CANCELLED – 6 April Monthly Meeting – House of Romanov – Siobhan E Clarke
The murder of the Russian imperial family in 1918 shocked the world and still prompts a lurid fascination. The beauty and innocence of the royal children have become emblems of a vanished world.
2pm (doors open 1.30pm), United Reformed Church, Eden Street, Kingston Members only
CANCELLED – 7th April Southbank Centre – Behind the Scenes
This trip is an opportunity to gain an insight into the history of the Southbank Centre. Built for the Festival of Britain in 1951, it has hosted many international orchestras and artists. We’ll have access to the backstage areas usually reserved for the artists performing at the Centre. The guide will have a wealth of stories to entertain us with.
From Waterloo Station we’ll walk the short distance to the Festival Hall. This involves crossing roads and there’s a flight of steps up to the entrance. On arrival, there’ll be time for refreshments before our guided tour begins at 11am.
Date: Tuesday, 7 April Time/Meeting place: 10.15am,
Waterloo Station, opposite platform 1
Cost: £11
If you would like to join this trip, please complete the enclosed application form and send it with your cheque for £11, made payable to Kingston U3A (GAS), plus a stamped addressed envelope (unless you give your email address) to Moira Shearer, 35 St Andrews Square, Surbiton, KT6 4EG. Tel: 020 8390 6356.
Please print your email address so that it is clearly legible.
If you give your email address, all information will be sent by email, including any changes to timings, so please check your mailbox regularly.
CANCELLED – 17th April – Surrey U3A Network -The Most Famous Pharoah of them all: Tutankhamun, the Boy King
A Study Day At The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon Speaker – Clive Barham Carter
Tutankhamen was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh who was the last of his royal family to rule during the end of the 18th dynasty; he ruled c. 1334 – 1325 BC in the conventional chronology during the New Kingdom of Egyptian history. His father was the heretical king Akhenaten and his mother was his father’s sister, identified through DNA testing. The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter of Tutankhamun’s nearly intact tomb, funded by Lord Carnarvon, received worldwide press coverage. With over 5000 artefacts, it sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun’s mask, now in the Egyptian Museum, remains a popular symbol.
Programme
9.30 Registration
10.00 The Valley of the Kings – the Where 11.00 Coffee / Tea
11.30 Carter and Carnarvon – the Who
12.30 Lunch – Bring your own – Tea / Coffee available
1.30 The Tomb – the What
2.30 Tea / Coffee
3.00 Tut.Ankh.Amen and Restoration – and the Why 4.00 Departure
Speaker – Clive Barham Carter studied Egyptology at Cambridge (as the only undergraduate). He was awarded a scholarship with the Egypt Exploration Society to dig at Saqqara under Professor Walter Emery. Later, he joined the staff at Charterhouse as a History teacher, a position he accepted with some trepidation, having been a pupil there. He managed to maintain his interest in Ancient Egypt by lecturing at the City Literary Institute, and by sneaking Egypt into his General Studies classes. In retirement, he has returned to his enthusiasm for Ancient Egypt and now lectures at the Guildford Institute, and for U3A, local groups and museums. He is an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society.
To book send the slip below, with a cheque for £10 (non-U3A guest £12) payable to ‘Surrey U3A Network’, or bank transfer to HSBC acct 11519018 40-27-07, ref ‘Event month(s)’ e.g, Feb, Mar, to John Kennedy – U3A, 20 Greville Park Road, Ashtead, KT21 2QT, Tel 01372 273561, e-mail surreyu3astudyday@btinternet.com.
Enclose a SAE or e-mail address for confirmation. Fees are not normally refundable. Website, see the next page. ———————————————– Tutankhamun Study Day See – Nut Allergy & Other Notes on page 2 17th April 2020
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See page 2 if you need disabled parking, tick , or a wheelchair space in the hall, tick
Please print Confirm by ticking E-mail or enclosed SAE Cheque or Bank Transfer
Title . . . . . .First Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Surname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name of U3A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Apr
The Menuhin Hall
Cobham Road, Stoke d’Abernon, KT11 3QQ Map ref: TQ 132 579 on Landranger 187, Explorer 146
Telephone 07763 805046 (emergency, on day only) or Menuhin Hall Office 08700 842020
There is a Garden Centre (01932 862530), about 800 metres to the north of the Menuhin Hall where light lunches are available. Reservations not required.
The Menuhin School was founded in 1963 in London and moved to its present site in 1964. It has about 80 pupils learning to play stringed instruments including piano and is financed, in part, by the DfES. Lord Menuhin was born in New York on 22nd April 1916 and died on 12th March 1999 in Berlin. His parents had come from Russia. His first public concert was in March 1924 and his first in Europe, in Paris, in 1927. His performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in 1932. The Hall, designed by Mark Foley, was conceived as a memorial to Yehudi and was handed over to the school on 5th August 2005. The official opening was on 7th January 2006. Yehudi is buried near the stone pillar in front of the Hall. Nearby is an oak which he planted on his 80th birthday. The Hall was first used for U3A Study Days on 14th October 2005 when the Steinway grand piano was used as no other was available.
Surrey Network Website – http://u3asites.org.uk/surreyu3anetwork/ has application forms for study days & other events plus information about the Surrey Network and links to Surrey U3A websites.
Nut Allergy. The Menuhin School has pupils who have an allergic reaction to nuts and the staff have taken the decision to make the school and the Menuhin Hall a nut free environment. Please ensure that your lunch does not contain any trace of nuts.
Disabled Parking. There are six spaces behind the hall, there are more in the main car park. If you have a blue badge and need level access to the hall then tick “Disabled parking” on the booking slip. You will then be allocated a space at the back of the hall if available and sent a permit. If you can manage from the main car park (i.e. you are able to manage some steps with handrails) then please do not tick “Disabled parking”. That will leave the back of the hall spaces for those that are very immobile.
There is a “drop off” space at the back of the hall where disabled who are not the driver can gain level access to the hall.
Wheelchair spaces. If you need a seat removed in the hall to accommodate a wheelchair then tick Wheelchair on the booking slip.
30th April, 6th &12th May Waterloo and the South Bank Guided Walks by John King
This is an area fairly familiar to most of us, yet we are often just passing through and rarely stop and look. It has undergone immense changes ever since the arrival of the railway in 1848 and it continues to change today.
The walk will include some aspects of Waterloo Station, Lower Marsh, William Blake’s ‘Lovely Lambeth’ and, amazingly, some remains of the Festival of Britain, as well as the Royal Festival Hall. As usual there will be some surprises, including a view into the ‘underworld’, an old road surface, plus a helicopter landing site.
John King will be your guide for the walk. Dates:
● Thursday, 30 April ● Wednesday, 6 May ● Tuesday, 12 May
Meeting Time: 10.15 am for a 10.30am departure
Meeting Point: Waterloo Station, opposite platform 1
Cost: £1 administration fee will be collected on the day.
If you wish to join this walk please complete the enclosed application form and send it to: John King (U3A),
64 Alric Avenue, New Malden, KT3 4JW.
CANCELLED – 4 May Monthly Meeting: Footsteps in Summer – Russell George
When early retirement beckoned, Russell George set off on a gruelling 950-mile solo charity walk along from John O’Groats to Land’s End and faced, among other obstacles, heat waves, loneliness and blisters. (Russell’s royalties are donated to Cancer Research UK.)
(Please note the date of this talk. The usual early May bank holiday has been moved to Friday, 8 May to commemorate VE day.)
2pm (doors open 1.30pm), United Reformed Church, Eden Street, Kingston Members only
11 -15th May 2020 Historic Houses & Gardens in the Peak District
Day 1: Travelling by executive coach from our designated pick-up points, our first stop is the National Trust’s Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, home of the Ferrers family for 500 years. Much of the house was built in the late
1500s by Henry Ferrers, a lawyer, diarist and antiquarian. It was a sanctuary for the Ferrers family and for persecuted Catholics who were concealed from priest hunters in its secret hiding places. We’ll continue to the 4-star Copthorne Hotel in Sheffield for our four-night stay.
Day 2: Our guide accompanies us throughout the day as we visit Bakewell in the morning before continuing to Chatsworth (home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire). One of Britain’s most famous houses and estates, it featured in the film Pride and Prejudice. With its works of art and beautiful gardens, Chatsworth is set in the magnificent landscape of Derbyshire’s Peak District National Park.
The gardens at Chatsworth Photograph courtesy of A J Hall
Day 3: We visit Renishaw Hall and Gardens, home to the Sitwell family for almost 400 years, before continuing to Hardwick Hall and Gardens, another National Trust property. It was built by the famous Elizabethan Bess of Hardwick and is testament to her wealth and status. Hardwick Hall is almost unchanged since she lived there in the formality of Elizabethan courtly life.
Day 4: In the morning we spend some time in Buxton before driving to Haddon Hall, a fortified manor house dating back to the 12th century, and surrounded by terraced Elizabethan gardens.
Day 5: On our way home from Sheffield we visit the Crich Tramway Village in the heart of Derbyshire overlooking the Derwent Valley. This restored period village is home to the National Tramway Museum and its archives.
Hotel: 4 nights in 4-star Copthorne Hotel, Sheffield www.millenniumhotels.co.uk
Cost: £469 (including executive coach, hotel for four nights sharing a twin/double room on half-board basis, Blue Badge guide for days 2,3 and 4. Single room supplement: £99)
If you would like to join this holiday, please complete the enclosed application form and send it with an sae (not too small, please) to:
Gisela Zürcher-Feiß, 37 The Byeways, Surbiton, KT5 8HT Tel: 020 8399 4990
14th May – SW London Network of U3A’s – Heritage Day – Richard Mayo Hall
Talks on aspects of SW London’s history Thursday 14th May – 10:30 at the Richard Mayo Centre, Eden St, Kingston KT1 1H2
Registration, Coffee / Tea
Kingston’s Aircraft Heritage
10:30 – 11:00
11:00 – 12:00
Tickets £8
Kingston’s Sopwith Aviation Company and its aircraft in the Great War
David Hassard – Joint Project Leader, Kingston Aviation Centenary Project
12:00 – 1:00
Sarah Gould – Service Manager for Heritage and Local Studies, Merton
Lunch (many cafes in the immediate area)
William Morris and his legacy in 21st Century 2:00 – 3:00
Cathy De’Freitas – Society Manager, The William Morris Society
Discovering Richmond 3:00 – 4:00
History of Richmond Palace, Richmond Theatre & many other buildings of interest.
Johanna Coombes – Richmond Local History society / Richmond Heritage guide
______________________________________________________ APPLICATION FORM for SW London Heritage Day 14/5/20 – Please detach & send with £8 cheque payable to Richmond U3A to Rosemary Mattock, 7 Belvedere Square, Wimbledon SW19 5DJ
The Heritage of Merton –
An alphabetical visit to historical sites across Merton
Name Your U3A Your Email
______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________
(or enclose a SAE) for confirmation of ticket(s)
15th May Surrey U3A Network – The Development of British Style + Desert Island Antiques & Life on the Antiques Roadshow
Study Day at The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon Speaker – Paul Atterbury
From the 1870s the British domestic house and its contents changed almost beyond recognition, reflecting the social and economic revolution that paved the way for the modern world of today. Many factors contributed to this change, from William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement, to the rise of the department store, suburban living, the garden and the emancipation of women. After the First World War, the pace of change increased, prompting rapid stylistic development, from 1920s and 1930s Art Deco to the modernism of the 1950s and 1960s and the style wars of the late 20th century. The first two talks consider architecture, interior and domestic design and the products that reflected the fashions of the time. In the process they show how the last 150 years have determined the way we live now.
Paul Atterbury has been involved all his life in the world of art and antiques, as a writer, historian, collector and exhibition curator. The two talks in the afternoon offer an insight into his life, his enthusiasms and his time as a member of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow team of experts.
Programme
9.30 Registration
10.00 The Arts and Crafts House and Garden
11.00 Coffee / Tea
11.30 At Home in the 20th Century
12.30 Lunch – Bring your own – Tea / Coffee available
1.30 Paul Atterbury’s Desert Island Antiques 2.30 Tea / Coffee
3.00 Life on the Antiques Roadshow
4.00 Departure
Speaker – Paul Atterbury is a writer, lecturer, historian, curator and broadcaster specialising in the art, architecture, design and social history of the 19th and 20th centuries. As a writer he has written or edited over 50 books, covering art, antiques and design, travel, canals and railways, history and the First World War. Paul has curated exhibitions for the Victoria & Albert Museum and for other institutions in Britain and the United States and he has worked on the Antiques Roadshow since 1990.
To book send the slip below, with a cheque for £10 (non-U3A guest £12) payable to ‘Surrey U3A Network’, or bank transfer to HSBC acct 11519018 40-27-07, ref ‘Event month(s)’ e.g, Feb, Mar, to John Kennedy – U3A, 20 Greville Park Road, Ashtead, KT21 2QT, Tel 01372 273561, e-mail surreyu3astudyday@btinternet.com.
Enclose a SAE or e-mail address for confirmation. Fees are not normally refundable. Website, see the next page. ———————————————————– British Style Study Day See – Nut Allergy & Other Notes on page 2 15th May 2020
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Post Code . . . . . . . . . . . Telephone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See page 2 if you need disabled parking, tick , or a wheelchair space in the hall, tick
Please print Confirm by ticking E-mail or enclosed SAE Cheque or Bank Transfer
Title . . . . . .First Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Surname . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name of U3A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
May
The Menuhin Hall
Cobham Road, Stoke d’Abernon, KT11 3QQ Map ref: TQ 132 579 on Landranger 187, Explorer 146
Telephone 07763 805046 (emergency, on day only) or Menuhin Hall Office 08700 842020
There is a Garden Centre (01932 862530), about 800 metres to the north of the Menuhin Hall where light lunches are available. Reservations not required.
The Menuhin School was founded in 1963 in London and moved to its present site in 1964. It has about 80 pupils learning to play stringed instruments including piano and is financed, in part, by the DfES. Lord Menuhin was born in New York on 22nd April 1916 and died on 12th March 1999 in Berlin. His parents had come from Russia. His first public concert was in March 1924 and his first in Europe, in Paris, in 1927. His performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in 1932. The Hall, designed by Mark Foley, was conceived as a memorial to Yehudi and was handed over to the school on 5th August 2005. The official opening was on 7th January 2006. Yehudi is buried near the stone pillar in front of the Hall. Nearby is an oak which he planted on his 80th birthday. The Hall was first used for U3A Study Days on 14th October 2005 when the Steinway grand piano was used as no other was available.
Surrey Network Website – http://u3asites.org.uk/surreyu3anetwork/ has application forms for study days & other events plus information about the Surrey Network and links to Surrey U3A websites.
Nut Allergy. The Menuhin School has pupils who have an allergic reaction to nuts and the staff have taken the decision to make the school and the Menuhin Hall a nut free environment. Please ensure that your lunch does not contain any trace of nuts.
Disabled Parking. There are six spaces behind the hall, there are more in the main car park. If you have a blue badge and need level access to the hall then tick “Disabled parking” on the booking slip. You will then be allocated a space at the back of the hall if available and sent a permit. If you can manage from the main car park (i.e. you are able to manage some steps with handrails) then please do not tick “Disabled parking”. That will leave the back of the hall spaces for those that are very immobile.
There is a “drop off” space at the back of the hall where disabled who are not the driver can gain level access to the hall.
Wheelchair spaces. If you need a seat removed in the hall to accommodate a wheelchair then tick Wheelchair on the booking slip.