14 Jan 2026 – National Theatre Guided Tour – Away Day

Come along for a backstage tour of the National Theatre. Founded by Sir Laurence Olivier in 1963, it is adjacent to the South Bank Centre at Waterloo. The building, designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and Peter Softley, contains three theatres, which were opened individually between 1976 and 1977. It has been a Grade II listed building since 1994.

Our tour starts at 11.15am and lasts 75 minutes. There is a limit of 20 places, so please book early.

Date: Wednesday, 14 January Meeting Time/Place: 10.15am Waterloo Station. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Theatre and we’ll stop for coffee on the way.

Price: £15 Accessibility: Only a few steps to negotiate during the tour

To join us, please fill in the form in the centre of the newsletter and send it with your cheque, made payable to Kingston u3a GAS, to Pamela Crisp. pamelacrisp50@hotmail.com 07846 722278

13 April Monthly Meeting – Archaelogical Frauds, Hoaxes and Silly Things

A talk by Scott McCracken

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 foe guests.

11th May Monthly Meeting – To be Confirmed

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 foe guests.

1st June Monthly meeting – Walking with Polar Bears

Gillian Lloyd a photographer, her travels abroad with her photographs

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 foe guests.

6th Nov – Charles Dickens Museum – Visits

48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury was the London home of Charles Dickens 1837-1839.

The five-storey house opened as a museum 100 years ago on 9 June 1925. It holds the world’s most important Dickens collection. It contains many mementos from Dickens’s life and writings.

The house is furnished throughout as it was when Dickens and his family were in residence. There are thousands of objects on display, including the writing desk where he wrote Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. I

n the basemen kitchen is the washhouse copper, which was cleaned out every December so they could boil the Christmas pudding. The artefacts, manuscripts, paintings and furniture give a valuable insight into Dickens’s life,

his family and the times in which they lived.

Only small handbags or backpacks are allowed in the Museum and must be worn on the front, or carried by hand.

After the visit, to round off your day, you may want to spend time in the British Museum, which is a short walk away from Dickens’s house.
Date: Thursday, 6 November

Meeting Time/Place: 10.15am, Waterloo Station opposite platforms 1-4

Travel: We leave the Station via the escalator to walk to the bus stop and take a bus to Russell Square (details to follow). After refreshments at the Caffè Tropea in the Square (not included in the price), we set off for the 15/20-minute walk to the Museum. Depending on the group size, our entry may be staggered, with half entering at 12pm and half at 12.15pm. If this is the case, the second group will stay a little longer at the Caffè to avoid congestion outside the Museum.

Cost: £11.35 (entry to Museum and self-guided tour). There is no reduction for National Art Pass holders when in a group.

Accessibility: There are five floors with many stairs. There is a staff operated platform lift as far as the 4th floor, then stairs to the attic.

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 Hazel Burr.

07950 687553

Please keep this page for reference.

London Region U3A Talks and Walks August to October

Surrey Network Study Days

Study Days 2026

Friday 17th April 2026 – “England’s Glory”: Development of British Battleships, 1860-1945
Presented by Andrew Choong Han Lin, Curator at The National Maritime Museum

Friday 15th May 2026 – Truth, Lies, Risk & Reason ***
Presented by Philip Harris, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Sussex

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

Friday 18th September 2026 – The Bayeux Tapestry: Its Creation & Its Interpretation ***
Presented by Imogen Corrigan BA MPhil FRHistS FRSA, Lecturer on Medieval History

Friday 16th October 2026 – World Affairs in the Middle East & Africa: Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa & Nigeria
Presented by Steve Bird, Lecturer on Military History & Current Affairs

Friday 20th November 2026 – The Music & Satire of Gilbert & Sullivan ***
Presented by Bernard Lockett, Gilbert & Sullivan Society

Kingston U3A

Welcome to Kingston U3A

Prospective members: Welcome to Kingston U3A! If you have recently retired, or are coming up to that exciting third age phase of your life, there is so much to do! We have an extensive range of groups you can join, covering everything from literature through arts, music, walks, discussions, dancing and table tennis to games, languages and science.   There are regular monthly meetings with an interesting talk, introductory get-togethers for new members and a chance to meet people and make new friends. There is a wide monthly programme of visits to places of interest and a holiday, abroad or in the UK, every year. This website will give you a lot of information about all of these and many other activities. Please browse and let us know if you would like to join us.

Existing members please make regular visits to this website as we will be posting up-to-date information as it becomes available.

To find out more of the U3A s history please follow the link :-    U3A History