Kettle’s Yard is the University of Cambridge's Modern and Contemporary Art Gallery. Set in a beautiful house, it hosts a remarkable collection of modern art and regular contemporary art exhibitions.

It was originally the Cambridge home of Jim Ede and his wife Helen. Moving to Cambridge in 1956, they converted four small cottages with the help of Winton Aldridge into one idiosyncratic house and a place to display Ede's collection of early 20th-century art. The aim is to offer an inspiring and enriching experience for everyone who visits.

The proposed itinerary is :

09.15                  Coach departure from Hertford
10.30 - 11.00     Coffee and comfort break at Kettle’s Yard
11.00 - 12.30     Guided tour of house & tour of exhibits in gallery spaces.
12.30 - 13.00      Coach transfer to the centre of Cambridge.
13.00 - 14.15      A pre-ordered,  2-course light lunch at The Cambridge Tap.
14.15 - 16.30      Free time to explore nearby museums
16.30 - 18.00       Coach return journey to Hertford

The following (free) University Museums are all within 5 mins walk -

Sedgwick Museum, Whipple Museum, Zoology Museum, Scott Polar Museum and the Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology …….or a brief visit to nearby Emmanuel or Downing Colleges.

Cost £68 pp
Including coach and lunch but excluding drinks.

To Book Tickets Click Here

Following Ian Swankie’s well received 2025 lecture on Thomas Heatherwick, this guided walk has been included as there are two examples of Heatherwick’s work on the Tour (Coal Drops Yard and the new Google HQ).  His walk is entitled :

“Granaries, Gasworks and Google - a Walk in London’s Kings Cross Quarter”

Until a few years ago the stations were neglected, and the adjacent land was a scruffy wasteland full of disused railway buildings, gasworks, noisy industry, off-beat nightclubs and a notorious red-light district.  However, since the arrival of Eurostar, the whole area has experienced an amazing renaissance. The two spectacularly restored railway stations and hotels include many original features and a range of newly commissioned public artworks.  Unusually for London, the redevelopment was carefully planned to satisfy the demands for residential, commercial, entertainment, education, retail and hospitality. Outside the stations there are old and new buildings, public art, green spaces and the delightful backdrop of the Regents Canal.

This is a walk in and around Kings Cross/St. Pancras exploring the art and architecture of this rapidly changing area. It has seen one of the most dramatic urban redevelopments anywhere in Europe. 

Participants  will be expected to travel independently to Kings X.

11.00 -11.15         Suggested arrival time at Kings X for coffee, toilets, etc.
11.30                     Meet under the clock tower at Kings X
11.30 -13.00          Ian Swankie’s guided tour.
There is a large selection of cafes and restaurants in the area for members to decide what they want for lunch. 

There is a second walk scheduled for the afternoon starting at 14.30 and finishing at about 16.00

For those who want to explore the area there is a variety of interesting attractions within a 5-10 mins walk including …..The Welcome Trust, British Library, London Canal Museum, Crypt Gallery (St Pancras Church) and the Foundling Museum.

Cost £19 pp - includes a charge for a personal audio kit.
Travel and refreshments are excluded.  

THE TWO WALKS ARE NOW FULLY BOOKED
 

COPPED HALL is a fine Georgian mansion that is currently under restoration. It is superbly sited on a ridge overlooking its landscaped parkland. The mansion and gardens are situated on a site of ancient human habitation. Many important buildings, from the Medieval, Tudor and Elizabethan eras were demolished prior to the present mansion being built and enlarged by the Victorians.

From 1986-1995 a campaign was successfully fought by a committee comprised of representatives of local conservation societies against repeated large scale aggressive development proposals for the mansion and parkland. Three of these individuals set up the Copped Hall Trust which finally saved the mansion and gardens by purchasing them in 1995. The Corporation of London had already saved the surrounding parkland in 1992. The aim of the Trust is to permanently protect the site, carefully restore Copped Hall and its gardens for educational, cultural and community benefit. Copped Hall and its gardens are STRICTLY PRIVATE, open only for advertised events.

Our schedule for the day is as follows:

1.30 for 2pm - Arrival by car
2pm - 3pm  - Guided Tour of House
3pm - 3.30pm - Refreshments
3.30pm -4.30pm - Guided Tour of the grounds including the sites of the earlier Medieval, Tudor and Elizabethan Houses and spectacular walled garden

The cost of this ‘On your Doorstep’ outing is £18 pp (inc tea/cake). This assumes that members will take their own transport (or car share) to the venue.

For further information visit their website
Copped Hall

FULLY BOOKED

Wrest Park boasts one of the most magnificent gardens in England yet it is one of the least well known. The De Grey family, owners from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century commissioned various designers over the years. Whereas in other gardens previous designs were lost in the pursuit of new gardening vogues, each generation at Wrest Park respected the vision of their predecessors.

Although the interior is bereft of furniture, there is an interesting history to be told in the Parisian architectural surroundings. A guided 45 mins ‘Wallpaper Tour’ is planned as part of the visit.

For further information visit their website
Wrest Park

The Higgins Art Gallery and Museum contains varied collections of fine and decorative arts and changing exhibitions drawn from the nationally significant collection of British watercolours, drawings and prints.

For further information visit their website
Higgins Art Gallery

The cost of this outing is
for Non English Heritage members £64 pp (inc a light lunch)
​for English Heritage members £53 pp (inc a light lunch)

TO BOOK CLICK HERE

The Fry Art Gallery was opened in 1987 and houses an impressive number of paintings, prints, illustrations and decorative designs by artists of the late 20th century and the present day,  who lived and worked in the area. The Gallery aims to tell the story of the Great Bardfield artists from 1930 - 1970.

The group will be split into 2. One group will be given a 45 mins guided talk within the gallery while the other group will  be given a guided tour of the nearby Bridge End Gardens.  The groups will then be swapped over.

For further information visit their website
The Fry Gallery

Both groups will then adjourn for a light lunch at ‘The Eight Bells’ before going on to Audley End where volunteer guides should be available in each of the principal rooms.  Audley End House was built to entertain royalty and has a stunning art collection, including works by Holbein, Lily and Canaletto. Its pastoral parkland setting was designed by Capability Brown. There is an impressive formal garden and an extensive kitchen garden near stables and interesting outbuildings.

For further infomation visit their website
Audley End House

The cost of this outing is
for Non English Heritage members £70 pp (inc a light lunch)
​for English Heritage members £55 pp (inc a light lunch

THIS TRIP IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

To JOIN THE WAITING LIST - Click Here

A visit to the  Henry Moore Sculpture Park which occupies 70 acres in Perry Green, Much Hadham where his studios, workshops, art and family home are located.

Henry Moore (1898-1986) was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century and arguably the most internationally celebrated sculptor of the period. He is renowned for his semi abstract monumental bronzes which can be seen all over the world.

By the 1950’s Moore had begun to receive international commissions. He continued working in sculpture, drawing, printing, printmaking and textile design until his death.  Moore was a pioneer, and the first British artist to become a global star in his own lifetime. His work came to symbolise post-war modernism and can be said to have caused a British sculptural renaissance.

The afternoon visit will consist of an introductory talk, a private guided tour of the Sculpture Park and finishing with tea and cake. However, arrangements are in place for members to get there early and explore the house and archive and have refreshments in the Rosey Lea Cafe if they wish to extend their visit.

The itinerary will be

11am - OPTIONAL - Free time for those wanting to arrive early to explore Hoglands and/or the Moore Archive (by prior online appointment only). Refreshments are available in the Rosey Lea Café. Note: any costs will be in addition to the TASEH outing ticket price.
2pm - MEETING will start in the Interpretation Room - within the Visitor Centre - for a general introduction.
2.30- 4pm - guided tour of Sculpture Park
4pm - 5pm - tea/coffee and cake in Interpretation Room

TRAVEL & PARKING - There will be NO coach transport and everyone attending the event is encouraged to car share wherever possible. Details of the best route and parking arrangements will be provided nearer the date

Tickets will cost £24 per person which includes:  The cost of entry to the Centre, the guided 1.5 hour tour of the Sculpture Park and tea/ coffee & cake refreshments.

For tickets please Click Here

Grey’s Court is a picturesque 16th-century mansion which has tranquil walled gardens and was home to the Brunner family until recent years. The estate is set in the rolling hills of the Chilterns. The house has an interesting collection of 17th and early 18th century English furniture together with a variety of china, ceramics and interesting ornaments.

Home to the Stonor family for over 850 years, Stonor Park (pictured) is one of the oldest family homes in the U.K. still lived in today - but it’s no museum. As well as being architecturally fascinating, each room contains a lifetime of experience and anecdote. The contents include art and treasures collected from across the globe. A review of the historic maps and documents that reveal generations of service to the Country.  

Behind the brick facade, Stonor is actually a collection of much older buildings which go back to Medieval times. There is also a 13th-century private chapel, Italianate pleasure garden and a prehistoric stone circle within the extensive parkland estate.

Itinerary
09.15 hrs - Coach departure - Hertford car park adjacent Fire Station
10.45 hrs - Tour of house and garden of Grey’s Court. (NB unguided but individual volunteer guides in some rooms)
12.30 hrs - coach departure
13.00 hrs - Stonor Park arrival & 2 course set lunch 
14.00 hrs - guided tour of house
15.30 hrs- free time for tea + cake, garden visit & gift shop.
16.30 hrs - coach departure
18.00 hrs - estimated arrival time in Hertford

Tickets for this visit are now sold out

To join waiting List  Click Here

The Middle Temple is the western part of “The Temple” which was the headquarters of the Knights Templar until they were dissolved in 1312. There have been lawyers in the Temple since 13.20 and it is one of four Inns of Court in London. The complex consist of a variety of historic Listed buildings which, together with the adjoining Inner Temple, form an “Oasis” in central London that has a rich and intriguing history.
Middle Temple Hall dates from 1570, has a famous hammerbeam roof, was visited by Elizabeth 1st in 1578 and hosted the first recorded performance of a Shakespeare play in 1602.

Two Temple Place (pictured) is one of London’s hidden architectural gems. Completed in 1895, this stunning neo-Gothic mansion was built for William Waldorf Astor who spared no expense in creating this masterpiece. Our visit will coincide with an exhibition entitled “The Glass Heart”. A bold new exploration of glass in the U.K. which will bring together for the first time rarely seen works from key U.K. collections.

Itinerary
9.15 hrs -  Coach departure - Hertford car park adjacent Fire Station.
10.45 hrs - Guided tour of Middle Temple Hall
12.30 hrs   Set course Lunch in the Hall 
13.45 hrs - Visit to Temple Church
14.45 hrs - Guided tour of Two Temple Place
18.00 hrs - Estimated arrival back in Hertford.

Tickets which include the coach trip, the tours and the lunch  - £65 per person

THIS OUTING IS NOW SOLD OUT

THERE IS NO WAITING LIST

American Cemetery Gastro Pub Lunch
& Highlights of the Fitzwilliam Museum

Our coach will collect us from Hertford and take us to the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial where we will be given a guided tour with time to explore the impressive visitor centre. 

Back on the coach for the short trip to The Three Horseshoes in Maddingley for their two-course set lunch.
After this we go by Coach to The Fitzwilliam Museum for a guided tour of The Highlights of the Gallery. There will be some free time before our return to Hertford.

THIS TRIP (AND THE WAITING LIST) IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

I am delighted to say that we have managed to rearrange the backstage tour of the Royal Opera House which was originally planned for 2020. The outing will start with coffee and Danish pastries in the Royal Opera House Café.  The tour will include an introduction to the history of the theatre - who knew it was used for boxing matches, horse shows and even as an ice rink? 

Each tour is different and the content depends on the current production. The tour lasts about 1 hour 15 minutes.  The Opera House has asked us to make clear that the building has lengthy corridors and stairs and we should expect to stand for the duration of the tour.. However, they will try to make stops where visitors can sit down.   We will travel by coach and have the afternoon free to have lunch (not included) and explore Covent Garden  before returning to Hertford. The cost will be £35 per person.

£45 per person

Includes guided tours of house and garden, Tea and cakes at the end of the tour, Luxury coach travel.

For our first outing since lockdown, we are visiting a house from the Historic Houses collection which has a story to tell, and it is not normally open to the public.

Columbine Hall has been the home of Hew Stevenson and his late wife Leslie Geddes-Brown since 1993 since when they have restored the house, redesigned the garden, and maintained the extensive grounds. This medieval manor house rises straight from a spectacular moat, believed to have been built to resist Viking raids. They have filled the house with an eclectic collection including ancestral portraits and furniture from both sides, as well as many auction purchases including two teak Burmese earth spirits, a life size Chinese wooden deer and a whole fleet of decoy ducks, together with an enormous estate map from 1741.

The gardens were redesigned by garden historian George Carter who specialises in the restoration and reconstruction of historic gardens and after 28 years the original design is now fully mature. He has also won several gold medals at Chelsea.

The tour of the House will be conducted by Hew Stevenson and the garden tour will be led by the head gardener.

10.30 Pickup Hertford Fire Station there is a car park next door.

12.00 Arrive The Crown, Stowupland for lunch

2.00 Tour of house and garden

4.30 Leave for home

All 32 places on this outing are now booked.  A waiting list has been started.

Click Here to Join the Waiting List

Once a reservation has been confirmed with payment and completed booking form, a refund will not be possible in the event of cancellation unless the place can be filled from the waiting list.

ON-LINE TOUR

A great introduction to Rome, we see the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona and much more along the way by Stuart Harvey a qualified Tourist Guide of Rome.  Stuart has lived in Rome for twenty years and will be talking to us from Rome.  Each tour lasts around 90 minutes and is live-guided via Zoom over a presentation of his own video clips and photos, with many historic photos and other images to add depth to the presentation. The idea is to recreate the feeling of actually taking a tour through the site, moving from area to area as we would if people were there with him, rather than it being a more standard lecture format.

STUART HARVEY

An Englishman in Rome, Stuart has been enjoying life in the Eternal City since 2001, when he left his native London. Having already qualified as a licensed "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide in London in 1998, Stuart is proud to have also passed the Provincia di Roma exams to become a licensed Tour Guide of Rome, becoming one of very few people to hold both qualifications.

While at university Stuart broadened his horizons with work exchange programs in Canada and the USA. He has also lived and worked in Australia, France, Austria….and now Italy.

Stuart's love of history and language brought him into the travel industry in 1992, leading American educational tour groups all over Europe. This instilled in him the idea that a Tour Guide should be both informative and fun - not a dusty, dry professor, but a friend who can share the local traditions and amusing anecdotes as well as the history, art and architecture of the city and its monuments.

As all visits are postponed at the moment, we are offering this special virtual tour of London's theatreland.

All members will be sent a free link a day or two before the lecture

London is  the number one theatrical destination in the world.  This virtual tour of Theatreland will take you from the modern National Theatre back to the 1660’s and the place where women were first seen on the stage.  As well as seeing some of London’s most famous theatres, you will also hear some of their stories.

The virtual tour will also introduce you to some of the most famous figures of the last 300 years, including an actress who was so theatrical, she ordered meat from her butcher as if standing on stage at the Drury Lane, an actress whose ashes were given to St Paul’s Church in a tea caddy, a performer who was so beautiful that women would swoon in his presence and an actress who went from selling oranges outside Drury Lane to becoming the mistress of King Charles II.

Pepe Martinez is an award winning London Blue Badge Tourist Guide.  He was born in the East End and has lived there all his life.  He is a accredited Institute of Tourist Guiding Trainer and is currently tutoring on the London Blue Badge training course.

A Behind the Scenes Tour of the Royal Opera House on Thursday 14 May at 2.15.

As this is an "On your Doorstep" outing, people will need to make their own way to and from the Opera House.

Owing to the present health situation this has been postponed until a later date

This outing is now cancelled

PLEASE NOTE:  THIS VISIT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED

This trip includes luxury coach travel, a guided tour of the museum, a summer salad lunch in a private room with coffee or tea on arrival and departure. The cost is £55 per person.

May’s lecture was entitled “Treasures of the Turf” by Christopher Garibaldi who, until recently, was the Director of the National Heritage Centre in Newmarket. He talked a lot about the early days of flat racing and the interest the Royal court showed in the sport, particularly in  the Newmarket area, over many centuries.

As a follow up to his lecture we will be visiting what remains of the Royal Palace built for King Charles II when he went racing.  This is now a little gem of a museum based in the centre of Newmarket which showcases the history, science and art of horseracing. Paintings by George Stubbs and Sir Alfred Munnungs rub shoulders with works from John Singer Sargent and John Wooton, showcasing some of the finest examples of British Sporting Art. The gallery explores the development of popular sporting images through paintings, sculpture, print-making and the applied arts. Significant loans have come from the Tate and the Victoria & Albert museum along with a number of private and public art collections.

Finalist for Art Fund Museum of the Year in 2017 this historic five-acre site houses a museum, an art gallery, several live horses, various special exhibitions,and for those brave enough to use it a racehorse simulator. You can also meet former racehorses and watch them being retrained for a successful life beyond racing in the Peter O'Sullevan Arena.

We are restricted to 40 places, so book early to avoid disappointment.

To reserve your place go to contact us or book at the next lecture.

Woodhall Park is a privately-owned estate near Watton-at-Stone and is rarely open to the public. Ralph Abel-Smith, who lives on the estate, has kindly agreed to organise a tour for us. The tours take about one and a half hours, starting with the outside of the house and then going inside to see the historic rooms and their restorations.

The estate, which centres around the 18th century mansion house has been let to Heath Mount School since 1934 and was built in 1775. The parkland was created at the same time but has been changed and enlarged over the years.

The lodges and gatehouses on the estate and the ha - ha surrounding the house were built in 1838. The walled gardens, created during the Napoleonic Wars by prisoners of war, lie to the north of the house and originally comprised formal and kitchen gardens extending to some 5 acres. Sir Joseph Paxton started his working life here. The River Beane runs through the estate and has been dammed to create a lake, known as the Broadwater, and a cascade at the weir.

This is an “On Your Doorstep” outing so members will make their own way to the estate for an 11.30 start.  Entry is on the A602 road between Stevenage and Ware Post Code SG14 3NG.

This tour is limited to 25 places and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  The cost of the visit is £10 per persion which is a donation to the Woodhall Charitable Trust

To reserve a place on this outing, please go to Contact Us
 

This is the second “On Your Doorstep” outing so members will make their own way to Hatfield House.  This splendid Jacobean House was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, adjoining the site of the Old Palace of Hatfield (shown alongside).  The House was decorated for entertaining the Royal Court and fine tapestries and wood-work can be seen throughout the House.  The outing includes a guided tour of the house and the ticket includes entry to the gardens.

Come and join us for our last outing of 2018 to the V&A, the world’s leading Museum of Art and Design.  The Outing will be on 16th October.  A coach will pick up Members from either Hertford or Welwyn Garden City (see below for details).  On arrival at the V&A we will stop for coffee (not included in the price) before our guided tour entitled Discover the V&A. The tour is ideal for both first time visitors and those who have a general interest in art and design and are keen to learn more.  It covers the origins of the Museum and the many fascinating treasures held in the museum’s extensive collection.

For lunch (which is not included as part of the ticket price) there is a wide selection of food and drink available in the Main Café, the Garden Café and, weather permitting, the Courtyard Café

After the success of our Cambridge trip, where members were able to choose how they spent the afternoon, we have again left the afternoon free to allow people to explore further this magnificent museum.

The V&A’s website- www.vam.ac.uk - shows the vast range of galleries and topics that are on offer. Entry to all the main galleries is free. Special exhibitions are charged for, and usually sell out quite quickly: they will need to be booked online beforehand with a timed ticket to ensure that you are not disappointed.

Major exhibitions on the 16 October are:-

  Freda Kahlo: Making Her Self Up

  Fashioned from Nature

  The Future Starts Here

However if after a morning of culture you would prefer a change, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are both nearby as alternatives. 

Pick up HERTFORD 8.45

Hertford Fire Station. Parking available in pay car park.

Pick up HATFIELD 9.05

Park outside NEXT as Tesco has a 2 hour parking limit.  The coach will be at the Tesco car park bus stop.

Leave V&A 16.00

A booking form can either be downloaded from this site: click here for a form; or obtained from Elizabeth Dodwell.  To reserve a place on the outing please give/send a booking form & cheque for £27 top Elizabeth Dodwell.

Once a reservation has been confirmed with payment and completed booking form, a refund will not be possible in the event of cancellation unless the place can be filled from the waiting list.

We are starting a series of half day outings entitled “On Your Doorstep”. These outings will be within an approximate 10 mile radius of Hertford and will include venues not normally open to the public or where we will be given special access. 

Because of their close proximity members will be able to make their own way there by car. 

These outings will not be listed in the programme so members will be notified on our email system and places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

The first of these outings is to Sworders at Stansted Mountfitchet, one of the longest established fine art and antiques auction houses in the UK. We have been invited to view their collection of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson furniture.  The sale is entitled The Mouse That Roared at Horlicks. This cache of approximately 40 lots of Arts and Crafts oak furniture comprises one of the Mouseman’s largest commissions from the prime period of his career. All pieces were handmade by the Kilburn workshop in the 1930s for offices at the landmark Horlick’s factory in Slough. The landmark brick building was built by company co-founder James Horlick in 1908 to produce the famous malted milk drink for the UK market.  Horlicks and Horlicks tablets were supplied to troops during the First World War and nourished a generation of polar explorers, pioneer aviators, travellers and mountaineers. 

The Mouseman commission followed the building of an office wing at the Berkshire factory in the late 1920s. The new wood panelled spaces were furnished with Mouseman partner’s desks, sideboards, coat stands and ’monk’s’ chairs, each carved with the Horlick family coat of arms and the Latin inscription Labore Et Sciential (by work and by knowledge). The commission, documented in ledgers at the Kilburn workshops, even extended to a series of simple paper ‘in’ trays. All these beautifully made and well-patinated pieces will be included in a special October 9 sale that carries a global estimate of around £100,000. 

After a checkered history of family and corporate ownership, the Horlicks factory in Slough, owned since 1969 by Beecham (later GSK), finally closed in 2017 with the site now slated for redevelopment. 

Although demand for the brand has fallen in the UK, Horlicks remains popular overseas particularly in India where the drink has been made since the 1950s.

The Horlicks collection of Robert ‘Mouseman’ Thompson furniture will sold on Tuesday 9 October.

Directions

Sworders' new saleroom is located on the Cambridge Road, half a mile north of Stansted Mountfitchet on the B1383.with 250 parking spaces. They are situated 6 miles from Stansted Airport, 1 mile from Stansted Mountfitchet railway station with its link to London Liverpool Street and 4 miles from M11 Junction 8.

Please note that some Sat Navs send you down Alsa Street. This is incorrect - please remain on the Cambridge Road (B1383) until you see their roadside signage.

If you are interested or know someone who would be please contact Julia Fulton, juliafulton@btinternet.com or 01707 324898. There is no charge for this outing.

One of the highlights of our 50th Anniversary celebrations will be an outing to Stowe House and Gardens on 4th July. The visit will include luxury coach travel, coffee and tea on arrival and departure, guided tours of the house and gardens, and a summer buffet lunch in one of their state rooms.

The cost is £60 per person £50 for National Trust Members.

In the 18th century, the powerful Temple-Grenville family chose to create an idyllic landscape filled with temples and lakes. Amidst these enchanting gardens, they built the most lavish temple of all, Stowe House.

On our visit to Stowe House you will see the beautifully restored State Rooms and discover fascinating stories of how scandal, intrigue and debt brought one of England’s richest families to its knees and the house close to demolition.  The House was saved by Stowe School in 1923 and opened in partnership with them by the Stowe House Preservation Trust, an independent Charity in 2000.  It is not normally open to the public and we have special permission to view, with over 300 years of history there is something for everyone at Stowe House! 

Stowe’s magnificent landscaped gardens are one of the most remarkable legacies of Georgian England. Created by Viscount Cobham in the grounds of his family home, the garden came to reflect Cobham’s hugely influential network of political affiliations, and it was realised by the eighteenth –century master of garden design William Kent. Encapsulating an idealised Whig vision of constitutional monarchy and political freedom, the garden features a series of extraordinary and innovative garden buildings, designed by the leading architects of the day ranging from a Temple of Ancient Virtue, a Redondo to Lake Pavilions, a Chinese House and a Grotto, all set in a carefully constructed Arcadian landscape of valleys and lakes.  This is not a flower garden but none the less it is breath-taking in its sheer scale and grandeur. The National Trust first became involved in 1967 and took over the formal ownership of the garden in 1990 initiating a major programme of restoration.

Coach arrangements:

  Pick up Hertford 8.00 am

  Pick up Hatfield 8.20 am

  Leave Stowe approximately 16.30

To reserve a place on this outing please see Elizabeth Dodwell at the next Lecture meeting, or email her on tiggie@talktalk.net.  Alternatively you could print off the booking form to be found on the 'Our Society/Documents' page of this website, fill it in and send it to Elizabeth with a cheque for either £60 or £50 pp. 

Please note National Trust members will have to show their membership cards on the day.

Once a reservation has been confirmed with payment and completed booking form, a refund will not be possible in the event of cancellation unless the place can be filled from the waiting list.

Come and join us for our first outing of 2018 - a guided walk in Cambridge on Tuesday 17th April. 

The outing includes coffee and biscuits on arrival at a riverside pub and first class coach travel.  The 2 hour walk will be led by official Cambridge Blue Badge guides and includes entry into King’s College Chapel.  The walk will end at the Guildhall in the centre of Cambridge where there will be plenty of places for lunch. 

We have deliberately left the afternoon free so that you can choose from the many interesting venues that this University City has to offer. 

Within a short walk of the Guildhall you can return to King’s College and visit their museum.  Other Museums include the Fitzwilliam, The Polar Museum, which has Scott’s artefacts and the newly renovated Kettle’s Yard.  If you do not want to explore Cambridge on your own please see either Elizabeth or Enid and you can join them for the afternoon.

There will be a considerable amount of walking on this trip as coaches are not allowed in the city centre so please be sure that you can keep up with the group.

Coach arrangements:

    Pick up Hatfield 9.00

    Pick up Hertford 9.20

     Leave Cambridge 16.30

Cost:  £42

To reserve a place on this outing please contact Elizabeth Dodwell or Enid Wormald both of whom will be at the lecture meetings on 1st March and 29th March.  Alternatively their email addresses are tiggie@talktalk.net and enid.wormald10@gmail.com

Please note once a reservation has been confirmed with payment and completed booking form, a refund will not be possible in the event of cancellation unless the place can be filled from the waiting list.

On 27th March we will have an Outing to the City of London as a follow-up to the February Special Interest Day, exploring the consequences of the Great Fire of London.  In the morning we will be taken by coach to the Vintry Public House near the Monument.  First stop coffee & biscuits, and a meet-up with our guide, Gerald Deslandes.  Gerald (who you will have met if you come to our Special Interest Day in February) will take us on a tour of the churches and sites relevant to the story of the Great Fire and Wren’s work in its aftermath.  The walk will be approximately 90 minutes and take place regardless of the weather.  It will finish at the Museum of London.

The Museum has two cafes – one for light snacks, one for more serious eating.  In the afternoon we will be free to go round the museum which includes a special exhibition on the Great Fire and its consequences.  We will gather in the hall of the Museum at 4 pm for the journey home

The price is £44 – for this you get the coach trip to London & back, coffee when we get there, our guide to our walk around the city,  and entrance to the Museum in the afternoon.  The price of lunch is not included.  Bookings from Elizabeth Dodwell, our Outings Secretary