• Henley DFAS

Day Visits

Private Tours of Two of the Oldest City of London Livery Halls Wednesday 10th April 2024 (booking Thursday 15th February 2024) 11.00am - 12.30pm: The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, 18 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HQ (opposite King Henry Gate of St Bartholomew's Hospital) 2.00pm - 3.30pm: The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers Own transport required as there will not be a coach for this visit. Recommended train times and nearest underground stations will be advised on the day of booking
Private Tours of Two of the Oldest City of London Livery Halls

11.00am - 12.30pm: The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers: 

The Livery Hall, The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers


The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers has its origins in medieval times. Throughout six and a half centuries it has moved away from its historical involvement in the trade of haberdashery and developed into a significant supporter of schools and education in England and Wales.  The first surviving ordinances were recorded by the Mayor's Court in 1371. The current Haberdashers' Hall was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
 
 
 
Petworth House and Park: A Great Art Collection in its Original Setting Wednesday 22nd May 2024 (booking Thursday 21st March 2024)
Petworth House and Park: A Great Art Collection in its Original Setting
 
Described by Constable in the early 19th Century as ‘That House of Art’, Petworth still contains one of the best art collections in Britain, collected by the same family over 900 years.
 
 
The State Rooms contain paintings by Hieronymous Bosch, Blake, Teniers, de Koninck, Van Dyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Titian, and 20 paintings by Turner including two Turners of Windsor Castle and one of The Thames at Eton.  The Carved room features Grinling Gibbons’ work with a series of paintings showing Shakespeare’s plays.  
 
Inside the house at Petworth | National Trust
 
The North Gallery was built to contain the burgeoning art collection and many of the 50 antique marble sculptures, as well as the earliest English globe in existence dating back to 1592.   Try not to miss the series of paintings where the ladies’ legs were cut off, now being gradually restored.

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Private Tour of Strawberry Hill Thursday 18th July 2024 (booking Thursday 16th May 2024) This visit has been brought forward from 11th May 2023
Private Tour of Strawberry Hill
 
Nicknamed Horace Walpole's 'Little Gothic Castle', Strawberry Hill was created by Horace Walpole in the 18th Century. He was a leader in the Georgian fashion of Gothic revival architecture, taking its inspiration from gothic cathedrals around Europe.  It is attractive and fascinating as you view it from the large garden which originally ran down to the Thames at Twickenham.
 
 
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Andrew Davies Walking Tour of Lambeth Thursday 12th September 2024 (booking 20th June 2024)
Andrew Davies Walking Tour of Lambeth
 
Lambeth Bridge
 
'Doing the Lambeth Walk’. A fascinating walk through this part of our majestic capital city, London, in which Andrew will show us Museums, Georgian Squares, Archbishop's Park, Street Markets, Doulton's Pottery, a Cathedral, Charlie Chaplin and Lupino Lane, Graffiti Tunnel and the River Thames - a cornucopia of delights. An unmissable day out to complete our visits for 2024.
Henry William Gorge Lupino: Under the stage name of Lupino Lane, he became a well-known cockney comedian and toured extensively in variety, musical comedy, and pantomime. In 1937 he scored a tremendous success as Bill Snibson in the British musical Me and My Girl, in which he created the “Lambeth walk,” a ballroom dance…
 
 
 
The Lambeth Workhouse was where Charlie Chaplin lived as a child when his mother faced destitution. Lambeth pubs where Charlie Chaplin’s father performed as a Music Hall Entertainer until his decline into alcoholism, the workhouse where Charlie was separated from his mother when she fell on hard times and became unable to care for him. The school Charlie Chaplin attended, the agonies of being kitted out in cut down versions of his mother’s stage costumes and we see the very same buildings on the very same street corners where Chaplin loitered and did his best to pass the time of day when he had nowhere else to go. Charlie’s beleaguered family was obliged to move from place to place, in each we see sights and hear stories that were to come to back to life on the silver screen. Lambeth was Charlie’s great inspiration and the look and feel of Lambeth’s streets and landmarks appear again and again in his films. Charlie Chaplin’s first love, we are astonished how much the actresses he cast in his films remind us of his mother.
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Usual Booking Procedure for Day Visits
1.  Bookings are taken prior to the morning and afternoon lectures at The Henley Rugby Club, usually 2 months before the actual visit.  The exact booking dates are available on our Website and printed in the annual calendar given to all members of The Arts Society Henley on renewal of their subscriptions in November.
2.  Except when advised otherwise, bookings open at 09:30 in the morning and 13:30 in the afternoon.  Places are filled quickly for popular outings so it is advisable to arrive early.
3.  Bookings are only taken for the visit advertised that day and only accepted on receipt of payment by card or cheque (payable to TASH).
4.  Members may book for themselves and one other member, except for the Andrew Davies Tours when it is single bookings only.  You will be required to fill in a Contact Form and provide your name, email address, mobile and home telephone numbers and an emergency contact name and number.  If you are booking for someone else, it would be helpful if you had these details, otherwise they will need to be posted.
5.  Telephone and email reservations are not accepted until after the first booking date.
6.  The coach departs from The Henley Rugby Club, Marlow Road, Henley (opposite the entrance to Phyllis Court).  There is car parking on site (payment by debit/credit card only).  You will be informed of the relevant departure time when you book.  Please arrive at least 10 minutes before the departure time.  Please note that the coach is not able to wait for late arrivals.
7.  Cancellation: payment will only be refunded if the place is taken by someone on the waiting list.  Please note that places may not be taken by non-members except by prior agreement.
9.  Please do not hesitate to get in touch by email or telephone if you have any queries.  I am happy to help and want you to have an enjoyable day.
     If you wish to get in touch prior to the visit, you can email me at

      judith@wargrave.me or phone 07939 062321.  On the day of the visit please phone 07939 062321       

                                                                                                                                                                         Judith Stephenson-Hodges