Past Day Visits
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Thursday 12th September 2024
(booking 20th June 2024) Andrew Davies Walking Tour of Lambeth Report on our Andrew Davies' Walking Tour of Lambeth:
A well-attended TASH Day Visit to London on Thursday 12th September 2024 saw us “Doing the Lambeth Walk” in the company of our guide Andrew Davies. Lambeth is situated across the River Thames from the Houses of Parliament and our walking tour explored its history and many contrasts: Georgian and Victorian terraces side-by-side with 60’s brutalism; quiet parks and bustling markets; Lambeth Palace (home of the Archbishop of Canterbury) next to the Lambeth Workhouse where Charlie Chaplin lived as a child; the old Royal Doulton Factory, a stone’s throw from “Graffiti Tunnel”; flying the flag for London’s street art scene; St Thomas’s hospital next door to the National Covid Memorial Wall. The clouds lowered but it never rained. A great day out.
 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.(Please click on blue print above to continue reading)
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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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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.
 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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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 Report on our visit to two City Livery Companies: We were fortunate to have private access to two of the oldest City of London Livery Halls – The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers and The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers. Both Livery companies were first mentioned in the 1370s and have been closely connected to the development of the City of London.
Architecturally they could not be more different. The Tallow Chandlers company has been based in Dowgate Hill since 1476 and the Haberdashers new hall was declared open by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2002. But that is where the differences end as they are both steeped in historical involvement in their specific trades and significant charitable supporters.
Gaye Hudson
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. |
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Thursday 14th September 2023
Booking Thursday 15th June Andrew Davies’ Walking Tour: Islington to Camden Market The Angel, Georgian and Victorian squares, Duncan Terrace, Copious Blue Plaques, Camden Market, Sadlers Wells, 17C New River and landscaped areas and what artist Walter Sickert called the hanging gardens of Islington. Gracie Field’s home, where Joe Orton playwright was murdered and Boris Johnson’s former home.
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Wednesday 12th July 2023
Booking at the lecture on Thursday 18th May 2023 Salisbury Cathedral and Arundells (Home of Sir Edward Heath) A Magical Combination - Salisbury Cathedral and Arundells (Home of Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath) |
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Thursday 29th September 2022. (Booking online only, judith@wargrave.me, on Monday 13th June from 9.30am. Instructions to follow in the June newsletter)
Coach departs at 9.00am from the Rugby Club Andrew Davies’ Walking Tour: St Pancras and King’s Cross, A New Discovery Please note this outing may only be booked online on Monday 13th June from 9.30am, judith@wargrave.me.
Our perennial favourite guide, Andrew Davies, was badgered to come out of retirement by so many Arts Society branches that he has finally agreed to do so. What wonderful news!
Originally booked for October 2021, but cancelled due to the advent of Covid, our visit to London with him has now been resurrected. Andrew has promised us an enthralling walking tour of the King's Cross area and a very different experience from the Henley Arts Society outing of 2012 to the same part of the world. We shall examine the two railway stations of contrasting style:
 St Pancras King's Cross
One is exuberant and Gothic, whilst the other is austere and classical.
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Thursday 23 June 2022. (Booking Thursday 21 April) Sudeley Castle: Family Home, Church and Gardens This visit has been brought forward from 2021.
 Sudeley Castle, surrounded by award winning gardens with magnificent views of the Cotswolds, has Royal connections dating back over 1000 years to the time of Ethelred the Unready. The castle was built on its present site in the 15th century and a magnificent banqueting hall was subsequently added by Richard III. This is now a romantic ruin.
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Thursday 5th May 2022 (Booking Thursday 17th March)
Henry Moore, Sculpture Garden, House and Studios This visit has been brought forward from 2021.
 We will experience the iconic work of sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986) against the backdrop of his stunning home and garden. A prolific and innovative artist, he produced 7,500 drawings, etchings, carvings, tapestry designs and hundreds of plaster maquettes.
After their London home was damaged in the Blitz, Henry and Irina Moore moved to Much Hadham in rural Hertfordshire, where they remained for the rest of their lives. Their home’ Hoglands’, which we will visit, contains books, works of art and interesting personal items, collected from around the world and is surrounded by a huge and beautiful garden, created by Irina.
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Wednesday 8th December 2021 at 4.00pm online (please note time) A Virtual Live Visit to Stockholm  A taste of Christmas in Sweden, walking around Stockholm in the company of Per, local resident and tour guide for 30 years.
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Tuesday 23rd November at 10.30am A Virtual Live Visit to Ravenna, Italy  Ravenna is considered the world’s mosaic capital with eight UNESCO buildings having perfectly preserved Vth and VIth century mosiacs.
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Wednesday 13th October at 3.00pm, online (please note change of time) A virtual Live Visit to Split in Southern Croatia Split, the chief city of Dalmatia, in southern Croatia, is one of the most fascinating cities in the world, because its heart lies within a 1,700 year old Roman palace.
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Thursday 30th September 2021, 10.30am, online A Virtual Live Visit to Milan Our tour guide, Veronica, has a Masters Degree in Art History, and will show us the highlights of Milan, starting from its Cathedral, the heart of the city since 1386.
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Thursday 19th August 2021. Available for 24 hours Flamenco, the Heartbeat of the South of Spain, its History, its Rhythms This film is provided by the Arts Society Nerja who had arranged for the performance to take place at the AGM in Malaga this year. Of course, due to COVID this could not happen and they therefore decided to make a film. The film lasts 55 minutes, it has been recorded using three cameras with wonderful close-ups and all the lyrics are subtitled.
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Thursday 29th July at 5.00pm (please note the time)
An email will be sent to you the day before the visit
with a link to it.
A Virtual Live Visit to Vienna - by scooter! Highlights of Vienna - by scooter!
 People's Gardens Our guide Suzanne Waldeck will start in the beautiful People's Gardens and end at St. Stephans Cathedral, touching on the history, culture and music of Vienna.
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Tuesday 22nd June 2021 at 10.30am.
An email will be sent to you the day before the visit with a link to it. A Virtual Live Visit to Florence A virtual Live Visit to Florence
Hope and Salvation through Faith
 Duomo Square We are going to start in the Cathedral square, discussing its history and development.
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Tuesday 11th May 2021 at 10.30am.
A Virtual Live Walking Tour.
An email will be sent to you the day before the visit (10th May) with a link to it. A Virtual Live Visit to Budapest Highlights of Buda - A Walking Tour of the Castle District
Our guide, Adam Marot, will walk you through the key sites of the Buda Castle Hill neighbourhood,
starting with a breathtaking view of
The Chain Bridge. (To read more please click on the blue print above)
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Thursday 8th April 2021 live online at 2.00pm. An email will be sent to you the day before with a link to it. A Live Walking tour of the District of Venice called Dorsoduro A Delightful Live, Online Walking Tour
in the District of Dorsoduro, Venice
Dorsoduro is a large section of Venice, lying south and stretching up to the port of the city, created in the late 1880s. Our tour begins near this section and in particular at the Campo di San Nicolò dei Mendicoli, where mainly fishermen would live. Known also as the Nicolotti, the inhabitants of this part of Venice were very poor and we’ll admire what today are lovely examples of minor Venetian architecture.
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Thursday 4th February 2021 live online at 11.00am. An email will be sent to you the day before with a link to it. A Live Walking Tour of the District of Venice called Cannaregio
Starting at the Church of the Jesuits, Luisella will move to the Fondamenta della Misericordia, pass the old Brotherhood of Santa Maria Valverde and reach the Madonna dell'Orto Church. We will then see the House of Tintoretto, the Campo dei Mori and finally a visit to the Jewish Ghetto.
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Online Thursday 10th December 2020 at 10.30am and repeated at 2.30pm.
An email will be sent to you the day before this Christmas Show
with a link to it. The Spirit of Christmas
Whilst Covid restrictions are in place and a usual annual visit to the local panto is not going to happen, we decided to bring a little bit of Christmas cheer to you from the comfort of your own homes. This live online virtual tour “The Spirit of Christmas” will be celebrating all things Christmassy. (Please click on the blue print above to continue reading.) |
