Sunday 10th – Thursday 14th May

When Rosie Mortimer was advertising her most recent tour earlier in the year, a number of us, ignorant Southerners, were sceptical. A successful Success Tour to Liverpool, as a European Capital of Culture? But surely Liverpool is just the Beatles and a football team…

Early on Sunday morning, a coach arrived in Pangbourne. It was driven throughout our tour with consummate skill by our ever cheerful Polish driver, Andy, who had also been our driver last year for the visit to Wales. He picked up 34 of us from various points in the Goring area, on our way to an eye-opening three days ‘Up North’.

Our midday stop was at Lichfield, a visit to the three-spired medieval Cathedral. Very knowledgeable guides were on hand to take us round. They went out of their way to make us feel very welcome as we were shown the ancient St Chad Gospels, the Lichfield angel, Herkenrode Glass and the Cathedral’s many other treasures. Despite an ominous weather forecast, we were able to explore the City in brilliant sunshine and even eat out sandwiches al fresco in the nearby beautifully maintained Museum Gardens.

We arrived in the early evening at the Portman hotel at Kings Dock on the Liverpool waterfront, transformed in recent years from decrepit warehouses to vibrant conference area. Servicing that market, our hotel was bustling and later, the night being fine, a number enjoyed Liverpool by Night from the nearby Ferris wheel.

Our blue-badge guide the following morning seemed to confirm the earliest suspicions about Liverpool as he announced that we would start by visiting various Beatles locations around the City. We were warned that there were to be dire consequences for us Southerners if, as we approached Penny Lane, we did not deliver a lusty rendering of the Beatles song of that name. We only knew the chorus and not all the verses, but there were no consequences, apart from group photos to prove that we had been there.

On then to the magnificent St George’s Hall, past many streets of handsome Georgian terraces, the City having, our guide assured us, more Georgian houses even than Bath. He also pointed out that Liverpool has no less than four universities, as well as four theatres and its Philharmonic Orchestra. A brief visit followed to St George’s Hall, one of the finest examples of neo-classical architecture in the world and housing the truly imposing City Library, and so to the Anglican Cathedral. Brick-built in the 20th century, the City fathers clearly intended that, as the largest cathedral in Britain, it should truly reflect Liverpool’s status at the time as the most up-and-coming city in the realm. It seemed that, not to be outdone, the Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, started in 1930, was intended to surpass its Protestant neighbour. However, World War II intervened, so that only the Crypt of the original Lutyens building was actually completed. Subsequently, following a worldwide competition in the 1960s, an inclusive cathedral was created in the round, bathed in light from a soaring lantern tower above, with beautiful modernist stained glass giving different light effects round the church.

We were driven through an industrial suburb to Crosby Beach and the Gormley Statues, entitled “Another Place”. On a vast foreshore, at low tide and in a biting wind, these cast iron and widely dispersed life-size naked men, of whom we could only see two at close quarters, looked chilly and forlorn.

Our visit on Tuesday was to the Walker Art Gallery, another imposing Victorian edifice at the very centre of cultural Liverpool. There, our knowledgeable guide sensibly concentrated on a detailed exposé of the importance of just a very few pictures, letting us explore the Gallery further when she had finished, especially its collection of pre-Raphaelite artworks. The afternoon saw the group scattered across the City, enjoying Liverpool by day. One sensed a renewed civic pride, especially in the skilfully restored dockland area, a sharp and refreshing contrast to the photos of this grime-filled district of yesteryear.

Wednesday morning had us driving through the Mersey Tunnel to Everton, and Port Sunlight village. Founded by ‘Soap King’ William Lever in the late 1800s, the garden village is a unique example of early urban planning in Britain. Built to house workers from the nearby Lever Brothers Soap factory, the village represents many periods of British building history. Within the village is the Lady Lever Gallery, founded in the 1920s, and our first port of call. A free flow visit saw us immersed in a magnificent collection of paintings and sculpture, as well as Wedgwood porcelain, chinoiserie and much more. A blue-badge guided visit by coach to the village followed, then lunch at a choice of options, and we were off, back under the Mersey to the countryside clear of Liverpool, to the National Trust’s Speke Hall. Rain threatened and, for the only time on our trip, briefly materialised as we were expertly guided round the outside of this rare timber-framed Tudor house. After a period of neglect it was restored during the Victorian era, and now represents a unique combination of 16th century simplicity and the 19th century Arts and Crafts aesthetic.

The long drive home was agreeably punctuated by a break in Birmingham. One wondered what a visit to Winterbourne House and Gardens actually portended. The answer was absolute delight as, after a detailed introduction by one of the staff, we were able to enjoy this charming example of an Edwardian suburban villa and gardens. The house’s interior features beautiful examples of craftmanship from the Arts and Crafts movement, and the seven-acre botanical gardens are Grade II listed. Once more aboard our coach and Andy’s care, we sped down the M40, to reach Goring in ample time for any evening activity.

So – was Rosie’s Success Tour to cultural Liverpool indeed a success? Yes, resoundingly.

Nigel Suffieldl-Jones

Four-night tour of Liverpool, from Sunday 10th to Thursday 14th May

Please note that this tour is now fully booked

 The city of Liverpool is a wonderful combination of cosmopolitan, cultural and commercial attracting a wealth of visitors. Transformed into one of the North of England’s most dynamic urban centres, Liverpool’s regeneration has made it an exciting cultural hub. Explore the maritime heritage of the River Mersey and its dockside, historic attractions and the decorative arts at the city’s many museums and galleries. Filled with restaurants, cafés and shops, the centre has a buzzing atmosphere, a proud musical heritage and a vibrant sporting culture.

What’s included:

• Visit to Lichfield Cathedral
• Full day guided tour of Liverpool. including the Metropolitan, Anglican Cathedrals and St George’s Hall
• Guided tour of the Walker Gallery
• Visit to Speke Hall (NT)
• Guided tour of Port Sunlight
• Visit to the Lady Lever Gallery
• Free time in the Docks area
• Visit to the Gormley Statues
• Admission to Winterbourne House and Gardens

Accommodation is on a half-board basis at the Pullman Hotel Liverpool, for £800 per person (single supplement £150per person for sole use of a twin / double room)

For more information go to 'Documents' under 'Our Society' for the Flyer and How to Book forms.

To ensure a place please visit Success Tour’s website: www.successtours.com/private-tours/gor0526 or www.successtours.com and in the Unique Code box enter the code: GOR0526 (3 letters and 4 numbers).

In early October, twenty-eight intrepid travellers set forth to discover the delights of the Loire. They sailed from Portsmouth into a magnificent sunset, gliding past the historic dockyards for a mill pond channel crossing to France. The mood was decidedly jolly fuelled by a decent supper aboard the Brittany Ferry. 

 The first night was spent at a hotel curiously styled on a Canadian hunting lodge. In the morning an excellent breakfast was followed by a drive through the French countryside to visit Monet’s garden at Giverny. A layer of algae adorned the famous lily pond, (to the mild indignation of those wanting a decent photograph), but the house where Monet lived and painted for forty-three years was a delight, with a beautifully coloured rustic interior, bathed in sunlight. Monet had an extensive collection of artwork, both French and Japanese. The Japanese tourists seemed particularly intrigued, having travelled round the world, to be confronted by familiar images.   

Next day, it was on to Amboise, where Leonardo da Vinci lived and worked for the last three years of his life. He arrived in1515, aged 64, following an invitation from King Francois 1, bringing some of his artwork with him, including the Mona Lisa. He lived at Chateau du Clos Luce, which houses recreations of his workshops, his library and cabinet of curiosities, as well as a model room containing forty fabulous machines based on Leonardo’s drawings, including military engineering and even a flying machine. He is buried at the Chateau Royal in Amboise, the seat of royal power during the Renaissance period.  

 Another splendid breakfast was followed by a trip to Tours, and a tour of the historic town centre with it‘s lively central square, that made an excellent location for a lazy lunch of deliciousness. The afternoon was spent at the Chateau of Villandry, with its stunning world-renowned gardens, including the decorative kitchen garden. There is an abundance of vegetables set amongst boxwood, rosebushes, arbours and fountains, softening spectacular geometric patterns. Then, as every evening, it was home to the hotel for supper, in a private room, with sociable round tables. Generous servings were washed down with Loire wine, to the sound of chatter and laughter.   

 Chateau at Azay-le-Rideau, was next. It is situated on an island and is a gem of Renaissance architecture, making it the most popular of the Loire chateaux, and then on to the Chateau at Saumur, which has a Disney quality.  Walt had sketched many of the chateaux in the area to capture his fairy tale castle image. The last stop of the day was a visit to the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, established in the Middle Ages as a monastic settlement for both men and women.  The English have sometimes been quite careless about where their royalty have been laid to rest, but we do know about Henry II, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son, Richard the Lion heart. They are buried here, (somewhere, not necessarily beneath their imposing tombs).  During the French revolution, the Abbey was seized and disestablished before becoming a prison until 1963. 

 The next day, after some unlucky people failed to secure any chocolate croissant on the “seagull” test, the coach made its way to the sixteenth century Chateau de Chambord. It is a huge folly, built as a hunting lodge, by Francois 1, in order to impress. Leonardo may have acted as an architectural adviser and suggested the idea of the famous double – helix staircase. Then it was on to Chateau Royal de Blois, with its four wings, each from different eras.  

 The final two chateaux were Chenonceau, a renaissance masterpiece and Cheverny, which has remained in the hands of the same private family for over six centuries. Chateau Chenonceau exemplifies feminine grace. It has stunning white turrets and richly decorated interior. Chateau Cheverny has the feel of a private seat of power for the descendants of the Hurault family. It has an elaborately decorated bedchamber for visiting royalty, magnificent dining and entertaining areas, and the largest room in the house is an arms room, displaying a remarkable collection of weapons and armour from the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the garden lives a pack of over two hundred deer hounds; quite a spectacle!  It was then back to the hotel for the final “seagull” test. Suppers were very friendly affairs where conversation flowed about the holiday, and what people had been up to for the past few decades. Everyone on the trip seems to have had interesting lives which often included a good deal of globe-trotting. The mix of people was excellent.  

 There was one last stop on the way to the ferry at Caen, to visit the ornate Lisieux Basilica of Sainte Therese and then back to the ferry for a last supper, slipping over the channel past the shipping lanes, into the darkness.  Roll on next October when the Goring Arts Society is off to Spain. Are you going to join us? 

 Fiona French 

Eight day tour departs on Wednesday 1st October and returns on Wednesday 8th October 2025.

We will be based on the outskirts the historic town of Amboise, which is a great base from which to explore the Loire Valley and its many majestic châteaux, once a favourite destination for the French Royal Family and Court. With wonderful gardens, traditional villages and interesting towns to discover, this region has a lot to offer. We will take the ferry crossing Portsmouth to Caen and return by ferry from Caen to Portsmouth

What’s Included:

Admission to

• Monet's Garden, Giverny
• Chateau de Chenonceau
• Chateau du Clos Luce, Amboise
• Royal Chateau of Amboise
• Chateau Royal De Blois, Blois
• Chateau de Villandry,
• Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau
• Chateau de Saumur
• Chateau de Chambord
• Chateau de Cheverny
• Admission and guided tour of Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud and museum
• Guided walking tour of 'Le Vieux' Tours (2 hours max)

Accommodation at Amboise will on a half board basis. The cost per person will be £1759 (£237 single room supplement).  

Please see full details of the tour under 'Documents,' where you will find a copy of the brochure. Please contact Rosie Mortimer for a booking form. 

After an early morning start on Sunday 13 April, the 29 passengers onboard a smart new coach bound for North Wales were looking forward to visiting Chillington Hall, a private family home in Staffordshire where the Giffard family has resided for 800 years.  The present house is Grade 1 listed Georgian with fascinating interiors, art and artefacts highlighted by our local guides and a delicious ploughman’s lunch was served by the lady of the manor in the elegant surroundings. There was then time to wander the gardens originally laid out by Capability Brown, enjoying magnificent magnolias and beautiful spring blossom trees.  However, only 5 minutes after we left, the coach suddenly lost power on a mini roundabout in a nearby village.  At least we were able to disembark, explore the village and find an hospitable pub for tea!  After 3 hours, a replacement coach arrived and we resumed our journey to Caernarfon, arriving just before the deadline for having the dinner we had chosen via mobile phone menu, at 9pm.    We celebrated with wine on every table!

Next morning, we departed for Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens. These have been lovingly and energetically restored by the current owner over the last 30 years. A beautiful walled formal garden area with colourful herbaceous borders, lawns and a pool lead to a wooded valley, river and waterfall.  Hundreds of azaleas, magnolias, bulbs and blossom everywhere.  A magical place and my favourite outing of the entire trip!  Next, we visited NT Plas Newydd, located on the Menai Straits coastline. The main attraction in the house was the huge fantasy landscape mural by Rex Whistler with a wealth of ingenious detail.  Outside the tulip displays on the terraces were beautiful - and there was an ice-cream stall! In the afternoon, we returned to Caernarfon to visit the castle, but it was now raining and the castle was suitably gloomy, but there were interesting displays and climbing opportunities with amazing views in the many towers.

Next morning we visited another Edward I castle, in delightful Conwy, which had a much more welcoming atmosphere.  After that we enjoyed a pleasant short walk to NT Plas Mawr townhouse. This small Elizabethan house is full of history, beautifully restored, and the audio guides were very entertaining.  In the afternoon we travelled to NT Bodnant gardens to admire more magnolias, azaleas, rhododendrons, flowering bulbs and beautiful vistas.

On Wednesday, a morning trip to Plas Brondanw House and garden gave an interesting insight into the personality of Clough Williams Ellis, the architect who designed the Portmeirion village. Plas Brondanw house was his private home and has displays of Portmeirion fabrics, designs and pottery. The surrounding gardens feature topiary, stone walls, turquoise gates and spectacular mountain views.  We travelled to a very wet Betws-y-Coed for lunch then went to Gwydir castle and had a fascinating guided tour led by the current owner.  Gwydir is one of the finest Tudor houses in Wales but was in a state of dereliction until the current owners began an ongoing restoration project, 30 years ago. They have even managed to recover the Tudor wooden panelling and fireplaces from the Metropolitan Museum in New York in whose warehouse they had languished since the 1921 sale of the contents by the then owners.

On Maundy Thursday we checked out of our hotel and drove through beautiful mountain scenery in glorious sunshine to visit NT Powis castle, arriving around noon. Several castle rooms are undergoing rewiring and many of the interiors were rather dark but well worth exploring. The large formal gardens include Italianate terraces, huge yew tree hedges, clipped apple blossom trees and woodland paths with bluebells. We left at 2:30pm for the long drive back to Goring arriving at 6pm.  Luckily, most of the Easter Bank holiday traffic was going the other way!

Many thanks to Andy, our wonderful Polish driver, and to Rosie for looking after us all so well!

Pat Parry

Four-night tour of North Wales, from Sunday 13th to Thursday 17th April

North Wales is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. With beautiful gardens, historic stately homes, featuring incredible art collections, and grand castles there's much to explore.  Enjoy the unspoiled coastline of the Isle of Anglesey, hidden gardens of Plas Cadnant and learn more of its rich heritage.

What’s included

• Tour of Chillington Hall &Gardens
• Visit to Plas Newydd
• Admission to Plas Brondanw House & Gardens
• Guided tour of Anglesey
• Admission to Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens
• Admission to Oriel Kyffin Williams Gallery
• Tour of Gwydir Castle
• Admission to Conway Castle
• Admission to Plas Mawr Town House
• Visit to Bodnant Gardens
• Visit to Powis Castle & Gardens

Accommodation is on a half board basis, £699 per person (single supplement - £135)

More details are available from Rosie Mortimer (Tours secretary) who can provide a booking form.  Please send completed booking forms to Success Tours with your deposit.

The European tour of the Arts Society Goring this year was to Romania, a venue that intrigued with the promise of visiting Wooden Villages, Painted Churches and Saxon Citadels and being too good to resist.

We arrived at Suceava in the Moldovia region of northeast Romania “40 kilometres from the Ukraine boarder but quite safe” we were informed as we drove through the dark to our hotel.  As morning broke Ceausescu’s grim looking tower blocks built to house the workers were visible but scanning the rooftops an amazing church covered in a Meccano structure of wooden scaffolding - obviously going to be a long job - came into view.   The Church was being used while the frescos on the external walls were restored.  

We set off to visit our first Orthodox church and arrived to discover that a 4 hour service was at midpoint!  The walls, cupola, annexes were entirely covered with frescos. Frescos are mural paintings achieved by applying water and dry colour power on freshly laid lime plaster. Blue seemed the dominant colour for the background as the scenes were created. It was all quite overwhelming as we began to identify biblical events, people from both the old and new testaments. Similar patterns of decoration were to be seen in many of the churches and monasteries in this region. One saw the elderly members of the congregation – mostly women - sitting around the edges of the walls on beautifully carved wooden chairs. The young people appeared to pop in and out, receive a blessing or pay homage to an Icon and quickly leave having ’put in an appearance’!

The monasteries were similarly highly decorated and beautifully maintained due to the diligence of the Nuns living there.  They were usually in rural settings and surrounded by beautiful gardens and buildings. At our visit to Humorului monastery we saw young students ‘cleaning’ the frescos. The restorers were laying what looked like a paper tissue over the surface then lightly brushing over this with clean water. This we were told lifted the dust off and returned the frescos to their original vibrance. Externally the sills of the windows were being steamed to produce a fresh appearance. Inside the pattern of all the internal walls covered with biblical pictures was repeated including some horrific torture scenes using every possible method imaginable.  Worship had clearly begun so we waited respectfully outside. An older Nun appeared, gave us all a disdainful glare and picked up a slim plank of wood shaped sightly like oars on both ends and processed around the external walls tapping out a rhythmical beat before sweeping back into the monastery to rejoin her fellow worshipers. As she did so her capacious cloak, all black and lined with scarlet swept her up, and a vision of Dracula came to mind… but we were on holy ground, so such wicked thoughts were suppressed. This ritual we were informed was to indicate that the prayer of consecration was about to begin.

As we travelled further south decorated eggs were on display at most of our mid- morning coffee stops. So, we paid a visit to the Egg Museum at Vama. Here shelves and rooms were filled from floor to ceiling with every conceivable size and variety of eggs, smallest to the largest and from all corners of the world, all beautifully decorated and celebrating key events both religious and secular. The numerous painting and waxing techniques were explained, and many eggs were purchased as presents on our return home.

Travelling further south through beautiful forests and lovely sweeping landscapes into Transylvania, the Orthodox churches were replaced by fortified churches with more Evangelical - Protestant- styles of worship. The frescos disappeared and were replaced by a large array of Turkish carpets.   The fortifications traced back to Romania’s turbulent political history when small marauding groups frequently made surprise attacks sending the population scurrying for the safety of the high protective external walls that encircled the church.  We learnt families could be held hostage for lengthy periods. Labelled salt cure meat carcases were hung inside the churches and families were allowed to cut off enough meat to last the week until they next returned for worship. Along the external walls rows of small wooden rooms were constructed for families, all numbered, with school rooms, storage spaces for grain, tools etc offering relative safety until the all clear was given. Another interesting feature was a small separate wooden building used by couples while they worked through their marital differences prior to possible divorce. They were allowed a very small single bed, table, chair plus a plate and spoon, knives and forks deemed too dangerous for inclusion! Their isolation was for a month after which they had either sorted their differences or attacked each other- a divorce ‘sin bin’ seemed to sum it up!

The walled Medieval city of Sighisoara, the “Pearl of Transylvania” with its lovely buildings and squares and covered Scholars’ Staircase, and delightful craft shops, was probably the most beautiful place we stayed.   We also particularly enjoyed Viscri, where King Charles has a home and has created an excellent small museum.  He is closely related through both his parents to the Romanian Royal family.

As we travelled further south through the Bucegi mountains we visited 2 castles - Bran and Peles near Sibiu and Brasov respectively. They were positioned high up in the hills and held the secrets to past history of both the country and the respective kings or princely rulers.  Both were full of beautiful highly decorated wooden furniture and wonderful views up into the mountains above.  ‘Worth the detour’ as Michelin guidebooks used to say.

So, our visit drew to its end as we drove through the mist and rain into Bucharest. Sadly, due to the weather we missed our slot to visit Ceausescu’s opulent Parliament building, the lighting alone now costing millions of pounds per year. Bucharest was like most major cities a mixture of the beautiful and the ugly, depending on age and the tastes of rulers at the time, sitting side by side as we drove out to the airport and home.

Due to the countries numerous occupying forces we tasted many delicious dishes, the variety of soups being one of our favourites. The traditional dessert of fried cream cheese doughnuts known as Papanasi, a cross between a bagel and doughnut served with red locally grown fruits and soured cream did defeat most of us.

On behalf of us all a huge thank you to Rosie for co-ordinating the trip plus Duro, Ciprian not forgetting Eli our amazing driver who manoeuvred the coach around hairpin bends and into minuscule parking bays with such care. It was a wonderful trip exploring fascinating places, buildings and learning the history of a beautiful, transformative and developing country.

Janet Knowles

A nine day tour exploring Romania, acompanied by Alina Cambir, departing 2nd October and returning 10th October

The cultural heritage of the three former principalities of Transylvania, Moldavia and Wallachia, that make up the modem state of Romania, is composed of elements derived from numerous outside influences. Over the course of its turbulent history, Romania has been subjected to the cultural influences of the ancient Greeks, Romans, Slav, Bulgarian and Hungarian invaders, Byzantium, German settlers, Ottoman Turks and the Habsburg empire. All these have blended with one another and with the ancient indigenous civilization of the Geto-Dacians to give Romania one of the richest and most varied cultures in Europe with wonderful art and architecture.

The journey begins in Bucovina, in northern Moldavia, where we will visit some of the most important magnificent Moldavian painted churches, all of which situated in spectacular mountain scenery.  From Bucovina, we will drive south through the beautiful forest and mountain scenery of Transylvania, staying at Sighisoara, Sibiu and Brasov, which are three of the Siebenbiirgen (the seven fortified cities built in the Middle Ages by German settlers known as Saxons). On the way we will visit a series of monasteries, churches and Saxon fortified citadels.

Before returning to Bucharest, we will visit the magnificent Peles Castle, built for King Carol I and Queen Elisabeta, better known as the writer Carmen Sylva, in a bizarre mixture of pseudo- 2 Renaissance, Byzantine and Moorish styles. The journey ends with a visit to Bucharest itself, where magnificent Byzantine churches are juxtaposed next to palatial Beaux-Arts town houses.

Alina Cambir, who will accompany us is a very experienced and knowledgeable Romanian guide who has accompanied several very successful trips for Distant Horizons.

Price of tour:

 £2480 per person. This includes; Wizz Air flights (including one small piece of carry-on luggage and one 20kg check-in case per person), all hotel accommodation, as listed, based on double occupancy, most meals as specified in the itinerary (B,L,D), all tours, excursions, sightseeing, and porterage. The single room supplement is £245 per person.

The price is based on a minimum party size of 14 travellers.

For more information: please go to 'Documents' for the full Brochure and the Terms and Conditions. 

Members attending our Spring visit to Derbyshire were treated to another comprehensive tour combining English history with a wonderful appreciation of art.   We began with a visit to Kedleston Hall just outside Derby.  Originally home of the Curzon family,  it was a fascinating insight into how much was vested in our stately homes by these wealthy families.  We were all impressed not only with the beauty of this estate, but also by the skills of our driver Paul who reassuringly negotiated some tricky country roads (clearly not designed for 60 seater buses) and narrow entrance gates, before safely delivering us to our hotel Kenworthy Hall in the leafy suburbs of Sheffield.  

 On our second day, Tuesday, we drove across the beautiful Dales and toured the spa town of Buxton, visiting its opulent Opera House before enjoying a presentation on Mary Queen of Scots in the hotel she stayed in.   We got to know a little more about her strange relationship with Queen Elizabeth 1st and the special permission she was granted to “take the waters of Buxton” due to her crippling arthritis.   In the afternoon we travelled just into Cheshire to visit the sumptuous Lyme Park.  Having enjoyed the splendour of its interior,  we had an opportunity to walk in Lyme’s magnificent gardens.  There was some debate as to which of its ponds Colin Firth (as Jane Austen’s Mr. Darcey) actually emerged from,  but this didn’t detract from the overall appreciation of the huge estate.

Wednesday started differently with a fascinating tour of Sheffield Cathedral – impressive in all respects not least it under floor heating.   We went on to the very pretty county town of Bakewell before visiting the queen of Derbyshire stately homes : Chatsworth.   Run independently and employing +/- 400 staff on 5,000 hectares  it really is spectacular.   For all its apparently disciplined organisation it manages to avoid the impression of being over commercialised.  

Renishaw Hall , by contrast, on Thursday morning was smaller and more intimate with a less conventional and more modern family art collection.   It rained fairly persistently but this didn’t detract from the enjoyment of the group’s personal tour of what felt akin to a family home.  We took a break from stately homes in the afternoon visiting the galleries of the Portland Collection and the Harley Gallery at Welbeck Abbey.   We were treated to a wide range of leading traditional artists in the Portland, not least Michelangelo’s ‘Madonna of Silence’  with the Harley providing a more contemporary collection.   We also visited the estate’s business premises to visit an organ restorer.  Another contrast from traditional art viewing but rewarding to see a small enterprising concern trying so enthusiastically to compete in a very challenging market. 

On our journey back to Oxfordshire on Friday morning we visited Bolsover Castle – semi derelict, huge and hauntingly ancient, it has the most spectacular panoramic views and a separate, unique pleasure palace perfectly intact, the Little Castle.  Our last stop was at Charlecote Park  in Warwickshire.  Viewing this beautiful estate brought a lovely trip to a fitting conclusion.  I am sure I speak on behalf of all the group when I express appreciation for a lovely art filled trip made all the more enjoyable by the company of the Society’s members.   

 Rob Plumb      

Four night tour of the Grand Houses of Derbyshire, from Monday 13th to Friday 17th May 

In the days before railways, the early travellers would set off to France and Italy in search of art and culture and were able to buy and commission art to adorn the walls of their country houses. Derbyshire still contains many of these stately homes and through their art, furniture and architecture, we can see how these early travellers were influenced by what they found.

The tour includes visits to:

• Kedleston Hall (NT)
• Lyme Park (NT)
• Chatsworth House and gardens
• Renishaw Halland gardens
• Bolsover Castle (English Heritage)
• Charlecote Park (NT)

Accommodation is on a half board basis at the Mercure Kenwood Hall, Sheffield (4 star)

More details are available from Rosie Mortimer (Tours secretary) who can provide a  booking form. Please go to 'documents' for a copy of the full brochure.

Twenty six members from The Art Society Goring set off from Pangbourne, Goring and  Moulsford (free parking at the Varians!) with our cheerful, helpful coach driver Karl, heading for Bury St. Edmunds.   We stopped en route at Thomas Gainsborough's  House in Sudbury.   We had an excellent guide who told us about his life and family and his preference for painting the countryside rather than the many portraits for which he is most famous.   We also had an interesting talk and tour of a Maggi Hambling exhibition.  Our next stop was at Flatford, where we saw views familiar to Constable and an exhibition of his paintings, as well as the chance to walk round Bridge Cottage, restored to its original condition and furnishings.  This is a beautiful tranquil area looked after by the National Trust (so nice tea room!).   It was easy to imagine the hay wain crossing the river,  and we could admire Willy Lott’s sympathetically maintained cottage.

Our destination  was the impressive Angel Hotel, set in the huge historic market square in Bury St Edmunds. This was a quirky hotel with many staircases and winding passages, comfortable bedrooms, good food with a varied menu, and cheerful friendly efficient staff. We met prior to dinner for a welcome drink and opportunity to get to know each other.

Next morning we drove to Norwich where a local guide took us on a 90 minute walking tour,  pointing out many historic buildings.  The market place dates from 1075 and today is the largest six day market in Britain.  The Chapelfield Spire, which looks like a rocket about to take off,  is visible day and night.   It is intended to reflect today's technology, craftsmanship, and skill in art form.  Quite a contrast to the 23 surviving medieval churches in Norwich.  We enjoyed a guided tour of the ancient and amazing Norwich Cathedral, all too soon heading to Norwich Castle Museum, swathed in scaffolding and rather limited exhibition space open,  but displaying the history of the castle and the Royal Suffolk Regiment and a few rooms featuring some wonderful paintings by the famous local artists.

Next stop, the University of East Anglia and the striking Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, designed by Norman Foster, a large  light building housing a world-class, genre-defying collection with a unique perspective on how art can influence our lives.   A great visit.

Day 3 began with a guided walking tour of Bury St Edmunds.  We strolled through the huge medieval arched gateway immediately opposite our hotel, into the beautiful Abbey Gardens and viewed the extensive ruins of what had been one of the largest monastries in the world.  We glimpsed inside the cathedral and the nearby Parish Church which is one of the largest in this country and the final resting place of Mary, Henry VIII’s favourite sister, whose remains when moved showed her to be auburn haired and nearly six foot tall.  We continued with an interesting tour of Ickworth House before going on to lovely Lavenham, another cobbled market square surrounded by timber framed medieval houses.  And a chance to get lunch!  We visited the Guildhall which over the centuries had been the meeting and trading place for the wool merchants that had brought much wealth to this village, especially with the development of the Lavenham Blue dye, but later that trade dropped away and the village became very poor and the Guildhall was a workhouse.   No one could afford to redevelop the houses so today there are 320 original timber framed houses with preservation orders on them, making this quiet peaceful village a delight to wander round, as we did with a local guides pointing out many historical features and architectural delights.

Day 4 took us to Woodbridge and the Anglo Saxon cemetery at Sutton Hoo, where we spent over an hour exploring the Royal Burial Grounds, with a local expert.  There was a full size sculpture of the royal burial ship in the courtyard, and an excellent exhibition centre, as well as the usual National Trust facilities.  Basil Brown discovered this ship in 1938 and although many previous excavations had been made, the amazing artefacts were found intact in a slightly different area.  Most of the unique treasures are now in the British Museum, but some are housed on site in Tranmer House, the home of Edith Pretty who insisted Basil Brown should continue with excavations despite the official archaeologists who wanted to take over.  We then drove to Ipswich, visiting the Elizabethan Christchurch Mansion for a tour of the magnificent Tudor rooms and time to explore the new Wolsey Gallery with contemporary artworks as well as a wonderful collection of Gainsborough and Constable paintings.

Day 5  We depart for home but en route we visit Saffron Walden and Audley End House which was built in 1577. The rain which had held off so far caught up with us at last but inside the house there was much to see and marvel at.  The rooms had been greatly altered over the centuries to accommodate the wishes of different generations. There were pictures by Holbein, Reubens  and many others, some lovely features and ceilings by Robert Adams,  intricate wood carvings around fireplaces in oak,  probably by Dutch craftsmen.  The Parterre Garden seen from the house was beautifully laid out and wonderful views over sweeping Capability Brown parkland, but unfortunately it was sheeting with rain by then, too wet even for the horses in the magnificent Victorian stable block to parade!

This has been a memorable trip with so much to see, we all felt we could have spent more time in each venue.  Our leader Rosie Mortimer's good humour and organizational skills were greatly appreciated by all.

Dorothy Rendall                                                                                   October 2023

Four night tour of the highlights of East Anglia, from Monday 16th to Friday 20th October 

This tour takes us to Suffolk a rural paradise filled with idyllic landscapes and Tudor towns. Much of the scenery remains mostly unchanged since the celebrated landscape painter John Constable lived and painted there, and has a number of wonderful houses and attractions that showcase the historic and cultural treasures of the region. The neighbouring county of Norfolk is home to the historic city of Norwich. Dotted with medieval treasures, its well preserved streets are a jumble of cobbled alleys and impressive architecture.

The programme of excursions includes: Gainsborough’s’ House, Flatford Mill (NT), Norwich, Lavenham Guildhall (NT), Sutton Hoo, Christchurch mansion and Wolsey Gallery, Ickworth House (NT), Audley End House.

More details are available from Rosie Mortimer (Tours secretary) who can provide a brochure and booking forms.

This was a full-on and comprehensive visit to Vienna. Large galleries, small galleries, churches, a cathedral, the Otto Wagner Villa and a trip on the river Danube between Melk – famous for its abbey -  and Dürnstein, where King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned. Spending many hours at each venue it would be impossible to appreciate all of the wonders on display.

First, a visit to the Belvedere: two Baroque palaces (the Upper and Lower Belvedere) separated by a spectacular Baroque garden. Starting at the “Lower” we were guided through some 300 years of art works - peppered with Hapsburg indulgences, but including a memorable 1917 portrait by Egon Schiele.

In 1777, Marie Theresa and her son, Emperor Joseph II, decided to transfer the Imperial Picture Gallery to the Upper Belvedere and make it accessible to the general public; a monumental decision which created the world’s first public museum. Now, the palace displays 800 years of art history including an exhibition of Klimt pictures together with those of artists (Van Gogh, Rodin, Matisse…) who inspired him. Klimt’s “The Kiss” was, of course, a “must” - and quite an experience seeing it “for real”. But the one that stole the show: Klimt’s “Portrait of a Lady in Black”

A tour of the Kunsthistorisches Museum started with a visit to the Kunstkammer – a museum within a museum – which displays an amazing collection (from the House of Habsburg) of ivory carvings, sculptures in stone and bronze, and superbly crafted objects made by the most talented of goldsmiths. One of the many highlights is a golden warship under full sail which hides a complicated wind-up mechanism to make the drummers drum and the cannon fire!

We found a roundup of the best in 16th/17th century paintings in the Picture Gallery - alongside a room of Bruegel exhibits, and a fine Vermeer (though we were told it was technically flawed) apparently demonstrating how to paint a portrait.

To round-off the tour of the KM, we were shown some modern art from Baselitz who painted his subjects posed upside-down.

A guided tour of the Leopold Museum included unexpected early portraits by Klimt and furniture by Otto Wagner, but focussed on an exhibition of pictures by Schiele. This was an opportunity to see a wide range of Schiele pictures not normally found in one place.

With so much to fit into the visit congratulations must go to Rosie Mortimer who organised the tour and worked closely with our tour guide Nirvana who managed to keep us all together with patience and good humour.

Alan and Irene Matthews

This 7 day tour of Vienna will be led by Nirvana Romell MA, departing 23rd April and returning 29th April 2023.

The itinerary for this study tour will cover Vienna’s treasures, from its Gothic cathedral, Baroque palaces and Jugendstil buildings to its Modernist edifices. It will also look at a magnificent selection of paintings ranging from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Time will be factored in to allow for optional visits to the sumptuous museums in the Hofburg and the city’s other interesting museums. There will also be time to enjoy Vienna’s wonderful coffee houses.

We are limited to 24 participants and the agents Distant Horizons have asked for confirmation of booking (by way of completed application forms and deposit) by the 7th November 2022.

Please see full details of the tour under 'Documents,' where you will find a copy of the brochure and the booking form. 

Fifteen of us enjoyed the most fabulous trip to Northumbria in October.  Staying at the centrally located new Crowne Plaza Hotel in Newcastle, Rosie Mortimer had arranged trips each day to the most interesting places, returning in time for a relaxing glass or two in the hotel Gin Bar before going to dinner either in the hotel dining room or a local restaurant of our own choosing.   Those who wished to attend were also in time for beautiful Choral Evensong at the nearby Cathedral (before the meeting at the Bar!) 

On our way north by coach on the first day, we visited Hardwick Hall (National Trust property) in Derbyshire, an architecturally significant Elizabethan country house built between 1590 and 1597.by the amazing Bess of Hardwick.   On the second day we were shown around Newcastle by Martin, our private guide for the next two days. (He was great!)  We explored the new castle (built in 1130) from which Newcastle gets its name and many of the other interesting buildings and bridges that make up this historic city, before driving out to see the Angel of the North close to, very impressive, and on to Tynemouth, an attractive seaside town with magnificent, ruined Castle and Priory.  We also visited nearby Cullercoats, a fishing village beloved of artists, especially Winslow Homer.   We enjoyed a sunny morning in the university city of Durham, with its artisan workshops and Oriental Museum, and of course we visited the magnificent Durham Cathedral.

By the end of the week we had been to Alnwick Castle, home of the Duke of Northumberland, to Cragside, pioneering home of Lord Armstrong, famous for harnessing the force of water to light the house and power hydraulics. On the drive back south we visited the Bowes Museum, a French-styled chateau in the famous town of Barnard Castle, with its overwhelming collection of art from all over the world and where we enjoyed a delightful private lunch in the Music Room.

 An appreciation written by Linda Scottorn, a new member.    

4 night tour to Newcastle, County Durham & Northumberland:  Monday 3rd to Friday 7th October 2022

This superb tour takes us north to the vibrant city of Newcastle, from where we will also visit two of the northernmost counties in England, Northumberland and Durham. Highlights include Alnwick Castle, Cragside, Durham Cathedral, Newcastle itself and the quirky Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, where we’ll enjoy a farewell lunch.

Please see full details of the tour under 'Documents,' where you will find a copy of the brochure and the booking form. 

Our fun-packed week was unique and never to be forgotten, not only because of its amazing content but because it coincided with the death of Her Majesty the Queen.  It was on the late afternoon of our first day, the day of the Passion Play itself, that the first whisper was heard from our German hosts that Her Majesty had passed away.  Thereafter, it dominated the news on German television for the rest of our trip – an astonishing tribute to the impact of Her Majesty not only on Great Britain but also on the whole world.

Thus began a week so full of experiences and delights that tumbled so swiftly one upon another that only highlights can be recorded here.

We had arrived at Oberammergau the previous evening, Wednesday, and given our first morning to explore.  This was our first taste of the unique beauty of Bavarian countryside, their flower bedecked houses with the typical deep sloping roofs, the cobbled streets and alleyways, that was to enchant every coach journey in the following week.  The Passion Play itself was, of course, an amazing spectacle, a spiritually moving experience and so brilliantly acted. The smooth organisation of the thousands converging each day on what had once been a little village was remarkable.  Reflecting on its history back to 1634 and how it had been repeated every 10 years down the succeeding centuries gave it a magical quality.  Coinciding the crucifixion with the gathering night time gloom was a masterstroke.  After knowing of the Passion Play at Oberammergau for most of our lifetimes, it was so good to be actually present at a performance at last.

The following day we went on to Gengenbach where we stayed at the comfortable Schwarzwald Hotel and travelled out from there for day trips thereafter.  En route to Gengenbach, we stopped at Hohenzollern Castle which was the ancestral seat of the Prussian Royal House and ultimately of Kaiser Wilhelm 11.  His jewelled crown is on display there. The golden chandeliers, paintings and statues as well as wonderful views were stunning.  Two of our group walked up to the castle, most of us travelled on the shuttle bus! Set on a steep and impregnable hilltop from which the surrounding countryside can be seen for many miles around and with its many towers and steeples, it was the quintessential middle European castle.  We will never forget it looming up on the horizon as we approached on the coach.  Equally unforgettable was the Apple Strudel that we were served there for lunch!

We were at leisure for Saturday morning to explore Gengenbach, which is a picturesque traditional medieval walled town, cobbled alleys, dating back to the Middle Ages. It was market day in the town square and we admired the various cheeses and wines on offer – some were sampled!  That afternoon we travelled to Strasbourg to see the Fine Arts Museum in the Rohan Palace, a masterpiece of French Baroque architecture.  We were also most impressed by the adjacent Gothic Cathedral and the Cathedral square. We managed to board a tram at Etoile Bourse and find our own way to the Palace.  All was achieved without mishap and the experience gave us a flavour of what it was like to live in this Franco-German city which had been part of France or Germany many times according to the fortunes of war.  It is now French but we did not have to show our passports.

On Sunday we visited Karlsruhe, which we had known as just a big industrial city, but our visit to the elegant 18th Century neo-classical Palace, with its walkways designed to radiate from it in the shape of a fan, gave us a different impression.  Karlsruhe was known as the ‘fan shaped city’.  The Palace was a most impressive building with gardens, park, sculptures and a water lily lake.  The Palace gardens are a popular meeting place for local families getting away from 21st Century life.  The collections of the Badisches Landesmuseum housed in the Palace represented international cultural history from prehistoric beginnings to the present, including depicting court life of the Margraves and Grand Dukes of Baden over about 200 years.  A comfortable outside café was situated on one side of the Palace overlooking the park.

We then went on to Pforzheim, the centre for traditional jewellery and clock making in Germany.  The fascinating Technisches Museum gave a brief insight into how the jewellery was made, but the high point of this day for us, was saved until last: the Schmuck Museum, a truly fine light and airy building with displays of jewellery, dating back to the third millennium BC up to contemporary times. It was breathtaking in the variety and beauty of everything on show including its ethnographic collection. The museum also included a unique collection from the 16th to the mid 18th century of pendant, pocket, bracelet and ring watches and clocks.  Early watches were pieces of jewellery representing their wearers standing in society and demonstrating their good taste.  This was the world’s only museum dedicated solely to jewellery.

Monday was a welcome change from the conventional museums that we had visited hitherto: the Open Air Museum showing how life in the Black Forest used to be.  Reconstruction of the past made contemporary with cows, pigs and horses showing farming from the past.  It was a fine day and it was not only interesting but particularly refreshing to wander round a Black Forest Village.  Then came our next adventure: a trip through the Black Forest by train amongst the treetops offering dramatic views – a normal commercial train, full of children returning from their day at school, not a special tourist train as some of us had expected – to Villingen, then on to Furtwangen and a fascinating guided tour around the German Clock museum: a meditation on the important role timekeeping has played in history. The enormous variety of elaborate clocks was fascinating; early clocks made totally of wood, with wooden rather than metal mechanisms, clocks with hand painted faces, showing the local skills.  Cuckoo clocks were invented in the early 18th Century in the Black Forest and grew in popularity. Our visit was punctuated by the sound of the cuckoo emanating from the working clocks. Our guide pointed out that they are very careful about only winding up several clocks at a time on display as they want to preserve the original workings, whereas in the British Museum, many are working and they are not so careful and replace the original mechanisms with 21st Century pieces.

Tuesday – If there could be one supreme highlight among a trip of highlights, this was the visit to Baden-Baden.  Baden-Baden is a spa city of grand buildings and elegant people, broad tree-lined avenue and parks.  We visited first the Schloss Favorite at Rastatt, which was an unbelievably beautiful opulent and luxuriously decorated palace.  Favorite is the only ‘porcelain palace’ surviving from the early 18th Century and its porcelain collection together with much else is an evocation of a brilliant bygone age. It was built as a summer residence for Margravine Sybilla Augusta.  We admired early examples of priceless Meissen porcelain, imitation marble which was chosen to demonstrate wealth rather than importing authentic marble from Italy. We were told that her immaculate kitchen, which she showed her guests, was never actually used.  The mirrored cabinet rooms created the illusion of being inside a jewellery box.  

Then, after a brief lunch, we visited the Faberge Museum, privately owned, but full of priceless gems.  The whole range of masterpieces by Faberge are on display, not only the Imperial Easter eggs but also a unique range of jewellery, cigarette cases, table clocks, animal figures and ornate shot glasses - a glimpse into the lost world of Czarist Russia.   Our charming guide told us that they knew the background of many of the pieces in the museum: several pointed out to us had belonged to the Imperial family and been rescued after the Revolution.  Following this visit we walked along the famous Lichtentaler Allee through the park to the Museum Frieder Burda which was built in October 2004 as a “jewel in the park”.  It is an impressive light filled building showing contemporary art.  

Wednesday – A day to be forgotten!  Traffic jams on the autobahn near Stuttgart held us stationery for hours, followed by a mad dash to Munich Airport and a breathless chase to the checkout before it closed.  With literally only minutes to spare, we boarded the plane to London Heathrow. Heartfelt thanks must be expressed to our heroic coach driver Joseph, for getting us there safely and just in time.

Then a crowded flight, the usual delays at Arrivals, the Horseman Coach waiting to deliver us safely to our respective venues at about midnight!

A week that has given us a kaleidoscope of memories and impressions that will never be forgotten.  Apart from the first day, we had good sunny weather which leaves us with an abiding memory of Black Forest Germany in all its glory.   In this brief resume we have left out a lot, however, we must mention the delicious local wine, served in carafes which lubricated us at dinner, the German beer available on our coach, dumpling soup and the hilarious mealtimes.  It was a pleasure to have four members of the Hungerford Arts society with us and we are very grateful to Rosie for pulling a group together after the pandemic delays.

Marian and Clive Windebank

7 night tour to Oberammergau Passion Play and the Black Forest: 7 - 14 September 2022

This special tour involves flying to Munich with two nights in Oberammergau to experience the once-a-decade world famous passion play, postponed from 2020.

Then five nights based in the charming town of Gengenbach, visiting Hohenzollern Castle, Strasbourg Museum of Fine Arts, Karlsruhr Palace and Art Gallery, Technisches Museum clock collection and history of jewellery in Pforzheim, a Black Forest ancient village, open air museum and a picturesque railway journey.  

On the last full day we visit Baden-Baden and the Schloss Favorite "porcelain palace" as well as the Faberge Museum and the collections of Frieder Burder.  Return flight from Munich and home by coach.

Please see full details under Documents and contact Rosie Mortimer on 01491 874000 to register interest as deposits are needed now and places are limited 

Glasgow and Edinburgh Tour

To go on a Journey with Rosie in charge and Barrie at the wheel is a charmed experience.

Day One: The 19 of us just had to pack a bag and toddle along. Dorothy’s Taxis (her son) got us to Goring and Barrie’s lovely turquoise coach standing ready. Barrie learned our names and had us all aboard and the safety lecture started dot on time, 8.01.

1st Visit: Leighton Hall was a delight.  In Lancashire and it looks out on the sunlit fells around the Southern Lakes.  It is a family sized not-that-stately house that the present family has held on to since the 1715 rising. Its interest lay in the furniture by Gillow later Waring & Gillow, from the family’s old business as furniture makers e.g. the dining room table. Or in the pheasants by the Long Border; note the gentleman owner’s portrait with his 12 bore shotgun under his arm. Glasgow next.

Day Two: Charles Rennie Mackintosh is Glasgow’s great god.  Barrie drove us to the Hunterian Art Gallery / Mackintosh House.  Lots of his detailed work is in CRM’s Church of the Holy Cross, with lovely details in corners; had lunch with his total décor at the Willow Tea Rooms. In Pollock Park, W Glasgow, we visited, the House for an Artist, created long after Mackintosh’s death from his 15 award-winning plans. Our English guide gave us a good lecture on the how and why outside.  Then we were led in to the dark great hall and its attached dining room, with him explaining its theatricality, style, windows and panels.  Next we had the sunburst light of the great wedding room next door with its CRM designed ‘four-poster’ organ, grouped tables and signature CRM tall chairs and enigmatic but celebratory tall windows – all now for weddings.  With a terrace to enjoy after passing out through these wavy glass glazed windows.   Mackintosh was a superb architect with the most astonishing attention to detail.  But where his wife Margaret does her superb enhancing paintings over the top, his work really lights up. Our English sculptor guide, James Winnett, has a studio on-site for sculpting outdoor displays using ancient Scottish/Irish symbolism on big rocks.

For eating on our 2nd evening out, some ate Italian; we chose a Scottish pub called Atholl Inn. Some had a nice meal at our Apex Hotel in Bath Street.  It had comfy mattresses and we were served breakfast by a lovely and very fast lad from Tenerife.  Glasgow is very much in the throes of preparing for the Climate Summit Cop 26.

Day Three: dedicated to Dumfries House, an hour’s drive South. It was a highlight and a tribute to current royal enterprise.  It was bought by a consortium formed by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay as Stewart of Scotland.  It has been superbly done up. Much loved by the locals, we found the vision of re-forested estate, places of training in service for gardeners, construction woodwork, textile study, hospitality trades and historic restoration/conservation being fulfilled by local youngsters.  In the House, a new bride can be married amid tapestry- hung grandeur after processing through the joyous new decorations – Adam revival work by one craftsman, two apprentices – of the eight square domes of the Pewter Corridor. We were shown an original rosewood bookcase, worth £millions, and saw newly brocaded Chippendale chairs and sofas in blue and yellow and the most stately of beds. Some of us primped in Chippendale mirrors. This after much needed coffee and shortbread briskly served down below on arrival. Any substantial donor of a new avenue or a new Adam or Chippendale bridge over the river is remembered and the source of the plans recorded in stone.  Historically, we were in the wondrous creation of Robert and James Adam, from the house to the carpeting; culturally we were observing Prince Charles’s Scottish home providing a new heart to the local economy. This contrasted with the intimacy of Rennie Mackintosh’s work in Glasgow, the day before. To close the day, we ate Greek and others chose differently.

Day Four: off to Edinburgh. We had a coach-born tour of Edinburgh New Town.  We de-bussed for our super spell with Scotland’s finest in the National Gallery with ‘The Monarch of the Glen’, a reverend skater and nice medieval survivals (excluding the author). Holyrood House, next, was stiff, grand and timeless since Mary Queen of Scots’ secretary was murdered by her husband.  Later it was graced by Prince Charles Edward. Most inspected HM Royal Yacht Britannia as the weather closed up. It is a time-capsule of the Queen’s time with the late Duke of Edinburgh.  Two of us went to blowy Edinburgh Castle for military matters.  The Glasgow Citizen, now a restaurant, provided the end of term dinner, splendid, and then a short walk home to our beds.

Day Five: homeward.  On time, we headed to Harewood House, halfway home.  This magnificent 18th century mansion has the best view in Europe from its windows. The furniture and fine art and the house were, it transpires, mostly from estates in the West Indies slave-producing sugar and bananas. But, to give credit, the only West Indian member of staff brought back to the UK in the 20th cent is now all recorded.  After a group photo on the terrace above the intricate plantings of the Parterre, we reached Didcot, and Goring, on time as always.

Well done Rosie and Barrie.

Anne and Colin Edgar

4 night tour to Glasgow and Edinburgh:  Monday 11 to Friday 15 October 2021

We will depart from Goring and Pangbourne by executive coach and travel to Glasgow, stopping for a visit and lunch at Leighton Hall, Carnforth, in the Lake district, plus coffee/comfort stop, staying at Apex City of Glasgow hotel.  

Our first day will focus on the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, visiting five places showing his work with a local Blue Badge guide.  

Next day we visit Dumfries House (the subject of our wonderful lecture a year or so ago!)

On Thursday we visit Edinburgh, orientation tour with another local Blue Badge guide, visiting the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's Gallery and the Royal Yacht Britannia, with dinner in a local restaurant.  

Friday will bring an early check out and a visit to Harewood House (with a coffee stop en route) returning us to Pangbourne and Goring by early evening.

Re-scheduled October 2021

We will be taking a coach tour to  Glasgow and Edinburgh, including a visit to Dumfries House, from Monday 19th to Friday 23rd October.  

Itineraries and booking forms available at the next meeting.

This tour has been re-scheduled for September 2022

CANCELLED

Next Spring (10 - 15 May 2020) members will be able to join a five night tour of North Portugal.

Based initially in Oporto, Portugal's northern capital, one of Europe's outstanding urban landscapes with a 2,000 year history, and a long-standing relationship with Britain, especially through the Port industry, and then we will be staying in Guimaraes, a World Heritage Centre and regarded as the birthplace of Portugal, reflected in a wealth of national monuments and historic buildings. We will visit other cities and sites, such as Braga, with its maze of narrow streets and Gothic churches, palaces, museums and gardens, and Viena de Castelo, offering amazing architectural interest and with wonderful works of art.  And a boat trip on the Douro river!

We would like more participants on tour to Northern Portugal, please

8 – 12 October 2019

 This year’s UK tour was to Manchester with Nirvana Romell who has successfully led three of our four previous overseas tours.

 On arrival at Stockport station we were greeted by Nirvana and taken to Quarry Bank Mill, near Styal village. This is a cotton mill, founded by Samuel Greg, which still retains working machinery. We were shown how the cotton spinning and weaving developed and the working and living conditions of the mill workers. (https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/quarry-bank).

The following day we had an excellent walking tour of Manchester in the morning led by Andrew Derbyshire and an afternoon visit to the Manchester Art Gallery. Nirvana has worked at the gallery for many years and gave us a fascinating account of the development of British art from Hogarth to the Edwardians.

Our next visit was to Saltaire Mill, a UNESCO world heritage site built by Sir Titus Salt. This enormous textile mill was operational from 1853 until 1986. Nearby is the village built by Sir Titus to accommodate the mill workers who had previously had to travel from Bradford where they lived in squalid back to back houses. The mill has now been converted into offices and exhibition spaces where there is a fine selection of Hockney paintings. (https://saltairevillage.info)

On Friday morning we were driven to Tatton Park where we had a private tour of the house, and saw the amazing collection of Gillow furniture that was made especially for the house. One condition of the gift of the house to the National Trust was that no furniture could be removed or added to what is currently in the house.  (http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/home.aspx)

A highlight of the tour was a concert of Russian music in the Bridgewater Hall performed by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. The acoustics in the hall are spectacular and the performance was completely compelling.

On our final day the sun came out and we travelled to Salford Quays to visit the Lowry. Within the complex is a group of galleries devoted to the work of L S Lowry. Once again, Nirvana brought a completely new perspective to his life and works that gave the paintings added meaning. (https://thelowry.com/about-us/ls-lowry/).

After a splendid farewell lunch overlooking Media City we caught the train home, exhausted and exhilarated in equal measure. It was a most successful tour for which we thank Rosie Mortimer the Tour Secretary.

Honor Juniper

October 2019

We were all familiar, I think, with Rembrandt’s “ The Night Watch” and Vermeer’s “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” but this tour gave us greater insight into the Golden Age of Dutch art, history and culture and introduced us to many treasures of architecture, townscapes and paintings.

Our first quick stop was in Bruges, where we marched through the centre to visit two great churches: St. Salvator, with its soaring arches, and the Church of Our Lady, with a beautiful Michelangelo sculpture of the Madonna and Child and 14th century tombs with fine painted plaster decorations inside. As we gazed at the impressive architecture of the central square we felt this was a taster for a longer visit.

We were based at the hotel Hampshire in Delft and from there we travelled first to Amsterdam, to the Rijksmuseum, of course, to wander round gazing at the old favourites by Vermeer and Ruisdael and fine 17th cabinets and porcelain, and then to the “Alle Rembrandts” exhibition, which celebrated the 350th anniversary of his death. The walls were crowded with what seemed to be every known Rembrandt vignette, self- portrait and landscape sketch, as well as large portraits showing the conspicuous wealth of Dutch citizens, with their lace collars, black silk robes and oversized silver shoe buckles.

After lunch one group went to the Anne Franck House and the rest went to the Van Gogh Museum where there was a large display showing the artist’s development from the paintings of peasants, such as “The Potato Eaters”, to his last haunting works in the fields and gardens of Provence. The most unexpected and fascinating area of this museum, however, was the special exhibition of David Hockney’s recent landscape works—paintings, video and laptop installations—with a film of a twinkling- eyed Hockney himself, explaining how he was influenced by Van Gogh in his use of colour, brushstrokes and ways of looking at the natural world.

On Saturday we stopped in Haarlem and walked through attractive lanes and the market, with its tempting food and flower stalls, to the Cathedral of St. Bavo.  The spacious interior was dominated by the renowned baroque Muller organ and a highlight of the tour for many of us was to walk into a free concert, as the organist practised a Bach Toccata and Fugue. After this jovial and knowledgeable guides took us round the Frans Hals Museum, concentrating on some of Hals’s portraits of Merchant Guilds and their history.

The sight of about thirty mature British people sitting with legs outstretched on the steep bank of a canal while eating lunchtime snacks must have surprised passers-by, but we soon moved on to central Amsterdam, where we went to two of the elegant canalside houses—the Van Loon Museum and the Cromhuit Huis. They showed how the wealthy families (with fortunes from trading and banking) lived in style. We admired the opulent furnishings and decorative items.

Sunday morning in Delft is very quiet but we went on walking tours round the centre with amusing local guides, learning about the complexities of the canal system, the history of the Eighty Years War and hearing entertaining anecdotes: we all know the origin of the phrase “stinking rich” now. The Vermeer Centre in Delft had a fascinating and well- presented history of the painter and his life, with reproductions of all his known paintings. There were explanations of many of the “emblems” or symbols which conveyed hidden meanings in some of his enigmatic scenes of people and interiors: the significance of the lute, the discarded slippers, the tilted wineglass—and as for those walnuts! I shall never look at a Dutch painting in the same way again.

After lunch, which for some of us consisted entirely of “Poffertjes”—mini pancakes dusted with icing sugar—we went on a leisurely boat ride along the canal to Hofwijck, an elegant small summer house designed by Constantijn Huygens, the 17th century poet composer, art lover and secretary to the  Prince of Orange. There three enthusiastic guides, including Jane Choy-Thurlow, founder of the Arts Society, The Hague, instructed us on the history and politics of the 17th century Netherlands. We finished the day with a cold and windy walk round the garden, originally a formal design based on Vitruvian principles, but now truncated by a noisy modern road and railway.

Our last whole day was spent in The Hague where we found an unexpected and very appealing Panorama painted by Mesdag and his wife in 1880. This was an amazing and realistic circular painting of Scheveningen, its beach, boats, people and seashore—an illusion which we saw from a gallery as though we were on the sand dunes. Later in the day we made a detour for a glimpse of modern Scheveningen. The day was cold and misty, the North Sea looked freezing and only the foolhardy went off to buy icecreams.

Before that we had been to the Mauritshuis Museum, where we saw such renowned paintings as Fabricius’s “The Goldfinch”, Ruisdael landscapes, Rembrandt’s “The Anatomy Lesson”, Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring” and Avercamp’s “Iceskaters”. Altogether this was a lovely and satisfying afternoon.

On the long journey home we stopped for a while in Ghent, where we walked to St. Bavo’s Cathedral, another soaring-arched masterpiece. We had the moving experience of seeing Jan and Hubert Van Eyck’s altarpiece, “The Adoration of the Lamb”, now restored after its difficult history of dismantling, theft and hiding in the Austrian salt mines in 1944.

Our final stop was near Calais—The Chocolate Factory—where, I’m afraid, culture ended and greed set in. We were fortunate to have with us our tour guide, Alvi, who had great counting skills and patience in chivvying along the tardy, and our driver , Tony, with his practical knowledge and skill in navigating the city centres. We would like to thank them and Rosie Mortimer, who spent much time organising a tour which was both enjoyable and memorable.   

After the successes of our tours to Croatia and Provence with Nirvana, we were fortunate that she was able to accompany our party of twenty one people to Friuli, a province of Italy nestled between Slovenia and the Dolomites.

We were based in Udine, a lively and vibrant town with arcaded old streets, many of which fanned out round the castle hill. In the morning we had a conducted tour of the Cathedral and nearby Oratorio with frescoes by Tiepolo, and after lunch we visited the Patriarchate Museum with its Tiepolo Galleries.

The following day we were taken to the School of Mosaics in Spilimbergo where we saw exactly how mosaics are created. This gave us a much greater appreciation of the ancient mosaics that we saw elsewhere on our tour. By contrast, we then went to see how the San Daniele hams are cured and prepared, and were then treated to the first of several ‘light lunches’ that Nirvana had organised for us. After lunch we visited the nearby church of Sant’ Antonio Abate, which is decorated with beautiful frescoes.

Our next visit was Aquileia where we explored the ancient Roman port before moving on to the Basilica, which has some of the most extensive and well-preserved mosaics that we had ever seen. Later in the afternoon we drove on to the seaside resort of Grado, where our conducted tour was interrupted by a stunning display by the Italian equivalent of the Red Arrows.

Sunday was Mothering Sunday in Friuli so our visit to the ancient Lombard capital, Cividale del Friuli, was enlivened by seeing all the children buying flowers to give to their mothers as they went to Mass. We visited the cathedral and the museum of Christian Art as well as the Lombard Temple before enjoying another ‘light lunch’. The day was concluded with a visit to a small village church whose walls were completely covered in frescoes of both the Old and New Testaments. This is a complete gem, but unknown to most people so consequently very unspoilt.

On the last day we visited the Abbey of Santa Maria in Silvis, initially a Benedictine monastery, before enjoying our farewell lunch nearby.

Travelling with Nirvana is always an exciting experience. She demonstrates a wealth of knowledge, both historical artistic, which she weaves together to give one an understanding of the culture of the region, and how it fits into the greater picture. She will be a hard act to follow.

Honor Juniper

KENT TOUR OCTOBER 2017

The tour was organised by Honor Juniper, in conjunction with ACE Cultural Tours, who provided our Tour Manager Christine Kavanagh, and our independent Tour Director Richard Pailthorpe.  Richard’s wealth of knowledge of historic houses and major heritage sites in the South of England was particularly relevant to our trip.

Day one:

On the Monday, after a punctual start and trouble-free coach trip, we reached the National Trust property, Ightam Mote, early.   A number of people took the opportunity to walk around the grounds and footpaths before the lunch provided.  After lunch, a National Trust guide gave a knowledgeable introductory talk about the house, including its connection with the artist John Singer-Sargent.  The house was currently running an exhibition exploring Ightam Mote’s period as an ‘artistic hub’ in the 19th century. 

We had the opportunity to wander around the house and grounds of Ightam Mote, before leaving to drive to the Abode Hotel in Canterbury, our base for the week, located in the centre of the city.  In the evening, before dinner, Richard Pailthorpe gave an illustrated talk about the various places we were to visit in the coming week.

Day two:

On Tuesday we drove to Rochester, where we visited the castle.  Those who we were willing – and able! – to climb the stairs to the top of the castle tower, enjoyed the views provided.  We then had free time for a coffee and a brief look along Rochester’s high street, before visiting Rochester Cathedral. 

Then we returned to the coach for a short drive to Chatham Historic Dockyard.  We had lunch at the Mess Deck before being joined by our guide Barry, who accompanied us on the coach and described the various slips, docks and buildings as we drove by them.  Finally we went to The Ropery, in a building a quarter of a mile long, to see – and experience first-hand – how the ropes were made.  For those who wished, we could then explore the surrounding dockyard and venture onto HMS Gannet and HMS Cavalier.  It was a beautiful evening for walking around and exploring, before returning to the hotel for dinner.

Day three:

We began the day with an orientation walk around Canterbury, with city guide Liz Minter.  This included a visit to Eastbridge Hospital – not a hospital as we use the word now, but a place that has provided hospitality for more than eight hundred years and still provides accommodation to needy elderly people.  At the rear of Eastbridge was the Franciscan Gardens, a ‘haven of peace’. 

We moved on to Canterbury Cathedral, where we split into two groups for guided tours: one with guide Stewart Coltart and one with Dick Bolton (who had delivered his lecture about Kent to us in Goring the week before).  We then had free time for lunch and further exploration of Canterbury.

After lunch we drove to Boughton Monchelsea Place, a private house in a beautiful location with stunning views south over the Weald of Kent, which were enhanced by perfect weather!  The owner Mrs Marice Kendrick gave the tour, so she was able to provide a very personal account of the house, its history and its development.  We enjoyed cream teas in the clock tower house and then a walk around the grounds.  The nearby St Peter’s Church included some artwork by a local resident of the village, Graham Clarke.

Day four:

We drove to Tenterden for a brief stop, with the opportunity for a short museum visit or a walk along the High Street to see the charming variety of architectural building styles.  From there, we continued to the historic town of Rye.  Many of the group went straight to the Heritage Centre to see a model of the town with a commentary detailing ‘The Story of Rye’ before spending free time exploring the town, with its delightful cobbled streets, traditional shops, galleries and tearooms.

After lunch, we drove to Romney Marsh for a tour of Old Romney and New Romney churches.  At each church a local expert, John Hendy, gave an in-depth talk about the churches and their historical connections.

Once again, good weather had enhanced the views and visits enjoyed throughout the day.  We returned to the hotel for our final evening meal.

Day five:

After checking out of the hotel, we drove to Penshurst Place for our final visit of the tour.  Penshurst was once the property of King Henry VIII and is the ancestral home of the Sidney family – currently owned by Philip Sidney, 2nd Viscount De L’Isle MBE.  After a guided tour of the house, we had free time for lunch, further exploration of the house and the chance to wander around the extensive and varied gardens, which were originally laid out in 1346 and still retain some mediaeval features, including more than a mile of yew hedging. 

Thanks to our driver Ian, and a relatively quiet Friday on the roads, we had a trouble-free journey home.

Maureen Richardson

Booking is now coomplete

TOUR OF PROVENCE - MAY 2017

Landing in sunny Marseilles we looked around for Nirvana, our guide from last year's tour in Croatia, who had arrived early to make sure everything was ready.  Once in the Avignon-bound and oddly wind-buffeted coach, she explained that she had been delayed on the way to the airport  by an airborne mattress that had collided with her car.  The Mistral was to enliven much of our visit, bringing strong winds from the north but welcome sunshine and blue skies.

The Hotel Mercure in Avignon is conveniently right next to the huge Papal Palace, 14th century headquarters for the Catholic church.  But first our group of 24 visited La Chartreuse, a Carthusian monastery (no talking by monks) with frescoes by a papal painter.  Then we paid our respects to the remarkable and ancient Pont du Gard aqueduct, towering above a river valley, long retired from its role of carrying water to Nimes in the 1st and 2nd centuries.  The excellent museum here does full justice to its World Heritage site.

The first of our encounters with van Gogh was at our visit to the asylum at St Remy-de-Provence, where he spent a year following the 'ear' incident in Arles and painted over 150 of his colourful works.  A delightful spot, where patients still live, kept apart from tourists.

The next day we toured the impressive Palais des Papes, assisted by compulsory local guide Caroline - enthusiastic though sometimes incomprehensible. We also visited the Musee Angladon, a modern art collection which gave Nirvana a chance to tell us about the great changes van Gogh and Cezanne introduced to art.  Later, some of us walked half way across the famous Rhone bridge of "Sur le pont ..." fame, which is as far as it has been possible to go since the bridge was flood-damaged in the 1660s.

The delightful town of Arles came next.  Accompanied by local guide Nina in a harmonious double act with Nirvana, we visited the Amphitheatre and Theatre, both from antiquity but still in use, the church of St Trophime and the Hotel de Ville with its remarkable ceiling span.  We even posed for a group photo at van Gogh's yellow 'Cafe la Nuit'.  Later we walked along the tranquil Roman necropolic of Alyscamps. In the evening we were driven up to Les-Baux-de-Provence, a medieval mountainside village that found new life in 1821 when an unusual mineral was discovered nearby, subsequently named Bauxite.  Here a nightingale sang for us fleetingly before we dined alongside a majestic view.

Our third cultural 'A' spot was Aix-en-Provence, where we spent our fourth and fifth nights in a converted Augustinian convent in the heart of town.  Here Paul Cezanne rules and we visited his country studio as well as the Musee Granet in the town. Nirvana delivered art history insights at every opportunity.  In the cathedral these were interspersed between official comments from tall, handsome Arthur and unforgettably, from a tiny but exceptionally animated lady whose delivery upstaged the superb medieval capitals of the cathedral cloister.  Afterwards no one could recall her name.

We enjoyed a farewell lunch at a countryside restaurant not far from the famous Mont Sainte-Victoire, painted by Cezanne many times, and close to Picasso's family home.

So much to see in Provence, so much more to return for, and I haven't even mentioned the lively town squares, elegant shops, colourful markets or famous cuisine!

The tour was superbly organised by Honor Juniper, who like the rest of us is delighted that our treasured Nirvana will be guiding us again next year, when the trail of The Arts Society, Goring, takes us to Friuli.

Provence, the Roman Provnicia, owes its distinctive charms to its clear light, brilliant sun and enchanting landscapes of sculpted hills, purple mountains, cypresses and heady scents of rose, violet and lavender. The Romans colonized the region and luxuriated in its beauty. Even the medieval Popes and cardinals in Avignon succumbed to the richness of its worldly temptations. Their court’s painters, among the greatest in the 14th century, painted Madonnas in luminous Mediterranean colours that would one day inspire Post-Impressionists to challenge the way our eyes see not only this spectacular region but also the rest of the world. Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse and their followers recreated Provencal landscapes in their paintings with a passionate and lyrical intensity, painting them almost as if they were moving and alive.

This itinerary has been specially designed with Nirvana to give the party a real understanding of the region’s millennia of history and culture and its role in some of Europe’s most important art movements.

Day 1. Sunday. 7 May. Avignon.
Fly to Marseilles and drive to Avignon. Stay at the Hotel Mercure Pont D’Avignon in the heart of the town. D.

Day 2. Monday. 8 May. Avignon.
Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Avignon with visits to one of the world’s largest Gothic monuments – the Palace of the Popes , Pont d ’Avignon, Place de l’Horloge, and the Romanesque Cathedral. B.

Day 3. Tuesday. 9 May. Avignon.
Today explore Avignon’s hinterland with visits to La Chartreuse with its superb Matteo Giovannetti frescoes and beautiful gardens and the Pont du Gard, a masterpiece of Roman engineering. This evening enjoy a traditional Provencal dinner in the medieval village of Les Baux-de-Provence, in the heart of the Alpilles hills. B,D.

Day 4. Wednesday. 10 May. Aix-en-Provence.
This morning drive to Arles, the ‘Rome of France’ with its rich artistic and cultural offerings from Roman and medieval periods and home to van Gogh who drew huge inspiration from the beauty of the city and its surrounding landscapes. Transfer to Hotel des Augustins in the heart of Aix-en- Provence. B.D.

Day 5. Thursday. 11 May. Aix–en-Provence.
Enjoy a walking tour of this refined town, famous for its water and art. Follow in the footsteps of one of its most famous citizens - Paul Cézanne, ‘the father of modern art’. The town and local countryside were a lifelong inspiration to his work. B.

Day 6. Friday. 12 May.
In the morning, visit the Musée Granet with its wonderful fine art collection. Drive to Martigues, ‘the Provencal Venice’ for a farewell lunch before flying home. B,L.

“Everyone thought Nirvana was the best guide we have ever had.” – Goring DFAS tour to Croatia 2016

GADFAS TOUR OF NORTH YORKSHIRE, OCTOBER 2016

This year, North Yorkshire was chosen for a five-day tour based in the City of York.  En route we stopped at Harewood House, home of the Lascelles family, where we were joined by David Bostwick, who once again proved to be an excellent and knowledgeable guide and mentor for the duration of the tour.  Harewood was landscaped by Capability Brown and it was appropriate therefore to visit it on his 300th anniversary.  The house was designed by John Carr and Robert Adam, and contains an impressive art collection including works by Turner.  The day was one of sunshine and showers, which prevailed for the whole of the week.  As a result one became quite adept at being indoors when the heavens opened.  We were based at the Monk Bar Hotel, just outside the city walls in York, and we were well looked after.

The next day was quite an intensive one on foot in the city.  A walking tour was embarked upon with a coffee stop at the 16th-century King’s Manor, adapted to accommodate the Council of the North.  We then proceeded to the Treasurer’s House, rebuilt and refurbished by Frank Green, a wealthy but eccentric 19th-century industrialist who clearly did not suffer fools gladly.  Then to Lord Burlington’s Assembly Rooms for lunch.  The afternoon began with an extensive tour of York Minster, with a detailed look at the magnificent stone carvings in the Chapter House.  Little did we know but, while we were there, the decision was being taken to dismiss the bell ringers, and the story appeared in the national press shortly afterwards.  On the way to Fairfax House, David led us to Holy Trinity Goodramgate, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, to view the fine 15th-century stained glass.  En route, via a slippery path, there was a sudden scream and a thud.  The writer turned round fearing the worst, but it was not a member of our group but a middle-aged man who fortunately picked himself up and dusted himself down uninjured!  Fairfax House, described as ‘the finest Georgian townhouse in England’ is a remarkable survivor, having at one time been turned into a cinema but now lovingly restored by the York Civic Trust.  So ended a challenging but nevertheless rewarding day.

The following day after a hearty breakfast, which even included a choice of three types of porridge, we set out for Moor Monkton and The Red House (home of Mr and Mrs Anthony Gordon) to view the Red House Chapel.  Unspectacular from the outside, inside was a different world, with a gallery, a fine carved staircase and stained glass.  Afterwards we managed somehow to make room for the very generous refreshments served in the Red House.  The location was one of complete peace and a feeling that time here really had stood still.  The next port of call was Beningbrough which, although only two or three miles away, was a drive of over half an hour to get across the river.  Beningbrough was acquired by the National Trust devoid of contents, but now contains the National Portrait Gallery’s late 17th-century and early 18th-century collection of portraits.  After lunch we proceeded to Sion Hill Hall, home of Mr Michael Mallaby, where we enjoyed a conducted tour by Michael followed by a cream tea.  The house was built in the early 20th century by Walter H Brierly, known as the Lutyens of the North.  The inside was amazing: each room filled with fine antiques, including a large collection of clocks – and not a speck of dust to be seen!

Next day, after another large breakfast in the dining room (from where we had a view of a nearby building bearing the legend ‘Bile Beans keep you healthy bright-eyed and slim’) we set out for the north east of the county.  Our first stop was Newburgh Priory, dating from 1145, where we were entertained to coffee by Sir George and Lady Wombwell.  Led by Sir George, we explored the Priory and were struck by how it had been added to over the centuries without too much modernisation.  The highlight was viewing in one of the attics what is reputed to be no less than the tomb containing the remains of Oliver Cromwell.  Then to Coxwold to visit St Michael’s Church and see the 17th-century effigies to members of the Bellasis family, which are currently being restored.  A lunch stop was taken at Helmsley, a traditional North Yorkshire market town serving a large rural area.  It was refreshing to see a wide variety of flourishing independent shops.  What a contrast from many similar size towns in the South East.  The fish and chips smelled superb; fried in the traditional Northern way in beef dripping!  Following lunch and evading a downpour we made our way to Rievaulx Terrace and the Ionic Temple.  From the terrace there were magnificent views of the surrounding landscape including the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey far below.  Next, to Pickering where the writer resisted the temptation to visit the North Yorkshire Steam Railway and instead repaired with the rest of the group to the parish church, to view what is said to be the most complete cycle of medieval wall paintings in the country.  How these paintings survived intact through both the Reformation and the Civil War is miraculous.  The quality is extraordinary and gives a glimpse of all the colour there would have been in churches prior to the Reformation.

The final day began with a visit to Garton on the Wolds parish church, which provided a striking contrast in wall paintings from ancient to modern.  Here is a Norman Church whose entire interior had been decorated with wall paintings in the 1860s and restored in recent years in memory of Nicholas Pevsner, author of The Buildings of England.  Then on to our final visit, Burton Agnes Hall, home of the Cunliffe-Lister family.  By now a cold east wind had set in but in the Great Hall a fire was burning in the grate and a musician was giving a recital on a grand piano.  All very comforting.  Burton Agnes has the feel of a family home and the galleries contained a fine collection including paintings by Manet and Renoir.  Following lunch it was homeward bound, leaving the participants with vivid memories of a remarkable five days in North Yorkshire.  In addition to David Bostwick, our thanks are due to Michaela our tour company representative, to Andy our skilled and patient driver and not least to Honor for all her time and effort in planning this most enjoyable holiday.

David Over

 GADFAS tour to Croatia - Zagreb and Dubrovnik

May 2016

Zagreb was previously unknown to all of us, and the first few days presented excellent opportunities to learn about the history of the area, and to see major architectural landmarks in both the old and new towns that covered a period from the medieval to the functional communities of New Zagreb built in the 1950s and 1960s for members of the new socialist society. We also discovered many delights in the Museum of Naive Art - founded in 1952 and the first in the world to be solely concerned with naive artists both Croatian and International. There was also much interest in a splendid exhibition at the Archeological Museum that displayed wide ranging artefacts of the Vucedol culture (3000 - 2200 BC ) from North Eastern Croatia. These included magnificent and modern looking pottery such as the Vucedol dove.
We also visited the colourful main Dolac market (just across the main square from our hotel) and, on one evening many of us attended a very good and lively concert at the large and impressive Lisinski Concert Hall.  On the way to the concert we admired public works by the great Croatian sculpture Ivan Mestrovic.

We also travelled into the countryside outside Zagreb (Zagorje). This is an area of rolling hills, small villages and vineyards that is still largely uninfluenced by modern tourism, yet it is clearly an area of much significance. For example, the largest Neanderthal site in Europe is located in the area, and finds are still being made one hundred or so years after interest began. From another perspective, the area was the last stronghold of Christianity against Ottoman power for millennia and many notable churches in the Habsburg style baroque were built to celebrate the concluding chapters.

We visited to two special churches. One of these -St.Mary of Snow (1758) - was an especially amazing Baroque experience as art forms cover virtually every surface of the interior in order to tell the stories of local beliefs. Afterwards a very welcome lunch and local wine tasting was enjoyed by everyone. 

After Zagreb we flew to Dubrovnik - a place that most of us had long wanted to see. Our first views from the coastal road certainly confirmed images of this stunning UNESCO World Heritage site that has withstood so much over centuries to emerge in such a pristine looking City. Moreover, the rocky coastline around Dubrovnik emphasised the vastly different landscape of the south of the country from the north that we had just left and we were soon to begin to appreciate the distinct history of the area.
During our stay we visited all the main sites (at least from the outside in the case of the Rectors Palace - still under renovation) including of course the Old Port and the Main Street.
In the Dominican Monastery we saw paintings of the Dubrovnik school and the cloisters of the Franciscan Monastery were delightfully quiet as a contrast to the daytime surge of tourists.
However, many of us did appreciate this beautiful city from part of the surrounding walls, as well as by exploring various side streets independently and we all sampled the crowded delights of the local bus service to and from the Argosy Hotel out on the Babin Kuk peninsula!

The focus of our last day was the lovely seaside town of Cavat across the water from Dubrovnik.Before an excellent open-air waterside lunch that fortified us for our journey home, we had the opportunity to visit the hilltop Racic Mausoleun designed by Ivan Mestrovic. This important building won a major architectural prize in Paris in 1925 and is indeed a most impressive octagonal space in white stone that is a fascinating mixture of sculpture and architecture.

This was a relaxed and happy trip. Special thanks are due to Honor Jupiter for all her organisation and for shepherding us in Croatia with such charm and efficiency. We were also very fortunate to have Nirvana Romell as our tour guide. Her impressive knowledge of all aspects of the area, together with her personal experiences of growing up in Croatia brought the whole experience to life.



 

Day 1

On our way to Lincoln, we stopped for coffee at The George Hotel in Stamford, after which we strolled around this most charming town.

As we approached Stamford on the coach, the spires and towers of its many churches enhanced the skyline.  Many of the streets are cobbled and the buildings are made from local Barnock Stone.  A delightful detail imparted by David, our guide, is that the stones were cut with such precision that they slid smoothly into place.  In the event of an unlikely gap, however tiny, this was filled with ground oyster shells!

The old world charm of Stamford is popular with film makers as it provides the perfect setting for period films.  Many of us are determined to revisit Stamford at a later date.

After a short drive, we arrived at Burghley House, claimed as England’s Greatest Elizabethan House.  It was built in the 16th century by William Cecil, the first Lord Burghley, Lord High Treasurer and Chief Minister to Queen Elizabeth I.

From the very first moment, we were awed and enthralled by its beauty.  There is the1½ acre roof with its many amazing crenellations and a variety of other intricate structures and the stunningly beautiful Tudor architecture on the façade and in the delightful Inner Court.

The interior is equally impressive with its wonderful ceilings, fireplaces, paintings, porcelain and other great and precious artefacts.  Over the centuries, refurbishment went on as, for example, for the visit by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for three days in 1844.  All this magnificence is set in extensive and beautiful gardens.

What could possibly match this over the rest of the week, we wondered!

Day 2

It was a short walk from our hotel to Lincoln Cathedral.  William the Conqueror began a programme of cathedral building throughout the country and, in 1072, he instructed Bishop Remigius to move from Dorchester on Thames to Lincoln to begin building a cathedral there.  This took only 100 years giving an architectural integrity to the building.

We entered from Exchequer Gate, with the Castle at our backs, via the 14th century West Gate House.  Gargoyles at the entrance indicated that we were leaving sin behind us as we entered the courtyard housing the properties of the Dean and Chapter.

On the magnificent Romanesque frieze and Roman arch entrance of the Cathedral, statues of saints trampled the heads of sinners.

The interior of the Cathedral is beautiful, moving and utterly fascinating.  I will mention just one of the many wonderful features.  There are 62 misericords magnificently carved and depicting virgins, demons, animals, dragons, owls and many more.  The intricacy of the carving is breathtaking.

After lunch, we went to Doddington Hall, an Elizabethan house built by Thomas Taylor, completed in 1600.  In 1760, the interior was redecorated in the lighter, simpler Georgian style by Sir John Delaval in 1760.  The walls of the three state bedrooms are covered by Flemish tapestries

The house is set in five acres of gardens and walks, and contains many interesting paintings and collections, acquired during 400 years of unbroken family occupation..  The exterior, with its three towers on the façade, is beautiful.

We stopped briefly at St. Helen’s Church in Thornby, built of local sandstone in the 19th century and consisting of an amalgam of many architectural styles. We then walked to David and Andrew’s house where we were treated to a delicious tea and a chance to see their home and their fine collection of antique pieces. We felt very privileged to be made so welcome.

Day 3

The magnificent Gainsborough Hall with its classical architecture and beautiful gardens was built in the 15th century and owned by the Burgh family.  Henry VIII visited with his entourage in 1541.

Fourteen garderobe towers were incorporated at regular intervals along the sides.  The medieval kitchen contains enormous fires and baking ovens.  The heat was so intense that women were not allowed in and there is a large domed lantern on the roof to let out the heat.

St. Mary’s Parish Church in Stow is 10th century with wonderful symbolic features on the baptismal font and elsewhere.

Gunby Hall was build in 1700 for William Massingberd (the name means red beard in Saxon).  The Hall was inherited over the centuries by the female line and, when she married, her husband had to take the family name e.g. Langton Massingberd.  It became a National Trust property in 1944.

The Massingberds were an artistic and musical family and this is reflected in the many interesting pictures in this homely and welcoming house.

Many famous people were associated with the family including Tennyson, a neighbour and cousin; Boswell, whose signed biography of Johnson is in the house; and members of the pre-Raphaelite movement.

Day 4

The Gentlemen's Society in Spalding was created in 1710 (second in age to the Ashmolean, Oxford) and was founded by Maurice Johnson.  It opened as a museum in 1911 and contains the most incredibly varied collection of objects imaginable, displayed over two floors.  It contains an amazing library and fascinating artefacts including Venetian glass, agricultural tools, Fijian spears, coins, Worcester porcelain, priceless jade and many, many other objects producing delight, surprise and excitement in our group.

Grimsthorpe Castle is now owned by a Charitable Trust.  Lady Willoughby, the last and 29th baroness, still lives there.

In 1066, land was granted to Walter de Bec by William the Conqueror as a reward for services rendered and, in 1313, the name Willoughby was established.  Henry VIII held council in one of the rooms in 1541.

Well-planned marriages over the years kept money coming in and the house is richly decorated with wonderful paintings, tapestries, furniture and decorated ceilings.  

Following a wonderful tour of the castle, we had a guided drive through the extensive grounds, where great work of conservation and wildlife environmental protection is taken very seriously – a delightful place to visit.

Day 5

An early start from our hotel took us to the magnificent Romanesque Southwell Cathedral, built from the 12th to the 14th century.  Skilled masons were brought in from Europe to join the workforce.  

The carvings in the Minster and Chapter House and elsewhere are superb.  The pillars would usually be prepared during the winter, ready to be installed during the summer months. Exquisitely detailed, sculpted faces, leaves and fruit are to be found on doorposts and arches.  Many of them are symbolic, not all of them yet understood.  It is an enormously awe-inspiring place.

Our final visit was to Belton House, a Grade 1 listed country house, given by Baron Brownlow to the National Trust in 1983.  It was built in the 17th century by Sir John Brownlow and has been described as the premier 'William and Mary' house.  A recent claim to fame is that the outline is used on road signs to indicate a historic building!

The house has dark interiors with much wood carving – the banisters are beautiful.  Some of the interior walls are four feet thick.  The guest bedroom, in which George III slept, has a canopy covered with beautifully patterned silk. The wallpaper and porcelain indicate a Chinese influence.

From Belton, we headed for home, having had a wonderful and memorable experience.  

Many thanks to Honor for all her hard work.

Marjorie Tierney

Spain Tour:  Madrid, Toledo and Segovia - April 2015

Write up by Marigold Brass - GADFAS Member

On Friday 24 April an excited and anticipatory group gathered at Gatwick for our flight to Madrid, looking forward to a feast of amazing expeiences in the great cities of central Spain: Madrid, Toledo and Segovia.  We were not to be disappointed.  We were met at the airport by Mauricio Macarron Larumbe, who proved to be an outstanding guide to everything we saw and visited.  An art historian, deeply knowledgeable on the history of Spain itself, he spoke excellent English and had a lovely dry sense of humour.  An added benefit turned out to be that he was the nephew of a distinguished Spanish portrait painter.

Saturday took us to Toledo, a dramatic city perched high on its rock amid the arid Spanish plateau, almost surrounded by the river Tagus, itself crossed by Roman bridges.  Toledo was the first city to be reconquered from the Moors by Alfonso VI of Castile and remained home to Christians, Muslims and Jews for many centuries.  We marvelled at the magnificent Gothic cathedral, dazzling in its splendour of gold decoration, wonderful wood carvings and great Baroque altar.  Toledo was home to El Greco and it was a great privilege to see his great painting "The Burial of Count Orgaz" in the church of Santo Tome.  We also visited the beautiful cloister at the Monasterio of San Juan de los Reyes and the Synagogue of El Transito in the Jewish Quarter.  

Sunday and Monday were spent viewing the outstanding examples of both Spanish and European paintings of every period in the Prado, Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornomitza galleries.  Here Mauricio picked out carefully the paintings he wanted us to see, and was able to give us new insights into works such as "Las Meninas" and "Guernica" which we already knew and much interesting information on painting techniques, and on the lives and times of the artists.

Tuesday found us in Segovia, famous for its Roman aqueduct, an engineering marvel, and for the Alcazar. perched vertiginously on a spur of rock high above the city, with wide-spread views in every direction.  Another paradise for the photographers among us.

Happy evenings were spent trying out the splended restaurants of Madrid.  No-one who valiantly ploughed through the Cocido Madrileno will easily forget the experience!  All three cities were threaded through with little streets packed with shops and cafes.  Lots of coffee and wine was drunk, and purchases made.  Madrid's spacious boulevards and parks were particularly notable.

Wednesday morning was spent exploring the palace of El Escorial where Philip II planned the Armada.  In the afternoon we visited the Valley of the Fallen, a moving memorial to the dead of the Spanish Civil War.  Two places of great importance in the history of Spain, and a fine way to end a memorable visit.

'An appreciation of my first tour with GADFAS' (written by Christine Field, November 2014)

It was with some trepidation that I ‘signed up’ for a tour of Hereford and The Welsh Marches. I need not have feared. The organisation of the five days away, travel and accommodation were all first rate. ACE Cultural Tours provided us with a coach driver of Polish origin who drove us carefully wherever we needed to go, the hotel was comfortable and our guide for this event, David Bostwick MA PhD, was a mine full of information. His historical knowledge of facts and artefacts was rolled out effortlessly in a delightful Yorkshire voice throughout the tour. His use of the English language was superb. The highlight of this tour was, for me, the visits to three privately-owned properties: Kentchurch Court, Llanvihangel Court and Hellens Manor (PMM Charity Trust). Full of treasures, paintings and furniture acquired over the years, these houses are reliant on visits such as ours to maintain their properties and generate income (no grants for them). David was obviously on good terms with the ladies who conducted our tours and they were delighted to learn a little more historical information from our guide. I would like to record my appreciation of the friendliness of the group which was beautifully illustrated by a small incident on the final leg of our journey home. Our driver became aware of a smell towards the rear of the coach (brakes I think) and was sufficiently concerned to ask for a replacement coach to be sent. This meant a delay of 45-55mins in a lay-by. An ideal opportunity for me to dig out my Saturday Jumbo crossword, as yet untouched, and while away the time!! The collective minds on the coach (mainly the ladies) finished the puzzle in record time!! The occupational therapy was perfectly timed; we did not have to resort to community singing to while away the delay as our new vehicle had arrived. Thank you GADFAS for a memorable five days.

Christine Field November 2014

April/May 2014