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Thursday 18 October 2018 – “The Oxford Movement” – A walking tour in Oxford with Alastair Lack
Booking Months: July and September
Cost: 7.00
Alastair Lack will lead a walking tour with the theme of “The Oxford Movement” .
This was a 19th century movement centred at the University of Oxford and it sought a renewal of catholic thought and practise within the Church of England in opposition to its protestant tendencies . Leaders of the movement were John Henry Newman, John Keble and Edward Pusey who were fellows at Oriel College.
Make your own way to Oriel college to start at 2pm with a visit to the chapel and the Newman Oratory. We shall then move to The University Church where Newman was vicar and where John Keble preached a famous sermon that launched the Oxford Movement.
Finally we shall walk to Keble College, named after John Keble. It has an astonishing chapel with one of the iconic paintings of the 19th century , Holman Hunt’s “ The Light of the World”
Afternoon tea is not included in the cost of this visit but we shall go to either the Crypt, the cafe of the University Church or to the cafe of The Bodleian Library and we hope that you will come too.
There is also an option to go to the Weston Library Cafe after the walk for afternoon tea of tea/coffee and mini-scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam for an extra cost of £4.00
The numbers on this visit will be restricted to 20.
Website:
Tuesday 04 December 2018 – College of Arms and the Guildhall , London
Booking Months: September and October
Cost: To be advised
Christopher Vane, Chester Herald will show us round the College of Arms and tell us about the history of the College and the history and architecture of the building, also the work of the heralds and their uniforms, English heraldry, the granting of arms and their descent and the design of arms. We’ll be shown the Earl Marshal’s Court and the Records Room with documents dating back to the 16th & 17th century. Our visit concludes with light refreshments.
Earlier, during the afternoon, we have a guided tour of the Guildhall Great Hall, which has been the centre of City government since the Middle Ages, and visit the Guildhall Art Gallery, established in 1886 as ‘a Collection of Art Treasures worthy of the capital city’ and see works dating from 1670 to the present, including 17th-century portraits, Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces and a range of paintings documenting London’s dramatic history. If time permits, we’ll visit the Roman Amphitheatre beneath the gallery.
We’ll depart the Bear Hotel, Wantage at 12pm and return, departing College of Arms approx 8.15 – 8.30pm arriving back in Wantage around 10pm.
Numbers are limited to 20 for this trip.
PLEASE BRING A PACKED LUNCH TO EAT ON THE COACH
Website:
https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/
http://www.guildhall.cityoflondon.gov.uk/
Monday 21 January 2019 – A Walking Tour of Some Oxford College Libraries with Alastair Lack
Booking Months: October and November
Cost: to be advised
We shall meet at Jesus College Lodge at 1.45 pm. The Fellows’ Library is a glorious galleried room built in 1676-1677. It contains bookcases that are decorated with strap work dating from around 1628, as well as around 11,000 antiquarian printed volumes.
We shall then move to Merton College. The Library here is one of the earliest libraries in England and the oldest academic library in the world still in continuous daily use. The oldest part known as The Upper Library is on the first floor of two orthogonal ranges of buildings which were built around 1373 as part of the completion of Mob Quad, one of the first collegiate quadrangles. Because Merton will only allow 10 people per visit to the library, Alastair will take the other 10 for a visit to the college and the chapel and then swap the two groups over.
Our last port of call will be Christ Church College Library. The first library was established in 1562 and the books, of which around 140 remain, were originally chained to wooden lecterns. The new library was designed in the 18th century. The building was started in 1717 and was not completed until 1772. The books were housed on the first floor to avoid damp and flooding while the ground floor was designed as a loggia, but the protracted construction led to the enclosure of the ground floor as a picture gallery.
Website:
Sunday 03 March 2019 – The Bodleian Library, Oxford – Upstairs and Downstairs
Booking Months: January 2019 and February 2019
Cost: to be advised
This guided tour offers an opportunity to visit the 15th century Divinity School, Convocation House, the Chancellor’s Court, Duke Humphrey’s Medieval Library, the Radcliffe Camera and the Gladstone Link.
The Divinity School was designed specifically for lectures, oral examinations and discussions in Theology. It is built in the Perpendicular style with a very beautiful vaulted fan ceiling. The Convocation House and the Chancellor’s Court adjoins the Divinity School which pre-dates it by 200 years. It was built as a meeting place for the University’s supreme legislative body and Parliament was held there during the Civil War
Duke Humphrey was the youngest son of King Henry IV. He collected many books (a relative term as the printing press had not been invented). He bequeathed his collection to the University which built a new library to house it. Today it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian.
There are 5 reading rooms in the old Bodleian and the Radcliffe Camera and the two buildings are connected by the underground Gladstone Link.
There will be availability for 2 groups of 13 on different Sunday afternoons in March 2019 – either the 3rd or 17th. Both visits start at 13.15pm. The guided tour is 90 minutes long and will finish with a cream tea at the Bodleian cafe. There are a number of stairs.
Website:
Sunday 17 March 2019 – The Bodleian Library, Oxford – Upstairs and Downstairs
Booking Months: January 2019 and February 2019
Cost: to be advised
This guided tour offers an opportunity to visit the 15th century Divinity School, Convocation House, the Chancellor’s Court, Duke Humphrey’s Medieval Library, the Radcliffe Camera and the Gladstone Link.
The Divinity School was designed specifically for lectures, oral examinations and discussions in Theology. It is built in the Perpendicular style with a very beautiful vaulted fan ceiling. The Convocation House and the Chancellor’s Court adjoins the Divinity School which pre-dates it by 200 years. It was built as a meeting place for the University’s supreme legislative body and Parliament was held there during the Civil War
Duke Humphrey was the youngest son of King Henry IV. He collected many books (a relative term as the printing press had not been invented). He bequeathed his collection to the University which built a new library to house it. Today it is the oldest reading room in the Bodleian.
There are 5 reading rooms in the old Bodleian and the Radcliffe Camera and the two buildings are connected by the underground Gladstone Link.
There will be availability for 2 groups of 13 on different Sunday afternoons in March 2019 – either the 3rd or 17th. Both visits start at 13.15pm. The guided tour is 90 minutes long and will finish with a cream tea at the Bodleian cafe. There are a number of stairs.
Website:
Wednesday 15 May 2019 – Watt’s Gallery Artists’ Village, Compton, Surrey
Booking Months: March 2019 and April 2019
Cost: £48
George Frederic Watts OM, RA (1817 – 1904) was widely considered to be the greatest painter of the Victorian era. A portraitist, sculptor, landscape painter and symbolist, his work embodied the most pressing themes and ideas of the time.
His wife Mary Watts (née Fraser Tytler) (1849-1938) was a renowned designer in her own right, founder of the Compton Pottery (1900) and creator of Watts Chapel.
Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village is a unique Arts & Crafts gem nestled in the Surrey Hills. Discover stunning Victorian paintings and sculpture, wander to the nearby Grade I listed Watts Chapel, taking in the beautiful woodlands and grounds, or find out more about the lives and works of G F and Mary Watts at Watts Studios before taking a tour of the artists’ home, Limnerslease, which was designed by Sir Ernest George with original ceilings designed by Mary Watts. Hear about the people who visited and the creative and cultural life of George and Mary, as well as their contemporaries and the local community who they welcomed here.
Mary Watts was the artistic force behind the creation of Watts Chapel, and she dedicated it to ‘the loving memory of all who find rest near its walls…..’. G F and Mary Watts both rest in Cemetery, as do many other people who have played a role in the Artists’ Village over the years. Landscape, art and remembrance are beautifully blended together in this Grade I listed building. Up close, the extraordinary design and decoration both fascinate and overwhelm all who venture up the winding yew tree paths.
In 1895 Mary began to run evening Terracotta Classes at Limnerslease, the Watts’ nearby residence and studio. At these classes Mary would teach local villagers how to model tiles from local terracotta clay with the beautiful and symbolic patterns that she had designed to decorate the walls of the Chapel. G F Watts financed the building of the Chapel through painting commissioned portraits.
Including:
Coffee & biscuits on arrival
Lunch
Tours of Limnerlease House/Watt’s Gallery/Watt’s Chapel
Free time to visit the studios & De Morgan Collection
Website:
https://www.wattsgallery.org.uk/
Thursday 04 July 2019 – Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Bristol
Booking Months: May 2019 and June 2019
Cost: £39 – cheque or cash only
Brunel’s SS Great Britain is one of the most important historic ships in the world. When she was launched in 1843 she was called ‘the greatest experiment since the Creation’.
By combining size, power and innovative technology, Brunel created a ship that changed history. She was built as a luxury liner but ran aground in 1846. She then carried 15,000 emigrants to Australia, after which she was converted to sail as a cargo ship and finally acted as a floating warehouse. In the thirty years between her scuttling and recovery the elements had taken their toll on her iron hull. At the time of her rescue she was in a poor state and a team of seven conservators took three years to complete the restoration.
We’ll have a private guided tour of the ship, with lunch on board, and visit the Brunel Institute to see items from the archive/hear about passenger diaries etc and in the afternoon a guided walk of the historic dockyard.
Website:
https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/
Tuesday 15 October 2019 – Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum
Booking Months: June, July and September
Cost: £35
The museum is housed in factory buildings remaining when it closed in 2009. It holds the world’s largest collection of Worcester porcelain dating back to its inception in 1751.
In 1751 John Wall, a physician, and William Davis, an apothecary, with investment from a group of local businessmen, established a porcelain factory in Worcester on the banks of the river Severn. Royal Warrants were subsequently granted by George III, George IV and Charlotte, Princess of Wales due to the high quality of Worcester Porcelain and the word ‘Royal’ was added to the name.
Manufacture was consolidated on the current factory site in 1840 and major modernisation followed in 1862 leading to the formation of the Worcester Royal Porcelain Company Limited
On arrival we shall have a cup of tea/coffee and a biscuit and then enjoy a talk by Roger Green. With over 40 years experience in Ornamental Ware, Roger is well qualified to take visitors through the process of figurine construction from design to construction. His role at Royal Worcester covers every aspect of production and he will talk about the many designers and characters he worked with and will use real examples to show how the models were cut into pieces, blocked,cased and propped up ready for firing in the kiln. Many different skills are required in the ornamental department, and with the use of his own quirky stories about the eccentric workforce and the factory social scene, Roger will unravel the process which took seven months from design to completion.
Once you have heard Roger’s talk, you are free to visit the Museum Galleries at you leisure and watch Ken Russell , a master gilder, at work and marvel at the skills he shows .
We shall have lunch in a private room in the museum at about 1pm
After lunch you are free to leave the museum and can re-enter at any time of the day.
In addition to the Museum there is a Heritage Trail Walk. It is all close by.( You will be given a map) It includes Worcester Cathedral, 5mins away, The Commandery, a grade 1 listed property which served as King Charles’ 11 headquarters during the Civil War, Friars Street, which contains some of the oldest buildings in the city dating back to the 13th Century and The Infirmary which combines history, science,art and technology.
There is plenty to do and see for an enjoyable day out.
Thursday 11 March 2021 – LEGAL LONDON – Zoom talk with Emma Matthews
Booking Months: Zoom Link will be sent to members
Cost:
Explore the private spaces of the Inns of Court with its cobbled streets, gas lights and ancient buildings, stunning architecture, tranquil gardens, gowned and bewigged barristers. Uncover the secrets of crusaders and campaigners in a hidden part of London dating back to the 1200s. Emma, a former barrister, worked in the Inner Temple and Royal Courts of Justice for many years before she became a guide, and is the perfect companion on this virtual tour.
Society members will receive an email invitation with the Zoom Link.
START TIME 10.30
Website:
Friday 16 April 2021 – London’s Soho – Zoom walk by Pepe Martinez
Booking Months: Zoom Link will be sent to members – Start at 10.30
Cost:
The West End of London, with its theatres, hotels and huge mansions, has always been one of the most glittering districts of the city. However there is a small part of it that had an altogether darker reputation.
Soho for centuries was the place where the rich went to have illicit fun. This virtual walk will introduce you to some of the famous characters and personalities that have shaped the last 350 years of Soho history from Casanova’s mistress to the King of Porn, from the creator of communism to the inventor of television.
Pepe Martinez is an award winning London Blue Badge Tourist guide.
He was born in the East End and has lived there all his life.
He is an accredited Institute of Tourist Guiding Trainer and is currently tutoring on the London Blue badge training course
Society members will receive an email invitation with the Zoom Link.
START TIME 10.30
Website:
Friday 15 January 2021 – The Old East End of London – Zoom talk by Pepe Martinez
Booking Months: Zoom Link will be sent to members
Cost:
The East End is one of London’s most fascinating and dynamic distrtcts .It is essentially the story of immigration, wave after wave of people coming to London to seek refuge and looking for a better life. This virtual tour tells their story. Using powerful images, videos and google street view, our journey takes us from the arrival of the French Hugenots in 1680’s through to the late 1930’s and nearly 10,000 mainly Jewish children who arrived at Liverpool Street Station having been secretly evacuated out of Nazi occupied Europe before the outbreak of WW2
Pepe Martinez is an award winning London Blue Badge Tourist guide.
He was born in the East End and has lived there all his life.
He is an accredited Institute of Tourist Guiding Trainer and is currently tutoring on the London Blue badge training course
Society members will receive an email invitation with the Zoom Link.
START TIME 10.30
Website:
Friday 04 December 2020 – Bronzes to Banksy – Zoom Lecture by Ian Swankie
Booking Months: Booking not required
Cost: No charge
An online tour of some of London’s best Public Art and Street Art
with our expert guide, Ian Swankie
Society members will receive an email invitation with the Zoom Link.
START TIME 10.30
This lively, visual, hour-long tour combines a map and photographs, as well as short video clips filmed on location, accompanied by Ian’s well-informed commentary. We will see parts of London we may think we already know well but there are some unexpected surprises in store – artworks that inspire, that enhance and some that will amuse and provoke us too.
During our stops along the way, Ian will point out monumental historical sculptural works as well as spontaneous expressions of street art where the paint has yet to dry. Compositions use mixed media ranging from metal, stone, ceramics, plaster and paint – in fact any material available that will withstand the elements – even including chewing gum!
At the end of the tour, Ian is happy to answer any questions you may have.
Submit these questions using the Zoom Webinar ‘Q&A’ button on your screen
Website:
Thursday 02 September 2021 – Longford Castle, Bodenham, Salisbury
Booking Months: Members will be emailed in July with details of the visit and how to apply for tickets.
Cost: to be decided
We will have a Private tour of Longford Castle along with its important art collection, which has a special connection with the National Gallery, and, weather permitting, a stroll around the garden,
Longford is one of Britain’s grandest houses and has been the home of the Earls of Radnor for over 300 years. It is famous for its art collection which includes paintings by van Dyck, Brueghel the Elder, Claude, Teniers, Hals, Reynolds and Gainsborough as well as oriental porcelain, Brussels tapestries and exceptional C18th English and continental furniture.
The tour will last about 2 hours.
Website:
https://www.longfordestates.co.uk
Tuesday 05 October 2021 – Heraldry in the City of Oxford
Booking Months: Booking Now
Cost: £10
A walking tour with Alastair Lack to look at some examples of Heraldry in the City of Oxford.
We shall meet Alastair outside the Ashmolean at 1.45pm ready to start the walk at 2pm
It will end at 4pm in the centre of Oxford around Radcliffe Square. The walk is about 0.8 mile.
There is so much heraldry in the city on memorials, e.g. the Martyrs memorial or college gates or on the main frontages of colleges as well as in them. It promises to be an interesting outing’
There are 2 dates for the walk
Tuesday 5th and Thursday 7th October,2021. Only 13 people can be accommodated on each walk due to a restriction by Exeter College. Alastair will do a 3rd one if there is sufficient demand.
There will not be a coach. You must make your own way into Oxford.
The cost, which includes entry into Exeter College is £10 per person.
To book your place please send a stamped self addressed envelope
to
Visits Secretary
9 Witan Way
Wantage
Oxon OX12 9EU.
Please include a cheque for £10 made payable to The Arts Society Wantage
Please indicate which date you would prefer.
The ticket will be sent to you.
This will be done on a first come first served basis.
Website:
Thursday 07 October 2021 – Heraldry in the City of Oxford
Booking Months: Booking Now
Cost: £10
A walking tour with Alastair Lack to look at some examples of Heraldry in the City of Oxford.
We shall meet Alastair outside the Ashmolean at 1.45pm ready to start the walk at 2pm
It will end at 4pm in the centre of Oxford around Radcliffe Square. The walk is about 0.8 mile.
There is so much heraldry in the city on memorials, e.g. the Martyrs memorial or college gates or on the main frontages of colleges as well as in them. It promises to be an interesting outing’
There are 2 dates for the walk
Tuesday 5th and Thursday 7th October,2021. Only 13 people can be accommodated on each walk due to a restriction by Exeter College. Alastair will do a 3rd one if there is sufficient demand.
There will not be a coach. You must make your own way into Oxford.
The cost, which includes entry into Exeter College is £10 per person.
To book your place please send a stamped self addressed envelope
to
Visits Secretary
9 Witan Way
Wantage
Oxon OX12 9EU.
Please include a cheque for £10 made payable to The Arts Society Wantage
Please indicate which date you would prefer.
The ticket will be sent to you.
This will be done on a first come first served basis.
Website:
Friday 14 May 2021 – Poets, Precipitation and Pencils – an introduction to the Lake District – Zoom walk with Rachel Pearson
Booking Months: .
Cost:
The Lake District is one of the most scenic areas of England with its majestic mountains, breath-taking views and crystal-clear lakes; there is plenty for any fan of the countryside to enjoy. But this area is more than just a pretty face. Join Rachel as she discusses the ancient origins of this part of the world, some of the poets and writers who have been inspired by its beauty, the often over-looked towns and how this came to be such a tourist hot-spot. Rachel, who was born in the Lakes, will also reveal the success behind a locally produced mint flavoured sweet and why this area is known for its pencils!
Website:
Friday 06 May 2022 – Ashmolean Exhibition and Talk – The works of Camille Pissarro
Booking Months: Information to be emailed
Cost: to be decided
Camille Pisssaro was one of the most celebrated artist of 19th century France.
The exhibition features 120 works by Pissaro and 40 by his friends and contemporaries.
Works have been drawn from the Ashmolean’s collection as well as International loans and it spans Pissaro’s entire career
The day will start at 11am with tea/coffee and biscuits
We shall then have a talk about Pissaro in the lecture room
There will be a break for lunch before timed entry into the exhibition .
Website:
https://www.ashmolean.org/article/pissarro-father-of-impressionism
Wednesday 29 June 2022 – Boughton House and Gardens, Kettering
Booking Months: At May and June Lectures
Cost: to be decided
This remarkable house, the English home of the Duke of Buccleuch and
Queensberry is a blend of the intimate and the grand, drawing its inspiration from the Palace of Versailles. Its village-like Tudor courtyards contrast with its palatial 18th century additions, earning it the title ‘The English Versailles’
Visitors can view a magnificent range of paintings by great artists, including The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco, Gainsborough’s, more than forty grisailles and portraits by Van Dyck, and Breaking Cover by John Wootton to name but a few.
Boughton also has some of the best-preserved baroque State Rooms in the British Isles. Here you can walk through grand apartments of contrasting character decorated in extravagant yet elegant taste.
The surrounding designed landscape has been carefully restored over the last decade with wide sculptured lawns to survey, serene lakes, waterways, woods and avenues of trees to be strolled down.
Our Private visit will include coffee on arrival, a guided tour of 20 rooms of the house, lunch and time to discover the garden. The formal gardens include the Walled Garden with its herbaceous border, flowerbeds and newly created Sensory Garden. There will be an optional guided tour of the gardens when booking, otherwise you will be free to wander at leisure.
Website:
https://www.boughtonhouse.co.uk/
Tuesday 01 October 2024 – Duncan Grant Collection at St Peter’s College, Oxford
Booking Months: Booking July meeting
Cost: £3
A tour of the works of Duncan Grant, member of the Bloomsbury Group, which are held at St Peter’s College, Oxford
Tea and Coffee included
Thursday 06 June 2024 – Claydon House , Buckinghamshire
Booking Months: Booking March and April meetings
Cost: £8 for NT members, £17-50 for non- NT members
This will be a private tour of the house for our group – when the house is closed to the public.
We will also be shown rooms in the Verney family apartment – recently returned to the National Trust
The cafe will be open.
Own transport/car share
Website:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/oxfordshire-buckinghamshire-berkshire/claydon-house
Friday 20 October 2023 – The Ashmolean Museum – Western Art Print Room
Booking Months: July, September
Cost: £15/person
There will be a talk to introduce the Print Room and show some of the highlights of the print collection including some of the pre-raphaelites work.
Then we will be able to look at the examples ourselves in more detail.
Transport to the Ashmolean must be arranged by yourselves but car sharing will be organised where possible.
Start Time 2pm
There will be a maximum of 24 people
Wednesday 21 June 2023 – Rousham House & Garden
Booking Months: To be decided
Cost: £20
Rousham is a Jacobean house with Georgian remodelling and retains many 17th century features. The gardens represent the first phase of English landscape design and remains almost as its designer William Kent left it. Many of the features that delighted its 18th century visitors are still there for 21st century visitors to enjoy.
We will be making our own way there (including car sharing).
We have a guided tour of the house booked at 11am.
There is no cafe but you may picnic in the gardens. Alternatively there are several good pubs fairly nearby.
Website:
https://rousham.org/
Friday 09 December 2022 – Bayeaux Tapestry, Reading Museum
Booking Months: October and November
Cost: to be decided
The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the world’s most famous pieces of medieval art. It is seventy-metres long, and retraces the history of the Norman conquest of England, when William the Conqueror invaded and defeated King Harold Godwinson.
In the late 19th century, an extremely ambitious project was undertaken by a group of Victorian embroiderers to recreate the Bayeux Tapestry in full, painstakingly reproducing every single detail, stitch-by-stitch, so that the Tapestry’s timeless story could be enjoyed by the people of Britain.
The travel arrangements are to be decided.
Details will be emailed to members.
Website:
https://www.readingmuseum.org.uk/collections/britains-bayeux-tapestry
Friday 14 January 2022 – Walking through The Centuries: Time travel in York with Sarah Cowling
Booking Months: Zoom online details will be emailed to members
Cost: No Charge
An online Zoom walk starting at 10.30am
“George V! said that the History of York is the History of England.
Come and join Sarah as we put that theory to the test, by time travelling through 2,000 years, from the Roman Fort of Eboracum., via the Vikings, through the winding medieval streets clustered about the giant Minster to the homes and playgrounds of elegant Georgians and the legacy of Victorian ingenuity and industry. York is one of England’s most beautiful cities. So come and uncover the many layers which make up it’s fascinating history.
Website:
Tuesday 07 December 2021 – An Online Zoom Walk Around Old Chelsea with Blue Badge Guide Emma Matthews
Booking Months: Zoom online details will be emailed to members
Cost: No Charge
An online Zoom walk starting at 10.30am
In today’s London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, come and find out what has brought Kings, courtesans, actors and artists to Chelsea from the 1500s up to the trendiest and wealthiest of today. With stunning architecture and great stories this will be an hour of history and scandal not to be missed.
Website:
Tuesday 03 December 2019 – Tutankhamun Exhibition at Saatchi Gallery, London
Booking Months: October and November
Cost: £36
The final time these extraordinary treasures will appear in London and the largest Exhibition to ever tour, celebrating the centenary since the discovery of the tomb.
Over 150 priceless artifacts will be displayed.
Entry to exhibition at Saatchi Gallery 2pm
Morning free for Christmas shopping and lunch.
Within walking distance are Royal Chelsea Hospital,
Chelsea Physic Garden , V&A and Carlyle’s House
Website:
https://tutankhamun-london.com/
Monday 27 October 2025 – Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere and Shaw House, Newbury
Booking Months: Contact Visit Secretary
Cost: £34
Travelling by coach, we will leave Wantage around 9.30 am.
Our morning visit is to:-
Sandham Memorial Chapel, Burghclere – to see the wonderful collection of paintings by Stanley Spencer, linked to his experience of the First World War, Salonika campaign in particular.
Although the Chapel is a looked after by the National Trust, they will be opening for us especially that morning, we will have a guided tour, by the art guide. There will also be a chance to view the exhibitions in the almshouses nearby.
Following the artist’s request, the painting are viewed by natural light only.
Access to the gardens will be rather limited by maintenance that day.
Most of the pathway and the Chapel itself are on one level, with just three steps at the front of the chapel, a portable ramp is available if required.
Our afternoon visit is to:-
Shaw House, just outside Newbury.
Shaw house is a handsome Elizabethan manor, which is now run by West Berkshire Heritage.
It is now a multi-use building, which also contains a registry office.
The interior is very well equipped for accessibility. There is a short walk from the car park.
We will have a guided tour, which will include areas not usually seen by the public.
The tour also includes a cup of tea/coffee in the cafe.
A lunch of sandwiches/cakes can be supplied as an inexpensive extra.
We should be boarding the coach back to Wantage around 4pm
Costings for the day include:-
Coach travel
A guided tour of Sandham Memorial Chapel – £8.50 per person
(entrance to the Chapel is free to NT members, an additional £10-45 for non-members, TO BE PAID DIRECT TO NT ON THE DAY)
A guided tour of Shaw House + tea/coffee – £12 per person
(it will also be possible, nearer the time, to book sandwiches/cake for £6.50 per person, more details to follow).
The price for both guided tours and the coach is £34 per person. (additional costs not included).
Due to the next lecture meeting not being until the end of September, booking will be on a first come, first served basis payable online or cheque.
Website:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/hampshire/sandham-memorial-chapel
https://www.westberkshireheritage.org/shaw-house
Wednesday 06 May 2026 – Christ Church College, Oxford
Booking Months: Contact Visit Secretary
Cost: £21.50
Morning
2 x 12 people group visits to the Picture Gallery, entrance off Oriel Sq. (11.10 & 11.45am). Self-guided.
Afternoon
Multimedia tour for 24 people. Starting at the visitor reception in Christ Church meadows, St Aldates. (2pm)
In between these events, there will be plenty of time for lunch or shopping or you may wish to organise to visit another current exhibition of your choosing e.g.
‘In Bloom, How Plants Changed our World’ – Ashmolean Museum
‘Foraging Connections’ – MOMA
‘Pets & their people’ – Weston Library, Bodleian, Broad St
Make your own way to & from Oxford
Website:
https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/visit
https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/visit/picture-gallery






























































