THE ARTS SOCIETY WALTON ON THE HILL: MAY 2017 NEWSLETTER

Established 1974
Riddell Hall, Deans Lane, Walton-on-the-Hill KT20 7UL : http://www.waltononthehilldfas.org.uk/Default.aspx

Chairman Richard Seymour

MAY 2017 NEWSLETTER
Vol 2 No 5
[If you're viewing this on a Tablet, it is probably best to do so in 'landscape' format]

first....
A MESSAGE FROM OUR NEW CHAIRMAN

On behalf of the Committee, I would like to thank you all for voting us into office at the AGM.The new members of the Committee Jennifer Allen, Mike Roshier and Ira Murray are very welcome and I know you would all want to thank them and the other amazing members of the Committee for helping to keep our society functioning

I should also like to welcome Sue Brown as our new President, having taken over from John White who has just stepped down from the position after 6 years’ service. We thank him for his counsel over those years and look forward to working with Sue.

We have, however, a gap in the Committee - there is no Tours Secretary for next year. David Tinkler, who has led so many brilliant tours has decided to hang up his Baedeker after his last 'tour de force' in Budapest. If anyone would like to take on this most interesting and exciting post please contact me.

The members of the Committee do not work in isolation, we are most definitely part of a team and like all good teams we help each other toward success. Much work has already been going into future events and with a new year ahead this NEWSLETTER is inevitably a bumper edition, so please bear with us!

Also - we're entering a new era with a new name: The Arts Society.

I am absolutely convinced it will be good for our individual society and for the national organisation. I hope you will all support the change and help us to bring it to fruition. There may be the odd crisis ahead but remember the Chinese symbol for crisis is made of two signs, one of danger and one of opportunity.

Let us make it an amazing opportunity for improving the Society we enjoy.

Richard Seymour

Chairman
THE ARTS SOCIETY WALTON ON THE HILL

..... now news of the Lecture on Thursday 18th May ....

"The Honourable East India Company & East/West trade: Chintz, Chinese export & Chinoiserie 1600 - 1800"
Speaker: Viv Lawes

Viv is a tutor in the Humanities dept at the City & Guilds of London Art School with responsibilities for the Conservation and Historic Carving students. She lectures on the history of decorative style, costume and East-West trade routes. Outside the School she is a correspondent and columnist at The Art Newspaper, and contributes articles to The Guardian, Antiques Trade Gazette, Art of England and other publications.

Viv also teaches at IESA (Institut d’Etudes Supérieures des Arts, based at the Wallace Collection in London) and she sometimes lectures at Sotheby’s Institute, where she took her MA.
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Viv will explore the way in which the East India Company developed its methods of trade and how the 17th Century textile trade with India was established.

Then, she will cover China in the 18th Century and conclude by examining the difference between Chinoiserie and Chinese export ware.

VISITS

Belmont House & Gardens, Kent
Thursday 29 June 2017

At 9:45 am on Thursday 18 May, we will first start selling tickets for our Visit to Belmont House near Faversham in East Kent.

It really should be a lovely day out and very good value for money.
But please note Tickets are limited to 40 rather than our usual 52.

For all the details click here - and you really MUST click on that link now as it tells you everything you need to know.

SUMMER LUNCH - THURSDAY 15 JUNE

Good news! There are still a few tickets available.

These will also be on sale on 18 May!!

After a successful Tour to the Passion Play in 2010, we have been wondering if members would be interested enough for us to arrange a Tour for Oberammergau 2020? Although it’s still 3 years away, the Play is such a popular event that planning really has to start now, and we would need commitments in the next few months from all those keen to go.

Whilst our Tour Operator - Success Tours - has good links with the organisers, it’s still a long and involved process to organise seats even though the theatre has been extended since 2010. So, in order to guarantee tickets, deposits have to be paid 2-3 years in advance.

At this stage, therefore, I should like feedback from anyone who might be keen to go to what could be an experience of a lifetime - and certainly that's how some of our 2010 Group did indeed describe it.

If sufficient interest does exist we will look to putting a package together – from just 2 nights away to see the Play only to, say, a 6 or 7 day Tour, to include the Play (2 days), plus further time in Germany as we did in 2010 and possibly over the border into Austria too, bearing in mind that Oberammergau is only just over an hour from Innsbruck.

Thus I am asking anyone who is seriously interested, to reply to me by e-mail so click on david.tinkler@virgin.net and in your reply, please state whether you would be interested in:

A 2 night Tour to take in the Passion Play only. This, itself, won’t be cheap and as a rough guide could well be c£650/700 depending on accommodation, numbers and so on (but obviously it has to be fully costed idc).

OR....

A longer Tour to include the Passion Play and also places of traditional interest to groups from The Arts Society.

It would be very helpful if I could have your response as soon as possible ahead of next week’s meeting so that on the 18th I may give you an indication of the general reaction.
Your e-mail will be treated as strictly confidential so I look forward to hearing from you.

DAVID TINKLER – TOURS’ SECRETARY

THE MARGARET GREVILLE ROSE
A new coral pink rose will be launched at this year's Chelsea Flower Show named after Mrs Greville - 'society's finest hostess' - who owned Polesden Lacey before bequeathing it to the NT 75 years ago this year. Ellen, a member of staff, will be at the Show on Preview Day wearing (briefly and with great care!) the replica dress made by the

team of Heritage Volunteers from The Arts Society East Surrey Area, including some of our own members. This will be great publicity for both Polesden Lacey and The Arts Society, so, let's hope Ellen will be introduced to the Queen when she visits the show. Meanwhile, the rose is now on sale at Polesden and visitors can also find it adorning Mrs Greville's grave in the Ladies' Garden.

To learn more about that gorgeous replica dress, click here to access our website page.

I'm very pleased that my guest next week will be Jo Blair, recently promoted to Sales Manager at Success Tours. With BUDAPEST 2017, Jo has looked after five Tours for us, starting with BERLIN 2013, which she rescued from disaster in just 10 days from a competitor. She was then at Travel Editions where Success obviously saw her potential as they poached her 2 months before we actually left for Germany!

Jo often visits Arts Societies where she is overseeing Tours, so my invitation is much overdue. She will be very happy to answer your queries on Tours, particularly Oberammergau, so do make yourself known to her. Later I hope Jo will be joining the Committee for lunch.

_______________________________________________________
My apologies for the length of this NEWSLETTER, but there was much to mention. I do hope you have clicked on the Belmont House and Gardens Visit link but, if not, you may also do so here.

With best wishes and looking forward to seeing you all next week.

David Tinkler
Newsletter Editor, Website Co-ordinator & Tours' Secretary

THE ARTS SOCIETY WALTON ON THE HILL

9 May 2017

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