Are you interested in the past lives of South West Londoners? Are you interested in researching and writing about them?

 Following on the success of the South West London U3As’ Shared Learning Project which led to the production of the booklet “Out and About in South West London” earlier this year, we are proposing to research the past lives of South West Londoners with a view to producing a similar booklet. The project will begin in January 2014 and will be completed by April. Meetings will be held in Kingston as before and we will proceed as follows:

• Members of the team will decide on the people who they wish to research. They will probably work in pairs and decide between them a theme such as people from politics, music, science, literature etc.
• As a team we will have to decide on the parameters of the research as there is an almost inexhaustible fund of notable people.
• The historical figures to be researched will come predominantly from people who lived in Kingston, Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth.
• Each section of the booklet will be written by members of the team.
• A final section of the booklet would incorporate walks showing where the subjects lived/were born/ died, so some research into the accessibility of places mentioned will be necessary.
• We will meet fortnightly starting on 15^th Jan 2014 until 26^th March from 11am – 1pm in the Community Room at John Lewis in Kingston.

If you enjoy researching and visiting places and have an interest in the history of South West London this could be the project for you.

Access to email with some computer skills is essential – as is a commitment to attend all the meetings. As always with U3A SLPs your enthusiasm is paramount!

It is expected that the project will appeal to U3A members living in South West London but this is not a pre-condition.

For more information and an application form, please email Sue Leigh at smleigh@hotmail.co.uk . Applications close 15 November 2013.

A Study Day on  Literary SW London     Thursday Nov 7^th 2113.      Registration 10.30am.   11.00am  – 3.30pm At the Snuff Mill, Morden Hall Park, Morden

The theme of this study day is Literary South West London. It will interest those who enjoy reading a good book as well as those who want to know about the lives of local authors. The programme is varied and the three speakers have local connections.

Programme:

Talk 1    Local aspects of Virginia Woolf’s works especially the novel “The Waves”.

Speaker: Julia Courtney (ex OU lecturer)

Talk 2    The lives of some local authors including H.G Wells and Edna O’Brien.

Speaker:  Sue Rolfe of the Putney Society

Talk 3   Being a writer.

Speaker:  Michelle Paver. Local award winning Wimbledon based author whose book include the series Chronicles of Darkness and Dark Matters (a ghost story for adults)

Getting there:

Trams from Wimbledon Station to Phipps Bridge

Buses from South Wimbledon and Morden Underground Stations and Wimbledon Main Line Station.

Car parking available in grounds of Morden Hall Park (National Trust). Entrance in Morden Hall Road.

Cost for day £8  (cheque payable to Merton U3A)

Literary SW London Study Day Ticket application

First Name ………………………………………   Surname  …………………………………………

U3A ………………………………………………………………….

Telephone number ………………………………….

Confirmation of a place will be given by email OR in an enclosed self addressed envelope

Email (if needed for confirmation )  ……………………………..  [tick if appropriate]

Or

Enclosed SAE  ……………………………………  [tick if appropriate]

Cheque of £8 enclosed? ………….

Please send ticket application with £8 cheque to Merton U3A, 78 Copse Hill, Wimbledon, SW20 0EF by 25^th Oct.

 Please note that lunch is available at the cafe on the site. There is also a garden centre there, and the grounds of Morden Hall Park are well worth a wander (weather permitting)

Literary-SW-London-Study-Day-Ticket-application-3

U3A Online courses are short courses specially designed for older people and available through a partnership between Third Age Trust (the UK national U3A organisation) and the U3A Online Inc.(based in Australia).

These are courses for which no entry qualifications are required. They offer no credit on completion and are designed purely for personal interest and enjoyment.  They have been written by volunteers who are experienced tutors or course leaders in their fields.

These courses are aimed at U3A members, ex-U3A members who are no longer able to attend a U3A, and those unable to access conventional courses for one reason or another (e.g. restricted mobility, disability, etc).

Click on this web link for more information about enrolling  http://onlinecourses.u3a.org.uk/

Enrol now on the courses below which are commencing on Sept 15th 2013.

Sutton House tells a tale of change, evolving from a Tudor courtier’s house in a quiet village, to its present role as a National Trust property and community resource in a rich and varied urban area.

Built in 1535 by Sir Ralph Sadleir, a knight and diplomat at the court of Henry VIII, it retains much of the atmosphere of a Tudor Home.  There are many stories to be revealed in this historically richly layered house.  Hackney was then a quiet, rural village and many wealthy and powerful people had houses there including Thomas Cromwell, Sir Ralph’s employer at the time. Later the house was home to silk merchants, boarding schools, Huguenot families, a church institute, trade unions and squatters.

We will begin our visit at 11.15 with coffee or tea and a slice of gluten-free tray-bake, followed by an hour long guided tour of the house and then a light lunch in the cafe.  Lunch-time drinks are not included in the cost of the trip.  The house has no lift so the first floor is only accessible by stairs.  The stairs to the cellar are also steep and narrow.

After meeting at Waterloo we will take the Jubilee Line to Stratford and then walk for 2 to 3 minutes to the Overground Platform where we will take the train to Hackney Central. From there the walk to Sutton House is a pleasant 10 minutes through a churchyard and a street of Georgian houses.  In all the journey from Waterloo will take about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Date:      Friday 18th October

Meeting Point:     Waterloo Station outside Platform 1

Time:     10.10

Price including refreshments, talk and lunch:  £8.05 for National Trust members, £11.55 for non-members.

To obtain an application form electronically please email   gzuercher@btinternet.com