pop-up market and an ingenious little garden.

For booking and payment details please click here

Venue: The Church Hall, Limpsfield

Date and Time: Tuesday 5th April 2022

FULLY BOOKED

The Harrison Sisters and the Nightingale Broadcast with Sandee Brown of The Old Barn, Oxted

Great fun, good food, a good speaker and good company - a very popular event.  To book then click here

The Harrison family played an important role in the development of music in this country. May as a violinist, Beatrice a cellist, Monica a singer and Margaret a violinist, and each was an excellent pianist. This will be an entertaining talk, full of anecdotes and local history, ending with the playing of the recording.

For more information and to see the Poster for making a booking, please click here

Please Note:  The date has been changed to the 15th of March

The Fan Museum opened in 1991 and is the world's first museum dedicated to the preservation and display of hand fans. The museum owns over 4,000 fans, fan leaves, and related ephemera. The oldest dates from the 10th century and an extensive collection of 18th and 19th-century European fans. (49)

The Cartoon Museum is home to British cartoons, caricatures, comic strips and animation, owned and operated by the Cartoon Art Trust and first opened in 2006 by the Duke of Edinburgh.  The library contains over 5,000 books and 4,000 comics dedicated to preserving the best of British cartoons, caricatures, comics and animation. 

Photograph:  Brisè Fans by Sequins and Cherry Blossom

Please Note: Bookings are now open for expressions of interest

For details: Click here

To Register interest by emailing the Visits Secretary: Click here

Thursday 13th JANUARY 2022 - London Transport Museum – Hidden London

One of London’s most secret places. The exhibition includes the largest number of rare archive photos, objects, vintage posters, secret diagrams and decorative tiles from disused stations that have been brought together in one location. 

Based in Covent Garden

Please Note:  Wakehurst are not allowing Group Visits, as a result there will be no organized group visit but individuals can of course book for themselves.

Enjoy a wonderful lightshow ine the gardens at Wakehurst Place

As darkness falls, the gardens are brought to life with glowing lanterns, mesmerising projections, immersive soundscapes, and glistening torches of fire. See the UK’s tallest living Christmas tree decorated with 1,800 lights and hidden heroes of the plant and fungal world. 

This event is now open for booking

To book: click here

To view the poster: click here

Join us at the V & A for an unforgettable exhibition

Join Alice falling through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar anthropomorphic creatures.  This immersive and theatrical show charts the evolution of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland from manuscript to a global phenomenon over 157 years and translated into 97 languagesc

© Johan Persson/Royal Opera House

This event is now open for Booking

To book: click here

Event poster: click here

The day will be held at the United Reformed Church in Bluehouse Lane, Oxted

Morning coffee and a buffet lunch are included, cost £32

These talks will give you a really good understanding of  twentieth century architecture and popular style.

Art Deco Styles (in three one-hour talks)

This lecture examines Art Deco in terms of its historical context – a new style that emerged in the aftermath of the First World War – and its formal characteristics. It traces the various sources of inspiration embraced by designers of the period, such as avant-garde art, the cultures of African, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the exotic appeal of Egypt following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the development of technology and the internal combustion engine.

Vivienne Laws

Viv is an art historian, curator, author and journalist with over 25 years’ experience in the art market, she teaches at several Higher Education institutions in London.  In January 2021 she received the Geoffrey Bond Bursary for Art, an annual prize awarded by the Worshipful Company of Educators to an “outstanding educator” nominated by their institution.

Since 2011 she has have been Senior UK Consultant to Singapore gallery One East Asia and has co-curated many exhibitions of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art in London and Singapore.

When time allows she also lectures as an on-board art historian for Viking and Fred Olsen cruise lines.

Photograph: The Hoover Building, Perivale (Taran Wilkhu) 

This Visit is now open for Bookings

To Book please click on this link The Arts Society Limpsfield

Standen House and Gardens

Between 1891 and 1894 the architect Philip Webb, a friend of William Morris, designed Standen house for James Beale  and his family. It is a fine example of Arts and Crafts Workmanship, built in the Wealden vernacular style with the interior decorated with Morris carpets, fabrics, wallpapers and furnishings, giving it a homely and welcoming feel.

The Arts and Crafts gardenof 12 acres complements the beauty of the house, it has undergone a major restoration and now has an award-winning plant collection.There are views over the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.   

Lullingstone Castle is an historic manor house inhabited by the Hart Dyke family since the 15th century. The walled garden has recently been converted into the World Garden of Plants by the Castle's current heir, plant hunter Tom Hart Dyke.  Rare and important botanicals from all over the world can be seen. 

THE ARTS SOCIETY LIMPSFIELD
A VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE LATIN QUARTER OF PARIS WEDNESDAY, 9 JUNE AT 7.00

COST PER DEVICE (Laptop, etc): £5.00

MEMBERS AND GUESTS: To book or if you have any queries, please contact by clicking here and pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account 75668327, Account Name TAS Limpsfield giving the reference “Paris” and your surname. For those who do not bank on-line please send cheques to Visits Secretary, 36 Silkham Road, Oxted, RH8 0NY. You will be sent the link once payment has been confirmed.

THE TOUR

The Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin) of Paris is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris and is situated on the left bank of the Seine around the Sorbonne. Its name comes from the fact that Latin was the language used by those studying at the Sorbonne during the Middle Ages.

With our guide, Brad, we will walk through the medieval streets of this Paris neighbourhood which

has attracted students from all over Europe since the 12th century, see the heart of the old Roman city and the remains of a Roman arena. We will visit two of the oldest churches in Paris, tour a Cistercian monastery as well as the Cluny mansion with its remarkable medieval art collection and Roman baths. Also included is a visit to the Sorbonne where we will hear about the daily life of students in the medieval university and learn how the Left Bank is still a literary Mecca as witnessed today by the Shakespeare and Company bookstore.

This virtual tour is guided by Brad Newfield of Paris Walks in partnership with London Walks. Brad is an historian originally from Los Angeles and has lived in Paris since 1994. He has explored the streets of the city as a licensed guide and has developed walking tours and presentations on dozens of themes.

Please log in at 6.45 for a 7.00pm start. Expected length of time about 11/2 hours.

 A VIRTUAL TOUR OF AND TALK ABOUT 

THE DAVID PARR HOUSE, AN EXTRAORDINAIRY CAMBRIDGE HOME

WEDNESDAY, 19 MAY at 2.00pm

COST PER PERSON:  £8.50 (2 people watching on 1 device (laptop etc.) £17.00)

MEMBERS AND GUESTS: To book please contact the Visits Secretary by clicking here and pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account 75668327, Account Name TAS Limpsfield giving the reference “David Parr” and your surname.  For those who do not bank on-line please send cheques to the Visits Secretary,  36 Silkham Road, Oxted, RH8 0NY. You will be sent the link once payment has been confirmed.

THE TALK AND TOUR

Our speaker and guide, Tamsin Wimhurst, first came across the house in 2009 and since then has worked on conserving and opening it up to the public.  She will introduce us to the house, David Parr, the firm he worked for, his granddaughter Elsie, who lived in the house until 2012 and in more recent years how the house was conserved.  After a short break, Tamsin will then take us around the house on a 3D virtual tour to show us why it is an extraordinary home, finishing off with time to answer any questions that you have.

Decorated in the late Victorian era this house lay undiscovered until a few years ago when its

extraordinary story began to be uncovered.  David Parr was a “decorator artist” who worked for some of the best known Victorian designers of the day such as William Morris and George Bodley. He decorated churches and palaces for those who could afford such decoration, but in his spare time he come home and decorated his humble terrace house in the same style. Lived in by his granddaughter until a few years ago its interior remained a wondrous hidden secret.

Please log in at 1.45 for a 2.00pm start.  Expected length of time for session: 2 ¼ hours which includes a 10 minute break to refresh ourselves with a cup of tea or coffee.

Please note that there will not be a repeat of this talk and tour in the evening.

Our guide will be Iñes Valencia.

The Tour: 

We will start our tour, with Iñes, at the Miradouro Senhora do Monte (our Lady of the Hill) in the Graça district, which looks out over Lisbon and is the city's highest viewpoint point or miradouro. She will introduce us to the city and its history, geography and urban development and then talk about the Graça area which developed in the 19th century, during the industrial revolution, and housed the workers of local factories.  We will then “walk” to the Alfama district, explore its narrow streets and have a look at the Amália mural and hear about the history of Fado music and Amália the “queen” of Fado.  We will continue to the Portas de Sol Viewpoint and Iñes will talk about St Vincent and his connection to the city’s history, the importance of the Tagus river and St. Anthony’s festivities in June.  Our tour will end near the Fado Museum.

Afternoon Tour – Please sign in at 1.45pm for 2.00pm start.

Evening Tour – Please sign in at 7.15pm for 7.30pm start.

COST PER PERSON:  

Members: We are offering this virtual tour to Members of the Arts Society Limpsfield for free however we would be very grateful if you would be prepared to make a donation of £5.00 per device (laptop, etc) towards the cost of hiring our guide, Iñes Valencia.  Zoom links will be included in a newsletter to be sent prior to th event.

Guests: Members of other Arts Societies and Guests £5.00 per device. To book please contact the Visits Organiser by clicking here  and pay by bank transfer to Nat West Bank, Sort Code 60 16 09 Account 75668327.  Account Name TAS Limpsfield, giving the reference “Alfama Tour” and your name.  You will be sent the link once payment has been received.

The Backstage Tour includes an introduction to the colourful history of the theatre, and may include opportunities to see The Royal Ballet in class, or the magnificent backstage technology in operation, an insight into the redevelopment of the Royal Opera House and a look at aspects of current productions. As the Royal Opera House is a fully working theatre, each tour is a unique experience. The Velvet, Glamour and Gilt Tour includes the Auditorium built in 1858 after the previous theatre burnt down.

The details of this visit (including the date) will be announced in due course

One of London’s most secret places. The exhibition includes the largest number of rare archive photos, objects, vintage posters, secret diagrams and decorative tiles from disused stations that have been brought together in one location. 

Details to follow when published

Venue: The Queen's Gallery and Royal Mews (optional)

George IV formed an unrivalled collection of art, much of which remains in the Royal Collection. He purchased paintings, metalwork, textiles, furniture, watercolours, books and ceramics in vast numbers, many by the finest artists of the day.

Marble Hill House, the model for Georgian Palladian houses, was built for the Prince of Wales' mistress, Henrietta Howard. After crossing the Thames, we visit Ham House where Charles II made grand changes with statuary, paintings and the gardens.

Placeholder entry - date and details to be added later

A visit to the gardens created by Vita Sackville-West and her husband and their country retreat where Vita wrote her books.  Following a talk and lunch, visit the Union Mill at Cranbrook, a Grade 1 listed building and a working mill.

As for 2 April walk

Andrew Davies will lead us around Bermondsey to learn some local history, to see the historic buildings and to illustrate the huge changes in the area in recent times

Placeholder entry -the date and further details will be added when these are available

The date and details of this vist will be announced later.

The choice of tours includes the Archbishop Parker Museum of historic manuscripts, King Edward Saint and Martyr Church and King's College Chapel, returning for Evensong, performed by the famous choir.

Wilton's is one of the original music halls, occupying its historic East End site. The building has its original cast iron pillars, balcony and décor.  Matinée after lunch.

The Curator will provide an insight into Blake's achievements and ambitions and recount the stories behind some of the most iconic images in British art

A guided tour of these very special gardens renowned for being some of the most inspiring and innovative including the Thyme Walk and the otherworldly setting of the Stumpery.

Picture Thyme Walk

Enjoy a guided tour of  HMS Warrior, the most powerful ship of its day, followed by a visit to the Mary Rose Museum with its fascinating exhibits.

Image: The Mary Rose by Geoff Hunt PPRSMA

LECTURER NAME:

Andrew Davies

WHEN:

Tuesday, 28 May 2019 

A repeat of Andrew Daivies walk due to their popularity. 

Andrew Davies will lead us around and through the history of Spitalfields and Whitechapel including the Huguenots and Christ Church built by Sir Nicholas Hawksmoor, now restored to its former glory.

Picture: Christ Church Spitalfields © Dow Jones Architects

LECTURER NAME:

Andrew Davies

WHEN:

Tuesday, 7 May 2019 

Andrew Davies will lead us around and through the history of Spitalfields and Whitechapel including the Huguenots and Christ Church built by Sir Nicholas Hawksmoor, now restored to its former glory.

Picture: Christ Church Spitalfields © Dow Jones Architects

WHERE:

Exbury Gardens,
Exbury,
Southampton, Hampshire, SO45 1AZ

Featuring a 2 hour guided tour of these acclaimed gardens specialising in Azaleas and Rhododendrons with rare trees and shrubs.

Image: © 2018 Exbury Gardens Ltd.

Designer of Dreams - Christian Dior at the V & A Museum

Spanning 1947 to the present day, this exhibition will trace the history and impact of one of the 20th century’s most influential couturiers, exploring the enduring influence of the fashion house, and Dior’s relationship with Britain. 
He was a leader of post-World War II fashion and design with the pioneering New Look of 1947, combining simplicity and elegance that became a hall-mark of the 1950’s.
His first exhibition was the turning point that lead away from war-time uniforms to much greater femininity and fun. Dior was a leading haute couture designer whose work is the basis that inspired many later designers.

His first exhibition was the turning point that lead away from war-time uniforms to much greater femininity and fun. Dior was a leading haute couture designer whose work is the basis that inspired many later designers.

Christian Dior (1905-57), Fête joyeuse, silk organza evening Dress, Haute Couture, Spring/Summer 1955, A Line. Victoria and Albert Museum. Photo © Laziz Hamani
 

WHERE:

The British Museum
Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DG

Preceded by an explanatory talk, we shall explore the life of King Ashurbanipal (r. 668 – c. 631 BC) who was the most powerful man on earth. His reign from the city of Nineveh (now in northern Iraq) marked the high point of the Assyrian empire.

Image: Relief of Ashurbanipal hunting on horseback. Nineveh, Assyria, 645–635 BC. © The Britsh Museum

A talk on the Cathedral’s history and development including the 12th century Bible and the Edward Burne-Jones window.  A tour of the City follows before returning to the Cathedral for Evensong.

Picture: Winchester Cathedral west facade dawn with war memorial at right CC BY-SA 3.0 attribution WyrdLight.com

WHERE:

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, London
WC2N 5DN

Enjoy learning more about someone who is celebrated as one of the greatest portraitists of the Italian Renaissance. Lorenzo Lotto uniquely portrayed a cross section of middle-class sitters, among them clerics, merchants, and humanists. He depicted men, women, and children in compositions rich in symbolism and imbued with great psychological depth. The prominent addition of objects which hinted at the social status, interests, and aspirations of his subjects added meaning to each work. With the inclusion of documents that have survived fromLotto’s own account books, this exhibition – the first of its kind in the UK – provides extraordinary insight into the artist’s individualistic style and the peoplehe portrayed. 

Bookings will be taken at the September meeting.

Click here for visit details and payment instructions

Image: Venetian Woman in the Guise of Lucretia by Lorenzo Lotto (1533)

WHERE:

Romney Marsh TN29 0HP
UK

A guided visit to 4 beautiful and ancient churches previously unexplored by us. The 12th-century Norman parish church of  St. Nicholas once overlooked the harbour and still bears scars from the storm of 1287. The legend of St George's Church is that services could not always be held due to the amount of contraband stored inside.  St Augustine is a 13th century church and is famous for the detached wooden bell tower that stands in front of the church. Its interior contains the highest box pews on the Marsh and a double decker-pulpit. A medieval wall painting of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket survives in the southeast chapel, and there is a Norman lead font in the nave.  St Thomas Becket is a tiny building that dates back to the late 12th century, isolated in a field cut through with dykes and grazed by sheep; surrounding houses having long since disappeared. The church was restored in the 18th century when the wooden framed wattle and daub walls were replaced with bricks. Inside is a pristine 18th century interior with a white-painted triple-decker pulpit and box pews.

Bookings will be taken at the June Lecture. Please see Booking Form for details.

Alternatively please contact

visits.limpsfield@theartssociety.org

WHERE:

Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge Rd
London SE1 2UP
UK

We will see the colourful history of this famous bridge from Victorian times until the present day, visit the Victorian engine rooms and admire the stunning views of London.

image © City of London

WHERE:

The Vyne
Vyne Rd
Sherborne St John, Basingstoke RG24 9HL
UK

COST:

£ 20.50 (NT Members) Non National Trust members £ 31.50

The Vyne is a 16th-century country house near Basingstoke in Hampshire, built for Lord Sandys, King Henry VIII's Lord Chamberlain, transforming a cluster of older buildings into a palace three times the size of what now remains. The house and grounds were gifted to the national trust in 1956.
The gardens include the Summerhouse Garden with its luxurious planting and the Walled Garden with its collections of British hop varieties. Beyond lie the lake and woodland.
Please note that the house is towards the end of major roof restoration that has overrun, as a result, it is likely that some scaffolding will still be in place and some rooms will remain closed to visitors (mainly the upper floor).
In central Basingstoke the guide will take us around the points of interest, talking about the history and connections to various famous people.

Bookings will be taken at the March and April meetings.

Click here for visit details and payment instructions

Image: Ipomoea lobata in the Summerhouse Garden at The Vyne © National Trust Images/Karen Legg

WHEN:

Friday, 4 May 2018 @ 10:45 am – 3:30 pm

WHERE:

Royal Courts of Justice
Strand
London WC2A 2LL

COST: £21.25

We will visit The Royal Courts of Justice in the morning, this guided tour will include The Great Hall, viewing original court documents relating to ‘Guy Fawkes’, an exhibition of legal costumes, history about the fabulous Art, including works by Wright, Lawrence and Shee and a history of the RCJ’s famous cases and Inquiries.

In the afternoon we will visit Sir John Soane’s Museum. Sir John Soane (1753 – 1837) was one of the most inventive architects of his time and an avid collector. He built the Bank of England and Dulwich Picture Gallery, as well as his own extraordinary home by buying, demolishing and rebuilding three houses in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. He displayed his acquisitions in creative, eclectic ways in his home and four years before he died he negotiated an Act of Parliament to preserve his house and collection, exactly as it would be at the time of his death and to keep it open and free for inspiration and education. We will have an introductory talk followed by a self-guided tour of the Museum.

Bookings will be taken at the March and April lectures.

Please click here to see more details of the event and booking and payment details

WHEN: Thursday, 22 March 2018 @ 10:15 am – 3:00 pm

WHERE:

Royal Academy of Arts
Burlington House
Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD
UK

Cost £29 (RA Friends £13)

King Charles 1 amassed one of the most extraordinary art collections of his age, works by the finest artists of the past – Titian, Mantegna, Holbein, Dürer – and commissioning works by artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens. Following the king’s execution in 1649, his collection was sold off. While many works were retrieved by Charles II during the Restoration, others form the core of museum collections such as the Louvre and the Prado. The exhibition reunites the greatest masterpieces of this magnificent collection for the first time ranging from classical sculptures to Baroque paintings, and from exquisite miniatures to tapestries.

Many may remember Graham Greenfield’s excellent talk before the visit to the “Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse” exhibition. He will guide us through the “Charles 1: King and Collector” exhibition telling its story and explaining the significant impact of the works at the time.

Bookings will be taken at the February meeting.

Click here for visit details and payment instructions

Picture Charles I Anthony van Dyck 1635-6 Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017

WHEN: Wednesday, 10 January 2018 @ 10:45 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE:

National Gallery
Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
UK

COST:

£24.75, £18.75 (Art Fund members, £10.75 {National Gallery Members)

CONTACT: Christine Doney 07753 288169

Preceded by an explanatory talk, we will explore the tradition of monochrome painting from the Middle Ages to the 21st century including major artists from Rembrandt to Picasso.

Painting using predominantly black-and-white pigments has long held a fascination for artists, yet there has never been a major exhibition on the subject.

‘Monochrome’ presents a series of case studies that investigate where and when grisaille painting was used and to what effect: from early religious works to paintings that emulate sculpture or respond to other media such as printmaking, photography, and film.

Comprising works on glass, vellum, ceramic, silk, wood, and canvas, ‘Monochrome’ encourages visitors to trace the fascinating but little-studied history of black-and-white painting.

Odalisque in Grisaille, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Workshop, ca. 1824–34, © Metropolitan Museum of Art

LECTURER NAME:

Andrew Davies

WHEN:

Wednesday, 15 November 2017 

WHERE:

Canary Wharf
London E14

Repeat of the Andrew Davies walk because they are always fully subscribed.

Andrew Davies will lead us on another fascinating walk through London, this time through Limehouse and the Isle of Dogs. We will see a vibrant mix of past, present and future sights, including the new roof garden on top of Norman Foster’s Crossrail station, the remains of the West India Dock, inside One Canada Square, China town past and present and the Georgian Narrow Street. There will also be an opportunity to visit the Museum of Docklands housed in a Georgian sugar warehouse.

Meet: 10.50 a.m. outside Canary Wharf underground station (Jubilee line)

Lunch stop: Suitable places will be pointed out (not included in cost)

Finish: approx. 4 p.m. Canary Wharf underground station

Please be prepared for the weather of the day.

Photo © Dave Banbury

LECTURER NAME:

Andrew Davies

WHEN:

Wednesday, 15 November 2017 

WHERE:

Canary Wharf
London E14
 

Andrew Davies will lead us on another fascinating walk through London, this time through Limehouse and the Isle of Dogs. We will see a vibrant mix of past, present and future sights, including the new roof garden on top of Norman Foster’s Crossrail station, the remains of the West India Dock, inside One Canada Square, China town past and present and the Georgian Narrow Street. There will also be an opportunity to visit the Museum of Docklands housed in a Georgian sugar warehouse.

Meet: 10.50 a.m. outside Canary Wharf underground station (Jubilee line)

Lunch stop: Suitable places will be pointed out (not included in cost)

Finish: approx. 4 p.m. Canary Wharf underground station

Please be prepared for the weather of the day.

Photo © Dave Banbury

LECTURER NAME:

Lance Pierson

WHEN:

Tuesday, 17 October 2017 

WHERE:

Waterloo Bridge
Lambeth, London SE1
UK

Actor Lance Pierson leads a guided walk between Waterloo and Westminster Bridges to explore the rich poetic heritage along the riverbank from Shakespeare to Wordsworth.

The walk features: Modern poems about the Festival Hall, Hungerford Bridge and the London Eye Westminster Bridge immortalised by Wordsworth Views of Shakespeare's Globe and Donne's St Paul's Poetry paving stones along the South Bank Statues of Burns and Gilbert and Sullivan Lance will perform relevant poems at each place, then we will finish with refreshments in a nearby hostelry.  

Meet: 10.50 a.m. outside Embankment tube station (bottom of Villiers Street)

Finish: approx. 1 p.m. Westminster Bridge (near Westminster tube station).

Please be prepared for the weather of the day.

WHEN:

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 @ 3:00 pm – 11:15 pm

WHERE:

Glyndebourne
New Rd
Lewes BN8 5UU
UK

COST:

£75.00

A Clever Figaro, the famous Barber of Seville, has much to gain if he can win for his master, Count Almaviva, the hand of the beautiful Rosina.

But the crafty would-be bride, Rosina, is already several steps ahead of him, plotting to escape her guardian Dr Bartolo, who has kept her captive for long enough as he wishes to marry her himself. Rossini’s most popular comedy comes roaring back in a production whose wit and playful energy spring directly from Rossini’s buoyant music. Director Annabel Arden creates a sultry, surreal and subtly Spanish world lightly touched by magic, in which ‘she pulls off trick after trick with such speed and deftness that the eye is constantly delighted and dazzled’ (The Independent - review of the original 2016 production.) For a synopsis of this opera and more background information about the production click here to go to the Glyndebourne website. ? ?

? 3.00 p.m.?Coach pick up opposite Limpsfield Church (please be there early)
? 4.30 p.m.?Arrive at Glyndebourne
? 4.30 p.m.?Gardens open and the party make their own refreshment arrangements
? 6.15 p.m.?Party take their seats in the auditorium?
? 6.30 p.m. ?Performance starts
? 8.15 p.m.?Start of twenty minute break?.
? 9.40 p.m.?Performance finishes
?10.00 p.m.?Coach departs from Glyndebourne
?11.15p.m.?Arrive back at Limpsfield Church

Photograph: Bill Cooper from 2016 Festival production.

WHEN:

Thursday, 28 September 2017 @ 9:00 am – 5:15 pm

WHERE:

Great Dixter House & Gardens
Northiam, Rye TN31 6PH
UK

COST:

£30.00

Great Dixter was restored and enlarged in 1910–12 by architect Edwin Lutyens for Nathaniel Lloyd.  It is a romantic recreation of a medieval manor house complete with a great hall, parlour, solar and yeoman’s hall. Lloyd and Lutyens began the garden at Great Dixter, but it was Lloyd's son Christopher Lloyd, who made it famous. The garden is in the arts and crafts style, featuring topiary, a long border, an orchard and a wild flower meadow. The planting is profuse, yet structured. The garden is currently managed by Fergus Garrett, who worked closely with Lloyd up until his death in 2006 as Head Gardener. More information about Great Dixter can be found on their website.

9.00 a.m. Coach pick up opposite Limpsfield Church (Please be there 15 minutes beforehand)
10.20 a.m. Arrive at Great Dixter for tea/coffee in the open air Loggia (not included)
11.00 a.m. Begin guided tour of the garden (2 groups)
12.15 p.m. Light lunch at The Loggia (not included) or your own picnic (not included)
2.15 p.m. Entry to the house
3.00 p.m. Time for tea
3.45 p.m. Coach departs for Limpsfield
5.05 p.m. Arrival back at Limpsfield Church

WHEN:

Thursday, 20 July 2017 @ 7:45 am – 5:45 pm

WHERE:

Highclere Castle
Highclere Park, Highclere, Newbury, West Berkshire RG20 9RN
UK

COST:

£31.00

Highclere Castle, home of the Earl of Carnarvon and familiar as the set for ‘Downton Abbey’, was built by Charles Barry in the 1830’s in the ‘Jacobethan’ style. We will tour the grand State Rooms with their magnificent decoration, furnishings and artwork and wander through its beautiful gardens set in a landscape created by Capability Brown. The Egyptian Exhibition, recording the 5th Earl’s involvement in the discovery of Tutenkhamun’s tomb, is essential viewing.

For more information about Highclere before our visit click here

8.00 a.m.         Coach pick up opposite Limpsfield Church (Please be there 15 minutes beforehand)
10.00 a.m.       Arrive at Highclere Castle
10.00 a.m.       Briefing by Highclere staff, whilst on the coach, about the day ahead
Suggested itinerary (variable as you choose):
10.15 a.m.       Begin your tour of the house and collections
12.15 p.m.      Light lunch in the Tea Rooms (not included) or picnic (not included)
1.00 p.m.        Tour of the Egyptian Exhibition
2.00 p.m.       Visit the Monk’s garden, walled garden White Border and Secret Garden.
3.00 p.m.       Time for tea
3.45 p.m.       Coach departs for Limpsfield
5.45 p.m.       Arrival back at Limpsfield Church

WHEN: Wednesday, 14 June 2017 

WHERE:

Hampstead Underground Station
Hampstead High St
London NW3 1QG
UK

COST:

£11.00

Hampstead is known as ‘The Jewel in London’s Crown’ and this walk will allow us to explore this beautiful village with a knowledgeable guide. We will wander through Hampstead’s picturesque lanes, walk with the titans of art and literature along its grand 18th century promenade, look upon its pretty cottages, gaze in awe at its grand houses, delve into the cubbyholes and corners of its tranquil churchyard and traipse across the windswept tussocks of Hampstead Heath.

10.50 a.m. Meet outside Hampstead Underground Station (Northern line)
11.00 a.m. Guided Walk (London Discovery Tours) begins
1.00 p.m. Walk ends (near Keats House)
Lunch in local restaurants/pubs (not included)
Possible visits after lunch (not included): Keats House (NT), 10 Keats Grove and/or 2 Willow House (NT).

WHEN:

Tuesday, 25 April 2017 

WHERE:

Parham House & Gardens
Parham Park, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 4HS
UK

The Elizabethan building is a treasure house of furniture, artworks and the country’s finest needlework collection.  The gardens date from the 18th century and are known for their spring flowers and specimen trees as well as a four acre walled garden.
Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre includes a wealth of fascinating exhibits.

WHEN:

Tuesday, 11 April 2017 

WHERE:

Queen's House
London SE10 9NF
UK

This Visit links to the lecture on Nelson.  The Queen’s House was built by Inigo Jones and is the UK’s first classical building, a startling departure from Tudor, architecture.  Reopened, after extensive renovation it has beautiful interiors and art.  At the National Maritime Museum we will visit the Emma Hamilton Exhibition to learn about Emma as celebrity, muse and mistress.

WHEN:

Thursday, 9 March 2017 @ 11:00 am – 3:30 pm

WHERE:

Tate Britain
Tate Britain (L)
Westminster, London SW1P
UK

COST:

£40.80 (Tate members: £26.80, Art Fund members: £34.30)

One of the most popular and influential British artists of the 20th century returns to Tate Britain for his most comprehensive exhibition yet.

This exhibition gathers together an extensive selection of David Hockney’s most famous works celebrating his achievements in painting, drawing, print, photography and video across six decades.

As he approaches his 80th birthday, Hockney continues to change his style and ways of working, embracing new technologies as he goes. From his portraits and images of Los Angeles swimming pools, through to his drawings and photography, Yorkshire landscapes and most recent paintings – some of which have never be seen before in public  –  this exhibition shows how the roots of each new direction lay in the work that came before. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to see these unforgettable works together.

11.00 Tea/Coffee in Foyer (included)

11.30 Lecture

12.30 Buffet Lunch in Foyer (included)

1.30 Entry into the exhibition

Travel:  Clapham Junction/Vauxhall train station/Bus 87 to Millbank or 850 m walk from Vauxhall train station/Vauxhall underground station or 600 m walk from Pimlico underground station

Costs include coffee/tea on arrival and buffet lunch.

WHEN:

Thursday, 8 December 2016 

WHERE:

Canterbury Cathedral
Burgate
Canterbury, Kent CT1 2HA
UK

We will have a guided tour of Canterbury Cathedral followed by time to enjoy the traditional Christmas fair. We are invited to the atmospheric Evensong Service, if there is demand.

WHERE:

Glyndebourne
Glyndebourne
Lewes, East Sussex BN8
UK

An unforgettable modern production of Mozart’s tragi-comic opera which includes the famous Champagne Aria and the duet “La ci darem la mano”.  This is a revival of Jonathan Kent’s modern dress production last seen on tour in 2010

WHERE:

The Historic Dockyard
Chatham
Medway ME4 4TY
UK

COST:

£43.30 (including tea/coffee and lunch)

The present site began in 1613, taking over from the Tudor yard nearby.  It developed continuously, building and repairing ships, then submarines, right through to 1962.  The Ocelot, an “Oberon” class submarine was the last ship built at Chatham and is now preserved on display.

The dockyard site is very large and has many displays and exhibits.  The initial guided tour on the coach will help orientate you to the layout of the exhibitions, buildings and ships.  A feature will be a lunch of fish and chips that will be served in Cavalier’s galley and eaten in one of the mess deck areas.

After lunch there is a tour of the garden of the historic Commissioner’s house and gardens, followed by free time to explore the ships and view exhibitions such as “Command of the Oceans”, “Hearts of Oak” and the RNLI’s historic lifeboats, to mention just some.

Please note that the Ropery tour is free but must be pre-booked, it is over 400 yards long.

Please be aware that it is a very large site so that there will be walking and the ships have steps some of which are steep.

9.15 a.m. Coach pickup opposite Limpsfield Church
10.15 a.m. Arrive at Chatham Dockyard
10.30 a.m. Tea/coffee and Danish (included)
11.00 a.m. Royal Dockyard Coach Tour with Guide
12.00 p.m. Lunch “Fish and Ships” on HMS Cavalier mess deck (included)
1.00 p.m. Guided tour of the Commissioner’s House and Gardens
2.00 p.m. Free time to explore ships, exhibitions and buildings
4.15 p.m. Depart

WHEN:

Tuesday, 21 June 2016 Leave at 8:45

WHERE:

Old Romney
Romney Marsh, Kent TN29
UK

COST:

£39.50 (including £10 Trust donation)

The guide for the day will be Dr. Nick Hudd, Chairman of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust.

As examples of what will be seen: Old Romney Church, St Clement was built in the mid 12th century with a nave and chancel and the aisles were added in 13th century by simply cutting through the thick Norman walls. The interior has a complete set of 18th century fittings including a gallery and box pews – now painted pink following a request from a film company.  St Eanswith is one of the smallest churches on Romney Marsh.  Dedicated to a 7th century princess who founded a nunnery at Folkstone in 630.  Nothing remains of the Saxon building, the present church having been started in the late twelfth century. A grand tomb to John Fagge and his son dominates the Lady Chapel.

8:45 a.m. Coach pick up opposite Limpsfield Church
10.00 a.m. Arrive at Rose & Crown, Old Romney for morning coffee/tea (included)
10.30 a.m. Guided tour of St Clement, Old Romney church
11.30 a.m. Guided tour of Brenzett, St Eanswith church
12.45 p.m. Ploughman’s lunch at the Rose & Crown (included)
2.00 p.m. Guided tour of St Mary in the Marsh
2.55 p.m. Guided tour of Newchurch church
3.45 p.m. Tea at the Rose & Crown (included)
4.30 p.m. Departure

WHERE:

Stonor Park
Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire RG9 6HF
UK

Stonor is one of England’s oldest manor houses, situated in one of the most beautiful settings, owned by the same family of the same faith for 850 years.

Stonor nestles in a fold of the beautiful wooded Chiltern Hills, with breathtaking views of the park where Fallow deer have grazed since medieval times. The House contains many family portraits, old Master drawings and paintings, Renaissance bronzes and tapestries, along with rare furniture and a collection of modern ceramics.

The history of the house inevitably contributes to the atmosphere; unpretentious yet grand. A facade of warm brick with Georgian windows conceals older buildings dating back to the 12th Century and a 14th Century Cathlolic Chapel sits on the south east corner. A major project to repiar, conserve, restore and improve the Chapel has just completed.

The River & Rowing Museum holds 20,000 items covering the international sport of rowing, the history of Henley on Thames, the story of the River Thames and the children’s book Wind in the Willows, including objects, photographs, books, ephemera and archive material.

WHERE:

Apsley House
Hyde Park Corner
London W1J
UK

Standing in the heart of London, Apsley House is the former home of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, victor of Waterloo. Originally designed and built by Robert Adam in the 1770s for Lord Chancellor Henry, 1st Baron Apsley, the house was bought by the duke in 1817. He transformed it into a palatial residence to befit his status, and filled it with works of art and gifts from grateful rulers across Europe. Given to the nation in 1947, it remains the family town house, while the public rooms – magnificent examples of the Regency style – form a dazzling backdrop to the 1st Duke’s outstanding art collection.

WHERE:

Royal Academy
Burlington House
Piccadilly, Mayfair, London W1J 0BD
UK

An innovative exhibition that examines the role of gardens in the paintings of Claude Monet and his contemporaries. Arguably the most important painter of gardens in the history of art, Monet was also an avid horticulturist who cultivated gardens wherever he lived. As early as the 1860s, a symbiotic relationship developed between his activities as a horticulturist and his paintings of gardens, a relationship that can be traced from his early years in Sainte-Adresse to his final months at Giverny. “I perhaps owe it to flowers,” he wrote, “that I became a painter.”

While Monet remains the touchstone, the exhibition also looks broadly and deeply at the garden theme in modern art through the inclusion of paintings by other Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, and avant-garde artists of the early 20th century. The exhibition will lead visitors through the evolution of the garden theme, from Impressionist visions of light and atmosphere to retreats for reverie and dreams, sites for bold experimentation, sanctuaries of refuge and healing, and, ultimately, signifiers of a world restored to order—a paradise regained. Framing these paintings in the context of broad artistic movements, as well as social and political events, will offer unprecedented paths for understanding the garden as a multifaceted, universal theme in modern art.

Details of travel arrangements and booking will be given later.

WHERE:

Hampton Court
East Molesey KT8 9AU
UK

COST:

£29.00

**PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE TO THE PREVIOUSLY ADVERTISED DATE. THIS IS TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO ENJOY THE SPECIAL BBC EVENT ON THAT DAY**. 

ATTRACTIONS

Hampton Court Palace: See the list of points of interest and the study notes provided. Many but not necessarily all points of interest are covered in the 1½ hour guided tour. It will not include a visit to the Gardens. These can be visited after lunch as desired – weather permitting.
The BBC Good Food ‘Festive Fayre’ Show: The BBC will be bringing Christmas to Hampton Court with this brand new festive event. The Fayre is being held in the courtyard of the Palace. Stock up the pantry for Christmas from exhibitors including The Hebridean Food Company and Christmas liquors from Portobello Gin. Pick up hints and tips on how to impress your friends and family this holiday season from top chefs including Hemsley + Hemsley in the beautifully atmospheric Tudor Kitchen.

 
Hampton Court Palace Christmas Outdoor Ice Rink: even if you don’t feel like getting your skates on (but why not?) you can enjoy watching others whiz round the rink at breakneck speed against the magnificent and historic backdrop of the Palace!

 
500th Anniversary birthday offer: To celebrate Hampton Court Palace’s 500th birthday the Palace (not LDFAS!) is offering visitors to Hampton Court Palace who visit on their birthday a present: the chance to visit either the Tower of London or Kensington Palace for free. Let the Hampton Court Palace admissions team at the Welcome Centre know that it’s your birthday on the day of your visit and they will give you a voucher for free admission to either the Tower of London or Kensington Palace. To receive the voucher you must show proof of your age to the admissions team – sorry you do have to tell them! (Full terms and conditions are displayed on the Hampton Court website.)

See the attached flyer and application form for more information about the visit and the booking details.

PROGRAMME

9.00:  Coach leaves Limpsfield Tennis Club

10.15 approximately: Coach arrives at Hampton Court:

10.15-10.45: Coffee break at the Tiltyard Coffee Shop

11.00: Entry to the Palace for the group guided tour

12.30-1.30: Lunch by individual arrangement

1.30-3.30: The entrance ticket is valid for the whole day but tickets must be shown for re-entry. Visits can be made to the many attractions in and around the Palace including the BBC Food Fayre, the Garden and the Ice Rink (see list of attractions).

3.30:  Coach leaves Hampton Court

4.45:  approximately: coach arrives at Limpsfield Tennis Club

WHERE:

Glyndebourne
Ringmer
Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5UU
UK

COST:

£74.00

Our visit this year to Glyndebourne is to see Donizetti’s Don Pasquale.

This opulent period staging catches the sparkling essence of Donizetti’s tuneful tale of an old bachelor’s romantic delusions and the young lovers who outwit him.

Pasquale, a man no longer in the first flush of youth, hopes to marry and produce an heir, being dissatisfied with the current holder of that position, his nephew Ernesto, who has had the audacity to fall in love with Norina, an impoverished widow. The plot thickens, twists and turns as Pasquale’s supposed friend Dr Malatesta assists Ernesto and Norina in complex and increasingly vindictive deception.

Don Pasquale’s witty musical score combines graceful lyricism with rollicking comedy, all fuelled by the seductive rhythm of the waltz.

Applications will be accepted until noon on 9th September, (forms were distributed with your new membership cards and the September Newsletter). If a ballot is required, names will be drawn immediately after the AGM on 9th September and successful applicants will be notified by personal emails registered with LDFAS, otherwise by letter or phone call. Only LDFAS members are eligible for the draw. Applicants may indicate on the Application Form whether they wish to apply singly or jointly with another member. Applicants wishing to be placed on the waiting list if unsuccessful in the ballot must indicate this in the space provided on the application form. Places becoming available will be allocated from the waiting list. If under-subscribed, tickets may be released to non members after the ballot deadline. All tickets will be distributed on the coach unless by prior arrangement. Members wishing to make their own travel arrangements will still be liable for the whole cost (coach travel and ticket), as LDFAS has to book the coach in advance.

The coach will leave Limpsfield Tennis Club at 3.00 pm and will depart from Glyndebourne for Limpsfield 15 minutes after the end of the performance.

WHEN:

Tuesday, 15 September 2015 @ 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

WHERE:

Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta is the best preserved of the four remaining original exemplars. It is displayed in the magnificent 13th century Chapter House of one of Europe’s most beautiful medieval buildings, at the heart of a wonderful new exhibition.

Our visit coincides with the first day of the ‘Magna Flora’ Flower Festival.  Over 500 flower arrangers will fill the Cathedral with the sight and smell of many thousands of blooms in spectacular displays inspired by the Magna Carta.

PROGRAMME

8.30:  coach leaves Limpsfield Tennis Club

10.30: approximately: Coach arrives at Salisbury Cathedral: coffee break

11.00: timed entry for LDFAS group to the Cathedral – includes access to the Flower Festival, the Magna Carta Exhibition and the Cathedral itself.

12.00-3.30: Ticket holders may leave/return to the Cathedral any time after their timed entry. Lunch or refreshments may be bought in the Cathedral Restaurant or teashop. Until 3.30 pm visits can be made to the many attractions in and around the Cathedral Close (see below)

3.30:  coach leaves Salisbury

5.30:  approximately: coach arrives at Limpsfield Tennis Club

ATTRACTIONS

The Cathedral, Cloisters and Chapter House: During the Flower Festival there are no organised tours but there are many guides on duty around the Cathedral, who will be pleased to answer your questions on the many points of interest.

The ‘Magna Flora’ Flower Festival: spectacular, aromatic, contemporary, traditional and interpretative flower displays by 500 arrangers inspired by the Magna Carta!

The Magna Carta Exhibition: the finest preserved copy displayed in a special exhibition to commemorate the 800th Anniversary; situated in the beautiful Chapter House, which opens off the Cloisters (the largest in any British Cathedral).

Attractions around the Cathedral Close: Mompesson House, National Trust, (11.00-17.00); Salisbury Museum (10.00-17.00); The Rifles Museum (10.00-17.00). Arundells (the home of Sir Edward Heath: 11.00-4.00). Group tours every half hour on the hour (book by phone 01722 325546 or online: or just turn up. Entrance charge £10)

Salisbury City Centre: some parts can be reached on foot but don’t go too far!

BOOKING

The maximum number of participants is 52. First bookings will be taken at the LDFAS meetings on Wednesday 24th June. Places will be confirmed by email if supplied, otherwise by phone or letter. Cheque payments only, payable to ‘LDFAS’.

WHEN:

Thursday, 23 July 2015 @ 11:00 am – 2:45 pm

WHERE:

Dulwich Picture Gallery
7 Gallery Road
London SE21 7AB
UK

COST:

£11.50

Dulwich Picture Gallery owns one of the finest collections go Old Master paintings in the world, especially rich in French, Italian and Spanish Baroque paintings and in British portraits from the Tudor times to the 19th Century.  Famous works include those by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Poussin , Watteau Canaletto, Rubens, Veronese and Murillo amonsgst others.

Ravillious Exhibition.  The first major exhibition to survey watercolours by celebrated British artist Eric Ravilious (1903-42). Well known for his iconic work for Wedgwood, Ravilious is widely considered one of the key figures in mid-20th century British design but he was also one of the finest watercolourists of the century.

The visit  includes a guided tour of the Gallery’s permanent collection and a short introduction to the Ravilious Exhibition to be followed after lunch by a self-guided tour of the Ravilious Exhibition.

11.00 a.m.              Guided tour of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s permanent collection and short introduction to the Ravilious Exhibition

12 noon approx      Lunch (at own expense)

1.15 p.m. approx    Entry to Ravilious exhibition. This tour should take 1 hour/1 hour 30 minutes to complete. The gallery closes at 5 p.m.

Travel by train: Via London Victoria/West Dulwich. The 9.24 train from Oxted arrives at West Dulwich at 10.37 after making one change at London Victoria and catching the 10.25 train to West Dulwich.  The Gallery is then a 10 minute walk from West Dulwich station.

Travel by private car:  Address of the Gallery is Gallery Road, London SW21 7AD where parking is free.

WHEN:

Tuesday, 7 July 2015 @ 9:00 am – 4:30 pm

WHERE:

Kenwood House
Hampstead Lane
London
UK

COST:

£27

Visiting for the first time the newly renovated and opened areas. This is a follow-up to the June lecture by Leslie Primo.

Kenwood House was probably first built in the early 17th century and transformed into a fine neoclassical villa by Robert Adam for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, between 1764 and 1779. The interiors include some of Adam’s finest surviving schemes, particularly the Great Room or Library. Kenwood is now home to the 1st Earl of Iveagh’s collection of British and Old Master paintings including Rembrandt and Vermeer which were bequeathed to the nation in 1927.

The house reopened in late 2013 following nearly 2 years of major refurbishment.

Programme

9:00    Coach leaves Limpsfield Tennis Club
10:15   approximately Coach arrives at Kenwood House, coffee break
11:00  guided tour of Kenwood House (Group A);  guided tour of gardens (Group B)
12:30 lunch in Brewhouse Cafe as required
2:00  guided tour of Kenwood House (Group B; guided tour of gardens (Group A)
3:45  coach leaves Kenwood House
4:30  approximately Coach arrives at Limpsfield Tennis Club

The maximum number of participants is 50.  First bookings will be taken at the LDFAS meetings on Wednesday 27 May.  Places will be confirmed by email if supplied, otherwise by letter.  Payment is by cheque only made payable to LDFAS.

WHEN:

Thursday, 16 April 2015 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE:

Eltham Palace
Eltham Palace and Gardens
Court Yard, London, Greenwich, Greater London SE9 5QE
UK

COST:

£24.50 / £13.30 for English Heritage members

First recorded in the Domesday Book, Eltham Palace was transformed by successive monarchs into the biggest Tudor and most visited Royal residence of its time. By the 18th century it was a picturesque ruin and painted by artists such as a young J.M.W Turner.

Whilst living at Eltham in the 1930s, Stephen and Virginia Courtauld – art collectors, travellers and philanthropists – built a series of magnificent Art Deco interiors, considered to be amongst the finest of their age. They were also keen horticulturists and the gardens are a rare and very fine example of 1930s garden design.

A new project will reveal hidden areas at this magnificent site, including rooms which will be opened to the public for the first time.

WHEN:

Thursday, 27 November 2014 @ 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

WHERE:

Bletchley Park
The Mansion
Bletchley Park, Bletchley Park, Sherwood Drive, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes MK3 6EB
UK

This was the home of the famous WW2 Codebreakers whose greatest achievement was to crack the German ‘Enigma’ and ‘Lorenz’ cipher machines. We were introduced to the key players who worked at “The Mansion” and a series of exhibitions explain how their work served to accelerate the demise of the Nazis.

A party of 48 members of the Limpsfield Decorative & Fine Arts Society attended a performance of Verdi’s ‘La Traviata’ at Glyndbourne.