THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE

President’s Day Excursion, Thursday 11 June 2026

Visiting Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury, CO10 2EU & Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, CO10 9DL

Patricia Hardy, our new President, recommends we visit Gainsborough’s House, where the artist was born in 1727, now a museum with a contemporary gallery extension, historic garden and The Watering Place café. We are adding an afternoon visit to nearby Holy Trinity Church, a Late-Perpendicular gem.

We will leave from St Michael’s Church, South Grove, Highgate promptly at 8 30 am by coach, which has a toilet, to drive the 67 miles to Gainsborough’s House. On arrival we will have morning coffee and bakes in The Hills function room upstairs at the Watering Place café. Following coffee, we will divide into small groups for a curator led tour of Gainsborough’s House, with 18th Century furniture and objects and learn about silk weaving, in which trade Gainsborough’s family members were involved.

The buffet lunch back in the Hills Room will include bagels, soup, Caesar salad and carrot cake, all freshly made in the kitchens.

After lunch, on a self-led basis, members can visit the permanent exhibition galleries and see the special exhibition “The Legacy of Landscapes” with works by Constable, Turner and Gainsborough. Separately two contemporary artists, David Dawson and Kate Giles will have exhibitions.

In the early afternoon we will drive 4 miles to have a guided tour, in smaller groups, of Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford. Simon Jenkins in his book “England’s Thousand Best Churches” rates it very highly with 5 stars. The coach will drop us off outside the Black Lion Pub, Long Melford, and we will walk up the narrow road to the Church. After the Church visit we will have a cup of tea or coffee in the pub before boarding the coach for our journey back to St Michael’s Church, Highgate.

The plan is to return to Highgate by 6 30pm, though traffic conditions on the day will determine the exact time.

The cost of the Excursion which includes coach travel, all entrance & guides fees, morning coffee, buffet lunch and a cup of tea/coffee in the afternoon is £80.

Please contact me if you have questions about the Excursion, and if you would like to join us, please complete the application form. Please note that payments are not refundable if a participant has to cancel.

A booking form can be found under Our Society/Documents

Sylvia MacKay

Committee member

The Arts Society Highgate

sylviadulcie@gmail.com

07740944044

Thursday 7th May 2026

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90mins approx.)

A Private Tour of Dorich House Museum, Kingston Vale.

“One of London’s hidden gems . . . a special atmosphere.”

Dorich House Museum, a unique blend of Modernist architecture and personal artistic history, is the result of the love affair between the Latvian-born sculptor Dora Gordine (1895-1991) and her diplomat husband, the Hon. Richard Hare (1907-1966), a scholar of Russian art and literature, and is located on Kingston Vale beside Richmond Park.

Now Grade II listed, the building was completed in 1936 to Gordine’s design and is an exceptional example of a modern studio house designed by a female artist. It represents that moment in late 1930’s London cultural life when the city appeared to be a centre for the European avant garde – a city that could play host to Piet Mondrian, Naum Gabo and Walter Gropius. It holds the world’s largest collection of Gordine’s paintings, drawings and sculpture and an important collection of Russian art and artefacts, acquired by Hare and Gordine.

N.B. The museum is located over four floors and has no lift.

Meet outside Dorich House, 67 Kingston Vale, SW15 3RN, in time for a 12:00 start on Thursday 7th May.

Cost: £22.00 per person, to include the tour, a guide book and tea/coffee. Organiser: Nick Curry, nick@c7m.co.uk, 07717 948975.

Details of payment will be sent on confirmation of a place in the group.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90mins)

A Tour of Harrow School for Boys

A few times each year, Harrow’s famous private school opens its doors for the public to look around some of their key buildings.

Our tour will include the Fourth Form Room (used for filming Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone),  Speech Room, the Chapel, built in 1855 by George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic revival style and the War Memorial Building, with its cenotaph and replicas of all the Victoria Crosses awarded to old Harrovians.

We will discover the history of the school and how it came to be founded, and gain insights into the traditions, customs and the beginnings of the game of squash as well as the day-to-day life of a current Harrow student.

Famous alumni of Harrow School include Winston Churchill, literary figures such as Lord Byron, Richard Sheridan and Anthony Trollope and numerous PM’s including India’s first, Jawaharlal Nehru, Nobel laureates and leaders in arts, science and sport.

The nearest tube station is Harrow on the Hill (Metropolitan Line), from where there is  about a 20- minute walk uphill to the school. Buses H17 & 258 depart from outside the tube station towards the school. There is also a free car park on Garlands Lane HA1 3GF. Meet at the Speech Room Underpass in time for an 11:00am start on Thursday 12th March.

Cost: £17.00 per person. Organiser: Nick Curry, nick@c7m.co.uk, 07717 948975.

Details of payment will be sent on confirmation of a place in the group.

Thursday 11th December 2025

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90mins approx.)

A Tour of Temple Church with The Revd Robin Griffith-Jones, Master of the Temple.

Temple Church is one of the most historic and beautiful churches in London. Here are eight hundred years of history: from the Crusaders in the 12th century, through the turmoil of the Reformation and the founding father of Anglican theology. It is the resting place of the hero of Magna Carta, the “greatest knight in the world”.

The Church was built by the Knights Templar, the order of crusading monks founded to protect pilgrims on their way to and from Jerusalem in the 12th century. The Church is in two parts: the Round and the Chancel. The Round Church was consecrated in 1185 by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. It was designed to recall the holiest place in the Crusaders’ world: the circular Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

In recent times the Church became internationally significant thanks to Dan Brown’s novel “The Da Vinci Code” and its subsequent film. Temple Church lies between Fleet Street and the River Thames, in an ‘oasis’ of ancient buildings, courtyards and gardens. 

Meet outside Temple Church, London EC4Y 7BB, in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 11h December.

Cost: £17.00 per person. Organiser: Nick Curry, nick@c7m.co.uk, 07717 948975.

Details of payment will be sent on confirmation of a place in the group.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90mins approx.)

JOHN SINGER SARGENT’s AMERICAN PORTRAITS AT KENWOOD

Take part in a private guided tour of a new exhibition at Kenwood House.

English Heritage has announced that “Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits” will gather together for the first time, eighteen magnificent portraits of women once dismissively known as the “Dollar Princesses”. A war-time nurse, a helicopter pilot and the first sitting female MP among them, the exhibition will reveal the often- overshadowed lives of these fascinating American women who crossed the Atlantic to marry British aristocrats in an exchange of money for titles.

“Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits” is curated by English Heritage and by the renowned Sargent scholar and the artist’s great-nephew, Richard Ormond.

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), described by Auguste Rodin as “The Van Dyck of our Time”, was the leading portraitist of his generation, famed for his dazzling technical virtuosity. He remains a key figure in the transition from traditional academic art to a freer, more modern style of painting.

Meet outside Kenwood House in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 4th September.

Cost: £15.00 per person. Organiser: Nick Curry, nick@c7m.co.uk, 07717 948975.

Our President, Richard Ormond, has this year chosen Euston Hall and Wingfield College combined with a visit to St. Andrew’s Church.

Euston Hall, home to the Dukes of Grafton for over 350 years, is only open to the public on very limited occasions. Built in 1666, the Palladian historic house has one of the finest Stuart art collections in the country as well as gardens designed by John Evelyn, William Kent and Lancelot “Capability” Brown. There is a small café but lunch must be pre-booked.

The coach will then take us to Wingfield College, now a private residence closed to the public but owned by a relative of our President.  Described as one of the most extraordinary houses and gardens in Suffolk, its grand Georgian façade envelops a rare medieval survival: the remnants of a chantry college of priests complete with a cloister walk and a Great Hall dating from 1362. It is associated with the Black Prince, Mary Tudor and the de la Pole family. This will be combined with a visit to the adjoining St. Andrew’s Church which was founded at a similar time and contains the graves of such eminent people as Michael de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk , and Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister to Edward IV and Richard III.

Details

Depart 8.30a.m. St Michael’s Church Highgate N6 6BJ. Arrive Euston Hall c10.50 a.m. Leave Wingfield at c3.45p.m. to return to St. Michael’s Church Highgate. Because of the vagaries of traffic, it is advisable not to book any evening engagements for that day.

Price £69 per head to include transport, coffee/tea on arrival at Euston Hall and all the visits mentioned above. If members wish to include a sandwich lunch, dessert and coffee/tea at Euston Hall, this must be pre-booked and the total cost of the trip will be £79 per head. Payment should be by cheque (because of banking restrictions) and as for a theatre ticket is NON-REFUNDABLE.

Numbers limited to 30.

If you would like to join, please email for a form to

rhpreiskel@gmail.com

.

Thursday 1st May 2025

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (2hrs 45mins approx.)

“A mesmerising slice of India in the north-west suburbs”

Visit a magnificent Hindu temple on Wembley’s Ealing Road with Vaishali Patel, as part of a tour that celebrates the vibrant colours, tastes and textiles of Wembley’s Indian community.  Feel as though you’ve been on holiday and come back with a richer view of London in just a couple of hours on one suburban street.

This tour, showcasing North London’s Indian community and designed to bridge cultures, visits the Shri Sanatan Hindu temple with its endless intricate archways and air that smells of sandalwood and jasmine. Then to a paan kiosk to try parcels of dried coconut and sugar-coated aniseed wrapped in betel leaves and to the gleaming Ambala sweet shop with its stacks of syrupy jalebis and creamy slabs of confectionary. At Joshi fabric shop continuing this sensory odyssey there are silks, brocade and iridescent organza, crushed velvet and lace, sequins, mirrorwork and glinting diamante where we learn about pleating saris, bandhani tie-dying from western India and the owner’s dramatic family history, fleeing droughts and persecution.

Finally Vaishali’s tour leads to a garland-strung store full miniature Ganesh fountains and of the strains of sitar music before ending with Indian street food and spicy masala chat at Sakoni’s restaurant.

Meet outside Alperton Station (Piccadilly Line) in time for an 11:00/ 15.00 start depnding on your group on Thursday 1st May. Estimated journey time from Archway 65 minutes.

Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £56.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number.

Thursday 5th December 2024

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

“The Photography Centre at the V&A is undeniably a triumph.” (Apollo Magazine)

“Stretching from the 1840s to the present, this dazzling collection captures two centuries of art, war, disasters, transport, technology – and boasts some beautifully moving portraits.” (The Guardian)

In May 2023 the second and final phase of the V&A’s Photography Centre opened, creating the largest space in the UK for a permanent photography collection. The collection of about 800,000 is one of the largest in the world.

The Photography Centre is part of the V&A’s FuturePlan, a development programme that is creating contemporary gallery spaces while also revealing and restoring the original building’s beauty. The galleries feature recent acquisitions by acclaimed contemporary photographers and artists such as Morehshin Allahyari, Poulomi Basu, Edmund Clark, Jo Ractliffe, Roger Palmer and Lebohang Kganye.

At its heart lies a contemporary camera obscura photo studio, inviting visitors to engage and experiment with the fundamentals of the photographic process, while objects tracing the evolution of photography from the box camera to the iPhone are showcased within bespoke glass cases.

Dr Duncan Forbes, the V&A’s Head of Photography, will lead our private tour, followed by an optional visit to the exhibition  “Fragile Beauty” – photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection. (Please note that you will need to arrange your own tickets for the exhibition.)

Meet by the V&A’s Information Desk (Cromwell Road Entrance) in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 5th December.

Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £18.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number. Places are limited.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (120 mins approx.)

Cultural Clerkenwell – A Guided Walk with Nigel Smith

Nigel Smith is a qualified Islington & Clerkenwell tour guide and leads walks with a focus on cultural and social history. Nigel also works on digital education projects and is part of the team that produces Screenshots for BBC Radio 4. He is the co-founder of the long-running Tufnell Park Film Club.

Since the middle-ages, when religious pageants were held on the banks of the River Fleet and entertainers performed at the annual Bartholemew’s Fair, Clerkenwell has been a part of London steeped in cultural history.

In addition to following in the footsteps of William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, we’ll hear how William Morris, Agatha Christie, William Hogarth, Benjamin Franklin and Lenin have all left their mark on Clerkenwell.

In London’s oldest parish church we’ll see a striking sculpture by one of Britain’s most controversial artists. Down hidden alleyways we’ll learn about one of London’s great 17th century theatres, a pioneering architectural partnership and an unsung champion of classical music and get to see close-up the site that gave Clerkenwell its name.

Meet outside Barbican Underground Station (Hammersmith & City line) in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 3rd October. The tour ends at Farringdon Station.

Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £15.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number.

President’s Day Outing to The Munnings Art  Museum Dedham and Benton End

Wednesday 12 June 2024 

Our President, Richard Ormond, has this year chosen the Munnings Art Museum and Benton End. Please note that our final lecture of the year is about Cedric Morris whose home was at Benton End.

The Munnings Art Museum was the home of Sir Alfred Munnings, President of the Royal Academy and a prolific East Anglian Artist. The house, a Tudor and Georgian building which he called “the house of my dreams” contains a large number of oil paintings, drawings, watercolours and sculptures all in a series of carefully curated displays selected from this largest collection of his works. Visitors can also learn about his life from his favourite pieces of furniture, photographs and personal items still in place.

The coach will then take us to Benton End house and gardens in Hadleigh, Suffolk. This is the former home of the artist Sir Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines who ran the East Anglian School of painting and drawing there. Lucian Freud and Maggi Hambling were among the students and many of the leading literary figures of the day were among the visitors. Morris was also a noted horticulturalist and a number of plants are named after him. The house and gardens are closed for restoration but we are very fortunate that our President has obtained a visit whilst the restoration work progresses. 

Details

Depart 8.30a.m. St Michael’s Church Highgate N6 6BJ. Arrive Munnings Museum c10.30 Leave Benton End at 5p.m. to return to St. Michael’s Church Highgate. Because of the vagaries of traffic, it is advisable not to book any evening engagements for that day.

Price £69 per head to include transport, coffee/tea on arrival and all the visits mentioned above. Payment should be by cheque (because of banking restrictions) and as for a theatre ticket is NON-REFUNDABLE. Please note that there is no reduction for National Art Pass holders on our group booking rate.

For those who do not wish to bring sandwiches, there is a café at the Munnings Museum selling light lunch. It is not possible to stop in between the two locations. 

Numbers limited to 30.

If you would like to join, please email for a form to

rhpreiskel@gmail.com

.

A visit to see one of the finest examples of a Grade-II listed 1920’s house, built as an Arts & Crafts Norfolk vernacular flint and pantile cottage for Mr G H Farmer, the Advertising Manager of Imperial Tobacco Company, but unusually with Persian and Turkish antiques incorporated in interior at the request of the client, and designed by the prolific local architect John Sydney Brocklesby *.

It has more recently been enlarged and restored in the Arts & Crafts manner together with its garden, which enjoys panoramic views over Wimbledon towards Crystal Palace.

The interior is notable for its Ottoman tiles inset against a backdrop of adzed elm and oak beams, reportedly salvaged from the keels of Norfolk wherries.

There will be two tours in the afternoon of the 18th April at 14:00 and 16:00, with each group limited to 15 and followed by tea.

Place: Details will be sent to successful applicants

Times: 14:00 – 15:30 & 16:00 – 17:30

Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £25.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number. Please indicate your preference for time slot when applying. Places are limited. Please be aware of some uneven steps from pavement level to the house.

* John Sydney Brocklesby (b. Hornsey 1879; d. Weymouth 1955) British Arts and Crafts-style architect, especially active in the first third of the 20th century designing suburban houses and churches. He was a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Owner of material donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1935 and transferred to the British Museum in 1980. The Cypriot material in his collection was probably acquired in the earlier 1930s when he used to spend part of each year on the island with his second wife Barbara.

LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

“The Queen’s House Goes Dutch”

The Queen’s House, Inigo Jones’ architectural masterpiece, has always been a place for artistic creation.  In the late 17th century, it was a court residence, home to emigrant artists and craftsmen. From 1672 two of these were the Dutch father and son marine painters, Willem van de Velde the Elder and Willem van de Velde the Younger, who worked for Charles II.  To celebrate the 350th anniversary of their arrival in London the Queen’s House have a special exhibition which begins in the King’s Presence Chamber.

Our Private Tour, led by Dr Allison Goudie, Curator of Art (Pre 1800) for Royal Museums Greenwich, will examine the pair’s time working in their studio at The Queen’s House, and feature drawings, paintings and the monumental and recently restored Solebay Tapestry. All serve to explore the impact of the van de Veldes’ work upon subsequent maritime artists, among them JMW Turner.

Please assemble at The Queen’s House (Romney Road, SE10 9NF) in time for an 11:00am start on Thursday 11th January.

Directions: Northern Line (Bank Branch) to Bank. Change to Docklands Light Railway (DLR) (Lewisham Branch) to Cutty Sark Station. Walk Northeast from station on Crescent Arcade. Continue straight along College Approach. Turn right then left onto Romney Road. Continue to The Queen’s House on the right hand side of Romney Road shortly after the National Maritime Museum. Duration from Highgate:   75 minutes approx.  

Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £18.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number. Please note that places are limited.

LONDON EXCURSION (2hrs 30mins approx.)

CROSBY MORAN HALL: “the most important, surviving, secular domestic medieval building in London.” English Heritage

Crosby Moran Hall is a grand palace by the River Thames, which is the thirty-year achievement of businessman and philanthropist Dr Christopher Moran, who has made it his life’s work to put the only domestic building to have survived the Great Fire of 1666, back into its historical context.  The rebuilding and restoration of Crosby Moran Hall incorporates a Tudor and Elizabethan mansion constructed over a period of 150 years. Its true history spans 500 years and started in the City of London.

Originally commissioned between 1466 and 1475 and situated in Bishopsgate, it was once occupied by Richard Plantagenet – later Richard III.  Sir Thomas Moore owned the house while he served Henry VIII.  Catherine of Aragon, Elizabeth I, Raleigh and Shakespeare all dined, lodged or visited there.  In 1908 the Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China bought the Bishopsgate site which put the hall under threat of demolition.  However, in an early wave of preservation fever it was saved, dismantled and re-erected on a plot in Chelsea owned by the London County Council.

This was the Crosby Hall that Christopher Moran was able to acquire out of public ownership in 1988.  He commenced eight years of planning, design and expert consultation with leading architectural historians. He has invested more than £50 million into the restoration effort alone.  Each of the five floors are furnished with Moran’s impressive collection of English furniture, arms and armour, tapestries and paintings by artists including Van Dyck, Cranach and Holbein.  The main rooms are the Council Chamber, long gallery above, libraries, chapel and most impressively the Great Hall with its original, magnificent ceiling and soaring, gilded oriel window.

The courtyard contains an Elizabethan knot garden and a fountain based upon the design for the lost Nonsuch Palace of Henry VIII.

Dr Moran will lead a private tour for our members, which includes the Garden, Great Hall, Minstrel’s Gallery, East Library, Council Chamber, State Bedroom, Dining Hall and Chapel. The tour includes Dr Moran’s comments on his collections of pictures, high-status furniture, metals, armour, etc. of the Tudor, Elizabethan and Early Stuart periods and concludes with afternoon tea in the dining chamber, where a 55-foot long table cut from a single piece of oak seats 44 people.

Please assemble at Crosby Moran Hall in time for an 2:30pm start on Thursday 7th December.

Directions: Crosby Moran Hall is situated in Cheyne Walk, Chelsea SW3 5AZ. Bus route 170, from Victoria Station, stops at Beaufort Street, from whence it is a 2 minute walk to the property. Duration from Highgate:  60 minutes approx.  There are some stairs involved in this tour.

Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £65.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE - LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

“Towering over the Thames, a heavenly new home for Lambeth Palace Library.” Michael Prodger in Apollo Art Magazine

You are invited to visit the new Lambeth Palace Library building which opened in 2021. Our tour gives an opportunity to learn about the building and the history of the library and its collections. There will be a chance to see some areas not usually open to the public, such as the conservation studio and the eighth-floor conference room/terrace with its spectacular views across London, as well as the special exhibition 'Reformation Cardinal: Reginald Pole and his circle in England and Italy', which will include manuscripts on loan from the Bodleian Library, Venerable English College in Rome and New College, Oxford.

Lambeth Palace Library was founded in 1610 by the will of Archbishop Bancroft and is the main centre for research on the history of the Church of England. It is a collection of international importance of some 120,000 books, 4,600 manuscripts, 40,000 pamphlets, as well as maps, deeds and photographs. The LPL has kindly agreed to make a small selection of their treasures available for our close inspection.

Please assemble in the Entrance Hall of Lambeth Palace Library in time for an 11:00am start on Thursday 12th October.

Directions: The library is situated on Lambeth Palace Road, facing St Thomas’ Hospital, on the south side of the Thames. The nearest Underground stations are Westminster, Lambeth North and Waterloo. Bus routes stopping outside the library include the number 507, C10 and 77. There is limited parking onsite for Blue Badge holders. Duration from Highgate:  40 minutes approx.  

Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £15.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.

The Fry Art Gallery reopens in April after a refurbishment and houses an impressive number of paintings, prints, illustrations wallpaper and decorative designs by artists of the late 20th century and the present day who have lived and worked in the area and who have made a significant contribution to their field. It is the only gallery holding and showing such a comprehensive collection of their work. We will be given a talk by local experts about some of its contents.

Afterwards there will be a walking guided tour of the historic medieval market town of Saffron Walden which contains a large number of historic listed houses before a short break for lunch.

The coach will then take us to Audley End House and Gardens. Built by Thomas Howard, Earl of Suffolk, Lord Treasurer to King James 1, it is one of England’s most magnificent stately homes with over 30 lavishly decorated rooms, interiors, paintings and furnishings. The parkland was designed by Capability Brown and there is a 19th century parterre and organic walled kitchen garden , stables , service wing and garden buildings designed by Robert Adam.

Details

Depart 8.45a.m. St Michael’s Church Highgate N6 6BJ. Leave Audley End for return c 5p.m.

Because of the variability of traffic conditions, participants are advised not to book engagements for that evening.

There will be walking around the town and ten minutes from coach stops to the town and to Audley End.  There will also be some stair climbing in the town and at Audley End.

As the day contains a lot of visits, the time for lunch will be limited to about an hour. This will leave time to buy take-away food at one of the many cafés in town or participants might wish to bring their own refreshments.

Price £65 per head to include transport, coffee/tea on arrival and all the visits mentioned above. Those members who are members of English Heritage at the time of visit and bring w their membership card can pay the reduced price of £47.25

Payment should be by cheque (because of banking restrictions) and as for a theatre ticket is NON-REFUNDABLE.

Numbers limited to 30.

If you would like to join, please email for a form to

rhpreiskel@gmail.com

.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE -  LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

A London Walk Along the Embankment.

Alec Forshaw, architectural historian and author, will guide this walk, to look at a wide selection of the remarkable collection of memorials, sculpture and statues to the great and the good on the Embankment.

Completed in 1870, Victoria Embankment was laid out by Joseph Bazalgette as part of the Metropolitan Board of Work’s ambitious project to construct a new underground sewage system for London.

On land reclaimed from the river, the Embankment provided a riverside boulevard and a string of public ornamental gardens for the delight of Londoners.

Over the last 150 years, these beautifully maintained spaces have become adorned with works of commemoration.

Meet at Temple Underground Station in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 16th March.

Directions: Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch) to Embankment Station. Circle or District (Eastbound) to Temple Station. Duration from Highgate: 35 – 40 mins approx.

Numbers are limited. Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £18.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number.

Thursday 1st December 2022

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

To mark the United Nations International Year of Glass in 2022 we will visit the Victoria & Albert Museum’s world famous glass collection.

The V&A's Glass collection is one of the largest and the most comprehensive in the world, showcasing the development of design and technology in glass-making over 3,500 years.

The collection is particularly rich in vessel and art glass, with examples from the Italian Renaissance, the Middle-East, 17th – 20th century Britain and Europe, and contemporary art glass from around the world. The V&A also holds an important collection of stained glass from the medieval period onwards.

Our Private Guided Tour of the Collection will be led by Reino Leifkes, the V&A’s Senior Curator of Glass and Ceramics, followed by a close-object inspection led by Assistant Curator Simon Spier.

Meet on the 4th Floor of the V&A (using the “glass” lift to the rear of the Ground Floor Sculpture Court) in time for an 11:00 start on Thursday 1st December.

Directions: Northern Line (Bank Branch) to King’s Cross St Pancras. Piccadilly Line (Westbound) to South Kensington. Take Thurloe Street Exit. Walk northwest continuing left along Exhibition Road to destination: V&A Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL. Duration from Highgate: 45 – 50 mins approx.

Numbers are limited. Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £20.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number.

Thursday 6th October 2022

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE – LONDON EXCURSION (90 mins approx.)

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries are the first major built addition to Westminster Abbey since 1745.   Created within the Triforium, (dating from about 1250 during the reign of King Henry III), located seven storeys above the Abbey’s nave, they not only provide space for display but the most astonishing views of the interior and out to Parliament Square and the Palace of Westminster.

The galleries are reached by a new tower – designed by Ptolemy Dean – dubbed the Weston Tower and situated on a site known as Poets’ Corner Yard.

The Galleries display over 300 objects from the Abbey’s collection, presented in four sections.  Highlights include the Westminster Retable, the Litlyngton Missal, the Funeral Effigy Head of King Henry VII and the Marriage Licence of HRH Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton.

Our Private Guided Tour will be led by Dr Susan Jenkins, Curator of Westminster Abbey.

Meet on the Sanctuary pavement outside the railings in front of the Great West Door, London SW1P 3PA in time for a 10:30 start on Thursday 6th October. The Cellarium Café and Terrace (part of the Abbey) is open for lunches, light snacks and coffee.

Directions: Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch) from Highgate Station to Embankment. Circle or District (Westbound) to St James’s Park. Take 55 Broadway Exit. Walk northwest continuing along Tothill Street. Slight right onto Storey’s Gate, after 45 yd turn right onto Broad Sanctuary, then turn left onto The Sanctuary, then turn right onto Dean’s Yard. Duration from Highgate: 45 – 50 mins approx.

Numbers are limited. Bookings to Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £15.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an email address and mobile telephone number.

Please note that access to the Galleries is via the staircase (108 steps) or the lift in the Weston Tower. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes.

President’s Day Outing to Christ Church Oxford Tuesday 7 June 2022

Our President, Richard Ormond, writes:

Christ Church is a royal foundation, taken over from Cardinal Wolsey by Henry VIII, who became its first royal patron, as all successive monarchs have been, including the present Queen. The immense Tudor quadrangle, enriched by Christopher Wren’s Tom Tower, is an architectural masterpiece. One side is the Great Hall, where we will be lunching, which boasts a hammerbeam roof and an outstanding collection of portraits that ranges from Henry VIII to Lewis Carroll by way of numerous prime ministers and other luminaries. We will be given a tour of the portraits by the college curator following coffee and biscuits.

      Next on our list is the cathedral, the smallest in Britain, an ancient foundation to which Henry gave cathedral status. Its Romanesque nave is set off by a delicate arcaded chancel of the 15th century. There are numerous important memorials and ancient stained glass with one spectacular window devoted to the life of St Friedeswide by Pre-Raphaelite Edward Burne-Jones. All this will be explained to us by a knowledgeable member of the Cathedral staff.

      Following lunch we will split into two groups, one going to the library, the other to the art gallery, and then swopping over. The Library is a Palladian building in the grand style designed to impress and over- awe, fronting on to the 18th century Peckwater Quad. The first floor gallery stretches for over 150 feet long and is decorated with the most ornate decorative plasterwork and woodwork. It houses many rare volumes, priceless manuscripts and other treasures, some of which we will be shown by the librarian.

     Christ Church is unique among Oxford colleges in having an art gallery of quite exceptional importance. It includes more than three hundred old master paintings, gifted by enlightened alumni, and over two thousand prints and drawings. Among the paintings are works by early Italian masters among them Filippino Lippi, by Tintoretto, Veronese, Salvator Rosa, Van Dyck and Frans Hals. The drawings include masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Durer and Rubens. A special gallery to house these masterpieces was opened some thirty years ago. We will be toured around the collection by the curator.

Details of the trip.

Depart 8.45 a.m. St. Michael’s Church Highgate N6 6BJ. Leave Oxford at 5 p.m. for return.

The timetable leaves about an hour’s free time in Oxford after the above tour.

Price £55 per head to include transport, coffee/tea on arrival, lunch and all the visits mentioned above. A vegetarian lunch option is available. Payment will be by cheque and as for a theatre ticket is NON-REFUNDABLE.

Numbers limited to 30.

If you would like to join, please email for a form to

rhpreiskel@gmail.com

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE - LONDON EXCURSION

Nestled in the heart of Covent Garden, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has survived tragedy, fire, bankruptcy and even murder. “Its history is the theatrical history of England” (Hannen Swaffer).

The newly renovated theatre – the soul of the West End – has seen it all and staged it all. After a £60 million refurbishment, London’s oldest continuous theatre is now closer to how it must have when this version was built in 1812 and it has never looked better.

On our Private Guided Tour we will enjoy architectural set pieces such as the Rotunda, a superb swirling stair surmounted by a Pantheon-style coffered dome scattered with sculptures and art works, the glamorously reconfigured auditorium, as well as journeying behind the scenes as two expert guides surprise us with some insider secrets, royal scandals and backstage ghosts.

The theatre’s interiors are liberally sprinkled with art which we will have time to explore. One room is replete with works from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous collection of Pre-Raphaelites. See Angela Connor’s superb bronze of Noel Coward, Ronnie Wood’s triptych of the glitterati and last but no means least Maria Kreyn’s newly commissioned, dramatic Shakespeare canvases.

Meet in the foyer of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JF, in time for an 11:00am start on Thursday 5th May 2022. Price: £27.00 per person. The Garden at the Lane (part of the Theatre) is open for lunches, light snacks and coffee.

Directions: Northern Line (Charing Cross Branch) from Highgate Station to Leicester Square. Take Exit 4 (Cranbourn Street) then walk via Cranbourn Street, Garrick Street, King Street and Russell Street to Catherine Street (8mins).  Duration from Highgate:  40 minutes approx.  

Numbers are limited. Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £27.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”.  A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.

MUSEUM OF THE HOME

“Home has many meanings, from the buildings we live in, to a feeling that goes beyond a specific place.”

THE ARTS SOCIETY OF HIGHGATE - LONDON EXCURSION (2 - 3hrs approx.)

The Museum of the Home, formerly the Geffrye Museum, is a museum situated in the Geffrye Almshouses on Kingsland Road in Shoreditch. It explores home and home life from 1600 to the present day with a series of period room displays.

The Museum recently reopened following a major rebuilding project, led by architects Wright & Wright, to revitalise the 300-year-old Almshouses and gardens, consolidating the historic building with contemporary elements to create an engaging public space. This remodelling has created 80% more exhibition space, 50% more public space and has also introduced a new entrance directly opposite Hoxton Station, two new garden pavilions and a cafe.

Within the main almshouse, the architects have excavated and re-established the lower ground floor to form the new Home Galleries and reinstated the first floors to create a spacious new Collections Library and Study Room.

A reframed curatorial approach has made the Museum more appealing to a wider audience by addressing contemporary domestic issues such as homelessness and fluctuating family structures.

Preceded by an introductory talk by Marilyn Greene (City of London Guide, Green Badge), to set the building and founder within their historical context, we will explore the Museum of the Home on Thursday 3rd March 2022 at 10:15am.

Meet outside Museum of the Home, 136 Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA, in time for an 10:15am start on Thursday 3rd March 2022. Price: £15.00 per person. Molly’s Café (part of the Museum) is open for lunches, light snacks and coffee.

Directions: a) No. 43 or No. 263 bus from Highgate Station to Highbury & Islington Station. Then London Overground to Hoxton, then very short walk to the Museum of the Home, or b) Northern Line (Bank Branch) from Highgate Station to Old Street. Take Exit 1 (Hoxton) then walk to Kingsland Road (16mins, or c) No. 271 bus from Highgate Village to Mintern Street (20 stops) then walk to Kingsland Road (13mins).  Duration from Highgate: 45 - 50 minutes approx.  

Numbers are limited. Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £15.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”.  A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.

ROMAN LONDON EXCURSION (2hrs approx.) THURSDAY 21ST OCTOBER

The City of London was the heart of Roman Britain and dates from around AD 50 when Roman invaders built a bridge over the River Thames and created a settlement.  As Londinium grew, the Romans built more facilities including a forum and basilica, a 6,000-seat amphitheatre and a temple devoted to the mysterious cult of Mithras.  Around AD 120 a fort was added and later a solid stone and red tile protecting wall that stretched for two miles and was six metres high.  Londinium survived as a major commercial centre for the Roman Empire until its abandonment in the 5th Century but parts of its most important structures can still be visited today.

Discover the ancient city, both above ground and beneath, by visiting the Temple of Mithras (including a spectacular son et lumière), the Amphitheatre and the walls and site of the fort, on an excursion led by the Blue Badge and official City of London Guide Chris Payne.

Meet outside Caravan City Restaurant, 22 Bloomberg Arcade, EC4N 8AR in time for an 11:00am start on Thursday 21st October. Price: £15.00 per person.

Directions: Northern Line (Bank branch) Southbound to Bank. Take Exit 8, then short walk down Walbrook to meet outside Caravan City, where coffee may be purchased prior to setting off. Journey Duration from Archway/Highgate: 40 -45 minutes approx. 

Numbers are limited. Bookings to: Nick Curry, 19 Whitehall Park, N19 3TS. Cheques for £15.00 payable to “The Arts Society Highgate”. A booking will be confirmed by e-mail once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE

GUIDED WALKS FOR AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

Dear Member

With the ‘Rule of Six’ hopefully being re-instated next month, I am now hoping to lead the walks I had originally planned for late last year.

WALK 2 – A Canal Walk from Camden Town to Primrose Hill

Thursday, May 13

10.30      Meet Camden Gardens Bus Stop (134, 24, 214, 88 bus)

A walk of contrasts.   To see where ‘The  Fields Below’ of Camden morphed in the first half of the 19C with the building of new roads out of London, and the construction of the Regent’s Canal and the North London railway.       But the original canal side industrial buildings have now changed to reflect the 21C world, and make for a fascinating stroll past the locks and over its bridges.    We will then turn northwards to explore the elegant pastel-coloured Regency townhouses and Victorian terraces of Primrose Hill, built to house those benefitting from the increased wealth to be found in London.    We finish looking down over Regents Park and enjoying one of the best views of London.   (Return to Archway from Primrose Hill Road on C11)

                                 Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £12 per person (incl. donation to TASH)                        Payment on the day                                          Bring a mask!

As numbers will be limited to five (I do have to include myself!), please let me know if you would like to join me on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796 / 0771 542 1992

 suedennis29@hotmail.com

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE

GUIDED WALKS FOR AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

Dear Member

With the ‘Rule of Six’ hopefully being re-instated next month, I am now hoping to lead the walks I had originally planned for late last year.

WALK 2 – A Canal Walk from Camden Town to Primrose Hill

Thursday, May 6 

10.30      Meet Camden Gardens Bus Stop (134, 24, 214, 88 bus)

A walk of contrasts.   To see where ‘The  Fields Below’ of Camden morphed in the first half of the 19C with the building of new roads out of London, and the construction of the Regent’s Canal and the North London railway.       But the original canal side industrial buildings have now changed to reflect the 21C world, and make for a fascinating stroll past the locks and over its bridges.    We will then turn northwards to explore the elegant pastel-coloured Regency townhouses and Victorian terraces of Primrose Hill, built to house those benefitting from the increased wealth to be found in London.    We finish looking down over Regents Park and enjoying one of the best views of London.   (Return to Archway from Primrose Hill Road on C11)

                                 Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £12 per person (incl. donation to TASH)                        Payment on the day                                          Bring a mask!

As numbers will be limited to five (I do have to include myself!), please let me know if you would like to join me on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796 / 0771 542 1992

 suedennis29@hotmail.com

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE

GUIDED WALKS FOR AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

Dear Member

With the ‘Rule of Six’ hopefully being re-instated next month, I am now hoping to lead the walks I had originally planned for late last year. 

WALK 1 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park

Thursday, April 22

10.30  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 or 214 bus)

A walk through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad. 

An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, market gardens and brickworks, but with the coming of the railways  became home to a huge influx of immigrants and appalling living conditions.   An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Fasil Jellicoe in the early 20C and now is home to an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions, including The Crick Institute and the British Library.

We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

        Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £12 per person (incl. donation to TASH)                        Payment on the day                                          Bring a mask!

As numbers will be limited to five (I do have to include myself!), please let me know if you would like to join me on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796 / 0771 542 1992

 suedennis29@hotmail.com

THE ARTS SOCIETY HIGHGATE

GUIDED WALKS FOR AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

Dear Member

With the ‘Rule of Six’ hopefully being re-instated next month, I am now hoping to lead the walks I had originally planned for late last year. 

WALK 1 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park 

Thursday, April 15 

10.30  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 or 214 bus)

A walk through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad. 

An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, market gardens and brickworks, but with the coming of the railways  became home to a huge influx of immigrants and appalling living conditions.   An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Fasil Jellicoe in the early 20C and now is home to an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions, including The Crick Institute and the British Library.

We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

                                 Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £12 per person (incl. donation to TASH)                        Payment on the day                                          Bring a mask!

As numbers will be limited to five (I do have to include myself!), please let me know if you would like to join me on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796 / 0771 542 1992

 suedennis29@hotmail.com

POSTPONED - NEW DATE TO BE ADVISED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Dear Member

Although I was able to go ahead with the walks in October from Gospel Oak to Kentish Town, the planned walk through Somerstown in November had to be cancelled because of lockdown.   I am therefore proposing to re-offer it in January and a new one from Camden Town to Primrose Hill in February.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.   The Cost is £15 (including donation to TASH) with payment on the day.

Numbers will, I am sure, be limited, but hopefully not so much as they are now.   So please let me know if you would like to come on one – or both - and I will book you in.    

WALK 2 – A Canal Walk from Camden Town to Primrose Hill

Thursday, February 11th and Thursday, February 18th

10.45      Meet Camden Gardens Bus Stop (134, 24, 214, 88 bus)

A walk of contrasts.   To see where ‘The  Fields Below’ of Camden morphed in the first half of the 19C with the building of the Regent’s Canal, new roads out of London, and the construction of the North London railway.       But the original canal side industrial buildings have now changed to reflect the 21C world, and make for a fascinating stroll past the locks and over its bridges.    We will then turn northwards to explore the elegant pastel-coloured Regency townhouses and Victorian terraces of Primrose Hill, built to house those benefitting from the increased wealth to be found in London.    We finish looking down over Regents Park and enjoying one of the best views of London.   (Return to Archway from Primrose Hill Road on C11)

                           Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £15 per person                                    Payment on the day                      Bring a mask!

As numbers will necessarily be limited, please let me know if you would like me to reserve you a place on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796/0771 542 1992

Suedennis29@hotmail.com

POSTPONED - NEW DATE TO BE ADVISED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Dear Member

Although I was able to go ahead with the walks in October from Gospel Oak to Kentish Town, the planned walk through Somerstown in November had to be cancelled because of lockdown.   I am therefore proposing to re-offer it in January and a new one from Camden Town to Primrose Hill in February.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.   The Cost is £15 (including donation to TASH) with payment on the day.

Numbers will, I am sure, be limited, but hopefully not so much as they are now.   So please let me know if you would like to come on one – or both - and I will book you in.    

WALK 2 – A Canal Walk from Camden Town to Primrose Hill

Thursday, February 11th and Thursday, February 18th

10.45      Meet Camden Gardens Bus Stop (134, 24, 214, 88 bus)

A walk of contrasts.   To see where ‘The  Fields Below’ of Camden morphed in the first half of the 19C with the building of the Regent’s Canal, new roads out of London, and the construction of the North London railway.       But the original canal side industrial buildings have now changed to reflect the 21C world, and make for a fascinating stroll past the locks and over its bridges.    We will then turn northwards to explore the elegant pastel-coloured Regency townhouses and Victorian terraces of Primrose Hill, built to house those benefitting from the increased wealth to be found in London.    We finish looking down over Regents Park and enjoying one of the best views of London.   (Return to Archway from Primrose Hill Road on C11)

                           Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £15 per person                                    Payment on the day                      Bring a mask!

As numbers will necessarily be limited, please let me know if you would like me to reserve you a place on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796/0771 542 1992

Suedennis29@hotmail.com

POSTPONED - NEW DATE TO BE ADVISED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Dear Member

Although I was able to go ahead with the walks in October from Gospel Oak to Kentish Town, the planned walk through Somerstown in November had to be cancelled because of lockdown.   I am therefore proposing to re-offer it in January and a new one from Camden Town to Primrose Hill in February.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.   The Cost is £15 (including donation to TASH) with payment on the day.

Numbers will, I am sure, be limited, but hopefully not so much as they are now.   So please let me know if you would like to come on one – or both - and I will book you in.    

WALK 1 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park

Thursday, January 14th and Thursday, January 21st

10.45  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 or 214 bus)

A walk through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad.    An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, brickworks and market gardens, but with the coming of the railways became home for a huge influx of immigrants and appalling living conditions.  An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Basil Jellicoe in the early 20C and now provides an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions, including The Crick Institute and the British Library.   We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

                           Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £15 per person                                    Payment on the day                      Bring a mask!

As numbers will necessarily be limited, please let me know if you would like me to reserve you a place on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796/0771 542 1992

Suedennis29@hotmail.com

POSTPONED - NEW DATE TO BE ADVISED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Dear Member

Although I was able to go ahead with the walks in October from Gospel Oak to Kentish Town, the planned walk through Somerstown in November had to be cancelled because of lockdown.   I am therefore proposing to re-offer it in January and a new one from Camden Town to Primrose Hill in February.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.   The Cost is £15 (including donation to TASH) with payment on the day.

Numbers will, I am sure, be limited, but hopefully not so much as they are now.   So please let me know if you would like to come on one – or both - and I will book you in.    

WALK 1 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park

Thursday, January 14th and Thursday, January 21st

10.45  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 or 214 bus)

A walk through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad.    An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, brickworks and market gardens, but with the coming of the railways became home for a huge influx of immigrants and appalling living conditions.  An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Basil Jellicoe in the early 20C and now provides an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions, including The Crick Institute and the British Library.   We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

                           Walks will take about 1.5 hours. 

  £15 per person                                    Payment on the day                      Bring a mask!

As numbers will necessarily be limited, please let me know if you would like me to reserve you a place on one – or both – of these walks! 

Sue Dennis

0208 340 3796/0771 542 1992

Suedennis29@hotmail.com

CANCELLED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE AUTUMN                                              

Two walks with Sue Dennis (recently qualified as Borough of Camden Guide) to explore how the fields that lay between The City of London and Highgate in the 17C have morphed during the following centuries to embrace both social and industrial change.

Walk 2 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park – Thursday, November 12th

10.30  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 bus)

Walking through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad.    An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, brickworks and market gardens, but with the coming of the railways became home for a huge influx of immigrants.  An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Basil Jellico in the early 20C and now provides an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions including The Crick Institute and the British Library.   We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.       Maximum 5 walkers.     £15 per person.   Bring a mask!

As numbers are limited, please let Sue know if you would like to come on  one – or both – of these walks and she will book you in. Payment on the day.

Sue Dennis (0208 340 3796) suedennis29@hotmail.com

CANCELLED

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE AUTUMN                                              

Two walks with Sue Dennis (recently qualified as Borough of Camden Guide) to explore how the fields that lay between The City of London and Highgate in the 17C have morphed during the following centuries to embrace both social and industrial change.

Walk 2 – From Mornington Crescent to Lewis Cubitt Park – Thursday, November 5th

10.30  Meet outside Mornington Crescent Tube Station (134 bus)

Walking through Somerstown – known for its slum housing about which we used to hear nothing but bad.    An area which started with its first housing development (The Pentagon) in the late 18C amid fields, brickworks and market gardens, but with the coming of the railways became home for a huge influx of immigrants.  An area where regeneration was spurred on by Father Basil Jellico in the early 20C and now provides an enormous amount of social housing and educational institutions including The Crick Institute and the British Library.   We will then continue eastwards to see the Old St. Pancras Church – one of the oldest sites of Christian worship - with its historic churchyard, before going under the railway and over the Canal and via Gasholder Park  to end our walk in Lewis Cubitt Park – just a few strides away from York Way where we can catch a bus (390) to Archway.

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.       Maximum 5 walkers.     £15 per person.   Bring a mask!

As numbers are limited, please let Sue know if you would like to come on  one – or both – of these walks and she will book you in. Payment on the day.

Sue Dennis (0208 340 3796) suedennis29@hotmail.com

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE AUTUMN                                                 

Two walks with Sue Dennis (recently qualified as Borough of Camden Guide) to explore how the fields that lay between The City of London and Highgate in the 17C have morphed during the following centuries to embrace both social and industrial change.

Walk 1 -From Gospel Oak to Kentish Town – Thursday, October 8th

10.30  Meet at Grove End Bus Stop (Gordon House Road) 214, 88, C11

Starting where the farming community listened to the Gospel being preached under an oak tree  but was subsequently decimated with the coming of the railways.    Now an area with the fullest spectrum of housing - from Victorian almshouses to post-war complexes.   Pockets of light industry, street markets, one of the largest Catholic Churches in the country,  and open spaces where least expected, not to mention  the Fleet  below!  The walk ends in Kentish Town High Street – right opposite 21C Gail’s!

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.       Maximum 5 walkers.     £15 per person.   Bring a mask!

As numbers are limited, please let Sue know if you would like to come on  one – or both – of these walks and she will book you in. Payment on the day.

Sue Dennis (0208 340 3796) suedennis29@hotmail.com

GUIDED WALKS FOR THE AUTUMN                                                 

Two walks with Sue Dennis (recently qualified as Borough of Camden Guide) to explore how the fields that lay between The City of London and Highgate in the 17C have morphed during the following centuries to embrace both social and industrial change.

Walk 1 -From Gospel Oak to Kentish Town – Thursday, October 1st

10.30  Meet at Grove End Bus Stop (Gordon House Road) 214, 88, C11

Starting where the farming community listened to the Gospel being preached under an oak tree  but was subsequently decimated with the coming of the railways.    Now an area with the fullest spectrum of housing - from Victorian almshouses to post-war complexes.   Pockets of light industry, street markets, one of the largest Catholic Churches in the country,  and open spaces where least expected, not to mention  the Fleet  below!  The walk ends in Kentish Town High Street – right opposite 21C Gail’s!

Both walks will take about 1.5 hours.       Maximum 5 walkers.     £15 per person.   Bring a mask!

As numbers are limited, please let Sue know if you would like to come on one – or both – of these walks and she will book you in!     Payment on the day. Sue Dennis (0208 340 3796) suedennis29@hotmail.com

CANCELLED

Royal College of Physicians Architecture and Garden Tour

A tour been arranged on the 13th May 10.30 until 12.30 pm. 

The first part of the tour will cover the history and architecture of the Royal College of Physicians building on Regents Park.  This was designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and opened in 1964.  For his work on the highly praised building he was awarded the RIBA Trustees medal.

The second part of the morning will be a lay persons guide to the medicinal garden led by Professor Michael de Swiet.

Further details of the visit will be available at our March meeting and subsequently online.

Anita Morgan

anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk

Guided tour by Lydia Bauman and Karl Dudman of Earthworks exhibition

Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW1

Friday 27th March 2020 11am

Following her fascinating talk to the Society in January the artist Lydia Bauman and  her son, photographer Karl Dudman have offered to give a guided tour to their new exhibition Earthworks which charts the evolution of their respective styles as they prepare for their next joint expedition to Japan in 2021.

The Group will meet from 11am in the cafe where we shall be joined by Karl and Lydia.  The tour should be finished before 12.30pm.

The Mall Galleries are 3 minutes walk from Trafalgar Square.  To reserve a place please send a cheque for £12 payable to The Arts Society Highgate to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY.

For further information contact Anita on anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 020 8340 8769.

As Anita is unable to attend the tour, your contact on the day will be Sue Dennis 07715 421992.

This guided tour will explore backstage at the National Theatre as it prepares for the evening performances.

It will include visits to the auditorium spaces and outside workshops where scenery construction and the making of props takes place.

There will be two tours following the same route starting at 10.30 a.m. and 10.45 a.m . Each will last approximately 75 minutes. I would ask that all attendees meet me at 10.25 a.m. by the ground floor box office so that you can be allocated one of the two tours.

If you wish to join this tour please send a cheque payable to The Arts Society Highgate for £15 to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Gove, London N6 6NY. Please supply an email address or a stamped addressed envelope so that I can confirm your place. For further enquiries you can contact Anita via anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk. Her contact number on the day will be 07767 778 430

Guided tour of Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, Mattock Lane, W5 5EQ

Thursday 19th September 2019 2 pm

Built between 1800 and 1804 by Sir John Soane, one of Britain’s most influential architects, Pitzhanger Manor was designed by him as his dream country retreat in what was then rural Ealing. Newly restored and returned to Soane’s original design, Ptzhanger is a rare example in London of a spectacular Soane building largely intact. The gallery has been restored to allow the exhibition of works of art by artists, designers and architects. Each tour can comprise a maximum of 15 people therefore there will be tours at 2pm and 2.15pm. I would ask that you all arrive by 1.55pm so that I can allocate the groups. Each tour will last approximately one and a half hours and will also allow you entrance to the Gallery where there is intended to be an exhibition, as yet not advertised. Pitzhanger is an 8 minute walk from Ealing Broadway station. Turn left out of the station and follow the signs for Ealing Green. I shall be waiting for you at 1.55pm at the Gallery reception next to the Welcome desk. There are two cafes, Soane’s Kitchen which serves lunch and The Rickyard, a kiosk cafe in the adjacent park next to Pitzhanger’s education space. The cost of the tour will be £24. Please send cheques payable to The Arts Society Highgate to Anita Morgan 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY. Any queries to anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430 

Our President, Richard Ormond, has chosen Stanway House Cheltenham and Russell House Broadway for our outing this year.

Stanway House is a fine example of a Jacobean manor house which has been owned by the same family for the last 500 years. Its water-garden, one of the finest in England, was probably designed by Charles Bridgeman, the creator of the English style of gardening. Russell House was the home of the English painter F.D. Millett R.A. and where John Singer Sargent stayed in 1885-86 to paint his famous painting Carnation, Lily, Lily Rose.  

The coach will depart from the Kenwood East Lodge entrance, Hampstead Lane, opposite Compton Avenue, at 8.15 a.m.   There will be a second stop at St. Michael’s Church South Grove Highgate at 8.25am. We hope the coach will be air conditioned with a loo.

We aim to arrive c 11 am at Stanway House and will have tea and biscuits before the tour.  Lunch is not included but there will be time for you to eat in one of the many restaurants and cafés in Broadway before we go to Russell House. Some suggestions will be given on the coach.

Dependent on weather and traffic, we plan to be back at Kenwood at approximately 7p.m. However this is very approximate and you are advised not to make any social bookings for that evening.

Numbers are limited. Bookings to Rosemary Preiskel, 93 Corringham Road NW11 7DL.  Cheques for £48 payable to The Arts Society Highgate. A booking will be confirmed by email once payment is received. Please provide an e-mail address and telephone number.   Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a refund if a booking is cancelled.

This guided tour will give an insight into the workings of one of the world's great opera houses as it prepares for its evening performance. Our tour will start at 10.30 a.m. and will last approximately one and a half hours.

The tour will start in the foyer of the new extension on the Covent Garden Piazza. There is a cafe on site which opens at 10 a.m. where you can purchase coffee and light refreshments.

If you wish to come please send a cheque for £16 payable to The Arts Society Highgate to Anita Morgan at 2 Robin Gove,London N6 6NY. If you require more information contact Anita on anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430.

NOW FULLY BOOKED

Guided Tour of the Lost Treasures of Strawberry Hill House

268 Waldegrave Road, Twickenham TW1 4ST at 10.30 a.m.

Horace Walpole (1717-1797) was the son of Prime Minister Robert Walpole. He was a pivotal figure in 18th century society as a man of letters, art historian and collector as well as a Whig politician. He built Strawberry Hill to house his large collection of art, furniture, sculptures and curiosities.

This once in a lifetime exhibition brings back to Strawerry Hill some of the most renowned masterpieces in Horace Walpole's famous and unique collection, one of the most important of the 18th century. It was dispersed in a great sale in 1842, and now for the first time in over 170 years, Strawberry Hill can be seen as Walpole conceived it, with the collection being in its original positions.

Our tour will start at 10.30 a.m. and will last one and a half hours. The cost is £20. Please make cheques payable to The Arts Society Highgate and send to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, Highgate, N6 6NY. Anita can be contacted on anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430.

There are four trains an hour from Waterloo to Strawberry Hill (40 minutes). Alternatively the same train can be taken from Richmond station (8 minutes). Signposts at the end of each platform indicate the way to the House which is about seven minutes walk away. There is also free parking at the House.

Guided Tour of Eltham Palace, Court Yard,Eltham, London SE9 5QE

Thursday 20th September 2018 at 11 a.m.

The original palace was built in 1296 for Anthony Beck, Bishop of Durham. After his death it became one of Edward II's royal palaces and remained a royal possession. It was the childhood home of Henry VIII. During the Civil War it was ransacked and eventually fell into ruin, only the Great Hall survives today having been restored in 1828.

In 1933 Stephen and Virginia Courtauld leased the land adjacent to the Hall and built a home and decorated it in high Art Deco style with many innovative electrical features. Keen horticulturalists, they created a variety of garden features which remain tday.

Our tour of the house will last one and a half hours. If you wish, your entrace will also allow you to take a self guided tour of the gardens. There is a cafe on the site serving lunch and refreshments. The cost for members of English Heritage or the Art Fund will be £12; for non members of those organisations it will be £25. Please make cheques payable to The Arts Society Highgate and send to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Gove, London N6 6NY. All enquiries to anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430.

There is a large car park including disabled parking at the Palace, signposted off Court Road SE9 5NP. The most direct route by public transport from Highgate is to go by tube to London Bridge station and take a train to Eltham. The train takes 20-25 minutes and there are 4-5 trains per hour. The palace is a 14 minute walk from there. Alternatively from Mottingham station the walk is 10 minutes.

Our President Richard Ormond has chosen Chilham Castle Kent for our outing this year. It is a magnificent building which dates back to 1607 with gardens designed by Capability Brown and is owned by the Wheeler family, cousins of our President. 

The coach will depart from the Kenwood East Lodge entrance, Hampstead Lane opposite Compton Avenue at 8.30 a.m. We hope the coach will be air conditioned with a loo. We aim to arrive around 11 a.m. and will be accompanied throughout the day by local guide Michael Peters.

After coffee and biscuits in the dining hall we will tour the house inside and out before sauntering down to a highly recommended pub in the village for a light lunch. Built on the hill-top around a square, Chilham village is stunningly picturesque. Included in the price is a choice of homemade soup of the day or Mediterranean vegetable quiche with a mixed leaf salad. Please let Rosemary Preiskel know if for medical reasons you need the lunch to be gluten or dairy free.

After lunch there will be a tour of the gardens and a visit to the local church. Dependent on weather and traffic we plan to be back at Kenwood at very approximatly 7 p.m.

Numbers are limited to 30. Bookings to Rosemary Preiskel, 93 Corringham Road London NW11 7DL. Cheques for £50 payable to The Arts Society Highgate together with your choice of the two lunch dishes above. A booking will be confirmed once payment is received. Please provide an email address and telephone number. Unfortunately we are unable to provide a refund if a booking is cancelled.

Guided Walking Tour of King's Cross - 17th May 2018 at 11 a.m.

Over the past ten years the area around King's Cross station and the adjacent goods yard has been extensively redeveloped. Starting at the refurbished station and its new square we shall explore the exciting modern architecture, including the new Google headquarters in the area now known as King's Cross Central and finish at the beautifully preserved Victorian granary building once the centre of the goods yard and now home to the University of the Arts.

We shall meet our guide, Mike Moran by the large Henry Moore sculpture in KIng's Cross Square in front of the station on Euston Road at 11.a.m.

The walk will last approximately 90 minutes and will cost £15. Please send cheques payable to The Arts Society Highgate to Anita Morgan 2 Robin Grove London N16 6NY. All enquiries to Anita at anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430.

Visit to the Impressionists in London exhibition

Thursday 7th December 2017 11.15am  at Tate Britain Millbank, SW1P 4RG

Impressionists in London, French artists in exile (1870–1904) is the first exhibition to map the connections between French and British artists, patrons and art dealers during a traumatic period in French history. In the 1870s, France was devastated by the Franco-Prussian war and insurrection in Paris, driving artists to seek refuge across the Channel.  Highlighting their engagement with British culture, traditions and social life, their art is a fascinating insight into how London was perceived by the visiting French artists and the remarkable works that came from their time here.  This exhibition presents captivating works by Monet, Tissot, Pissarro and their compatriots.
We shall have a personal introduction to the exhibition from the curator, Caroline Corbeau-Parsons who will also be available afterwards for questions. The visit will last approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
Tate Britain is an 8-10 minute walk from Pimlico Station.  We shall meet inside the Manton Street entrance to the gallery which is in Atterbury Street.  Coffee is available there at the Djanogly cafe. 
To reserve your place please send a cheque for £20 (£12 for members of the Art Fund) payable to the Arts Society Highgate to Anita Morgan 2 Robin Grove, London N6 6NY.  Any questions to anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 07767 778 430.

Visit to the John Singer Sargent watercolour exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 7AD at 11 a.m.

This will be the first UK show in nearly 100 years devoted to watercolours by John Singer Sargent. Renowned as the portraitist of his generation, Sargent also devoted time to developing his talent in watercolour, undertaking several painting expeditions to Europe in the early twentieth century. Free from the constraints of his studio he was able to take inspiration from the places he visited – from the streams and glacial moraines in the Alps to the renaissance and baroque architecture he explored in Venice. The exhibition is being co-curated by our President, Richard Ormond, who will accompany us and give a short introduction to the paintings. He will also be on hand to answer questions.  The cost is £15 payable by cheque to The Arts Society Highgate (please note change of name).  Send to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY.  Telephone 020 8340 8769 or 07767 778 430. Email anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk.

Dulwich Gallery is a 10 minute walk from West Dulwich station (London Victoria) or 12  minutes from North Dulwich station (London Bridge).  Alternatively you can take the P4 bus which stops just outside the Gallery from North Dulwich station or from Loughborough Junction (Thameslink).  The journey time is approximately 1 1/4 hours from Highgate village.  There is also free parking on the road outside the gallery or parking inside for disabled drivers.

There is only a very small cafe at the gallery so Anita plans to be at the Rocca restaurant, 75-79, Dulwich Village, SE21 7BJ from about 10.30am.  She will then walk the 4 minutes to the gallery to be there at 10.55am. The visit should take about one hour but you may wish to stay longer to view the permanent exhibition.

This year's summer outing will be a guided tour of the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham followed by a guided tour of Stonor Park.

The coach will depart from Kenwood East Lodge entrance, Hampstead Lane, opposite Compton Avenue at 8.45 a.m. and will travel direct to Cookham.

The Stanley Spencer Gallery has the world's largest displayed collection of paintings by the artist. There will be a guided tour of the collection followed by a walk around the area. In case of rain please bring suitable clothing. Please note also that there is no cafe at the Gallery so it is advisable to bring a bottle of water.

We then proceed to Stonor Park, home to the Stonor family for 850 years and one of the oldest family homes still lived in today. The house and chapel are opening especially for us this afternoon.

After lunch (warm savoury tart, salad, orange juice, tea/coffee) there will be a guided tour through the house with its fine collection of furniture, Old Master paintings, drawings, bronzes, wallpapers and historic maps. Afterwards there will be time to tour the gardens. Please advise if for medical reasons you need the lunch to be dairy or gluten free.

Dependent on weather and traffic, we plan to be back at Kenwood at approximately 6 p.m.

Numbers are limited to 25. Bookings to Rosemary Preiskel at rhpreiskel@aol.com who will then contact you about the £54 cheque payment. Please provide an email address and a telephone number. Unfortunately, there will be no refunds if a booking is cancelled.

This year our day out with our President, Richard Ormond takes us to two Victorian Treasure Houses, Hughenden and Waddesdon.

Hughenden was the home of Queen Victoria's favourite Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli and was given to The National Trust in 1947. It was restored and has since become a Disraeli Museum.

Nearby is the unbelievably opulent house of another of her friends, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, which has an exceptional art collection and beautiful gardens. It is also owned by The National Trust.

8.30 a.m. Leave from outside St. Michael's Church

10.00 a.m. Arrive at Hughenden - coffee and biscuits

12.15 p.m. Leave for Waddesdon

1.00 p.m. Arrive at Waddesdon

1.15 p.m.  Lunch in Manor restaurant, Waddesdon

5.00 p.m. Leave Waddesdon

7.00 p.m. (approx) Arrive outside St, Michael's Church

The cost for this will be £32 for members of the National Trust and £58 for non members which includes £26 for the entrance fees. It is important that you bring your NT card. The price includes coffee and biscuits on arrival at Hughenden and a light lunch at Waddesdon.

All cheques including a stamped addressed envelope for a ticket to confirm the booking to Jean Horsman, Flat 4,  1 North Road, Highgate Village, London N6 4BD. Tel: 020 8340 9872. Email: horsman.j@virginmedia.com. Please state if you are a member of The National Trust when making the booking.

If for any reason you have to cancel it will only be possble to return the cost if someone else can fill the place.

Visit to the Charterhouse at Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6AN at 1.45 p.m.

FULLY BOOKED

WAITING LIST ONLY

The Charterhouse has had a long and fascinating history since 1348 when it was used as a burial ground for victims of the plague. It was originally built in 1371 as a Carthusian monastery. Following the Dissolution it was transformed into a private home for wealthy noblemen and a refuge for royalty until 1611 when it was purchased by Thomas Sutton who established the foundation which still bears his name and which provided for the almshouse and school which continues to this day. The Charterhouse has been intimately associated with the history of England over many centuries. Comwell, Wellington, Gladstone have all been governors.  The Charterhouse appears in the writings of amongst others, Defoe, Dickens and Thackeray.

Our visit will last between one and a half and two hours starting with an hour long guided tour of the Charterhouse followed by a self guided visit to the Museum and Chapel. The cost of the tour is £15 by cheque payable to HDFAS. Please send to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, London N6 6NY. For further information contact Anita at anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or on 07767 778 430.

The nearest stations are Farringdon or Barbican. A cafe will be opening shortly whre we could meet for lunch or coffee before the visit. I will give attendees more information nearer the time.

The Clothworkers' Guild was founded in 1528 following the amalgamation of two earlier Guilds, the Fullers and Shearers. Successive Halls have been destroyed by the Great Fire and then World War II but the collections and archives remain. In addition to the records of the Company, there are tapestries, plate, clocks and other art works.

The cost of the tour is £12 payable by cheque to HDFAS. Please send to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY. Please give your contact details including email where possible. You will only be contacted if there is a problem. All enquiries to anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk; telephone 020 8340 8769 or 07767 778 430.

The Hall is approximately 6 minutes walk from Monument station. Turn left out of the station onto Fish Street Hill.Then turn right onto Eastcheap. Walk until you come to Mincing Lane. Turn left. Walk past the large modern building on your right called Dunster Court. Your destination is just beyond that, through wrought iron gates with the Guild crest above, also identified by a street sign as "Dunster Court". The Hall is immediately on the left. We can meet inside from 1.45 p.m.

Please note that this is a visit on Friday 3rd February 2017

Visit and reception at the College of Arms, Queen Victoria Street, London EC4 V 4BT at 6.30 p.m.

The College of Arms, founded in 1485 is the official heraldic authority for England, Wales, Northern Ireland the much of the Commonwealth and has been on the present site since 1555. Our tour will be led by the York Herald,  Mr. Peter O'Donoghue and will include not only the history and architecture of the College but also its records and collections dating from  medieval times. Amongst these are beautifully hand painted heraldic records of grants of arms, heraldic visitations of the 16th and 17th centuties and records of state ceremonials such as coronations and state funerals. In addition there are collections of heraldic manuscripts and chronicles dating back to medieval times.

At 8 p.m. following the tour there will be a reception with wine and sandwiches.

The College is on the north side of Queen Victoria Street, directly south of the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is approximately 7 minutes walk from Blackfriars or six minutes from St. Paul's stations. The doors will be open from 6.15 p.m.

The cost is £35. Please send cheques payable to HDFAS to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, London N6 6NY giving your email address or other contact details. You will only be contacted in the event of a problem.  Anita can be contacted at anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk, telephone 020 8340 8769 or mobile 07767 778 430,

WAITING LIST ONLY

Guided Tour of the Garrick Club at 15 Garrick Street, London WC2E 9AY from 10 a.m. to 11.45 a.m.

The Garrick Club, founded in 1831 and named after the great actor manager David Garrick, contains a remarkable collection of theatrical paintings, drawings, artifacts and memorabilia. Our guide to these will be our president, Richard Ormond.

The nearest tube station is Leicester Square. Exit 4 will bring you to Cranbourne Street. Walk north east along Cranbourne Street and then into Garrick Street. The club is a large grey stone building on your right. The entrace is up a short flight of steps. It is only two or three minutes from the station exit. Anita Morgan will be there from 9.45 a.m.

Please note that there is a dress code. No jeans or trainers and men should wear a jacket and collared shirt.

The cost which includes coffee is £15. Please send cheques payable to HDFAS to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, London N6 6NY giving your email address and contact details. To contact Anita email: anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or telephone 020 8340 8769 or 07767 778 430.

Thi walking tour will  provide an opportunity to see a large range of graffiti and other ucommissioned art works. Our guide will be someone involved in the local artistic community who will also be able to set the works in their historical and cultural context. The tour will last approximately one and a half hours and you shold wear comfortable shoes and come prepared for the vissisitudes of the English June weather.

Meet at Patisserie Valerie in Brushfield Street E1 from 10.45 a.m. If travelling by tube go to Liverpool Street station. Exit at the exit at the east end of the main train concourse, signposted to Bishopsgate West. Cross Bishopsgate at the crossing opposite Carphone Warehouse, go left,then take the fourth right onto Brushfield Street. The Patisserie will be on your left about 100 yards up the street. We shall meet our guide under the adjacent statue with the goat on top.

Please send a cheque for £15 payable to HDFAS to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, London N6 6NY. Please also provide your email address and telephone contact details. To contact Anita, please email anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or telephone 0208340 8769

This visit is now fully booked.

Our visit to Darwin's Down House and Viscount De l'Isle's Penshurst Place in Kent will be in the company of our President Richard Ormond.

Down House is a perfect Victorian time capsule home to one of the greatest minds of all time, Charles Darwin, who changed the world with his Theory of Evolution.

Penshurst Place contains "one of the grandest rooms in the orld" (John Julius Norwich) and glorious Elizabethan gardens.

Lunch will be taken at Penshurst Place.

Eigteen Stafford Terrace was the home of Edward Linley Samborne (1844-1910), the chief political cartoonist of Punch. He and his wife purchased the house in 1875 and decorated it in the the fashionable Aesthetic style.  The house is unique in having been passed down virtually unchanged through the family to his grandddaugter Anne, Countess of Rosse.  Inspired by the house, she founded the Victorian society in 1957 and opened the house as a museum displaying not only the original decorations, furnishings and ceramics but also the artworks, drawings and photographs of Sambourne and his circle. The guided tour will start at 11.00am and will last about one hour and a quarter.  The cost is £15, cheque payable to HDFAS, and sent to: Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY. Please include your email addres if available.  You can contact Anita on: anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk, or telephone: 020 8340 8769.  Directions: 18 Stafford Terrace is a 7 minute walk from Kesington High Street Station.  There is a cafe in Argyle Street, just round the corner from the house, where those of arriving early can obtain coffee before the tour.  Alternatively meet at the house at 11.00am.

William Morris Gallery is housed in a Georgian house, built in the 1740's and set in Lloyd Park, Walthamstow.  The Grade II listed building was Morris's family home from 1848 to 1856. It reopened in August 2012 following a major redevelopment and is the only gallery devoted to the life and legacy of Willam Morris, designer, craftsman, businessman, writer and socialist campaigner.  Our tour will be led by one of the curators and will last just under an hour.  The cost will be £12 per person and it starts at 11.30am.

The nearest tube station is Walthamstow Central and the Gallery is a 10-15 minute walk away, or can be reached by a number of buses from the station.  We will meet in the cafe at the Gallery.

Send cheques, payable to HDFAS, to Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY.  Any queries to anitamorgan@fastmail.co.uk or 020 8340 8769

Apsley House, formerly known as Number One London, has been the home of the Dukes of Wellington since the original Adam house was enlarged to provide a home for Arthur Wellesley, the first Duke, after his victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo 200 years ago. It was his London residence from 1817 until his death in 1852. This beautiful Georgian building has changed little since then.  It gives a fascinating insight into the life and times of the Iron Duke: soldier, prime minister and national hero.  It contains sculptures, paintings, silverware, ceramics, trophies and memorabilia, many given to the Duke by foreign emperors, tsars and kings.  In addition there will be an opportunity to visit the Wellington Arch which has currently an exhibition celebrating the anniversary of the Waterloo victory. The House opens at 11.00am which is when our tour starts.  We shall meet at the venue.  For early arrivers there is a small coffee shop in the Lodge next to Apsley House. Cost: £14 or £7 for English Heritage members. Please send a cheque payable to HDFAS to: Anita Morgan, 2 Robin Grove, N6 6NY. Tel: 020 8340 8769

This year's Summer Excursion to Cambridge will include a guided tour of The Wren Library at Trinity College. Facing 'The Backs', the library, completed in 1695 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren, contains a wonderful collection of early manuscripts and printed books.

There will also be a unique and privileged opportunity to visit The Fellows' Garden which is not normally open to the public.

This will be followed by a guided tour of the Fitzwillian Museum which, with its collection of paintings, porcelain and manscripts, has been ranked this year by The Times as the most important museum outside London.

Because  numbers are limited please apply promptly to Rosemary Preiskel (rhpreiskel@aol.com) to reserve a place.   The cost for the day is £38.00

The costs for the excursion will shortly be available from Rosemary Preiskel. email: rhpreiskel@aol.com

8.30am the coach leaves from outside St Michael's Church. Coffee and biscuits on arrival at Chartwell and also lunch. The afternoon is spent at Hever Castle, returning to St Michael's at 7.00pm. The cost is £45.00 for National Trust members and £11.00 extra for non-members. Jean Horsman, Flat 4, 1 North Road, Highgate, N6 4BD. Tel: 020 8340 9872 Email: horsman.j@virginmedia.com

Described by connoisseurs as an unforgettable experience, Southside House provides an enchantingly eccentric backdrop to the lives of generations of the Pennington Mellor Munthe families. Built in the William & Mary style the house contains much of the original furniture and and a superb collection of art and objets d'art. There are also delightful gardens.

Southside stands on the southern corner of Wimbledon Common on Woodhayes Road, next to Kings College School and opposite two pubs, the Crooked Billet and the Hand in Hand on the green. From Wimbledon train and underground station, take the 93 bus to the Rose & Crown in Wimbledon Village, then walk along the south side of the Common. The cost of the visit is £12.50. If you would like to join the group please contact Sue Hargreaves, email: bash87@email.com, tel: 020 8883 2625.

The Goldsmith’s Hall is one of London’s hidden treasures. It is situated in the City, north east of St Paul’s Cathedral, at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street. It is only open to the public on a few days each year. The Hall is the third on this site, the Goldsmiths’ Company being located here since 1339. The present Hall, by architect Philip Hardwick, opened in 1835 and remains much as he designed it, although it narrowly escaped destruction in 1941 when a bomb exploded inside the south-west corner. A 1990’s refurbishment adapted this great building for the 21st century. Our guided tour with commence at 12.00 noon and we will meet in the entrance. If you would like to come along please send a cheque for £5.00, made payable to HDFAS, to: Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH London Visits Administrator T: 020 8883 2625 m. 07941 370 982 email: bash87@email.com

This beautiful Art Deco building was completed in 1934 and was opened by George V and Queen Mary. Many leading architects have been associated with the building over the years and this is an opportunity to view architecture for and by architects. It also houses the British Architectural library and is linked to the V&A Museum. We will meet in the foyer and the tour will begin at 11.00am and will take approximately an hour. The building houses an excellent cafe for coffee beforehand. Sue Hargreaves London Visits Administrator bash87@email.com

Between AD 1400 and 1450, China was a global superpower run by one family - the Ming dynasty - who established Beijing as the capital and built the Forbidden City. During this period, Ming china was thoroughly connected to the outside world. Chinese artist absorbed many fascinating influences and created some of the most beautiful objects and paintings ever made. The exhibition will feature a range of these spectacular objects - including exquisite porecelain, gold, jewellery and paintings, sculptures and textiles - from museums across China and the rest of the world. Many of them have only recently been discovered and have never been seen outside China.

Built on the site of Greenwich Palace, favourite home of the Tudor monarchs, to the concept design of Sir Christopher Wren, the former Royal Hospital Greenwich is an exercise in Baroque splendour. The leading architects of the late 17th century are all represented. As we explore both buildings and history our tour includes interiors of the Painted Hall, described as ‘the finest dining hall in Europe’, with exuberant wall and ceiling paintings by Sir James Thornhill, and the Chapel with a Greek Revival interior by James ‘Athenian’ Stuart. The architectural composition centres on the last remaining piece of the royal palace, the exquisite Queen’s House, a garden pleasure pavilion designed in 1616 by Inigo Jones, the man accredited for introducing Classicism to England. We conclude with a highlights tour of the National Maritime Museum. Those with energy to spare might then like to walk up through Greenwich Park to visit the Royal Observatory. We will meet at 11.00am at Island Gardens DLR Station (take a Lewisham train from Bank), enjoy the Greenwich vista from that side of the Thames, then walk under the River to the south side. The tour will take approximately two hours and there is a good café at the Museum as well as several in Greenwich Village. Our Guide will be David Thompson (as for Contemporary Architecture in the City last autumn). He is a Blue Badge Guide & City of London Guide. The cost of the Tour is £10.00. Please make your cheque payable to HDFAS and send to: Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH, telephone: 020 8883 2625, email: bash87@email.com

The coach will depart from the Kenwood East Lodge entrance at 9.15am. There will be a guided tour of the Cezanne and Modern Masters Exhibition at the Ashmoleum Museum followed by a guided tour of the library at Merton College. Cost £50 Numbers are limited to 25. To book please contact: Rosemary Preiskel, 93 Corringham Road, NW11 7DL

8.30am Leave from outside St Michael's Church 10.30am Arrive at Kelmscott Manor 12.45pm Lunch 1.45pm Leave for Buscot Park 2.30pm Arrive 5.00pm leave Buscot Park 7.00pm Arrive at St Michael's Church Cost: £39.00 Buscot Park is a NT property, therefore free to members, but £8 for non-members Jean Horsman, Flat 4, 1 North Road, Highgate Village, N6 4BD Tel:020 8340 9872 email:horsman.j@virginmedia.com

This is the first major exhibition on the Vikings at the British Museum for over 30 years. It will feature many new archaeological discoveries and objects never seen before in the UK alongside important Viking Age artefacts from the BM’s own collection and elsewhere in Britain and Ireland. The exhibition will be the first in The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery, part of the new World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre that opens later in 2014. The Gallery is the BM’s first purpose-built space for temporary Exhibitions. The programme for the day starts with coffee and biscuits between 10.30 – 11.00am in the CEC foyer followed by the curator’s lecture in the lecture theatre. There will be a break for lunch (not included in the price), then early afternoon admissions to the exhibition. The cost is £27.50 per person, inclusive of coffee & biscuits, curator’s lecture and timed admission to the exhibition with a printed guide leaflet. If you would like to join the group please send a cheque for £27.50 made out to HDFAS to: Sue Hargreaves 87 Fordington Road London N6 4TH Tel: 020 8883 2625 Email: bash87@email.com

In 1920 Paul Klee declared: “Art does not reproduce what is visible, instead, it makes visible.” This was a bold statement from a young artist who was to become a household name and a master of modernism. Klee was fascinated by animals, especially fish and birds, and he was also immersed in theatrical narrative, musical composition and the possibilities of abstract art. The Exhibition at the Tate Modern looks at his work chronologically, revealing his witty, inventive, magical and exquisite works showing them together as the artist had originally intended. On Thursday, 16 January 2014, at 11.30am, there will be an introductory lecture especially for HDFAS members at the Tate Modern. Entry to the Exhibition will be free for Friends of the Tate, a big reduction for Arts Fund members, and there will be a group rate for non-members. There are cafés/restaurants for lunch, with wonderful views across the Thames to the City of London before entering the Exhibition. Lecture price: £10.00 Please send a cheque, made payable to HDFAS, to: Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH And let me know whether you are a Friend, Arts Fund member, or would join the group rate for entrance to the Exhibition. Tel: 020 8883 2625 Email: bash87@email.com

Cost £10 Meet at Spencer House for a guided tour starting at 11.30am. Nearest Tube Station: Green Park Send a cheque, made out to HDFAS, to: Sue Hargreaves 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH (bash87@email.com)

The visit is arranged to co-incide with the lecture on the Changing City Skyline at the end of October. We will start by going to the rooftop of the new shopping centre by St. Paul's where there is an excellent view of the new City skyline. Sue Hargreaves 87 Fordington Road London N6 4TH Tel: 0208883 2625 bash87@email.com

This year’s summer outing will be to the privately owned Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire, perhaps England’s grandest Elizabethan house and home to the Cecil family since the sixteenth century. The coach will depart from the Kenwood East Lodge entrance, Hampstead Lane, opposite Compton Avenue, at 9.00am prompt and will travel direct to Burghley. There will be a 20 minute introductory talk over coffee and biscuits, and guides and stewards in each room to answer questions. After lunch there will be a guided tour of the gardens designed by Capability Brown. Cost of £55 includes: entry fee, tours, morning coffee and light lunch. For more information contact: Rosemary Preiskel, 93 Corringham Road, London NW11 7DL Tel: 020 8455 3374

Petworth is one of our grandest country houses. It is home to Egremonts and Waldegraves, with an amazing art collection that runs from Titian to Turner (who was a frequent house guest) and a landscape by Capability Brown. Uppark seems more Jane Austen – except that it was here that Lady Hamilton (nee Emma Hart) danced naked on the table! The house was badly burned some years ago but has been beautifully restored. We will have coffee when we arrive at Petworth House and a light lunch in the restaurant. Then on to Uppark which is about 30 minutes away. Both these houses belong to the National Trust so those who are members will benefit from a relatively low cost for the day – please remember your cards. The all-in cost for the day is £35. Non-members of The National Trust will have to pay for their entrances to the houses - £11 and £7.90. Cheques will not be paid in until after the event. If, for any reason, you have to cancel we will refund the amount only if we can find a replacement. Timetable 8.30am Coach will leave from outside St Michael’s Church 10.30am Coffee and biscuits at Petworth House 12.30pm Lunch at Petworth House 1.45pm Coach leaves for Uppark 2/30pm Arrive at Uppark 4.45pm Coach leaves for Highgate

The 'square mile' of the City of London is full of unexpected areas of green. While some of these are very small, such as isolated traffic islands, others are much larger, such as the burial grounds of City churches now lost to us, or the gardens of the City's great livery companies. But all are planted with a remarkable richness of trees, shrubs and flowers. This walk will take us on a tour through some of these oases of green, beginning with the Festival Gardens alongside St Paul's Cathedral and ending at the Barbican with a view of their magnificent listed gardens. As we go, we shall be absorbing not only the contents of the gardens but also their remarkable histories, in many cases going back centuries. If you would like to join our group please give or send a cheque made payable to HDFAS to: Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH

In the Spring of 2013 The British Museum has a major new Exhibition on Pompeii and Herculaneum, curated by Dr. Paul Roberts whose excellent lectures have been so well received over the years. Five days after the opening we have an opportunity to attend a lecture by Dr. Roberts and visit the Exhibition, on Thursday, 11 April 2013. We will start the day with coffee and biscuits at 11.00am in the foyer of the lecture hall at the Museum. The talk will commence at 11.30am, lasting approximately an hour. There will be a pause for lunch before a timed entrance to the Exhibition itself. The inclusive cost of lecture and exhibition entrance is £26.00. If you are interested in joining the group please send a cheque, payable to HDFAS, to Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road London N6 4TH.

Two Temple Place is one of London's hidden architectural gems, an extraordinary late Victorian mansion built by William Waldorf Astor on Embankment. There will be a guided tour of the mansion and a visit to the current exhibition - Amongst Heroes: the artist in working Cornwall. The exhibition will present the most significant grouping of Cornish artworks to be displayed outside Cornwall in recent decades and will include the work of many celebrated though often under-appreciated artists. It will reposition the work of Newlyn and St Ives artists in a new and original context and create a fascinating insight into the imagery in Cornish art. We will meet at 11.00am in the foyer. If you are interested in joining the group please let me have a cheque for £7.00 payable to HDFAS. Sue Hargreaves, 87 Fordington Road, London N6 4TH.