The front of Tate Britain was covered and the main Millbank entrance closed while work goes on to transform the old  front lawns into a new wildlife-friendly public space featuring British sculptures from the Tate's collection, a garden classroom for schools, and a café terrace.  Meanwhile, we went in through the side entrance and assembled in the rather gloomy cafe area. However, the coffee was excellent!

We were then taken by one of the Tate team through a staff corridor (a real “Behind the Scenes at the Tate” tour!) to the auditorium, where our lecturer, art historian and writer, Rachel Barnes awaited us seated on the stage, very much in the pose of Whistler’s Mother.  Rachel’s talk gave us an illuminating introduction to Whistler and the milieu he moved in, which really set his works in context.

There was a huge amount of work on display, with pride of place going to Whistler’s Mother herself, and a whole room devoted to his Nocturnes series of paintings.  His skill as a draughtsman and printmaker was a complete revelation to most of us, and although there were almost too many to take in, the drawings and etchings were quite fascinating.  We now have quite a different view of Whistler and the breadth of his abilities as an artist.

Our Society makes regular donations to support the work of the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust and we have also visited many of these beautiful old churches to learn more about their individual fascinating histories.  Subsidence of the drained land presented challenges for the church builders, particularly as more weight was added to original buildings, evidenced by the amount of buttressing and things that aren’t straight, and continues to cause problems for those maintaining them today.

This was our third visit to Romney Marsh and enabled us to see four more churches, which means we have now been to all the standing churches, with the exception of Burmarsh and East Guldeford.

Our first stop was at St Peter and St Paul, Newchurch, surprisingly large for the size of the population, and notable for its “bent” and heavily buttressed tower, added in stages in the 15th Century.  We then travelled westward across the Marsh to St Augustine, Snave.  The church was declared redundant in 1983 but remains consecrated and is now entirely maintained by the Trust. The church has no heating or lighting and felt a little unloved, but was a lovely example of the simplicity of early church architecture and had a fascinating memento mori in the form of a relief panel showing a skull and crossbones and a scythe.

After an excellent lunch at the 15th-century Woolpack Inn in Brookland, we moved on to St Eanswith in Brenzett, where we could see evidence of the work of the Trust as repairs were going on to a crack at the east end.  The little shingled spire is less imposing than the towers of other Marsh churches, but gives a more welcoming intimate feel as you approach.  Inside, the church has been quite heavily restored at various periods, so for me did not quite live up to the exterior, but the pulpit and sounding board are lovely.

We ended our tour at St Dunstan, Snargate, with its remarkable wall painting of a great ship (a reminder of the shipbuilding history of the area) and unusual tie beams in the chancel.

Our evening began with most of us partaking in a sociable pre-tour supper in the Abbey’s Cellarium restaurant.  We were then joined by the rest of our party and entered the Abbey in the quiet of the evening when it is closed to the public. We learned so much about the history and architecture of the Abbey, as we moved from one location of interest to the next, including the Quire, Sacrarium, High Altar, the Cosmati Pavement (unique in this country), St Edward the Confessor’s Shrine, Henry VII Chapel and Poets’ Corner.  During our tour, the Purcell Club choir (formed of ex-choristers from the Westminster Cathedral School, under their conductor Richard Slade), performed the following pieces:

Before the ending of the day (Plainsong)                           

Haec est dies – Jacob Handl

O remember not – Purcell

In God’s word I will rejoice - Purcell

Agincourt Song – English (arr David Overton)

Abendlied - Rheinberger

Holy is the True Light - Simkins

Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts – Henry Purcell

The Long Day closes – Arthur Sullivan

We also had the opportunity of hearing the magnificent organ with a short recital of the Choral Prelude on St Anne by Sir Hubert Parry.  The visit ended in the Nave, where the choir performed the Kontakion for the faithful departed, ‘Give rest, O Christ’ by Richard Slade, at the Unknown Warrior’s Tomb. 

Our only reservation was that there were a few too many on the tour (which was not exclusive to us) to fit comfortably into some of the smaller spaces, but overall it was an inspiring evening, with wonderful music, and one which we will not forget in a hurry.

Lincoln’s Inn is the largest of the four surviving Inns of Court with a site covering 11 acres and its history goes back to at least the 13th Century, so there were many buildings and historic aspects to explore.  Only the Chapel is open to the public. We began our tour with the oldest part of the site, which contains the Old Hall, the beautiful Undercroft and the Chapel itself.  We then crossed to the “new” part of the site to enter the Great Hall and the Library. This building was completed in 1845 and designed by Philip Hardwick, who had also worked on Euston station and the Goldsmith’s Hall.  Our guide Mark’s clear, knowledgeable and sometimes humorous explanations (enlivened by stories from both the past and present day) of the history of the Inn, its occupants and its architecture made our visit very special.  Many thanks to him.

Following a very short break for lunch, we crossed Lincoln’s Inn Fields to Sir John Soane’s Museum. He was one of the foremost architects of the Regency era, who remodelled three adjoining houses to form his home, his office, and a demonstration to clients and students of varied architectural techniques, as well as to house his vast collection of antiquities, furniture, sculptures, architectural models and paintings.  This is the smallest of the National Museums and has been kept as it was at the time of his death in 1837. Again, our guides were excellent and told the story of Sir John’s life and the collection in a captivating way.  My personal collection highlights were (1) the Picture Room with paintings by Canaletto, Turner and Hogarth, where the walls then unfolded to reveal many more paintings, including ‘The Rake’s Progress’, and (2) the Sarcophagus of King Seti I, carved from a single block of alabaster and covered with tiny hieroglyphs, containing the spells and rituals that the dead pharaoh would need to safely pass through the underworld and reach the afterlife. Inside, across the bottom of the sarcophagus, is the elegant figure of Nut, goddess of the sky, whose role was to guide and protect the dead.

This short summary can’t cover everything we saw and learnt, but altogether we had a fascinating and enjoyable day out with exceptional guides.   To see photos from the day, please visit our Gallery and select Visits 2025.

Hidden away in the Kent countryside, midway between Hever Castle and Penshurst Place, Chiddingstone Castle can be overlooked, but this historic house and accredited museum is well worth seeking out.

The former family home of the Streatfeild family, Chiddingstone Castle has Tudor origins and was extensively remodelled in the 19th Century to resemble a castle. The house is set in 25 acres of informal grounds, with views across the Eden Valley to the Greensand Ridge. However, the story of the last private owner, antiques dealer Denys Eyre Bower, and the collections he assembled were the focus of our day.

Our visit began as usual with coffee and biscuits, served in the Tea Room by charming and helpful staff, and we then met for an introductory presentation by the Curator, Naomi Collick.  Naomi has particular expertise and interest in Japanese art and Chiddingstone’s collection of Japanese lacquer, armour and swords is exceptional, so after an initial overview, her talk naturally moved to this aspect of the museum. The content was fascinating and really helped us to understand what to look for in the exhibits – it was only marred by the screen not being positioned high enough for those further back to see the whole of it, so some were standing by the end.

The collection of lacquerware, dating from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, is second only to that in the V&A. Unfortunately not all of it is on show at any one time, as the top layer of lacquer eventually degrades and becomes dull due to exposure to light, so the objects on display are rotated. The extensive collection of samurai arms and armour includes swords and finely worked sword fittings as well as remarkable sets of Edo period armour. Once the samurai fell from power in the 19th Century craftsmen turned their hand to making exquisitely articulated iron animals, of which we saw several fine, if intimidating, examples. More unusually, Bower was drawn to collect haniwa figures, plain, rounded, terracotta figurines placed around and on top of tombs of important people from the third to sixth centuries AD. These enigmatic funerary objects are not often seen in the UK but there are three examples at Chiddingstone, two warriors and a miko or shrine maiden.

The other collections on view were Ancient Egyptian artefacts, Stuart portraits, Jacobite memorabilia and Buddhist art, and there were also interesting displays relating to the history of the house and estate, and to the sometimes scandalous life of Bower himself.

We had intended to include a stroll around the village in our visit, but the contents of the house were interesting and the weather unseasonably cold, so some of us decided to leave that for another day. The National Trust has owned Chiddingstone Village (excluding the school, the Castle and the church) since 1939 and conservation work has helped it remain one of the best-preserved Tudor villages in the country.

To see pictures related to our visit, follow this link to our photo Gallery page and select Visits 2025.

After a warm welcome from the Tate team, we began with an introductory presentation by Arts Society and Tate lecturer, Frank Woodgate, who explained how the exhibition was organised and told us more about the international group of artists associated with Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), and how they shared an interest in abstracted forms and prismatic colours, which they felt had spiritual values that could counteract the materialism of the age.

Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc are usually considered to be the founding members of The Blue Rider, but this exhibition gave equal emphasis to Gabriele Münter, a considerable woman artist and Kandinsky’s companion. Many of us were not familiar with the work of Kandinsky and Münter in the years immediately before the First World War, nor with this short-lived group, so the introductory talk explaining in straightforward language their place in the history of art and some of the key works, was especially helpful. Frank demonstrated how these artists were gradually moving from the visual world for their subject matter towards a more abstract approach, something which I was not previously aware of.

After an excellent buffet lunch, it was time for the exhibition itself, the result of a major loan from the Lenbachhaus in Munich. As well as the more abstract works, among the highlights for us were Marc’s animal paintings, including The Tiger, some smaller works by August Macke (who knows what more they might have achieved had they not both been killed in the war) and some fine woodcuts. The flattened perspective and forms of woodcut helped put the artists, especially Kandinsky, on the path toward abstraction in their painting. Altogether, the day raised our awareness and appreciation of a period in art of which most of us did not know enough about.

To see pictures related to our visit, follow this link to our photo Gallery page and select Visits 2022-24.

Twenty-four of our members enjoyed delicious canapés and wine on a dry summer's evening in the garden of Cranbrook Museum before splitting into three separate groups for a fascinating tour of the Museum itself.  The Museum's volunteers are full of enthusiasm and knowledge about the collections which are spread across thirteen rooms in the 15th-century building.

We received very positive and grateful thanks from many of our members who attended and we would once again encourage anyone who has not visited the Museum recently (or even not are all!) to spend a couple of hours at this beautiful venue which is crammed full of interesting displays.  We would especially recommend you visit the room dedicated to the "Cranbrook Colony of Artists".  All of the paintings there depict local Cranbrook people and buildings, and are beautifully lit and displayed.

To see pictures from our visit, please visit our Gallery pages and select Visits 2022-24.

You always take a chance with the weather when organising a garden visit, and we set out from Cranbrook in light rain. Our hearts sank as it became heavier along the M25, but by the time we reached Leonardslee the rain had almost stopped and although there was the occasional light shower during our visit, it didn’t detract from our enjoyment of the incredible Grade I listed woodland garden, with so many beautiful and unusual trees adding to the splendour of the rhododendrons and azaleas.

We received a very friendly reception on arrival, and after a proper coffee and biscuits, we set out in small groups on a garden tour to learn more about the history of the garden and some of the plantings.  We were probably just a week or two too late for the azaleas and some of the rhododendrons, but there were still some lovely blooms to be seen, particularly down by the lakes, and the Rhododendron Luteum were still scenting the air along many of the paths.

We then had time to explore further and to take in the sculptures set throughout the gardens:  some monumental works by the South African sculptor, Anton Smit, and others by members of the Surrey Sculpture Society, which are now displayed permanently in the gardens.

We could easily have spent hours wandering through the 240-acre garden, but most of us managed to make time to visit the fascinating “Beyond the Dolls’ House” exhibition, where an extensive 1:12 scale model depicts the buildings and activities to be found on an Edwardian estate, and also a market town complete with houses, shops, workshops,  laundry, church, pub, and school. The display was created by Helen Holland, an expert period architectural model maker, with the furnishings and miniatures made by Ann and Rob Lucas. You can find more details of their work at worldofmyownminiatures.co.uk.

To see more pictures from our visit, please visit our Gallery pages and select Visits 2024 Leonardslee - members' pictures.

“Holbein at the Tudor Court”

Our visit to this exceptional exhibition began fittingly with tea/coffee in bone china cups, and a private introductory talk by the show’s curator herself, Dr Kate Heard. Kate’s intimate knowledge of the show and her enthusiasm for the works on display was evident to us all and added another dimension to a fascinating exhibition.

The exhibition rooms were quite busy but did thin out enough that we could get close to and spend time with the works. As well as presenting one of the most important surviving collections of Holbein’s work, which includes drawings, paintings, miniatures and book illustrations, there was an excellent display giving an insight into the materials and techniques he used to create those works that are still so alive today; techniques which it is easy to miss, such as the touch of watercolour or a tiny spot of lead white to bring the eyes to life.

Other works from the Royal Collection by contemporary artists relating to the court of Henry VIII were also included, such as the well-known painting of “The Field of the Cloth of Gold”, a wonderful set of miniatures by Hilliard and a very imposing set of Henry's armour, but it was Holbein’s preparatory portrait drawings which really stole the show.

On arrival at Firle, we drove through classic English parkland to reach the house, which lies at the foot of the South Downs.  We began our visit with coffee, while the Curator, Deborah Gage, gave us a brief history of the house and of the Gage family who have lived there for over 500 years.  

We had the opportunity to look at only one or two rooms, and a very small part of the Collection, before it was time for us to assemble in the Long Gallery to learn about the history of the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, with examples from Firle’s own notable collection.  The pieces had been taken out of the cabinets where they are usually displayed, and some were brought round for us to look at more closely (but not touch!).
 
Porcelain was developed in China around 2,000 years ago, but the recipe was a closely guarded secret. In the 18th century, it was one of the most highly prized commodities in the world. Only the very wealthy could afford objects made of this fragile material, which, until European production began, had to be shipped at great expense from the Far East. It was not until the early 18th century that Johann Friedrich Böttger discovered the magic formula for making true hard-paste porcelain using china clay or kaolin fired at very high temperatures, and the first ‘true’ porcelain in Europe was made by Meissen in Germany.  

Soft-paste porcelain was already produced at Vincennes, which enjoyed privileged status among the porcelain factories as manufacture royale, with royal patronage and financial support from King Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour.  By 1756 the Vincennes premises were considered too cramped and a new factory was built on the edge of the village of Sèvres, close to Madame de Pompadour’s château. Three years later Louis XV became the principal shareholder and financial backer and had the factory designated the "Royal Porcelain Manufactory." The factory thus came under the control of the royal administration and focused on manufacturing luxury porcelain mainly for the royal family, the court, and the aristocracy.  

In the 1770s the factory developed a hard-paste porcelain that enabled the application of new types of gilding and ground colours, and allowed pieces in more complex forms to be created. Technical developments and artistic achievements continued apace and Sèvres quickly began to distance itself from its German competitor and developed forms and decorative motifs uniquely its own. The ‘reticulated’ or pierced bodies developed in the 19th century were particularly difficult to achieve and involved creating and firing a double porcelain wall with an intricate lattice of openings to the outer layer. 

We heard about the sequential development of the distinctive Sèvres colours, and saw fine examples of each.  Artists and chemists worked together to produce a range of (back)ground colours that, combined with delicately painted motifs and an extensive use of gilding, created striking pieces.    In the 19th century, new glazes and colours simulated semi-precious stone and marble.

Finally we were told about the break-in at Firle Place in 2009 when the Firle Vases, a pair of identical vases made in 1763, and a Hollandaise Nouveau vase were among the items taken, and the dramatic story of how the pieces were eventually recovered undamaged. 

We all learned so much, and were only sorry not to have enough time to look at other items in their extensive collection. There was beautiful furniture, porcelain, and a wide variety of paintings ranging from some rather ordinary portraits to some notable pieces. I was particularly taken with an exquisite drawing of Imogen, Countess Gage by Antonio Maraini (see our photo Gallery page). The conservation status of the house contents, both art works and furniture, was most impressive, and compared very favourably with houses owned by the National Trust.

We then repaired to The Cricketers Arms in Berwick Village for a convivial lunch around long tables before walking the short distance to Berwick Church to see the unique wall paintings by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Quentin Bell.  The church was warm with a lovely welcoming atmosphere, and we had the unexpected bonus of a talk by the rector who explained how the paintings had come to be commissioned and how the diocese still tries to support artists today by commissioning works. At the rear of the church, the views across to the Downs were stunning.

To see photos from our visit, follow this link to our photo Gallery page and select Visits 2022-24.

07 March 2023        Cezanne Exhibition at Tate Modern

28 Sept 2022          Greenwich 

20 April 2022           The Courtauld Gallery

14 Sept 2019           Chevening House

05 Sept 2019           More Historic Churches of Romney Marsh 

09 May 2019            Walmer Castle and The Salutation Garden

18 Oct 2018             The Wren Churches of London

12 April 2018            The Historic Churches of Romney Marsh 

07 Dec 2017             Glyndebourne "Behind the Scenes" 

27 April 2017            Polesden Lacey and Hatchlands Park

17 Nov 2016             Dulwich Picture Gallery and The Horniman Museum 

22 Sept 2016            Chevening House 

10 March 2016          Tower of London and Tower Bridge

24 Sept 2015             Parham House, Storrington