LECTURE 1: A PARADISE GARDEN: THE MEANING OF MEDIEVAL PLANTS IN ART

Have you noticed how many medieval paintings are set in May? The language of plants evolved over the centuries to create a lexicon of creation that paved the way to Paradise, a perennial early summer where all the flowers and all the fruits emerge at the same time - but each tells us something different. We explore paintings, tapestry, manuscripts and sculpture to re-learn a lost language. 

LECTURE 2: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST: ANIMALS IN MEDIEVAL ART

Animals were central to medieval arts: we find birds, reptiles, mammals, insects and fabulous creatures in sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, tapestries and even wax seals. But what were the artists trying to tell us through the animals they portrayed? This talk explores a lost artistic language, to discover that the behaviours and legends of creatures enabled us to learn about ourselves.
 

LECTURER - DR. JONATHAN FOYLE

Dr Jonathan Foyle was Chief Executive of World Monuments Fund Britain for eight years and a Curator of Historic Buildings at Hampton Court for as long, during which time he took his 2002 PhD on reconstructing Wolsey's palace.

He is a frequent feature writer for the Financial Times on issues of architecture, history & craft, and is approaching his fourth published cathedral monograph: Canterbury, Lincoln, Lichfield - now Peterborough. 

Dr. Foyle is a presenter of numerous television series including BBC4's Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? and BBC2's Climbing Great Buildings. He lectures frequently on a range of art-historical topics. He brings teaching experience as a former Course Director for the University of Cambridge Summer Schools and is an Honorary Professor in Conservation at the University of Lincoln.
 

Tickets £30.00 for the two talks.

• 10 am Arrive (coffee available)
• 10.30 First lecture
• 11.30 Break (coffee available)
• 12.00 Second lecture
• 1.00pm Finish

To book your tickets: https://buytickets.at/theartssociety2/1796429

Got any questions?

Please contact us at: info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk

Not a member of The Arts Society yet? Join any of our 14 societies in the East Surrey Area. 

Check out the nearest society to you on the 'Societies' section.

Andrew Graham-Dixon has been working on a  new and groundbreaking study of the great  seventeenth-century painter, Johannes Vermeer, due to be published this autumn. Andrew has previously published the definitive biography of Caravaggio.

In this talk, Andrew will give us a sneak preview of some of his most important new discoveries and reinterpretations of some of the most popular paintings in the world, including the Girl with a Pearl Earring, A View of Delft, The Milkmaid and The Artist in His Studio.

Drawing on a mass of material discovered in the archives of Delft and other Dutch towns, from Gouda to Amsterdam, Andrew sheds new light on the little known facts of the painter’s life, and proposes an entirely new way of seeing his paintings. 

Born in London in 1960, Andrew Graham-Dixon is one of the leading art critics and presenters of arts television in the English-speaking world. 

He has presented numerous landmark series on art for the BBC and other independents; has served as the chief art critic for the Independent and the Telegraph, and has a long history of public service in the field of the visual arts. 

Andrew lectures and tours all over the world with many different audiences, and is an Ambassador for the Princes Teaching Institute.

He has written a number of books about art and artists – his most recent was a biography of Caravaggio, and he is currently working on a similarly in-depth project about Vermeer to be launched this autumn.

Come and join us at our Special Interest Morning and be one of very few to have the privilege of having a signed copy of his book.

• 10 am          Arrive (coffee / tea available)
• 10.30 am     First lecture
• 11.30 am      Break (coffee /tea available)
• 12.00 nn      Second lecture
• 1.00 pm       Finish

*Ttickets for this event have now sold out.

Got any questions? 

Please contact us at: info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk

Not a member of The Arts Society yet? Join any of our 14 societies in the East Surrey Area. 

Check out  the nearest society to you at: 

https://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk/

This a chance for us to explore old and new as we examine the very best of British architects from the 17th century to the present day. In these two one-hour lectures, we take an informative and lively examination of some brilliant British architects and their legacy. It is not a technical morning, but colourful and fun.

We will hear about works by Christopher Wren, Edwin Lutyens, George Gilbert Scott,Thomas Heatherwick, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster and many others. We live in the world they created. Many of the buildings are in the UK but we also see some spectacular projects by British architects around the world.

Ian Swankie is a Londoner with a contagious enthusiasm for art and architecture. He is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery, and St Paul’s Cathedral. He is also a freelance London tour guide. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his hometown of Richmond in West London. He is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society, and a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City Livery Companies.

Tickets £25.00 for the two talks. 

Coffee on arrival and between the talks is included.  

• 10 am Coffee
• 10.30 First lecture
• 11.30 Break
• 12.00 Second lecture
• 1.00pm  Finish

To purchase your tickets:

https://buytickets.at/theartssociety2/1542613

Got any questions? 

Please contact us at: info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk

Not a member of The Arts Society yet? Join any of our 14 societies in the East Surrey Area. 

Check out  the nearest society to you at: 

https://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk/

Well known gardener and horticulturalist Timothy Walker gives us two talks on Fine Art in the Garden on Friday  November 8th  2024, 10 am - 1pm at The Menuhin Hall, Cobham Road, Stoke d’Abernon KT11 3QQ.

Timothy Walker was Director (Horti Praefectus) at the Oxford Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum for 26 years. During this time the garden won a gold medal at the Chelsea Flower Show for an exhibit of modern medicinal plants. Since 2014 he has been a lecturer and tutor in Plant Science at Somerville College, Oxford. His Arts Society lectures cover the history of gardening, the convergent evolution of fine art and garden design, botanical illustration and the healing power of plants. Among them are Beauty in truth: the past, present and future of botanical illustration; Garden hunting in China and The healing power of plants – why plant derived treatments are not an alternative, but the real thing.

The talks are about the way artists and gardeners have used similar colour palettes, since colour was first introduced into the gardens of Europe about 150 years ago.  We walk through the gardens of Gertrude Jekyll, and the paintings of JMW Turner that inspired her.  We learn how gardens and contemporary paintings have evolved over similar lines over the last century and how the latest designs of gardens reflect the informality and fluidity of Rothko and Pollock.

We also get plenty of tips to help us turn our gardens into works of Art.  Come and be inspired by a master.

Tickets are £25.00 (to include coffee before and between the talks)

To book tickets with Ticket Tailor click here or go to:

Tickettailor.com/events/theartssocietyeastsurreyarea/1223215

Once again, The Arts Society in Surrey (East and West Surrey Areas) are presenting The Sitkovetstky Trio with Sharon Kam and Friends introduced by renowned broadcaster Kate Kennedy at a concert & lecture in partnership with The Surrey Hills International Music Festival. 

The evening will feature an expert talk by Kate Kennedy, a performance by the award-winning Sitkovetsky Trio with Sharon Kam and Friends, plus a free Souvenir Programme Book and a glass of wine. 

6pm

Kate Kennedy discusses the historical context and musical detail of this evening’s programme, alongside composer Huw Watkins, enhancing your experience of the full performance to follow. Featuring live musical illustrations from the Sitkovetsky Trio with Sharon Kam and Friends. 

6:45 - 7:30 pm

Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and a breath of fresh air inThe Menuhin  Hall’s beautiful grounds.

7:30 pm

Concert by Alexander Sitkovetsky, Isang Enders, Wu Qian,Sharon Kam, Annabelle Meare & Philip Dukes - Beethoven Trio No.4 in B flat major Op.11 ‘Gassenhauer’ Huw Watkins Piano Quartet (world premiere) Interval  Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A major K.581 

Tickets available to The Arts Society members from Monday 18 December Online using the following link and entering booking code SHIMFB when prompted:https://themenuhinhall.co.uk/

Or, by phone from The Menuhin Hall on 01932 559400 quoting code SHIMFB

Tickets £40 including talk, concert, complimentary glass of wine & programme book

For queries and to claim your free programme book (including details of all the Festival’s 2024 events - see overleaf) please be in touch with the Festival at hello@shimf.co.uk

The Menuhin Hall

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

East Surrey Area Special Interest Morning

The Art of Illusion: Now You see it, Now you Don’t 

Two Talks on Magic And  Illusion in Art     

 The well-loved speaker and magic maker Bertie Pearce beguiles and fascinates us with an in depth look at the profound mystery of perception. 

There is a primal enjoyment in being deceived by optical illusions, as artists from the 16th century onwards, including Hogarth, Holbein and Magritte have all shown us, through double imagery, trompe d’oeil, anamorphic art and other illusions.  Come and see the extraordinary ways in which paintings have hidden secrets that can only be seen from a single angle or how a sitter looks at you, wherever you stand in the room.
 
The second talk takes us back even earlier to the days when sorcerer priests used scientific principles to create illusions to hold power over people.  This is a whistle stop tour of the history of mystery from 3,000BC to the 21st century, taking in the earliest illusionists, through music hall, to Harry Potter and the magic of iPads. You might be amazed and bewitched.  

Tickets £25.00 for the two talks. 

Coffee on arrival and between the talks is included.  

• 10 am Coffee
• 10.30 Now you see It Now you Don’t.
• 11.30 Break
• 12.00 The History of Mystery
• 1.00pm  Finish

TO BOOK TICKETS with Ticket Tailor click here:

For more information:

Text 07780606091 or email Andrea.Gabb@btinternet.com

The talks take place in the Menuhin Hall Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

Click here for directions

This morning of lectures and discussion will provide a broad introduction to the arts of Japan and historic encounters between Japan and the West.  It will focus on episodes of artistic interaction and exchange beginning with the 16th century depictions of Portuguese traders and missionaries in namban screen paintings to the Dutch presence in Japan during the Edo Period.  

With the re-opening of Japan to the West in the mid-19th century, such artistic encounters intensified as ukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock prints, and other traditional artefacts poured into Europe and America and came to transform the visual vocabulary of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionist painters.

Professor Marie Conte-Helm OBE is an established Lecturer of The Arts Society with a BA in History of Art and an MA in Asian Art.  She has most recently served as Executive Director of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group and as Visiting Professor at Northumbria University. 

She is currently a Member of the Board of Governors of the University for the Creative Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She was Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation from 1999-2011 and has held senior academic positions at various UK universities. 

She is widely published and has lectured throughout the UK and abroad. She is also an experienced cruise speaker and a resident historian with cruise companies, lecturing on many aspects of Asian Art and East-West Encounters. She was awarded an OBE in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to UK-Japan educational and cultural relations, and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan in 2019.

PROGRAMME FOR THE MORNING:

10.00 am    Registration and Welcome (coffee / tea available)

10.30 am    Lecture I

11.30 am    Break for coffee / tea and biscuits

12 noon      Lecture II

1.00 pm      Approximate end of Special Interest Morning

TICKET COST: 

£22.00 per person (two lectures, coffee / tea on arrival and during the interval)

VENUE:  

THE MENUHIN HALL

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

TO BOOK:

Eventbrite: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/japanese-art-and-the-west-from-namban-to-japonaiserie-tickets-687256591967?aff=oddtdtcreator

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

The Arts Society East Surrey Area, in a publicity partnership with the Surrey Hills International Music Festival, is offering members and friends the opportunity to attend the Festival’s 2023 season finale at The Menuhin Hall.

The evening will start with a talk by the ‘erudite, funny...’ Katy Hamilton – one of the UK’s most sought-after speakers on music - who will delve into the historical context and musical detail of the evening’s programme, with live illustrations on stage from the Sitkovetsky Trio. 

Enjoy a complimentary drink and a breath of fresh air in The Menuhin Hall’s beautiful grounds during the break.

The concert follows with the Trio performing Beethoven’s famously atmospheric ‘Ghost’ Piano Trio. They will then be joined by two of The Menuhin School’s gifted students to perform Dvorák’s chamber masterpiece - his sublime second Piano Quintet. 

“Like three good friends enjoying a glass of wine and a natter, the Sitkovetsky Trio sparkle with conviviality. It’s wonderfully uplifting.” BBC Music Magazine. 

Programme for the Evening:

6:00 pm                     Pre-concert talk by Katy Hamilton 

6:45 pm                     Break with a complimentary drink

7:30 - 9:00 pm           Concert 

Beethoven                  Piano Trio in D Major Op. 70 No. 1 ‘Ghost’ 

Interval

Dvorák                       Piano Quintet No. 2 in A Major Op. 81 

Performed By:

Alexander Sitkovetsky - Violin
Isang Enders - Cello
Wu Qian - Piano
The Yehudi Menuhin School pupils - violin & viola 

Priority Tickets available to members from 9 January, 2023 (Monday) 

To book: 

Online - using the following link and entering booking code TAS23 when prompted: https://tinyurl.com/bp6n6uwt 

By phone from The Menuhin Hall on 01932 559400 quoting code TAS23 

Tickets £40 including talk, concert, complimentary glass of wine during break & programme book. 

Please go to About Area / Document Section to download and print festival flyer.

For queries and to claim your free programme book which includes details of all the Festival’s 2023 events - please be in touch with the Festival at hello@shimf.co.uk

For full details of the festival, please follow the link below:

https://shimf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SHIMF-2023.pdf

The Menuhin Hall

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

Contact: 

Jo Edna Corbyn     

Area Coordinator for Education

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 01737 932274

The latter part of the 19th century was a time of great technological innovation and one of the most significant development was the emergence of the motor car. 

From the Art Deco inspired cars of the Great Gatsby era to the exotic Italian supercars of the 21st century, some of the most beautiful cars in the world have been influenced by art movements. 

Lecturer Roger Mendham’s Special Interest Morning will follow the evolution of car design from the earliest ‘horseless carriages’ through the exotic cars of the late 1920s & 1930s - the golden age which included some of the most fabulous cars ever built.

Over time, priorities in design have evolved. The economic realities of the post WW2 period meant that cars in the UK tended to put practicality ahead of design whilst in America, the ‘jet age’ influenced streamlined shape and the classic fins at the rear of cars.

Expect some wonderful images of fabulous mobile works of art.

PROGRAMME FOR THE MORNING:

10.00 am    Registration and Welcome (coffee / tea available)

10.30 am    Lecture I

11.30 am    Break for coffee / tea and biscuits

12 noon      Lecture II

1.00 pm      Approximate end of Special Interest Morning

TICKET COST: 

£20.00 per person (two lectures, coffee / tea on arrival and during the interval). 

VENUE:  

THE MENUHIN HALL

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

TO BOOK:

EVENTBRITE: 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-art-of-the-automobile-tickets-332910092047

CONTACT:

Jo Edna Corbyn     

Area Coordinator for Education

The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 01737 932274

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who were first cousins, were born just three months apart in 1819. Their shared enthusiasm for art and music endured throughout the twenty-two years of their marriage. Theirs was a partnership of patronage by a monarch and her consort which is unique in the history of the British monarchy.  

After Prince Albert’s untimely death, Victoria devoted herself to perpetuating Albert’s memory in commissioning and unveiling memorials and monuments throughout Britain.

We round off the day with a dip into that quintessentially Victorian entertainment, the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. After Albert’s death in 1861, the Queen commanded two performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas, then at the height of their popularity, ‘The Mikado’ at Balmoral Castle and ‘The Gondoliers’ at Windsor Castle.

PROGRAMME FOR THE MORNING:

10.00 am    Registration and Welcome (coffee / tea available)

10.30 am    Lecture I

11.30 am    Break for coffee / tea and biscuits

12 noon      Lecture II

1.00 pm      Approximate end of Special Interest Morning

TICKET COST: 

£20.00 per person (two lectures, coffee / tea on arrival and during the interval). 

VENUE:  

THE MENUHIN HALL

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

TO BOOK:

EVENTBRITE/ PASSIONATE PATRONS

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/passionate-patrons-victoria-albert-and-the-arts-tickets-197824718057

CONTACT:

Jo Edna Corbyn     

Area Coordinator for Education

The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 01737 932274

For the series Downton Abbey, Andrew Prince was commissioned to produce many jewels for the main characters, and this inspired him to create a talk based on Downton and the changing styles of the time portrayed.

Jewellery and Fashion are often seen as two entirely separate and distinct fields of design, but this is very far from the case.

In his talk, Andrew will guide through the extraordinary periods and events between 1890 and 1929, where the great fashion houses collaborated with the finest of jewellers to produce works of art of outstanding quality and glittering opulence. Along with this he discusses the clients and patrons who commissioned the jewels and how they were worn with the sumptuous gowns.

To accompany his study day, he will bring with him many of the pieces used in Downton Abbey, so we can experience and see what was worn, close up.

PROGRAMME FOR THE MORNING:

10.00 am    Registration and Welcome (coffee / tea available)

10.30 am    Lecture I

11.30 am    Break for coffee / tea and biscuits

12 noon      Lecture II

1.00 pm      Approximate end of Special Interest Morning

TICKET COST: 

£20.00 per person (two lectures, coffee / tea on arrival and during the interval). 

VENUE:  

THE MENUHIN HALL

Cobham Rd, Stoke D'Abernon, Great Bookham, Cobham KT11 3QQ

* Event to be held via Zoom in accordance with goverment gjuidance regarding the pandemic for that period.

TO BOOK:

EVENTBRITE:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-downton-to-gatsby-jewellery-and-fashion-1890-to-1929-tickets-165137882853

CONTACT:

Jo Edna Corbyn     

Area Coordinator for Education

The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 01737 932274

Let’s find out what happened during a picnic at Box Hill when Jane Austen’s women did not behave.

A famous scene in Emma is a picnic at Box Hill. Come to Mickleham at the foot of Box Hill to learn what happened and what it meant for Emma.

Jane Austen’s novels depict a genteel world of country houses in which everyone is expected to be on their best behaviour. But what happens when this world of manners and morals breaks down? During Jane Austen’s lifetime, women – and their fictional counterparts - were expected to be virtuous and biddable; what happens when, like Lydia Bennet, they are not? 

This lecture by Annalie Talent explores how far Austen subverted her readers’ expectations and rebelled against what was expected of women in her day. From the riotous and rebellious girls that populate her teenage writings to the more famous heroines of her mature works, this is an enlightening and surprising look at the life and work of a woman who once declared ‘If I am a wild beast, I cannot help it.’

The lecture is sponsored by The Arts Society East Surrey Area as part of the Mole Valley Arts Alive Festival.

Please join us for a glass of wine after the lecture.

DATE & TIME:

26 October 2021 (Tuesday)

18:30 – 20:30 BST

LOCATION:

MICKLEHAM VILLAGE HALL

Dell Close

Mickleham RH5 6EE

TO BOOK VIA EVENTBRITE:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/girls-behaving-badly-jane-austens-wicked-women-tickets-166769541187

CONTACT:

Jo Edna Corbyn     

Area Coordinator for Education

The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Email:  esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 01737 932274

Launch event for Mole Valley Heritage Open Days Festival 2021 - hosted by The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Sweet Tooth: An Edible History of Art is a whistle-stop tour of the history of food as an artistic medium, starting with 16th-century sugar sculpture and venturing all the way up to 3D dessert printing and beyond. Hosted by Food Historian Tasha Marks, this lecture is a treat for those with a sweet tooth, as Tasha feels the subject of food and art through the ages is most exciting in the realms of the dessert. 

Topics covered include the origins of dessert, sugar as an artistic medium, the bittersweet histories of sugar, edible architecture, Renaissance banqueting houses, the spectacle of sugar and the future of food. 

This exploration into the realms of dessert as spectacle includes an accompanying display to illustrate and enhance this historic subject.

EVENT TIME:

Friday 10 September: 19:30

BOOKING DETAILS:

Pre-booking: Required
Pre booking is necessary to ensure the number of screens viewing is within the limit of the Zoom licence (500). Please note that only one booking is required per screen, not per person. The link to join the Launch Event will be sent to those registered on 8 September.

BOOKING CONTACT:

Dorking Halls Booking Office
Call: 01306 881717
Email: boxoffice@molevalley.gov.uk
Write to: boxoffice@molevalley.gov.uk
Booking opens: 5 July 2021 10:00
Booking closes: 7 September 2021 16:00

ACCESS:

The link to join the Launch Event will be sent to those registered on 8 September.

COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS:

This event will run in line with local & national government guidelines at the time of the festival.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The talk will be for 1 hour. This will be a live online event; there will be no recording. 

CONTACT FOR THE DAY:

Dorking Halls Box Office: 01306 881717

The Arts Society East Surrey Area: Email: esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Explore the fascinating story of wine and how it has been part of our global society for over 7,000 years

Its story tells us of its origin and appearance in all societies across the Mediterranean and through Europe. There is rich evidence of the role wine has played in these societies and how it became an important component of faith, well-being and festivity.

From the kwevris of Georgia in 5,000 B.C., the symposia in ancient Greece, the thermopolia of Pompeii, the hospices of Europe, to the dining tables of fine society wine has been ever present. Drawings, paintings, engravings, buildings, pottery and wine labels themselves all contribute to the story. The lecture dips into each culture and century and picks out the evidence or role wine has played.

After the lecture, experience the chance to taste and discuss Cote Du Danube Viognier 2020, Forgeron Dubois Syrah Rose 2019, Languedoc, France and Terra d’Alter Red, Alentejo, Portugal. 

Lecturer David Wright is a wine retailer, importer and distributor for 30 years. His company was named Merchant of the Year in 1987 - an award judged on independent wine merchants offering a carefully selected range of wine from producers committed to their region, and a high level of service.

He lectures for The Arts Society and has, in collaboration with the head office, started a wine website for members, with a percentage of revenue returned to The Arts Society for investment in charitable activities.

Over the years, he has publicly presented tastings and talks on wine to trade and private audiences. Personally, he considers wine an essential component to a contented life.

TO BOOK VIA EVENTBRITE - CLICK THE LINK BELOW:

the-brief-story-of-wine-with-wine-tasting-tickets-153279313553

Details on how to order your bottles of wine will be given soon.

Contact: Jo Edna Corbyn at esaartssociety2020@gmail.com

Tel.: 07758 097003

Castles

Architectural historian Dr. Jonathan Foyle will explore the shifting associations in castle design and purpose over the last 1000 years. This talk digs deep to show how the religious and political purposes of buildings later changed to become representational of political authority. He will explain how Britain’s castles became palatial residences as cultural values changed during the 16th and 17th century, and lastly how they were associated with romantic ideals through Georgian and Victorian designs, that inform our modern preconceptions today. But it turns out that our own popular culture instinctively remembers medieval ideas.

Creating Windsor Castle: A Step-by-Step Guide

Windsor is amongst the most prominent of national landmarks, but it presents a complicated picture. This lecture will break down the evolution of the castle into seminal moments, explaining the context and purpose of each change from William the Conqueror’s mound to the nineteenth- century transformation as a picturesque composition under George IV – with a special insight into its current care as a conclusion.

Dr Jonathan Foyle was Chief Executive of World Monuments Fund Britain for eight years, and a Curator of Historic Buildings at Hampton Court for as long, during which time he took his 2002 PhD on reconstructing Wolsey's palace. He is a frequent feature writer for the Financial Times on issues of architecture, history and craft, and is approaching his sixth published cathedral monograph: Canterbury, Lincoln, Lichfield, Peterborough, Exeter - now Beverley Minster. A presenter of numerous television series including BBC4's Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? and BBC2's Climbing Great Buildings, he lectures frequently on a range of art-historical topics. He brings teaching experience as a former Course Director for the University of Cambridge Summer Schools and as Honorary Professor in Conservation at the University of Lincoln.

Programme for the Morning:

10:30 am Lecture I 

11:30 am Break

11:35 am Lecture II

12:35 pm End                                                                                         

Ticket cost - £10 via Evenbrite 

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-arts-society-east-surrey-area-32684608849

For further enquiries, please contact:

Jo Edna Corbyn   

Area Coordinator for Education - The Arts Society East Surrey Area                          

Email:  ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk                

Mobile: 07758 097003                              

Although everyone knows that Shakespeare came from Stratford-upon-Avon, all of his famous working life was spent in London. Follow in his footsteps and see the places where he lived, wrote and acted.  

See the original site of the Globe Theatre and its sister the Blackfriars Theatre, two houses where he lived and the very spot where we believe Othello, King Lear and Macbeth were written. This virtual walk will also visit some of the monuments that modern London has erected in the Bard’s honour.   

The virtual walk is led by actor Lance Pierson who regularly leads poetry walks around London for ‘The Original London Walks’ company. 

Details of this Zoom walk will be available closer to the date.

To join, contact:

Andrea Gabb

Area Chairman

The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Tel.: 01306 885 534

Email: andrea.gabb@btinternet.com

Sir Stamford Raffles, whose name is synonymous with a luxury hotel rather than the greatest Buddhist temple in the world, Borobudur, was the enlightened colonial administrator of Java. In 1814, he discovered the 8th century temple hidden under volcanic ash, acquired wondrous artefacts from Indonesia such as shadow puppets, sculptures and textiles, now in the British Museum, and founded Singapore, the most important port in the East. This year marks the 200thanniversary of the discovery of Singapore.

This Special Interest Morning tells the story of Raffles, a scholar and polymath. It reveals mystical Borobudur and its radiant narrative carvings, shows the architectural heritage of Singapore, inspired by his vision, with botanical gardens, historic shophouses and Victorian architecture. It concludes with Raffles’ return to London and reflects on his legacy.

Lecturer:

Denise Heywood is an art historian, author, lecturer, photographer and journalist. She worked in Cambodia for three years in the 1990s and has been a scholar of Southeast Asian art ever since.

Her books include Ancient Luang Prabang, also in French, and another on Cambodian Dance Celebration of the Gods, with a foreword by Princess Buppha Devi, daughter of King Sihanouk.

Now based in London, she is a lecturer for The Arts Society, The Art Fund and The School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) on their post-graduate Asian Art Course. She has lectured all over Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, South Africa and Europe at universities, colleges, schools, travel societies and art institutions ranging from The Courtauld Institute to The British Museum, The National Trust and The Royal Geographical Society.

She writes for many art, literary and travel publications, has appeared on television and radio, leads art tours to Southeast Asia and Europe and lectures on cruise ships.

* Photo courtesy of Denise Heywood. ©

Programme for the Morning:

10.00 am    Registration and Welcome (coffee / tea available)

10.30 am    Lecture I

11.30 am    Break for coffee / tea and biscuits

12 noon      Lecture II

1.00 pm      Approximate end of Special Interest Morning

Ticket cost - £20.00 per person (two lectures, coffee / tea on arrival and during the interval). 

To book, contact:

Jo Edna Corbyn  

Area Coordinator for Education - The Arts Society East Surrey Area

Email: ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk

Telephone: 01737 761521

Mobile: 0078 097003

A Booking Form is ready to download.

Go to: About Area page / Documents and click on appropriate row.

Hans Christian Andersen was not only an artist with words. As a child he made puppet costumes. Later on in his many travels, he produced attractive sketches of Italy with extraordinary collages and paper cuts of swans, ballet dancers, court ladies and dancing millers based on Danish folk tales. He has written 156 stories mostly unknown to us! Two of his major works were the The Tinder Box and The Emperors's New Clothes. Illustrations by artists from all over the world and paintings by artists from early 19th century Denmark will be presented as well as his lesser-known short story of THE TEAPOT, illustrated by Arthur Rackham. Andersen drew on many sources - from THE ARABIAN NIGHTS and AESOP'S FABLES to events in his own life and works written by acquaintances and friends! He was definitely a Borrower! He was a sharp observer: "Every character is taken from life, I know and have known them all". Enjoy one or two short poems by Andersen set to music by Scandinavian composers.

A wonderful magical morning led by Karin Fernald.

To book:

Contact - Jo Edna Corbyn (Area Coordinator for Education)

Email: ciao2005@hotmail.co.uk

Mobile: 07758 097003

Tel.: 01737 761521

A Booking Form is available to download:

Go to the 'About Area' page / Documents / Click on appropriate row.

The Forbidden City is a vast complex of buildings with yellow-tiled roofs and vermilion walls enclosed by a moat, situated at the heart of modern Beijing.  It is known in Chinese as Gu Gong or Ancient Palace and was built in the early 15th century. The palace was inhabited by two dynasties of powerful rulers of China, the Ming and Qing dragon- emperors who lived in walled seclusion with their empresses, concubines and palace eunuchs. After the abdication of the last emperor in 1911, it was transformed into today's Palace Museum, visited by millions of tourists each year. The multiple pavilions house extensive collections of works of art, collected by generations of Chinese Emperors. 

Lecture 1 focuses on the construction, early history and ceremonies of the Forbidden City and the symbolism of the venerated architecture. The symmetrical arrangement of the palace with its central north-south axis was a metaphor for the Chinese belief that their country was the Middle Kingdom, positioned at the centre of the earth. The Emperors had a cosmic role as semi-divine Sons of Heaven and their lives were bound by ritual and secrecy. 

Lecture 2 will look at the exquisite art collections of the palace from paintings to jade and porcelain and will focus on some of the discerning imperial art connoisseurs. The lecture continues to the impact of 19th century Opium Wars and end of Empire through to the founding of the modern museum

An application Form is available to download;

Go to the 'About Area' page'/'Documents / Click on appropriate row.

Lecturer Mark Cottle

Feedback:  Two extremely good lectures and some wonderful photgraphs. 

For further interest Mark has provided a reading list.  To download list, please go to webpage: 

About Area/ Documents/Click on appropriate row.

Lecture 1.  The Early Expeditions: Three famous explorers dominate the story of early Antarctic exploration; Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton.  This lecture focuses on their expeditions from 1902-1912 including the race to the Pole between Scott and Amundsen.  Remarkable photographs by Herbert Ponting and water colours by Edward Wilson provide a visual and evocative record of this unknown frozen world and these early pioneering expeditions.

Lecture 2.  A Photographic Odyssey - Shackleton’s Endurance Expedition Captured on Camera:

This lecture focuses on Shackleton’s third expedition south in 1914 when his ship, the Endurance, was trapped in the pack ice and crushed.  After camping for months on the ice, Shackleton’s men rowed to a remote island.  From there, Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away, later returning to rescue his men.  The lecture will focus on Frank Hurley’s photographs of this epic journey, which captures eloquently one of the great survival stories of polar history.                              

An Application Form is available to download.

Go to webpage: 
About Area/ Documents/Click on appropriate row.

The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham KT11 3QQ

The Trojan War: Myth or History?  Louise will look at the story of the Trojan War and at some of the extraordinary ancient works of art it inspired. She will take us in the footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the lost city of Troy and within it a fabulous golden treasure.

Palaces, Tombs and Treasures of the Mycenaean Greeks:  Following his incredible finds at Troy, Schliemann searched for the tombs of King Agamemnon and his followers.  His excavations at Mycenae in 1876 began the discovery of a lost civilisation of the late Bronze Age, that of the Mycenaean Greeks.  Louise will explore their world of beautifully decorated palaces, and shrines and their rich burials, laden with gold. 

The Trojan War: Myth or History?  Louise will look at the story of the Trojan War and at some of the extraordinary ancient works of art it inspired. She will take us in the footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the lost city of Troy and within it a fabulous golden treasure.

Palaces, Tombs and Treasures of the Mycenaean Greeks:  Following his incredible finds at Troy, Schliemann searched for the tombs of King Agamemnon and his followers.  His excavations at Mycenae in 1876 began the discovery of a lost civilisation of the late Bronze Age, that of the Mycenaean Greeks.  Louise will explore their world of beautifully decorated palaces, and shrines and their rich burials, laden with gold.The Trojan War: Myth or History?  Louise will look at the story of the Trojan War and at some of the extraordinary ancient works of art it inspired. She will take us in the footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann who discovered the lost city of Troy and within it a fabulous golden treasure.

Application form available in the 'Document' Section of the 'About Area' page.

The Great Fire of London, which burned across three days and nights in September 1666, devastated the medieval city, sweeping away houses, churches, chapels and public buildings – changing London forever.  

From the ashes a new city would rise, with the great cathedral of St Paul’s at its heart. In this study morning we will explore the world of Restoration London, looking at the old city and its rebirth, along with Charles II, Samuel Pepys, John Evelyn and Sir Christopher Wren.

To download an application form, go to the webpage 'About Area', click 'Documents' then click on appropriate document.

Venue: Menuhin Hall, Stoke d'Abernon, Cobham  KT11 3QQ

The 300 year history of children’s literature is absolutely fascinating. We take a journey from early moral and religious primers to the recent publishing sensations and explosion of artistic creativity in the world of the contemporary picture book. We will examine alphabet and improving stories, 19th century fantasies and family fairy tales and end with the plethora of provoking and spellbinding stories available today. On the way we explore the development of the genre and look at some of the colourful and original examples, and the astonishing originality of the artists involved, which were milestones along the way.

Application Form available for downloading. Go to 'About Area'/Documents

The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham KT11 3QQ

The Menuhin Hall, Stoke d’Abernon, Cobham KT11 3QQ