11th May Monthly meeting – Historical Houses in London -Colin Lomas
Colin talks about some of the houses with a long history, all in or near London. You can visit them all. We will also learn about the characters associated with them.
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 for guests.
15th May Surrey Network – Truth, Lies, Risk and Reason
Friday 15th May 2026 – Truth, Lies, Risk & Reason ***
Presented by Philip Harris, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Sussex
20th May Away Day – Ewell Walk & Visit to Bourne Hall Museum
Come and discover some of the history of Ewell, founded as a spring-line settlement, where the chalk of the North Downs meets the London clay.
We’ll take an hour’s guided walk around the area. This will be centred round the Grade II listed Bourne Hall, where there is a café (refreshments not included in the price) and a small but interesting museum.
The museum is free and its highlights include Lord Rosebery’s hansom cab, a 19thcentury fire engine and extensive Derby races memorabilia.
Date: Wednesday, 20 May
Cost: £3.40 for the guided tour
Meeting Times/Places:
● 9.30am at Cromwell Road Bus Station to catch the 406 bus to Epsom High Street or
● 9.44am to board the bus at Surbiton Library or
● 10.05am to board the bus at Tolworth Broadway.
Alight at The Spring in Ewell, where you’ll be escorted to Bourne Hall. If you wish to go by car, there is a large car park at Bourne Hall (cost £2 for 2 hours, £3 for 3 hours, £4 for 4 hours). You can pay by card or cash.
Meet the group in the café at Bourne Hall around 10.30am, in readiness for the start of the walk at 11am.
Accessibility: The walk is on flat ground and will take approximately an hour. The small museum is upstairs but there is access by lift.
To join us, please fill in the form in the centre of this newsletter and send it with your cheque, made payable to Kingston u3a GAS, to Pamela Crisp. pamelacrisp50@hotmail.com 07846 722278
1st June Monthly Meeting – Walking with Polar Bears – Gillian Lloyd
Gillian’s photographic images include landscape, wildlife and some very special and unique memories with polar bears.
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 for guests.
19th June – Surrey Network -300 Years of English Theatre
Friday 19th June 2026 – 300 Years of English Theatre: From the Rise of the Elizabethan Playhouses to the Fall of Oscar Wilde ***
Presented by Giles Ramsay, Independent Theatre Producer, Director & Lecturer
22nd June Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House :Guided Tour – Away day
The first theatre on the current site of the Royal Opera House (ROH), the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, was opened in 1732. The current building is the third theatre, following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856. The facade, foyer and auditorium date from 1858 but almost every other element of the present complex dates from an extensive reconstruction in the 1990s. The main auditorium is a Grade I listed building. Come and join us for a behind-thescenes guided tour and take a look at the areas that are normally off limits to the public, including rehearsal studios, and costume and production workshops. Witness first hand the inner workings of one of the world’s most renowned theatres.
The tour starts at 12.45pm (check in at 12.25pm) and lasts 75 minutes.
Please note: There is a maximum of 20 places.
Date: Monday, 22 June Meeting time/place: 11am (note later time than usual) at Waterloo Station, opposite platform 4.
We’ll take the 139 or 176 bus to the first stop (Savoy Street) in the Strand, cross the Strand and walk the short distance to Covent Garden.
There are several cafés in the area for refreshments (not included) and one inside the ROH itself. The group will assemble at the ROH tour entrance at 12.25pm. This entrance will be pointed out to members before they go for refreshments. There will be bag checks on entry.
Cost: £18.40 Accessibility: The tour progresses through many areas, including corridors, stairs, escalators and lifts.
To join us, please complete the booking form in the centre of this newsletter and send it with your cheque, made payable to Kingston u3a GAS, to Hazel Burr. hazelbee46@yahoo.co.uk 07950 687553 Please keep this page
6 Jul Monthly Meeting – Protecting Our Pollinators – Peter Smith
Peter is a beekeeper, amateur entomologist and writer. We are living through ‘an insect apocalypse’ with the numbers of insects, including the pollinators on which we depend for 75 per cent of everything we eat, plummeting. Peter looks at the causes of this decline, what is being done to help and what we as individuals can do.
Held at the Richard Mayo Hall, Kingston Doors open at 1.30 talk starts at 2.00. Coffee/ tea and biscuits at the end of the talk. Cost £1.00 to members £1.50 for guests.
8th July – Visit to the Museum of Richmond – Away Day
Visit: Museum of Richmond The Museum is a small, independent registered museum in the centre of Richmond, sharing a space in the Old Town Hall with the Reference Library. It was opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II and is supported by Richmond Borough Council. Within a small space we can learn the story of Richmond from prehistoric times, to the period of its rise as the site of a royal residence in medieval times, through to its modern-day support of arts and fashion. There are limited spaces available for our booked tour of some of the exhibits.
Date: Wednesday, 8July
Time: 10.45am Venue: Museum of Richmond, Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue Meet just inside the main doors on the ground floor. Please do not go up to the Museum.
Cost: Free (donations welcome on the day)
Travel: 65 bus from Kingston. Get off at Hill Rise (stop V) just before Richmond Bridge. Cross the roundabout and walk for three minutes to Whittaker Avenue on the left. Train to Richmond Station. Cross the road and walk for 5-10 minutes along the high street to Whittaker Avenue on your right just before Richmond Bridge.
Accessibility: There are a few steps from pavement level to the main entrance. A lift is available to the Museum and toilets. The Museum itself is step free. To join us, please complete the booking form in the centre of this newsletter and send it to Pamela Crisp (07846 722278).