5 days from the 12th May 2025

St Albans Cathedral, home to two medieval shrines, dates back 1700 years, so is rich in history and tradition. In 1213 St Albans Abbey was the meeting place for a group of churchmen and nobles. Their discussion led to the Magna Carta which was reluctantly sealed by the King at Runnymede in 1215.

In the afternoon we shall visit the Verulamium Museum, which was built on the site of one of the largest Roman cities in Britain. Verulamium Museum is filled with ancient treasures and some of the finest mosaics outside the Mediterranean.

NB: The café on site, Abbots Kitchen, cannot accommodate a group of our size. There will be 1'A hours lunch break before moving to the Museum by coach at 2.00 p.m. You are advised to bring your own sandwiches, there is seating in the grounds, or walk up the steep hill into the City, or go as individuals to the Abbots Kitchen.

RETURN DEPARTURE AROUND 4.15 pm

£38 per person including morning coffee on arrival (No Lunch is provided — see above) Departure from WILDWOOD 9.15 a.m.

Lynda — 07766 012610 Beryl- 01753 887712 or 07533 733778

NB: BOOKINGS ARE CONFIRMED BY PAYMENT AND ARE NOT TRANSFERABLE. PLEASE NOTIFY A PERSON MENTIONED ABOVE OF ANY CANCELLATION. A REFUND WILL ONLY BE MADE IF A REPLACEMENT CAN BE FOUND AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE DEPARTURE DATE

Counties Galway & Mayo form the heart of west coast Ireland– Ireland’s spectacular coastal route. The visit starts with Westport house and gardens Then the spectacular Kylemore Abbey with its walled gardens and neo classical church, followed by a boat trip in Killary harbour to see, if you are lucky, dolphins. Included is a ferry ride to Clare Island to see Grace O’Malley castle. She was the most famous of the ruthless pirate family (1530-1603), terrorising the shipping. The last visit to the vibrant city of Galway. 

A beautiful listed building which has been the home of the Lytton family since 1490. Depart 9.30 am: morning coffee on arrival, tour of the house, lunch, tour of the gardens: arrive home at about 4.30 pm.

Tour Apsley House, the grand home of the Duke of Wellington, including his art collection (Goya, Brueghel, Rubens) fine porcelain, silver and period furniture and visit Wellington Arch.

An exclusive private visit to the exquisite Guards Museum and private concert in the Guards Chapel. Departure 9am: coffee on arrival escorted tour by Graham Jones (Arts Society Lecturer), concert, celebration lunch in the museum: arrive home about 5pm.

We are planning a visit to Ascott house and gardens on the 10th of May

Our day begins with morning coffee at Polesden Lacey before taking a tour of the festively decorated house and gardens. Polesden Lacey was the party house of Margaret Greville; a popular socialite of the early 1900s. At Polesden Lacey she entertained the cream of society from aristocrats to royalty, including Edward VII and George VI.

Denbies Wine Estate: On arrival we will have a two-course festive lunch. Lunch will be followed by a tour that starts in the cinema featuring a film entitled ‘The vineyard through the seasons’. This film will feature the history and geology of the estate, describe the changes in the vineyard through the seasons and detail the wine making process from vine to bottle. This will be followed by tasting three Denbies award-winning winRS

The Queen’s House is one of the most interesting buildings in the country.  It is important architecturally and it is famous for its art collection.  It even has its own ghost if legend is to be believed.  Indigo Jones was commissioned in 1616 by James 1 to design the building but it was not completed until 1636.  Today it is famous for its extraordinary collection of art works by great masters such as Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner and Hogarth.

Cutty Sark is a British Clipper Ship built on the river Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland for the Jock Willis Shipping Line.  She was one of the last ten clippers to be built and the fastest, coming at the end of a long period of design development which halted as sailing ships gave way to steam propulsion.

The London Canal Museum 
 
The London Canal Museum was opened in 1992 but was originally constructed between 1862-63 as a Victorian ice warehouse to house ice imported from Norway.  There are two ice wells under the building one of which may be viewed from the museum.  The museum is on the Regent’s Canal in the King’s Cross area and its exhibitions cover all aspects of the UK’s waterways. 
 
St Pancras International Station 
 
The 150 year story of an iconic railway station from its Victorian Grandeur to the 21st Century Eurostar Terminal.  As well as its stunning design of the actual station the tour also explores the impact of the arrival of the railways in the 19th century; the threat to demolish the station complex in the 20th century, through to its re-birth as the new Eurostar terminal in the 21st century. 

Boughton House is part of an estate of 11,000 acres.  It is one of the seats of the Duke of Buccleuch and is famed for its beauty, collections and the fact it has remains unchanged since the 17th century.  It is often referred to as the “The English Versailles”.

It contains a comprehensive collection of furniture, tapestries, porcelains and carpets.  The art collection includes works by El Greco, Gainsborough, Van Dyck and Wootton.

London’s richness and variety results from its growth as a tapestry of villages each with its own character and history.  Few have retained the village atmosphere as well as Hampstead.

Our visit today takes us on a gentle stroll through attractive lanes lined with beautiful old houses to the unspoiled church where Constable is buried.

After lunch we rejoin the coach to take us through the old embassy district to Kenwood House.  Here we can enjoy views of London before our guide takes us on a tour of the house to see a variety of work by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Vermeer and Turner.

 Vintners’ Hall 
 
The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the most ancient Livery Companies in the City of London, thought to date back to the 12th Century.  With its origins steeped in the history of the City of London and the import, regulation and sale of wine, the Company maintains strong links with the UK Wine Trade, with Vintners’ Hall known as the Trade’s “spiritual home”. 
 
 
It is one of the “Great Twelve” livery companies of London and its motto is “Vinum Exhilarat Animum”, Latin for “Wine Cheers the Spirit”.  One of the more peculiar rights of the Company involves the ceremony of Swan Upping in July each year.  The Company received its Royal Charter in 1364.

Bank of England Museum. 
 
Housed within the impressive walls of the Bank of England, this fascinating museum takes you through the history of the Bank since its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the nation’s central bank.  There are gold bars dating from ancient times to the modern market bar, coins and a unique collection of banknotes.  There are also many items you would not expect to find such as pikes and muskets used to defend the Bank; Roman pottery and mosaics uncovered when it was re-built in 1930, and documents relating to famous customers such as Horatio Nelson, George Washington and the Duchess of Marlborough. 
 

Charleston House and Berwick Church

Charleston is the home of the Bloomsbury Group.  It was bought by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and became the meeting place for writers, artists and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury Group.  Clive Bell, David Garnet and Maynard Keynes also lived there.  Virginia and Leonard Woolf were frequent visitors along with E.M. Forster, Lytton Strachey and Roger Fry.

Inspired by Italian frescos and Post-Impressionists, the artists decorated the walls, doors and furniture at Charleston.  The garden was redesigned in a style of Southern Europe, with mosaics, boxed hedges, gravel pathways and ponds but with a touch of humour in the placings of the statuary.

The aim at Charleston is to further the Bloomsbury Group’s experimentalism, internationalism and anti-establishment approach, their new ideals for living and belief that the arts and freedom of expression are fundamental. (Photo by Penelope Fewster)

After lunch we will visit Berwick Church, a very short distance away, for a guided talk about the amazing art work and discover how the Group decorated this beautiful church.

Ightham Mote

Ightham Mote lies in the rural Weald of Kent near Sevenoaks.  Dating from the early 14th century the medieval moated manor house has seen many changes throughout its 700 year history.  The house has been owned by Medieval Knights, courtiers to Henry 8th and high society Victorians.

The house is a Grade 1 listed building set within peaceful gardens, water features, lakes and woodland walks.  Currently it is undergoing a 15 year conservation programme.  As a result we can now enjoy the Tudor Chapel with its 16th century ceiling, the Drawing Room with Jacobean fireplace as well as the Victorian Billiard Room.

 Knole

After lunch we visit Knole situated within 1000 acres of Medieval deer park.  Originally built as an Archbishop's palace Knole passed through Royalty to the Sackville family who still live there today. 

Inside the showrooms there are art works by Reynolds, Gainsborough and Van Dyke.  There are also fine examples of tapestries and furniture dating from the 17th century.

At present Knole is being extensively restored, some areas of this work you are able to see and learn more about in the Conservation Studio.

Bath - 1 Royal Crescent

No 1 Royal Crescent is the first building at the eastern end of the Royal Cresent and is of national, architectural and historic importance.

It was built by John Wood the younger, between 1767 and 1774, one of the most significant architectural achievements of the 18th century.

Today it is a 'historic house' museum displaying authentic room sets, furniture pieces, pictures and other items illustrating Georgian domestic life both 'above stairs' and b'below stairs'.

It was the subject of a major renovation project in 2012 and 2013.

The Fashion Museum

The Fashion Museum is housed in the Assembly Rooms in Bath.  The collection was started by Doris Langley Moore, who gave her collection to the city of Bath in1963.

There are about 100,000 objects in the Fashion Museum collection ranging from decorated gloves from the time of Shakespeare to fashions by today's leading designers.  These precious objects, all showing different aspects of the history of fashion have, for the most part, been given to the museum by generous individuals and organisations during the 50+ years the museum has been in Bath.

Legal London

During the morning we trace the history and peculiar practices of English Law in an area of London that remains hidden from most visitors.  Our tour includes Lincoln's Inn and Staple Inn, where wool was weighed and taxed before the Great Fire, and ends in Carey Street the former home of the Bankruptcy Courts.

After lunch we visit the Royal Courts of Justice - known as the High Court and explore the Inner and Middle Temple where Rumpole of the Bailey had his chamber.  Finally we visit the round church of the Knights Templar to see the life-size stone tomb effigies of the fighting monks.

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE BOTANICAL GARDENS a.m.

and  FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM p.m. 

On this day we have organised for you a trip to the heritage - listed Botanical Gardens. It is the vision of John Stevens Henslow Professor of Botany at the Univerity of Cambridge and mentor to Charles Darwin. These are  beautifully - landscaped gardens and glasshouses that offer year round interest and seasonal inspiration. Plants from all over the world in one great garden.  "This exceptionally atractive  botanical garden is essential for any garden lover."  Henslow's view was rather that the Botanical Garden should be for the experimental study of the plants themselves, rather than simply a physic garden for medical students. 

In the afternoon we visit the CAMBRIDGE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM.

Museum History

The Fitzwilliam Museum was described by the Standing Commission on Museums & Galleries in 1968 as "one of the greatest art collections of the nation and a monument of the first importance". It owes its foundation to Richard, VII Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion who, in 1816, bequeathed to the University of Cambridge his works of art and library, together with funds to house them, to further "the Increase of Learning and other great Objects of that Noble Foundation."

BOOKING OPENS AT THE MAY MEETING

VISIT CANCELLED DUE TO THE TERRORIST ATTACK AND ONGOING CHAOS IN THE AREA

GLOBE THEATRE TOUR  a.m

 and a visit to the

TATE MODERN Gallery p.m

 On this day we have organised for you a very special tip to  London.

 The Globe Theatre  founded by the well known Sam Wanamaker, is a faithful reconstruction of Shakespeare's Elizabethan playhouse. It explores the remarkable story of the theatre. It brings Shakespeare's world to life using a range of interactive displays and live demonstrations. We discover how shows were produced from writing and rehearsals to music, dance and performance.  Included is a 30- minute guided Tour of the Theatre. 

In the aftenoon we will visit the neighbouring Tate Modern Gallery. This is housed in the former Bankside Power Station.

It dispays the Tate collection of interational modern art from 1900 to the present day. We have on offer a private tour of the galleries with an expert Tate Guide. This is a wonderful way to enjoy the Tate Collection.

On arrival we will be met by our tour guide Roger Green - a master potter of 40 years specialising in Ornamental Ware.  His role at Royal Worcester covered every aspect of production.  He will talk about the many designers and characters he worked with and use real examples to show the process of how the models were constructed.

After lunch we will take a five minute stroll to Worcester Cathedral .  Our focus here will be on the history of the stained glass – its design and production.  There will be an opportunity for you to explore the cathedral and precincts before we leave at approx. 4pm.

Cost £40  Morning coffee and lunch are included.

Booking opens at the February meeting.

Our visit will trace the path of the flames from the first few sparks in Pudding Lane to Pie Corner where the embers burnt to ashes.  Along the way we visit one of the just eight churches to survive the disaster as well as one of Sir Christopher Wren’s new post-fire churches

After lunch there will be a guided tour of the Guildhall Art Gallery and a visit to the City Heritage Gallery on the same site.

After the Great Fire the Court of Aldermen commissioned paintings of the 22 Fire Judges appointed to assess compensation claims.  We see the two that survived the Blitz as well as paintings of the city before 1666 and the Great Fire itself.

Morning coffee and lunch will be provided

Booking opens at the January meeting.

Booking opens at the May 2016 meeting

Arangements are a full day at leisure with an open ticket to see the newly refurbished Mary Rose and other museums on this site.

The Mary Rose is the only 16th century warship on display anywhere in the world.  The purpose-built museum reunites her with many of her artefacts & crew, capturing the moment in time when she sank over 470 years ago.  The tour includes a specialist talk on "What sank the Mary Rose"

There are various excellent museums including the National Museum of the Royal Navy which brings history to life.  It showcases treasure from the past 350 years & examines the common threads which link the sailor of England's Wooden Walls' to the professional crews of today. The Sailing Gallery shows the realities of fighting at sea in the age of the sail including the Nelson Gallery. HMS Victory exhibition will share the forensic analysis changing our understanding of Victory's past and the scientific investigations showing new ways of securing her future.

Booking opens at March 2016 meeting

The arrival of 'Captain Ridley's Shooting Party' at a mansion house in the Buckinghamshire countryside in late August 1938 was to set the scene for one of the most remarkable stories of World War 2. This small group of people were members of M16, and the Government Code and Cypher School, a secret team of individuals, including a number of scholars turned Codebreakers.  They were there to see if Bletchley Park would work as a wartime location for intelligence activities, their mission being to crack the Nazi codes and ciphers.  The most famous of the cipher systems is the Enigma.  

They returned in 1939 working in various huts in the Park. The first operational break into Enigma came around 23 January 1940 by John Jeffreys, Peter Twinn & Alan Turing who unravelled the German Army administrative key.   Encouraged the Codebreakers managed to crack the 'Red' key used by Luftwaffe liaison officers co-ordination air support fore army units.  Gordon Welshman,  soon to become head of the Army & Airforce section, divided a system to enable staff to turn the deciphered messages into intelligence reports.  

But perhaps Bletchley park's greatest success was the breaking of the Germans' strategic ciphers which were used to secure communications between Hitler in Berlin & his army commanders in the field.

With the declaration of peace, the frenzy of Codebreaking ceased and the thousands who worked at Bletchley departed

Booking opens at the February 2016 meeting

A talk on "Repair and Restoration" followed by a Tour of the Palace State Rooms by a private guide 

Blenheim Palace was built in the early 18th Century to celebrate victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession.   In particular, it was built as a gift to the 1st Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill, the military commander who led the Allied forces in the Battle of Blenheim on 13th August 1704.  Marlborough himself received the surrender from Marshall Tallard, leader of the French forces, following the battle.  

To honour the Duke's heroic victories, Queen Anne granted his family the ruined Royal Manor and park at Woodstock, along with £240,000 with which to build a house to mark the occasion.

Booking opens at the January meeting

Following the lecture in January by Senior Curator Stephen Duffy we are visiting Hertford House for a private tour of the Wallace collection, formerly London residence of the Marquesses of Hertford & Sir Richard Wallace, it was opened to the public as a museum in 1900.  The collection was bequeathed to the British nation by Lady Wallace in 1897.

 The collection is one of the most outstanding small art collections in the world.  Its fame is based on the quality of its art works - its French eighteenth-century art and furniture, princely arms & armour & Old Master paintings are among the exhibits.

The London Silver Vaults opened as The Chancery Lane Safe Deposit in 1876. Originally renting out strong rooms to hold household silver, jewellery and documents, it transitioned to housing silver dealers in secure premises a few years later. It is located on Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1QS.[1] One vault was used to store a farthing, with the owner paying over GB£100 over the years for the vault.[2] With 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) thick walls lined with steel, the vaults were never broken into. The building above the vaults was struck directly with a bomb during World War II - however this did not damage the vaults at all,[2] despite the building being destroyed. A new building, Chancery House, was constructed ten years later,[3] and since 1953 it has been in its present format,[1] with shops based underground. All the shops have been owned for at least 50 years by the same families. It said that it has "the largest single collection of silver for sale in the world",[2] contained within more than forty shops.[3]

The Leighton House Museum is a museum in the Holland Park district of Kensington and Chelsea in London. The former home of the painter Frederic, Lord Leighton, it has been open to the public since 1929. Built for Leighton by the architect and designer George Aitchison, it is a Grade II* listed building. It is noted for its elaborate Orientalist and aesthetic interiors.[1] It is open to the public daily except Tuesdays, and is a companion museum to 18 Stafford Terrace, another Victorian artist's home in Kensington.

Booking from 27 May 2015

Whitchurch Silk Mill is a watermill on the River Test, located in the town of Whitchurch, Hampshire, England. The mill was constructed in 1815 on a plot of land called Frog Island. The mill is probably on the same site as one of the four mills recorded in the Domesday Book. Originally it was a fulling mill (part of the finishing process of cloth weaving). Some years later, during the 1830s, it was bought by the Hide family who changed its operation to weave silk.

Booking from 25 March 2015

RODMARTON MANOR is the supreme example of a house built and all its furniture made according to Arts and Crafts ideals and was one of the last country houses to be built and furnished in the old traditional style when everything was done by hand with local stone, local timber and local craftsmen.

The Wilson The Wilson, Cheltenham’s newly extended Art Gallery & Museum reopened its doors to the public on 5 October 2013 with a new building housing expansive fine art and touring exhibition galleries for the first time. Renewed gallery spaces allow visitors to explore highlights from the Museum’s collections - including a new gallery space dedicated to the internationally renowned Arts & Crafts collection, open archives showing tales of local heroes, including the great Edward Wilson (one of Scott's key men on his 1912 expedition to Antarctica) and temporary exhibition spaces filled with varied programming including fun shows for families.

Selling from 25 February 2015

Cost £40

Petworth House and Park, West Sussex. 17th Century Mansion National Trust's largest and finest collection of pictures and sculptures.

Petworth has been a family home for over 800 years. The estate was a royal gift from the widow of Henry I to her brother Jocelin de Louvain, who soon after married into the renowned Percy family. As the Percy stronghold was in the north, Petworth was originally only intended for occasional use. It was in the late 1500s that Petworth became a permanent home to the Percys after Elizabeth I grew suspicious of their allegiance to Mary, Queen of Scots and confined the family to the south.

Cost £30 NT members  otherwise  £38 

We will meet a Blue Badge guide at 10.30 for morning coffee and biscuits before going to the Wellington Barracks to visit the Guards Chapel & Museum hearing the story of The Bearskin & The Bosche. We shall also enjoying a preview of the new Flanders Memorial Garden for which soil was brought with great ceremony from Flanders Field and which will not be revealed to the general public until Remembrance Sunday. Then to the pub for a lunch of meat or vegetarian pie (as served at Buckingham Palace). In the afternoon we take a coach tour to gain a small insight to what life was like for Londoners during the Great War and follow the trail of the Zeppelin raids on London. We round off the day at the new First World War Galleries at the Imperial War Museum before leaving at 4.45 p.m.

This outing has been arranged for newer members as a social event and to meet committee members. We are of course hoping for good weather on the day. Departure from WILDWOOD, GERRARDS CROSS1.30pm PROMPT 2.00pm Guided visit to the Stanley Spencer Museum 2.45pm Guided tour of Cookham Village 4.00pm Tea 5.00pm Bus leaves Cookham .

Kensington Palace was the childhood home of Queen Victoria and has been newly transformed following the 2 year£12 million refurbishment. Immerse yourself in the life of Britain’s longest reigning monarch in a moving exhibition featuring many personal objects & extracts from her diaries & letters. The King’s State Apartments were created by George l and lived in by George ll and his consort Queen Caroline. The King’s Presence Chamber has been beautifully restored with crimson damask silk & gilded paintwork. Discover the glittering world of Queen Caroline’s court of intellectuals, see the style of the extraordinary Georgian court dress, witness the Queen’s levee & experience the smell of Georgian England. We also visit the Queens’s State Apartments where each room has been transferred with beautiful installations which explore the Glorious Revolution through to the end of the Protestant line of the Stuarts. Fashion Rules - a glamorous new exhibition of 21 items takes a nostalgic look back at recent decades of dress through the wardrobes of HM Queen Elizabeth ll in the 1950s, Princess Margaret in the 1960s & 70s & Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1980s.

Departure from Wildwood at 8.15am prompt National Trust members: £39 Non-members: £49 to include coffee and biscuits on arrival and a 2 course pre-booked lunch. Itinerary: 9:45 Coffee and biscuits Guided tours of the house 12:30 – 1:30pm Lunch Visit Churchill’s studio and the gardens 3:00pm Departure

COST: £20 for National Trust Members £30 for non-members including morning coffee and biscuits DEPARTURE from WILDWOOD at 8.15 prompt am: Malmsbury Abbey lunch: At one of the pubs in Lacock village or at The Abbey Café pm: Explore the village where Cranford was filmed, or visit the Abbey and the Fox Talbot Museum DEPARTURE at 4pm prompt

Price £30, leaving Wildwood at 9am and departing London at 4.45pm

There has been a house on this site since at least 1336. The name 'Polesden' is Saxon and belonged to the earliest recorded owner Herbert de Polesden, who was selling land here in 1198. The 'Lacey' suffix probably derives from the family of John Lacy, who owned Polesden in 1387-93, but it is first described as 'Pollisdon Lacy' only in 1562. In 1630 Anthony Rous acquired the estate and shortly afterwards completely rebuilt the medieval house * Famous owners Polesden has been owned by a number of people, who made many alterations and additions to the property. The most famous owner was the poet and playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, who purchased the house in 1804. Sheridan adored Polesden, rejoicing in his role as a country squire, giving lavish entertainments to his friends and the local populace. He regarded Polesden as a haven from the hurly-burly of his life in London, where he shone in Parliament as an orator and at Drury Lane as a dramatist and theatre manager. * Royal Connections Polesden Lacey was then lived in by two further owners until purchased by Mrs Greville, a legendary Edwardian hostess, and her husband in 1906. The house was converted by Mewes and Davis, the architects of the newly built Ritz Hotel. Mrs Greville was most famous as a collector of royalties and her friendship with Edward VII (who thought her 'gift of hospitality' amounted to 'positive genius') inaugurated a lifelong devotion to the House of Windsor. She was especially fond of Queen Mary (consort of George V) and of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, part of whose honeymoon was spent at Polesden in 1923, and whom the childless Mrs Greville loved like a daughter. Mrs Greville was adored by her friends and feared by her rivals for her indiscreet and acerbic wit. * Ownership by the Trust Mrs Greville bequeathed Polesden Lacey to the National Trust in 1942 in memory of her father, William McEwan, an Edinburgh brewing millionaire and philanthropist. After Mrs Greville's death, Polesden was rearranged for public opening, but in the process many of the secondary and almost all of the bedroom furnishings were sold in 1943. There was a serious fire in 1960, and although nothing was lost, the original decoration of several rooms was damaged and had to be replaced. In 1995, after extensive research, the Trust embarked upon the restoration and rearrangements of the principal rooms, in order to make their original style and luxury more evident.

* Hatchlands Hatchlands Park was built in the 1750s for Admiral Boscawen, hero of the Battle of Louisburg. Robert Adam ceilings decorate the house, featuring appropriately nautical motifs. Today the mansion is a family home, containing tenant Alec Cobbe's superb collection of paintings. Six rooms also display the Cobbe Collection, Europe's largest collection of keyboard instruments associated with famous composers such as J. C. Bach, Chopin and Elgar. The mansion is set in informal grounds, with one small parterre garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll. The surrounding parkland provides a number of waymarked walks in a tranquil and beautiful setting.