We set off from Malmesbury for the 90 minute coach drive to Madresfield Court and enjoyed delicious refreshments after a very warm welcome. The Court has limited opening so we were lucky to be given an extensive guided tour enjoying the wonderful Arts and Crafts interiors and artefacts as well as much older parts of the house which is still a family home. We had time to wander in the gardens which really did look their best before the 10 minute drive into Malvern. We had a couple of hours of free time, some people picknicked and some had lunch, there were many delightful cafes and restaurants to choose from. Other highlights included walking through the Winter Gardens and visiting the Priory. We left Malvern at 4 and arrived back having had a wonderful day out in lovely weather. We all agreed that there was so much to see at  Madresfield that it warranted a second visit!
 

You are invited to join a group from The Arts Society Kington Langley who will be visiting Blenheim Palace, travelling by coach from Kington Langley Village Hall.

For details of the visit, and how to book your place, click here.

You have a golden opportunity to listen to Sophie Matthews, who gave us a talk in June on Music in Art, in a brand-new retelling of the best-loved Yuletide adventure of them all – Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”.

Local dates in December for your diary:

•   4th - Online - watch from home
• 15th - Corsham
• 17th - Cheltenham
• 22nd - Dursley

First published in 1843, the story is credited with reinventing and reinvigorating the British Christmas, and has been loved and retold by every generation since.

GreenMatthews

GreenMatthews comprises Sophie Matthews and Chris Green who are modern-day balladeers, specialising in telling stories through song. They use a bewitching blend of voices and instruments to create a musical retelling of this seasonal favourite.

The first of 20 concerts in this Christmas Tour will be on 29th November, and the last one will be on 23rd December- several are in this area. 

For full details click here.

Nestled in an idyllic valley, the Peto Gardens are always a joy to behold, and many of our party had been to Iford Manor before.  However, we quickly appreciated the value of our expert guides to fully explain the significance of these historic Grade 1 listed gardens.

Both Marianne, the owner’s wife, and Steve, the head gardener, were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and brought the garden to life. Our members responded well with lots of questions – some of them quite searching, so we came away with a lot more understanding of the history and importance of the gardens.

Add to this an excellent tea in the splendid new café courtyard, with scrumptious cake, and you had the ideal recipe for a perfect afternoon.  Even the weather obliged!

Have a look at some of the photographs taken on the day - click here.

Our Society is planning to visit Westminster Abbey on Saturday 24th June for a Purcell Musical Tour of the Abbey. As a prelude to the visit Neil Medland, who is a member of the Purcell Club which is made up entirely of former Westminster Abbey choristers, is going to give a talk entitled Five Years in the Choir of Westminster Abbey and Beyond.  Neil is now in charge of the Purcell Musical Tours of Westminster Abbey.

Neil's talk has been organised by Athelstan Museum and will take place in the Museum's Rausing Building in Malmesbury on 17th March at 7:00pm. 

All the details, including tickets, are available on the Museum's website www.athelstanmuseum.org.uk or in the Athelstan Museum shop.

Yesterday afternoon Malmesbury Secondary School hired the Rausing Building in Malmesbury so that their 6th form art students could watch their digital coursework, taken on their smart phones, on a larger screen.  

The eight students, together with two art teachers, came along and under dimmed lights, with sparkling elderflower and popcorn, they watched each others' films and discussed them.  

It was a very special occasion and really appreciated by everyone. The Arts Society Malmesbury made the event possible by paying for the hiring of the building and use of the AV system there, which itself was made possible by a volunteer from Athelstan Museum.  

To see some of their work at the impressive Rausing Building click here.

A Musical Evening with Peter Medhurst at Holy Trinity Church in Minchinhampton, starting at 7:00pm.

Christmas Celebrations have always been heightened by the presence of music.  Perhaps the reason for this stems from Luke’s Gospel where, traditionally, the angels sang their glad tidings to the shepherds at the moment of Christ’s birth.  Over the centuries, each generation has contributed to the Christmas musical repertoire, whether in carols, or even keyboard music. 

Peter Medhurst celebrates Christmas by performing and discussing a range of Christmas pieces drawn from the Middle Ages down to the twentieth century. His music includes: Angelus ad Virginem, The Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol, The Coventry Carol, moments from Handel’s Messiah and JS Bach’s Chorale Prelude ‘In dulci Jubilo’.

Peter Medhurst

Peter appears in the UK and abroad as a musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts. He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Cost

The cost is £15 per person, payable in advance, and this covers drinks and canapés which will be served during the interval.

Tickets are available via https://2022pm.eventbrite.co.uk 

Read here about our AGM, the first lecture of the new Arts Society year and the special event "On Christmas Night" which will be on 7th December. We have an exciting few months ahead of us!

Read here about our lecture programme, and our visits to Bath, Hereford and Broughton.

We are a fun-loving choir who meet at Christ Church, The Chipping, Tetbury, on Monday evenings at 7.00 pm, to sing a wide selection of songs. There are no auditions and no requirement to be able to read music. If you would like to try us out, pop along on Monday evening for a free session.

We are seeking a Musical Director and an Accompanist

 to lead us in our weekly practices and prepare us for occasional performances from September 2022.  

For further information, and to apply please contact :

 Sandy Thomas, Secretary Sandy.thomas.st78@gmail.com            

or Miranda Creed-Miles, Chair mcreedmiles@gmail.com      

 www.tetburycommunitychoir.co.uk

We hope that you can join us for this year’s Summer Lunch in Willesley and enjoy an afternoon in the open air.

Tickets are £20 per person, payable in advance, and will include a beverage and nibbles on arrival from 12.30pm, plus lunch to include wine.  

Our annual Plant Swap will take place during the Summer Lunch, instead of on 10th May.

For more information, and for the booking form which must be returned by 17th June, click here.

Looking for your next adventure?

Life is one long adventure, and we’d love to join in with your next one. Whether you want to put your years of skill and experience towards our cause or just want to try something brand new, the team at Newark Park is full of inspiring people from all walks of life who get a real buzz from working and learning together.

Ready to get involved? Contact Emily Poulter at newarkpark@nationaltrust.org.uk

Our visit to Hereford Cathedral was a great success. It started with refreshments in the College Hall followed by a guided tour of the cathedral and a visit to the Mappa Mundi and the Chained Library Exhibition.  The group split into two, each with a very good and knowledgeable guide, so we were able to enjoy and learn about the many treasures on view.

Afterwards several members went to The Green Dragon Hotel which is near the Cathedral main entrance for lunch, after which we were free to walk around the centre of this fascinating city.

To view a selection of the photographs taken click here.

The Arts Society West Mercia has just published a book titled “Fifty Treasures of the West Mercia Area” which focuses on a selection of treasures that would not normally be found in conventional guides, all of which have been selected by the members of the various Arts Societies in the West Mercia area.

Included in the fully illustrated book are church relics, such as Athelstan’s Tomb in Malmesbury Abbey and Anglo-Saxon carvings in Daglingworth, Roman mosaics in the Corinium Museum in Cirencester, the Penfold Postboxes in Cheltenham, Bee Shelters in Hartpury and The Tardebigge Flight of locks in Worcestershire. Enough to keep one busy on several day trips in the area.

The book will be available for £5 at the next Arts Society Malmesbury lecture at Crudwell Village Hall on April 12th.

Our long-awaited visit to No 1 Royal Crescent, Bath, happened on Tuesday December 7th and despite rain, last minute alterations and DIY tour guidance the festively decorated house was enjoyed and well rated by members.

This beautiful house is at one end of the Royal Crescent - designed by John Woods (Elder and Younger).  The Crescent had a significant influence on British architecture with these beautiful townhouses providing residences in town that emulated the country seats of their tenants.  The houses would be rented for part or all of the social season and were an opportunity for demonstrating one’s wealth, connections and ancestry.

Classical order and symmetry were to be seen everywhere within the Georgian architecture: the cornices, fireplaces, room proportions, false doors etc, but all on a significantly reduced scale to that we are used to seeing when we visit large country houses – this formed a particular part of its uniqueness and charm.  One quick fact I note for your interest – the portraits and art on the walls of the dining room would have been brought with them by the tenants, for the period of their visit, to enable them to demonstrate their position in society during formal dinners – I’m grateful we don’t have to take the family portraits with us these days when we go on holiday!

After exploring the house many of us then braved the torrential rain and lunched together, greatly enjoying the opportunity to catch up and chat with each other in beautiful Bath.

Click here to view a selection of photos taken that day.

Here we are, into December already.  I can hardly believe it and hope you are feeling as well prepared as you want to be for the upcoming festive season. 

As I mentioned in the November newsletter our next planned Special Interest Day on The Secret Language of Sacred Spaces will be happening on Wednesday 23rd February 2022 and we do hope it will be well supported. For those new to our society, I just wanted to let you know that included within the price for a Special Interest Day are 3 lectures, all centred around a theme as well as delicious refreshments and lunch.  Here is further info for you if you are interested.

Our next lecture of this season will be held on Tuesday 14 December 2021 beginning at 1.45pm and will be on The Art Turns Him from St Nicholas to Father Christmas with Christopher Bradley who will be lecturing in person in the village hall.  This link takes you to background information about the lecture topic and Christopher .

Here is the Zoom link for the lecture.  If attending by Zoom, please join in just before 1.45pm.

Following on from last month's lecture below is a link with further information for Ravilious fans out there, that James Russell's show continues until the end of January 2022 in Devizes. 
https://www.wiltshiremuseum.org.uk/?exhibition=eric-ravilious-downland-man

We will continue with reduced seating capacity at the village hall.  Numbers in the hall will be limited to 70 and if you would like to attend the hall please email one of the people below who will be maintaining and managing the numbers on the list.  Letting us know you're coming is really helpful in terms of us trying to plan catering.
kj@odlumfamily.co.uk
denise@adquo.co.uk

Please  can I note that our members' safety is paramount and ask you not to attend the village hall if you feel at all unwell or indeed have a positive Covid lateral flow test.

Just in case there are any new users to Zoom joining us, here is some short guidance on accessing Zoom. If you would like to attend a short Zoom training session, please let me know and we will arrange this.

As many of you know, it is my usual practice to send a reminder on the morning of the lecture and I plan to continue doing so.  

As always further information is available on our website theartssocietymalmesbury.org.uk as well as a vast amount of fabulous material for you to access at the central Arts Society 

I do hope you stay safe and well and look forward to seeing you soon. 

With very best wishes for the festive season and 2022

Julie

Dauntsey Gardens – Phew – what a scorcher!

The third of our summer programme of garden visits comprised a delightful walk around six gardens and a church in the village of Dauntsey.

The afternoon started with a convivial picnic in the shade of a large tree beside the Idover House carpark during which we were treated to a fly pass by the Red Arrows – there are no limits to the lengths we go to entertain our members! We then braved the hot sunny afternoon to view an amazing variety of gardens from the splendour of Dauntsey Park, with its far-reaching views across the River Avon, to the extraordinary collection of sculpture to be found at the Pool House, before enjoying a very welcome cup of tea in the pretty surroundings of the gardens at Idover House.  All the gardens had many fine features but I think my favourite was the tiny courtyard garden behind the Old Coach House – small but perfectly formed and you would not need an army of gardeners to maintain it!

To view a selection of photos taken during the visit click here.

Our last visit this summer is to Berkeley Castle on Wednesday 21st July.  For further details contact Biddy on bthadfield@btinternet.com.

It was wet weather gear to the fore as we gathered for our second garden visit of the season. But luck was on our side and in the end, apart one short-lived shower, we enjoyed a happy and dry afternoon at The Gardens at Miserden. 

Set in a stunning valley, these beautifully tended gardens were looking lush and full of promise. Lots of interesting plants for the keen gardeners amongst us and plenty of lovely vistas for everyone to enjoy.

Afterwards many of us were tempted by the excellent plants in the nursery set up in the old kitchen garden - a little souvenir of a pleasant afternoon spent in the heart of the Cotswolds.

To see a selection of photographs taken during the visit click here.

Our next garden outing will be to the Dauntsey Village Gardens on the 13th June. Further details will be in our next Newsletter.

Having spent the winter in a virtual world, it was a great treat for the Arts Society Malmesbury to meet in person for the first time since last August.  Some thirty members and guests visited the Bowood Woodland Gardens on the 27th April and much enjoyed being able to chat to each other.  Set on undulating ground with far reaching vistas, Bowood is a haven of the peace and tranquillity where the only sounds to be heard are that of birdsong.  The late spring meant that many of the rhododendrons were yet to flower, but the fine display of magnolias and camellias more than compensated, and the swathes of bluebells blanketing the ground were magnificent.

To see some of the photographs taken click here.

This is the first of a mixed programme of garden visits organised this summer.  Look out for the following visits:

Sunday, 16th May – The Garden at Miserden

Sunday, 13th June – Dauntsey Village Gardens

On 18th March we had a very enjoyable afternoon exploring Current Trends in the Auction Room with Philip Taubenheim of Wotton Auction Rooms.  He started off by describing What’s Selling and What’s Not and it appears that during lockdown is the time to sell via an auction room as nothing else is open!  He said that garden items, notably stumpery pieces and anything on which ‘God and time had done their work’ were selling strongly. 

He then went on to comment on photos of items kindly sent in by 12 of our members.  The attached photos show the marvellous array of ‘treasures’ on show ranging from an C18th dolls’ house to a piece of African ironwood picked up in a local charity shop.  Members sent in very appreciative feedback for this interactive session and we are very grateful to Philip and the contributing members for brightening up a ‘lockdown’ afternoon.

Read the latest newsletter from our Chair, Julie Thomas, here

Read here the Chair's Report for 2019-2020  Katharine Odlum and Julie Thomas.

We’ll Meet Again……..

It was smiles all round when a large group of ASM members met up at Bourton House Gardens on 18th August – our first gathering since lockdown.  The weather and the setting were perfect and the gardens are designed to look at their best in late summer.  To see how splendid they were, view a selection of photos taken by our new Chairman, Julie Thomas.