Our new website is at www.theartssocietyrichmond.org.uk
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We are no longer updating this old website of ours.
Tuesday 24 January 2023
Visit to the ING Barings Art Collection #1
Our January visit is to the fantastic art collection owned by ING Barings Bank in the City. After a drink on arrival, Art and Archive Curator Clara Harrow will take us around the magnificent collection which includes portraits, 18th and 19th century watercolours, modern British art and contemporary pieces. Barings played a leading role in the development of the British and international financial world from the 1760s until the late 20th century and the works reflect the character and history of Barings bank, including stately 18th and 19th century portraits of the Baring family who sought out the leading artists of the day such as Sir Thomas Lawrence, Benjamin West and John Linnell, and also 20th century works by artists such as Stanley Spencer, John and Paul Nash, L.S. Lowry, John Minton and Keith Vaughan, together with fine watercolours by Samuel Palmer, Edward Lear, Francis Towne, and Peter de Wint.
Wednesday 15 February 2023
Visit to the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace and the Chapel Royal #1
Our ‘Talk and Tour’ visit of the Royal School will last for about 1½ hours and begins with an illustrated talk delivered by a member of staff or Royal School of Needlework tutor. Your guided tour of the exhibition, “A Girl’s Education in Stitch”, will follow the talk. Afterwards, Jenny Lebus will give us a guided tour of the wonderful Chapel at Hampton Court Palace.
Thursday 16 March 2023
Visit to the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace and the Chapel Royal #2
A second visit to the Royal School of Needwork and the Chapel Royal for those who were on the waiting list for the first visit – see above.
Thursday 23 March 2023
Visit to the ING Barings Art Collection #2
A second visit to the ING Barings Art Collection for those who were on the waiting list for the first visit – see above.
Thursday 20 April 2023
Visit to Blenheim Palace
Enjoy an all day visit to Blenheim Palace and see the magnificent gardens.
Tuesday 9 May 2023
Visit to Glorious Greenwich
From Tower Bridge to Greenwich by boat for a walking tour of Greenwich, visiting Nicholas Hawksmoor’s magnificent St Alfege Church in the middle of town, the Cutty Sark, Wren’s baroque buildings of the Royal Naval College, the Queen’s House and after a lunch break the Painted Hall.
Wednesday 21 June 2023
A walk to view beautiful stained glass windows in City churches
The walk will be led by Anna Warrilow who has led many of our previous walks very successfully. The visit is being organised by Betty Makin.
Wednesday 12 July 2023
Visit to Kings Cross and St Pancras
Blue Badge Guide Katherine Alcock will show us around the King’s Cross/St Pancras development.
Tuesday 8 August 2023
Visit to Cookham and Sandham Chapel
A morning visit to Sandham Memorial Chapel in Burghclere near Newbury followed by lunch and an afternoon visit to the Stanley Spencer Gallery and a walk in Cookham. The chapel is a National Trust property and was built to accommodate a series of paintings by Stanley Spencer, commemorating the life of Lieutenant Henry Willoughby Sandham who died of illness contracted in Macedonia after the First World War. We will then move on to Cookham to see the Stanley Spencer Art Gallery and enjoy a short walk around the village before returning home.
Thursday 14 September 2023
Visit to the world famous clocks collection at the British Museum
Our 14th September visit is to the Clocks Department of the British Museum. There will be two one-hour tours led by Oliver Cooke, Curator of Horology, and we will use Vox machines. We last visited the Clocks Department in 2015 and this will be a wonderful opportunity to see more of their fantastic collection.
Thursday 12 October 2023
Visit to Rangers House and the Fan Museum in Greenwich
We will visit the spectacular Ranger’s House and Fan Museum in Greenwich. We will see one of the greatest surviving private collections in Europe at Ranger’s House. Our guide will tell us the story of Sir Julius Werner (1850-1912) and his artworks, ranging from ornate medieval jewellery, Italian ceramics and bronze sculptures to Renaissance paintings, 18th century furniture and British portraits. Following this, we will visit The Fan Museum, the UK’s only museum devoted to the history, culture and artistry of fans. It is home to a diverse collection from around the world, dating from the 12th century to the present day.
Wednesday 29th November 2023
Visit to BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the Hindu Temple in Neasden
We will have a guided tour of the Temple to include the exhibition “Understanding Hinduism” which explores the beliefs, values and wisdom of the world’s oldest living faith and we will attend a short prayer session in the Inner Sanctum and see the ornate shrines that house sacred images of the Deities. We will have lunch in the on-site restaurant which will consist of a simple vegetarian buffet. For those interested in Indian food and spices, there is a fascinating shop next to the restaurant.
Friday 8th December 2023
Visit to the Olympia Auction House in Hammersmith
Adrian Biddell (formerly of Sotherby’s) will host a talk about his upcoming auction of Fine Paintings, Works on Paper and Sculptures, which takes place the following week at Olympia Auctions in Hammersmith. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be served.
Friday 15th December 2023
Visit to the National Portrait Gallery
There will be morning and afternoon tours, each lasting 90mins, guided by Art Historian and Blue Badge Guide Sara Ciacci. We will explore the newly reopened National Portrait Gallery which has had an extensive rehang and reconstructure. The NPG is our national collection of portraits of people who have contributed to British history and culture. We will say hello to some of our old friends, familiar portraits such as Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Shakespeare, but we will also meet new faces, people who help tell a much richer, perhaps forgotten and perhaps sometimes challenging story of Britain.
Please go to our new website at www.theartssocietyrichmond.org.uk for our later visits