Due to the refurbishment of Dorking Halls, the November lecture about the Bayeux Tapestry will be held at the

Peace Memorial Hall, Ashtead

                            JUNE 2026 E-NEWS

                                    IMPORTANT  NOTICE

THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD AT DENBIES WINE ESTATE,

     IN THE UPSTAIRS THEATRE

Due to limited seating, please arrive promptly - and we regret that NO visitors can be accommodated

IF YOU HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY HEARING AT DENBIES, SIT NEAR ONE OF THE SPEAKERS ON THE WALL - NOT IN THE FRONT ROW

THE JUNE LECTURE (at DENBIES)

Tuesday 9 June 2026, at 10.30am

'Britain as the Workshop of the World’

The Great Exhibition of 1851 and the Establishment of the Victoria & Albert Museum

Anna Warrillow

Anna’s lecture focuses on the design impact of the Great Exhibition and the need for a 'legacy institution' in the form of the South Kensington Museum. We look at the building as a work of art and explore the work of William Morris, Fredrick Lord Leighton and other influential designers of the Victorian Age.

JULY LECTURE(again at DENBIES)

Tuesday 14 July 2026, at 10.15am

‘Edouard Manet and Music’

Dr Lois Oliver

This meeting will start at 10.15am for the 2026 AGM. Papers will be on the website by 20 June

DAY TRIPS IN 2026

Visit to Firle Place & Glynde Place

Tuesday 30 June 2026

   Final chance to puchase tickets for this visit    

£77 each, including transport, entry to both venues, guided tours, morning tea/coffee and sandwich lunch at Firle Place, and tea/coffee and cake before departing from Glynde Place.

(Departing Brockham 8:30am sharp and returning by 6:00pm)

FIRLE PLACE:  We start our day with a visit to Firle Place, the home of the Gage family for over 500 years, containing collections of Old Masters including portraits by Van Dyck, Reynolds and Gainsborough. We will  divide into three groups for a guided tour of the house, covering its collections of art, furniture and Sevres porcelain. We’ll then have lunch in the tearoom (or outside if weather permits). Before or after lunch, we’ll have time to relax on the terrace or walk in the Firle grounds and (for the more energetic) walk to the nearby church, which contains the graves of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, before departing at 1:30pm.

(Firle Place Photos © James Ratchford Photography, with permission)

GLYNDE PLACE, which was built in 1569 by William and Anne Morley, is situated at the top of the village of Glynde and has commanding views over the Weald and Sussex Downs. It has passed through three intermarried families and is now the family home of Francis and Caroline Hampden and their three children. After an introductory talk in the coach house, we will be divided into two groups for our tours of the house, which contains paintings dating from the 17th century to the present day, 18th century Italian bronze reliefs and specially commissioned woodblock  wallpaper. Our visit to Glynde Place will conclude with coffee/tea and cake in the coach house.

(Glynde Photos © Marina Brunas Spatz, with permission)

TOUR

THE HISTORIC HOUSES & HERITAGE OF
    THE PEAK DISTRICT  

5 Days: 8 to 12 September 2026

THIS TOUR IS NOW FULLY BOOKED

COMMITTEE

If you would like to keep the Society vibrant, please consider joining the Committee  

         Please speak to Christine regarding how you might help.

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months, currently up to the end of June 2026,  and can be viewed on the website 

You have been sent this email because you are a member of The Arts Society of Dorking.  

update your preferences or unsubscribe

MARCH 2026 E-NEWS

                      THMCH LECTURE  

‘Rome - the 1700’s - The Grand Tour’

Stuart Harvey

Tuesday 10 March 2026

The Grand Tourists of the 1700s changed the art world. Rome was now filled with wealthy travellers, many from Britain, not only visiting the great works of art and architecture, but also looking for portraits, miniatures, mosaics and ancient sculptures to purchase for their family collections. This lecture will highlight some of the most famous visitors to Rome, including many artists who came to study, and will introduce some of the fascinating characters that catered to them in Rome, as we look at how the art world in Rome adapted to this lucrative new market.

                                         Car Parking - March

Due to the building work going on at Dorking Halls, parking behind the Halls still remains slightly less extensive than usual, so please allow yourself plenty of time on Tuesday in case you have to park a little further afield.

Access to the Halls

Please note also that access to the Halls (in and out) is VIA THE FRONT DOORS ONLY. This applies equally to wheelchair and walking-aid users.

‘EXHIBITION ON SCREEN’ - TURNER & CONSTABLE

Dorking Halls: Tuesday 10 March

Several members are coming to this  screening in the Halls, and  you would be most welcome to join us in the foyer for a chat beforehand.  We will be there from around 6.30: the screening starts at 7.30

                 AND LOOKING FORWARD TO APRIL….

‘Opium - Seduction, Greed, Art’

Amanda Herries  

Tuesday 14 April 2026

The source of the stuff of dreams, the poppy is a beautiful, fragile flower with immense power. Opium (from the greek ‘opion’ – poppy juice) is a hypnotic bringer of sleep, delightful lethargy and relief from pain. It is also highly addictive. Greed led to the introduction of this hugely desirable substance first to China, and then to Europe. The beguiling seduction of its effects led to its use to quieten troubled minds and calm agitated children and babies. Its use, often by those with troubled minds, led to the creation of great works of art in music, art and literature. Social and art history meet as this lecture unfolds.

NO:

AS WE KNEW WOULD HAPPEN , DORKING HALLS IS CLOSING AGAIN FOR FURTHER RENOVATILECTURES WITH LUNCH

              ‘The Forensic Eye: Find your inner Connoisseur’

by

Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe

Wednesday 27 May 2026

Mickleham Village Hall         Lectures start from 10.30am

How do art dealers, auctioneers and museum staff determine whether a piece is by one painter or another?  What role does the signature play and what are the key clues to look for when deciding who painted the picture? Chantal will guide us through three sessions exploring the clues, weighing up their relative usefulness and learn some of the tricks of the connoisseur.

There will be a break for coffee after the first lecture, and a lunch break  after the second.  

The third lecture is in the afternoon.  Finish time 3.30pm approx

Tickets, including lunch with wine,will be on sale at the March & April Lectures.  

TWO DAY TRIPS IN 2026

   Farley’s House & Gallery, and Michelham Priory

    Thursday 7 May 2026                                  Tickets £65

            (Departing Brockham at 8.30 sharp, and returning by 6.00pm)

We start our day with a visit to Farleys, the former home of Lee Miller (American photographer, Vogue model and WW2 photo-journalist) and Roland Penrose (surrealist painter, poet, biographer and collector of modern art).  We will take a guided tour of the house (divided into groups of up to 12) and have time before and/or after to visit the gallery, including the sculpture garden, and to take refreshments. We plan to depart at about 1:15pm.

After a 15- minute drive we’ll arrive at  

Michelham Priory House & Gardens. Sited

alongside the Cuckmere River, the house is described as ‘a magnificant Tudor Mansion, set on a picturesque island, complete with medieval gatehouse, watermill, and more … Enjoy seven acres of beautiful grounds surrounded by England’s largest medieval water-filled moat’.

Lunch is not provided.  There is a cafe at both sites, or you may bring your own

     Farleys House photo © Marina Brunas Spatz; Michelham Priory photo © Sussex Past; other photographs © Lee Miller Archives, England

2025. All rights reserved.  All photographs are used herewith the permission of the copyright holders

Godinton House & All Saints’ Church, Tudeley
Wednesday 3 June 2026                                        

Tickets £70 each, including transport, entry to both venues, Tea/coffee on arrival at Godinton House, and Ploughman’s lunch.

        (Departing Brockham at 8.30 sharp, and returning by 6.00pm)

      Photos © Godinton House

We start our day with a visit to Godinton House, an “Ancient house of Dutch gables set in an early twentieth-century Blomfield garden, with surviving seventeenth century built features.”  We will be divided into three groups for a guided tour of the house, covering 600 years of history and its collection of furniture, art, porcelain and curios.

After a ploughman’s lunch, we’ll have time to explore and relax in the gardens before departing at                                                                       2:30pm.                                                                              

All Saints’ Tudeley is unique in having all its twelve windows decorated (between 1967 and 1985) by the artist Marc Chagall. Chagall came to stained glass late in his long career and was present for the installation of the last window aged 98, in the year of his death. The only other Chagall glass in Britain is in Chichester Cathedral.

We will arrive at Tudeley around 3:30pm and will be met by our guide for a guided talk explaining the creation and installation of the windows.

Photos ©  Marina Brunas Spatz &  ©  All Saints’ Church, Tudeley . All photographs are used herewith the permission of the copyright holders

COMMITTEE

Would you like to join our committee?

 Members retire after three years.

Do you have specific expertise in IT or Finance,

or just wish to join us to plan for the future of our Society

East Surrey Area Double Lecture Day

8 May 2026 - at 10.30am and at 12.00noon

‘A Paradise Garden: The Meaning of Medieval Plants in Art’

‘The Nature of the Beast: Animals in Medieval Art

Dr Jonathan Foyle, BBC Presenter, will explore medieval art from flora to fauna.    Ticket price £30.  To buy tickets, go to website 

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list covers the months of January, February and March, 2026  and can be viewed on the website 

WE WISH YOU ALL A VERY ACTIVE, ARTISTIC, HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR FOR 2026  

‘Becoming Jane Austen: the Making of a Literary Superstar’

Annalie Talent

Tuesday 13 January 2026

Jane Austen is one of our best-loved authors. Her novels have inspired countless stage and screen adaptations and even provided solace to soldiers in the trenches.  She is the face of the £10 banknote, and she adorns tea towels and fridge magnets everywhere.

Jane Austen is very famous indeed - but it was not always like this.  She published anonymously and was unknown in her lifetime. There is no record on her gravestone that she was a writer and her books fell out of print shortly after her death.  

 So just how did Jane Austen become the literary superstar she is today?

This lecture will chart Jane Austen’s rise to fame; it will explore the makings of a literary celebrity and examine Austen’s legacy, 250 years after her birth. 

Car Parking - January

Due to the building work going on at Dorking Halls, parking behind the Halls remains slightly less extensive than usual, so please allow yourself plenty of time on Tuesday in case you have to park a little further afield.

Access to the Halls

Please note also that access to the Halls (in and out) is VIA THE FRONT DOORS ONLY. This applies equally to wheelchair and walking-aid users.

AND COMING IN FEBRUARY ….

‘The Art of the Automobile’

Roger Mendham

Tuesday 10 February 2026

The earliest cars were purely functional and lacked even the most basic of passenger comforts, such as doors or even windscreens to protect passengers from the elements.    

However, progress was rapid and by the mid-1920s we entered a golden age of automobile design.   A new generation of stylish cars were influenced by the art deco movement and the ‘Great Gatsby era’ included some of the most famous and fabulous cars ever built.  This period was followed by the Streamline Moderne influenced cars of the 1930s and 40s, with aerodynamic shapes and lots of chrome detailing.  This talk covers some of the most beautiful cars ever built, and focuses on the work of the coachbuilders, who were inspired by the art movements and created ‘mobile works of art’.  

    LECTURE WITH LUNCH

             ‘Istanbul: City of Faith, Power and Beauty’

Dr Antonia Gatward Cevizli

Wednesday 18th  February 2026

Mickleham Village Hall

The day will focus on the transformation of Istanbul from its conquest by Sultan Mehmet II, through to its Golden Age under Suleyman the Magnificent, and beyond. 

(Antonia delighted us with her lecture on Artmesia Gentileschi and other lesser known women artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, and we are delighted to welcome her back to talk on her other passion - the Ottomans)

Lecture 1:   

To set the scene, the morning will focus on the conquest of Constantinople and the making of Istanbul.

Lecture 2:

Treasures of Ottoman Istanbul: Suleyman the Magnificent's era and beyond.

Lecture 3

'Carnations, tulips and hyacinths': the story of Turkey's Iznik ceramics.

FORTHCOMING TOUR

            VISIT TO PRAGUE - Its Art & Castles

5 days from £1,459 Departing 23 April 2026

Four nights at the centrally located 4* Majestic Plaza Hotel (www.hotel majestic.cz) in Prague, which is located 300 metres from St Wenceslas Square.

The trip includes …

Guided walking tour of Prague

and GUIDED TOURS of

Convent of St Agnes of Bohemia  Prague Castle Complex

St George’s Basilica

Konopiste Castle

Sternberg Palace

Cruise on the River Vltava with included tea or coffee & cake

Full brochure available, and bookings are open

AND FORTHCOMING DAY TRIPS THROUGHOUT 2026

Farleys House & Gallery and Michelham Priory
Thursday 07 May 2026

Farleys is the former home of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose. There will  be a guided tours from 10.30am and time to visit the gallery and gardens.

Michelham Priory is described as “a magnificent Tudor mansion, set on a picturesque moated island, complete with medieval gatehouse, watermill and more.”

Godington House & All Saints Church, Tudely
Wednesday 03 June 2026

Godinton House came to our attention via the Historic Houses website and is described as 'ancient house of Dutch gables set in an early twentieth-century Blomfield garden, with surviving seventeenth century built features'.

In the afternoon, we visit All Saints’ Tudeley, which is famous for its Marc Chagall windows.

COMMITTEE

Would you like to join our committee?

 Members retire after three years.

Do you have specific expertise in IT or Finance,

or just wish to join us to plan for the future of our Society

       NOVEMBER 2025 E-NEWS

IMPORTANT:  PLEASE NOTE THAT ACCESS (IN AND OUT) AT DORKING HALLS IS VIA THE FRONT DOORS ONLY.  

THIS APPLIES EQUALLY TO WHEELCHAIR AND WALKING-AID USERS.

A SECOND WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, WHO HAVE JOINED OR RE-JOINED FOR THE COMING YEAR.

We invite you all to stay and meet fellow-joiners and Committee members after this month’s lecture, in the upatairs bar for a glass of wine or soft drink and a chat.  

                   THE NOVEMBER LECTURE  

‘O for the Wings of a Dove’

- the Life of a Cathedral Chorister

by Roger Askew

Tuesday 11 November 2025

As this is Remembrance Day, we will observe a 2 minutes silence at 11.00am

Our rich cathedral choral tradition is unique. Drawing on his own experience as a chorister in Wells Cathedral, Roger will give a lively insight into the life of a cathedral chorister. The lecture will explore the development of the tradition from medieval times to the present. It will be illustrated with examples of some of the outstanding choirs of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Roger was a chorister at Wells Cathedral School and a choral scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated with an honours degree in English. He combined a teaching career with professional singing in London, and after obtaining a further degree in Music became Director of Music at Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College in Edinburgh. After retiring in 2003 he returned to the south of England.

VISITS AND TOURS

We had a wonderful trip to Romania, in perfect autumn weather, and we suggest you get into the hall early on Tuesday to see a slide show of the sites we visited.

A perfect way for Jenny Perks to hang up her tour-organising hat and pass the baton to Stephanie.  Many thanks to Jenny for all her hard work on past tours.

FORTHCOMING TRIPS IN 2026

VISIT TO PRAGUE - Its Art & Castles

Inspired by the memorable lecture by Douglas Skeggs in May 2025, we have organised a tour to Prague,

5 days, departing on 23 April, 2026.

A brochure will be available at the lecture, and bookings will be taken. Alternatively, see the website page. Very few places remain for  our CHRISTMAS VISIT TO

Penshurst Place on

Thursday 4 December 2025

for tickets, see/contact  John Ackers: 07960 495451

ON WEDNESDAY EVENING, IN DORKING HALLS

 Exhibition on Screen

‘Caravaggio’

Dorking Halls,

 7.30pm, 11th November, 2025

A film that explores the life and art of the painter Caravaggio, showcasing his masterpieces and delving into the mysteries surrounding his life and death. The film, which took five years to produce, features first-hand testimony from Caravaggio and examines his self-depictions in his works to reveal insights into his psyche. It highlights his unique artistic style, characterized by dramatic lighting, intense naturalism, and bold figures.

The film aims to unravel the complexities of Caravaggio's life, including his struggles and the mysteries surrounding his disappearance. It explores how his paintings offer clues to understanding the man behind the art.

JOIN SOME OF US, FROM 6.30,  IN THE CAFE BEFOREHAND

AND AS A PROMPT OF OUR NEXT LECTURE

Pantomime When Fairy's over Fifty!

Tyler Butterworth

Tuesday 9th December 2025

Why is it that this most precious of British traditions will always endure, and why, surprisingly, every actor wants to do it. This is a revealing look at professional panto from someone who was born into it.

‘Lectures with Lunch’

‘Istanbul: City of Faith, Power and Beauty’                                            by Antonia Gatward Cevizli

Wednesday 18 February 2026

Tickets are now available

OCTOBER E-NEWS - 2025

            WELCOME TO THE NEW SEASON FOR THE

ARTS SOCIETY DORKING

All members should by now have received their 2025/26 ‘Programme & Membership Card’, along with a bookmark summarising the Programme for easy reference. And we hope that you agree what a varied and stimulating season it promises to be!

We hope too that you enjoyed our Newsletter with its ‘Say Hello to Dorking’ cover, looking forward and giving a bit of background to the lectures to come, while reminding you of the highlights from last season  

WELCOME ALSO TO THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY, WHO HAVE JOINED OR RE-JOINED FOR THE COMING YEAR.

Early each month we send out our E-News to all those who have registered an e-mail address with us - so to ensure you receive this and are kept up to date with forthcoming talks, outings and visits and other news, please do make sure we have an accurate e-mail for you.  Remember also that our Website is regularly updated on all Society events, and in much greater detail than this newsletter, so do use that to keep you even better informed! 

Finally, the Committee members are always more than willing to help with any issues - their contact details are given on the Programme Card

On Wednesday, new members will be wearing a label such as this - please say ‘hello’ and make them welcome!

VISITS AND TOURS

TRIP TO ROMANIA

15 - 23 October, 2025

For those going on the trip, there will be a short meeting after the lecture on the 14th. Please contact Jenny Perks if you have any queries, on: 01306 - 881845, or by email at:

jenny@peterperksltd.com

VISIT TO PRAGUE - Its Art & Castles

Inspired by the memorable lecture by Douglas Skeggs in May 2025, we have organised a tour to Prague,

5 days, departing on 23 April, 2025.

For full details, pick up a brochure today, or see the website 

To kick off the  New Season… Our first lecture …

Viking Gods & Valkyries: The Art of Norse Mythology

James Vaux

Tuesday 14 October 2025

This lecture explores how Norse myths and legends have been portrayed in the decorative and fine arts over more than 1,300 years and reveals quite how few depictions we have (some quite superb) and how varied they can be. In order to explain key themes in the artworks, the talk begins with a brief overview of the pantheon of deities, the Norse creation story and Ragnarök, the twilight of the gods.

It then looks at Viking-age representations in wood, stone and metalwork, the effect of Christianisation, and 16th century manuscripts illustrating the Icelandic Eddas.  It continues with 19th century paintings and sculpture created in a period of Scandinavian romantic nationalism, the appropriation of mythological images by the Nazi regime and more recent re-interpretations of Thor, Odin, Loki and the Valkyries in cartoon,

Manga and film as well as conceptual art.

Using these examples, the talk considers differences in material culture and worship patterns between Viking-age Scandinavia and the classical world, resulting in completely different legacies. It considers the lack of any stable imagery - which has led to Norse deities donning 16th century armour, rococo wigs, togas, space suits and even just birthday suits.  

The lecture concludes by revealing the five key reasons why we see the Viking gods so much in popular culture but almost never in the fine arts.

And to follow …..

‘O for the Wings of a Dove’

- the Life of a Cathedral Chorister

by Roger Askew

Tuesday 11 November 2025

(As this is Remembrance Day, we will observe a 2 minutes silence)

Our rich cathedral choral tradition is unique. Drawing on his own experience as a chorister in Wells Cathedral, Roger will give a lively insight into the life of a cathedral chorister. The lecture will explore the development of the tradition from medieval times to the present. It will be illustrated with examples of some of the outstanding choirs of the 20th and 21st centuries. 

Visit to Penshurst Place

Thursday 4 December 2025

(NOT 11 December as in the Membership Card)

For our pre-Christmas event, we will be taking the “Christmas at Penshurst” tour, which starts with mulled wine around the fire in the medieval Baron’s Hall, before a private tour of the house, featuring old traditions and customs.  Our visit finishes with a traditional three-course Christmas lunch in a medieval banqueting room.  

Tickets will be on sale

at the October and November lectures

 Exhibition on Screen

‘Caravaggio’

Dorking Halls,

 7.30pm, 17 November, 2025

A film that explores the life and art of the painter Caravaggio, showcasing his masterpieces and delving into the mysteries surrounding his life and death. The film, which took five years to produce, features first-hand testimony from Caravaggio and examines his self-depictions in his works to reveal insights into his psyche. It highlights his unique artistic style, characterized by dramatic lighting, intense naturalism, and bold figures.

The film aims to unravel the complexities of Caravaggio's life, including his struggles and the mysteries surrounding his disappearance. It explores how his paintings offer clues to understanding the man behind the art.

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list is now published, covering the months of October, November and December  and can be viewed on the website in Latest News on the Home page

END-OF-SEASON E-NEWS - JULY 2025

‘Thank -You from the Chairman

This has been my first year in the role as Chairman of Dorking Arts Society.  

It has been a year not without its hitches - having to move out of Dorking Halls for the first two lectures not giving us the easiest start to the year - but the helpfulness and technical support of the staff at Denbies and at Dorking Halls made things run a lot more smoothly than they night have done. In my Chairman’s Report to the AGM (published on the website) I thanked all who have been such a support to me - Committee and other loyal helpers - and I repeat those sentiments now.  We have had some splendid Lectures, and have a super programme lined up for you for next season.  Also the Days Out and Tours, and I would commend these to you if you have not come with us before.

As we close now for the summer months, I thank all you members too who make Dorking such a successful and vibrant Arts Society, and wish you all a lovely break. We look forward to seeing you again, back in the Halls, on 14th.October.

Yours, Christine Thom, Chairman

Following the AGM…

Your New Committee for 2025/26 are:

Chairman     Christine Thom

Vice Chairman     Jenni Knights

Secretary     Cecily Church

Treasurer     John Arnold

Membership Secretary     Tricia Smart

Programme Secretary     Marina Spatz

Visits Secretary     John Ackers

Lectures with Lunch     Jenni Knights

Tours & Website     Stephanie Randall

Young Arts &Heritage     Linda Packman

Publicity Officer     Chris Blockey

Without portfolio     Emily Hough

Ex-officio Technical Advisor     Navin Mehta

Hon President     Sue Willis

                          MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS FOR 2026

For those who have not yet renewed their membership, one last reminder…

We ask you to do so by the end of July 2025

We are not sending out paper reminders: all is electronic, and we would prefer that you pay direct, on-line.  Our Bank details for this are:  Sort Code 40-18-22; Account Number 42444089; Cost £50 per member;   Please give as Reference your name and ‘sub 2026’.  You will receive an e-mail confirmation of receipt.

However, if you do not have on-line banking and would rather pay by cheque, that is quite acceptable.  Please contact Membership Secretary Tricia Smart to let her know, and then just send her a cheque.

Please note too that we will assume that ALL your contact details will remain the same, as we have them now, for 2025/26, unless you tell us otherwise.

If you have any questions regarding these procedures, get in touch with Tricia, by telephone: 07921 190346, or by email: membershiptasd@gmail.com

Trip to Romania - 15 - 23 October

Due to a cancellation, one place has become available on this tour.  Please contact Jenny Perks if you are interested, on 01306 - 881845

You may be interested in a bit of trivia from our recent - and last of the year - day trip to Lord Montagu’s Beaulieu ….

Your New Season Programme and Membership Card will be sent to you, along with our 2025 Magazine, around the end of August/early September.  Meanwhile, to give you a taster for the first lecture of the New Year, starting on 14 October….

Viking Gods & Valkyries: The Art of Norse Mythology

James Vaux

Tuesday 14 October 2025

When we walk into any gallery, why do we see so many depictions of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, but not Viking ones? This lecture excitingly explores how Norse myths and legends have been portrayed in the decorative and fine arts over more than 1,300 years and reveals quite how few depictions we have (although some are superb) and how varied they can be.

At this lecture, if you did not get one in July, you can also collect a Bookmark showing the full year’s programme

You may also be interested in the following…  

  Exhibition on Screen

‘Caravaggio’

Dorking Halls, 17 November,

7.30pm

A film that explores the life and art of the painter Caravaggio, showcasing his masterpieces and delving into the mysteries surrounding his life and death. The film, which took five years to produce, features first-hand testimony from Caravaggio and examines his self-depictions in his works to reveal insights into his psyche. It highlights his unique artistic style, characterized by dramatic lighting, intense naturalism, and bold figures.  The film aims to unravel the complexities of Caravaggio's life, including his struggles and the mysteries surrounding his disappearance. It explores how his paintings offer clues to understanding the man behind the art.

                      TURNER AT PETWORTH - from June to November

For the first time in 20 years, a wide range of JMW Turner’s artistic studies of the extraordinary landscape at Petworth House and Park will be exhibited in the very place that inspired him. Visitors will be able to discover more about his methods, and the impact Petworth had on Britain’s most celebrated artist. Turner’s ‘Vision at Petworth’ will include oil paintings and works on paper on loan from Tate and several private lenders. This range of objects gives a fascinating insight into Turner’s artistic approach, his experiments with colour and use of materials.

As you probably know, Pippbrook House (the old Library behind the Council Offices), is undergoing rennovation, and is planned to open in September, offering several meeting rooms for hire. They will also be staging some smaller, more intimate productions, starting with ….

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list is now published, covering the months of July, August and September, and can be viewed on the website by clicking this link

JULY 2025 E-NEWS & AGM INVITATION

July 2025

Tuesday 8th July at 10.15 am - in the Dorking Halls

Preceding the July lecture we will be holding the Society’s

Annual General Meeting

All members are invited to attend this year’s AGM before the lecture

AGM AGENDA

1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the last AGM on 9th July 2024

3. Matters arising

4. Adoption of the Chairman’s and Membership Secretary’s reports

5. Adoption of the Treasurer’s report and Accounts

6. Appointment of the Independent Financial Examiner

7. Election of the Officers of the Society as proposed by the Committee

8. Election/re-election of members of the Committee

                        9. Ratification of the appointment of the President

10. Any other business

All papers relating to the AGM are posted on the Society’s Website

Coffee will be on sale in the café from 9.30 a.m

Accounts Year ended 31 March 2025

July 2025

Tuesday 8th July at 10.30 am - in the Dorking Halls

‘Cinema from the Rubble:

the Post-War Politics of Ealing Studios’

                                  Benedict Morrison

Ealing Studios is often hailed as the most quintessentially English of all the film studios.  The studio reached its zenith in 1949, releasing Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore and Kind Hearts and Coronets.  Ealing Studios made films that have a reputation for cosiness, whimsicality and an ‘ever-so-gentle subversiveness’.  

Benedict will take us back to our teenage years, revisiting these films and viewing them again in the light of post-war ‘new waves’ that were beginning to emerge across Europe.

Reception

Please note the 10.15 start for the AGM, and do try to be here for that.

Should you arrive late, please enter at the back of the hall via Upstairs Bar

When you arrive at the Halls, please register at the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we have a record of how many people are attending the lecture.  

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest,this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

                          MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS FOR 2026

A reminder that our procedures for renewing Membership are changing – we are going as far as possible to ‘be paperless’.

Membership Secretary Tricia Smart e-mailed all members  (on or about Thursday 5 June) outlining how to pay (£50.00), noting that on-line payment is preferred, and giving full bank details.  

Please note:  if you are not happy to pay on line, you can still pay by cheque.  Please contact Tricia to arrange this.

Please note too that we will assume that ALL your contact details will remain the same, as wehave now, for 2025/26, unless you tell us otherwise.

If you have not received this information, or have any questions regarding these procedures,  please contact Tricia Smart, by telephone: 07921 190346,   or by email: membershiptasd@gmail.com

OUTINGS - The last of this year

                                     BEAULIEU, 15th JULY  

The principal attractions are the Palace House - where we get a private guided tour -  the ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, the National Motor Museum, and an exhibition covering Beaulieu’s role as a top secret ‘finishing school’ for members of the Special Operations Executive during WW2.  These are all covered by our admission tickets. After a buffet lunch in the Brabazon Restaurant, you have free time  to explore the other attractions on the site, before meeting for a cream tea at 4pm, and our coach departure at 5pm.

A few tickets are still available, and guests are welcome.

Price £75, inclusive

Trip to Romania - 15 - 23 October

Due to a cancellation, one place has become available on this tour.  Please contact Jenny Perks if you are interested, on 01306 - 881845

And as a taster for the first lecture of our New Year, starting on

14 October….

Viking Gods & Valkyries: The Art of Norse Mythology

James Vaux

Tuesday 14 October 2025

When we walk into any gallery, why do we see so many depictions of the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses, but not Viking ones? This lecture excitingly explores how Norse myths and legends have been portrayed in the decorative and fine arts over more than 1,300 years and reveals quite how few depictions we have (although some are superb) and how varied they can be.

  Exhibition on Screen

‘Caravaggio’

Dorking Halls, 17 November,

7.30pm

A film that explores the life and art of the painter Caravaggio, showcasing his masterpieces and delving into the mysteries surrounding his life and death. The film, which took five years to produce, features first-hand testimony from Caravaggio and examines his self-depictions in his works to reveal insights into his psyche. It highlights his unique artistic style, characterized by dramatic lighting, intense naturalism, and bold figures.

The film aims to unravel the complexities of Caravaggio's life, including his struggles and the mysteries surrounding his disappearance. It explores how his paintings offer clues to understanding the man behind the art.

                      TURNER AT PETWORTH - from June to November

For the first time in 20 years, a wide range of JMW Turner’s artistic studies of the extraordinary landscape at Petworth House and Park will be exhibited in the very place that inspired him. Visitors will be able to discover more about his methods, and the impact Petworth had on Britain’s most celebrated artist.  

‘Turner’s Vision at Petworth’ will include oil paintings and works on paper on loan from Tate and several private lenders. This range of objects gives a fascinating insight into Turner’s artistic approach, his experiments with colour and use of materials. They tell the story of his connection with the Petworth landscape, and with George O’Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont (1751-1837) who collected many of his works.  In addition to the works on display in the exhibition, visitors will also be able to see the 20 oil paintings by Turner on permanent display in Petworth House.  

This exhibition is part of Turner 250, a year-long festival of special exhibitions and events, running from June through November, the programme celebrates 250 years since the birth of JMW Turner.  

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list is now published, covering the months of July, August and September, and can be viewed on the website by clicking  this link

May 2025

Tuesday 13th May at 10.30 am - in the Dorking Halls

Douglas Skeggs

‘Prague: The City of the Winter Queen’

Prague has a rich history and Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.  It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia and residence of several Holy Roman Emperors. It was an important city to the Habsburg monarchy and Austria-Hungary. The city played major roles in the Bohemian and the Protestant Reformations, the Thirty Years' War, and in 20th-century history as the capital of Czechoslovakia between the World Wars and the post-war Communist era. Reduced to a near ruin under the Communists, it has been restored to its former glory, a unique blend of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture.  We will look at the rich fabric of Prague's past, its legends and its history, as well as the artists, composers, statesmen and rogues that have illuminated this fairy tale city.

VENUE NOTICE … THIS LECTURE, AND THOSE IN JUNE  AND JULY, WILL CONTINUE TO BE AT THE DORKING HALLS, AS THE SECOND CLOSURE FOR REPAIRS IS BEING DELAYED

Reception

When you arrive at the Dorking Halls please register at the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we have a record of how many people are attending the lecture.  

Please make every effort to be on time (especially allowing enough time to find a parking space). Should you arrive late, please enter at the back of the hall via the Upstairs Bar

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest,this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

LECTURE WITH LUNCH - 28 MAY

                    ‘BRITISH BAROQUE’, led by Dr Amy Lin

The day will explore the Baroque age in Britain c1660-1720. The Baroque has its origins in Counter-Reformation Italy, but by the time it spread to Britain in the 17th century, the Style had been adapted to secular use by monarchs and wealthy patrons. Painting, sculptures, tapestries, wood-carvings and furnishings in exuberant designs and rich materials were brought together in a riot of colours and textures.

Our day will visit court and country to look at some of the greatest works of arts and architecture of the British Baroque and meet the people responsible for them.

Lecture 1 - Royal Baroque

Lecture 2 - The Baroque Country House

Lecture 3 - Queens, Consorts and Courtiers: female art patrons in Baroque Britain

28th May, at Mickleham Village Hall, with coffee, a sandwich lunch with wine.

Tickets:  Price £35

OUTINGS

WINCHESTER,  4th. JUNE

Starting by the statue of King Alfred, you will take a short walk to Winchester Cathedral, where there will be time for refreshments before our 1-hour guided cathedral tour,  starting at 11am.  A  buffet lunch is booked at the Cathedral Refectory Café, after which Blue Badge city guides will lead walking tours lasting around 90 minutes and finishing in the city centre. One  guide will lead a less strenuous walk for those who prefer it.  After the led walks there will be free time to explore further,  before the coach departs from the King Alfred statue at 5pm.

Tickets will be available at the May lecture, price £80, including lunch

                  BEAULIEU, 15th. JULY  

The principal attractions are the Palace House - where we get a private guided tour -  the ruins of Beaulieu Abbey, the National Motor Museum, and an exhibition covering Beaulieu’s role as a top secret ‘finishing school’ for members of the Special Operations Executive during WW2.  These are all covered by our admission tickets. After a buffet lunch in the Brabazon Restaurant, you have free time  to explore the other attractions on the site, before meeting for a cream tea at 4pm before our coach departure at 5pm.

Tickets will be available at the May and June lectures, Price £75, inclusive

LOOKING FOR ANOTHER WAY TO USE YOUR SKILLS…

Why not think of joining our Committee in Dorking Arts Society, either as a member ‘without portfolio’, or as our Tour Organiser. (After many years organising our residential trips, in the UK and overseas, Jenny Perks is looking to pass on the baton.)

 If you think this could be up your street, please have a chat

with Christine Thom: 07881 942101

Another in the ‘EXHIBITION ON SCREEN’ series….

The life and work of Michelangelo, one of the most important artists of the Italian High Renaissance, are brought to life in this documentary through an exhibition in the National Gallery, that also explores his relationship with da Vinci.

Screened at Dorking Halls on Tuesday 20th May, 19.30 pm; and also on Sunday 25th May at 13.30

EAST SURREY AREA SPECIAL INTEREST MEETING … 6th. June

Menuhin Hall, Stoke D’Abernon …

‘The Brilliance of British Architecture’, by Ian Swankie

A chance to explore old and new through an examination of the work of the very best of British architects from the 17th. century to the present day, examining their work and their legacy.  

Two one-hour lectures, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.  Cost £25.00

        Trip to Romania - 15-23 October

For those going on this trip, we have arranged an evening IntroductoryTalk on the country by Andrew Noble, an ex-Ambassador to Romania

Tuesday 16 September, in the Vaughan Williams Room, Dorking Halls, starting at 6pm  

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list is now published, covering the months of April, May and June, and can be viewed on the website by clicking this link

APRIL 2025 E-NEWS

April 2025

Tuesday 8th April at 10.30 am - in the Dorking Halls

Dr Alison Barker

‘St George in England: A Visual Legacy’

Saint George is a revered figure in Christianity.  His association with England dates back to the 14th Century, with King Edward III founding the Order of the Garter and making St George its patron. Following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, St George’s Day, April 23rd. (possibly the date of his martyrdom), became one of the most important feast days in the English calendar.

However, while revered as England’s patron saint, St George was not English, and some believe he may never have visited the country.  

Dr Baker will surely enlighten us on that!

VENUE NOTICE … THIS LECTURE, AND THOSE IN MAY, JUNE  AND JULY, WILL NOW BE AT THE DORKING HALLS, AS THE SECOND CLOSURE FOR REPAIRS IS BEING DELAYED

Reception

When you arrive at the Dorking Halls please register at the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we have a record of how many people are attending the lecture.  

Please make every effort to be on time (especially allowing enough time to find a parking space).  Should you arrive late, please enter your name on the Latecomers Form at the door of the Hall.

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest,this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

All Members are welcome to join Tricia Smart for an informal gathering after the lecture

    Tour to Edinburgh - April 29th to May 3rd

       (Sorry, but this trip is now sold out)

PLEASE NOTE:  There will be an introductory  meeting for those going on the tour after this  lecture, on the Mezzanine floor, Dorking Halls

Outing to Bletchley Park - Thursday 8th May

On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we are visiting the (originally top-secret) home of the WW2 Codebreakers, finding out about the brilliant minds and complex machines that made this vital work possible, and discovering their impact on the outcome of WW2.  We arrive around 10.30 for a private guided tour starting at 11.00 am prompt. The private tour is limited to 30, but others can book on to one of the many public guided tours, or can self-guide.  

We may also be able to open this visit to partners and non-members - please see John Ackers if you would like to bring a guest.

Departure from Kiln Lane at 8.30 am sharp, and return by c.17.30.

Tickets are still available, priced £55, at this lecture.

LECTURES WITH LUNCH

This Study Day on 28th May, at Mickleham Village Hall, will be led by Dr Amy Lin, on ‘British Baroque’.  

It follows the usual format - two lectures in the morning, with coffee, plus one further talk after a sandwich lunch with wine.

Tickets are available now and in May, price £35

June Outing - Winchester

A reminder of the 4th. June trip - an outing to Winchester, with a walking tour of the town and visits to the Cathedral, the City Mill, and perhaps the Great Hall with King Arthur’s Round Table.  

Tickets will be available at the April and May lectures, price £80, including lunch

                     …and in July - Beaulieu - 15th July

A change from the prospective programme,

the 15th July trip will be to Beaulieu

    Tickets will be available at the April and May lectures

     Trip to Romania - 15-23 October

Sorry, this trip is now full but has a waiting list

EAST SURREY AREA SPECIAL INTEREST MEETING … 6th. June

Menuhin Hall, Stoke D’Abernon …

‘The Brilliance of British Architecture’, by Ian Swankie

A chance to explore old and new through an examination of the work of the very best of British architects from the 17th. century to the present day, examining their work and their legacy.  

Two one-hour lectures, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.  Cost £25.00

Another in the ‘EXHIBITION ON SCREEN’ series….

The life and work of Michelangelo, one of the most important artists of the Italian High Renaissance, are brought to life in this documentary through an exhibition in the National Gallery, that also explores his relationship with da Vinci.

Screened at Dorking Halls on Tuesday 20th May, 19.30 pm; and also on Sunday 25th May at 13.30

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING NEW TO DO…

Why not think of joining our Committee in Dorking Arts Society, either as a member ‘without portfolio’, or as our Tour Organiser. After many years organising our residential trips, in the UK and overseas, Jenny Perks is looking to pass on the baton .  If you think this could be up your street, please have a chat with Christine Thom: 07881 942101

What’s On

Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months. His new list is now published, covering the months of April, May and June, and will be up on the website shortly,

View email in browser
tasdThom · 25 Highacre · Dorking, Surrey RH4 3BF · United Kingdom
update your preferences or unsubscribe

March 2025

Tuesday 11th March at 10.30 am - in the Dorking Halls

Antonia Cevizli

‘Convent, Courts and Collections

Women Artists of the 16th and 17th Centuries’

How many artists could you name?

How many female artists could you name?

In recent years one that has come to the fore is Artemisia Gentileschi.

In the 1970s the feminist art historian Linda Nochlin published an article entitled "Why have there been no great Women Artists?"  Her article suggested that oppressive institutions, not lack of talent, have prevented women from achieving the same level of recognition that men received.  

Nochlin said that studies on Artemisia and other women artists were "worth the effort" in "adding to our knowledge of women's achievement and of art history generally". 

Antonia will examine the obstacles they faced and steps taken to overcome them.

VENUE NOTICE … THIS LECTURE, AND ALL THOSE UP TO AND INCLUDING JULY, WILL NOW BE AT THE DORKING HALLS, AS THE SECOND CLOSURE FOR REPAIRS IS BEING DELAYED

Reception

When you arrive at the Dorking Halls please register at the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.  

Should you arrive late, please enter your name on the Latecomers Form at the door of the Hall.

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest,this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

Any Members are welcome to join Tricia Smart for an informal gathering after the lecture

       Tour to Edinburgh - April 29th to May 3rd

There are still four places available for this visit.  

There will be a meeting for those going on the tour after the April 8th. lecture, on the Halls Mezzanine floor

                              Outing to Bletchley Park - Thursday 8th May

On the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we are visiting the (originally top-secret) home of the WW2 Codebreakers, finding out about the brilliant minds and complex machines that made this vital work possible, and discovering their impact on the outcome of WW2.  We arrive around 10.30 for a private guided tour starting at 11.00 am prompt. The private tour is limited to 30, but others can book on to one of the many public guided tours, or can self-guide.  

Departure from Kiln Lane at 8.30 am sharp, and return by c.17.30.

Tickets will be available, priced £55, at the March and April lectures.

Trip to Romania - 15-23 October

Three tickets only remain for this trip

… please contact Jenny Perks on 01306 881845

June Outing - Winchester

A reminder of the 4th. June trip - an outing to Winchester, with a walking tour of the town and visits to the Cathedral, the City Mill, and perhaps the Great Hall with King Arthur’s Round Table.  

Tickets will be available at the April and May lectures

                     …and in July - Beaulieu

a change from the prospective programme, the 15th July trip will be to Beaulieu (not to Dover Castle as first suggested)

EAST SURREY AREA SPECIAL INTEREST MEETING … 6th. June

Menuhin Hall, Stoke D’Abernon …

‘The Brilliance of British Architecture’, by Ian Swankie

A chance to explore old and new through an examination of the work of the very best of British architects from the 17th. century to the present day, examining their work and their legacy.  

Two one-hour lectures, from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm.  Cost £25.00

         ‘Dawn of Impressionism: Paris, 1874’

On18th March, there will be a screening in Dorking Halls of this 2025 documentary film, at 19.30.

It tells the story of the birth of Impressionism through the words of the artists, press, and people of Paris.

Several members will be having a drink in the bar before hand, so please do come and say hello!

February 2025

Lecture: Tuesday 11th February at 10.30 a.m.

Pamela Campbell Johnston

Portraits of 20th Century British Artists

through the lens of Jorge Lewinski.

Jorge Lewinski has been photographing artists since the early 1960s. As an aspiring young photographer he chose not celebrities, actors or writers as his subject matter but artists, his fellow image-makers. Over the last 40 years he has photographed over 300 artists, often returning to photograph the same person over a number of years, and has developed an evolving portrait not only of the artists themselves but also the changing styles of British art in this remarkable period.

IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE - FOR THIS LECTURE WE WILL BE AT

THE DORKING HALLS

Reception

When you arrive at the Dorking Halls please go to the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.  

The lecture will take place in the Martineau Hall.

Should you arrive late, please enter your name on the Latecomers Form at the door of the Hall.

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest, this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

Lecture with Lunch - Thursday February 20th - Simon Whitehouse

 Mickleham Village Hall

‘Covent Garden - A Story in Three Acts’  

1. ‘From Convent to Concrete’ - the area’s development from its origins as a Saxon port

    

2. ‘Hogarth & Harlots’ - a dive into the demi-monde of the Georgian vice industry, as depicted by Hogarth and others

    

3. ‘Punch, Pygmalion & Puccini’ - Covent Garden as a place of entertainment, including two Royal Theatres, and we meet some of the famous theatreland stars

   Simon is a very charismatic and enthusiastic speaker and this lecture day is Highly Recommended!

Tickets will be available on Tuesday

Tour to Edinburgh

There are still a few tickets available for this five-day visit

from April 29th to May 3rd

Outing to Bletchley Park

There are still tickets available for this one-day visit on Thursday 8th May

                   Trip to Romania - 15-23 October

We are proposing a trip that will take us through the Carpathian Mountains and over the Transylvanian Plateau, offering stunning views throughout: visiting a number of monasteries and churches  featuring well-preserved murals; sight-seeing in scenic medieval towns; a salt mine and a wine tasting; and a visit to Bran Castle (the inspiration for the home of Count Dracula).  

A brochure should be available at this meeting

What’s On

Every three months, Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming months: currently featuring January to March.  This is accessed via the'Latest News' section on the Home Page of the website

JANUARY 2025

Tuesday 14th January at 10.30 a.m.

‘The Astonishing Master Mozart comes to London’

Graham Griffiths

Graham will be bringing a keyboard so the talk should excite all your senses!

IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE - FOR THIS LECTURE WE WILL BE AT

THE DORKING HALLS

Reception

When you arrive at the Dorking Halls please go to the Arts Society Dorking Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know that you are here, in case of an emergency, and so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.  

The lecture will take place in the Martineau Hall.

Should you arrive late, please enter your name on the Latecomers Form at the door of the Hall.

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest, this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

Lecture ‘Stickies’

These are still available to collect when registering for this lecture.
 

New Members’ Reception

All new members who joined the Society in 2024 and 2025 are invited

to join the Committee in the Masonic Hall after this lecture for a welcome drink

Lectures with Lunch in February

Tickets will be available at this meeting for the ‘Covent Garden - A Story in Three Acts’ lecture day on 20th February

Tour to Edinburgh

There are still a few tickets available for this five-day visit from April 29th to May 3rd

See Jenny Perks at the front of the hall

What’s On

Each month, Peter Dawkins produces for us a listing of key Art - Related Events and Perfomances that are on in the coming three months.  This is accessed via the website or by clicking this link

DECEMBER 2024

Tuesday 10th December at 10.30 a.m.

‘Bruegel - The Seasons and the World’

Gavin Plumley

In 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder was commissioned to create a series of paintings for a dining room in Antwerp. The images, charting the course of a year, changed the way we view the world through art. Landscape had previously been a decorative backdrop to dramas both sacred and profane, but in Bruegel's hands the landscape and our interaction with it became the focus.  Looking at the paintings, The Return of the Herd, Hunters in the Snow and The Gloomy Day, this lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and our individual places within a shifting cosmos.

Biography:

Writer and broadcaster Gavin Plumley can be regularly heard on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe and has recently appeared in the documentary film Klimt and The Kiss. He has given talks at the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals and for the Royal Opera House, National Gallery, National Trust, National Theatre, British Museum and V&A. His first book A Home for All Seasons is out now. 

Image: Hunters in the Snow (Winter) Pieter Bruegel the Elder (Flemish 1525-1569) 

Don't forget - we're back at Dorking Halls!
Reception
When you arrive, please could you go to the Arts Society Reception Desk and give your name.  This is so we know in the case of an emergency who is present, and also so that we know how many people are attending the lecture. The talk will begin at 10.30 and, as previously, will be held in the Martineau Hall.  Tea and coffee will be available from 9.30.  Should you arrive late, please enter your name on the Latecomers Form at the door of the Martineau Hall.

Please remember that if you wish to bring a guest, this must be booked in advance.   Contact Linda Packman on 07960 995707

Lecture ‘Stickies’

These were not included with the Membership Card, to avoid an additional 50p postage. They will be available to collect when registering for this and the next two lectures.

Trip to Waddesdon on Thursday 12th December

 Please will attendees note the following:

• Coach departure at 10:00am prompt from Dorking Rugby Club, Kiln Lane, Brockham.

• Please arrive in good time, as we cannot delay departure to accommodate latecomers.

• National Trust members, please remember to bring your membership cards.

• Please be prepared for cold weather and wear suitable walking shoes. 

• In a change to normal arrangements, please proceed to the car parking area beyond the club house: we will have a marshal on duty to direct you.

• If you have to cancel, please let the visits secretary know: his phone number is on your green ticket and on your programme and membership card.
   

  We regret that the Christmas Lights trip to Waddesdon on Thursday 12th December is now fully booked

Lecture

Tuesday  11th June at 10.30 a.m. 
 

The Subtle Science & Extract of Colour in English Garden Design

Important: The Lecture will be held in the Denbies Suite at Denbies

In 1882 Gertrude Jekyll wrote a short but seminal article in The Garden in which she urged the readers to 'remember that in a garden we are painting a picture'.  As an accomplished watercolour artist, Miss Jekyll was familiar with the principles of using colours, but she felt that in gardens these principles 'had been greatly neglected'.  This lecture looks at how to apply these principles to designing a border, but it also looks at the ways in which a border is different from a painting.  However, it goes further than this and looks at how contemporary work, those of Turner, Monet, Rothko and Jackson Pollack evolved in parallel with ideas about what a garden or border should look like today.

Papers for July AGM 

The AGM papers: Chairman's Invitation, Accounts and  Agenda will be sent out by email.

The documents: Proposed Programme 2024/2025, Minutes of the AGM 2023 and The Chairman, Membership Secretary and Treasurer report will be put on the website under  Latest News.

Anybody not on email will be sent a paper copy of the AGM papers.
 

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Photo by Simon Q from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 

Visit to The Vyne and West Green

Thursday 4th July 2024

 

IMPORTANT - Dorking Halls will be closed in July, October, November and December 
Dorking Halls is undergoing planned refurbishment work for the rest of this year. Therefore we will be unable to hold our lectures there. Instead we will be holding our lectures at Denbies. 
More information will be sent out nearer the time.
 

Our Society

Reception

When you arrive at Denbies, please would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

The Lecture will take place in the Denbies Suite. This is on the first floor and is accessed by the stairs or the lift. Members of the Committee will be there to help.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the Registration table. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Parking

There is plenty of parking at Denbies.

Membership Renewal

There will be a box in the Foyer at Denbies, next to the Reception Table, where you can return your completed Membership Renewal Form.

Please ensure that you return your renewal form by the end of July.

Archivist 

Our Archivist Sue Hoad will be standing down from this role. If you are interested in taking on this role please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com or speak to Sue Hoad. 
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

The Arts Society Trustee Elections 2024

Are you interested in becoming a Trustee for The Arts Society? (This is the national society not Dorking). There will be four vacancies on the Trustee Board at the AGM 2024 in August. Interested applicants who are members of local Societies are invited to submit their nominations.
Any Society members who are interested in the Trustee role should contact me chairmantasd@gmail.com for more information.
Nominations are to be submitted to The Company Secretary of the Society. The deadline for nominations is 13 June 2024.
 

East Surrey Area Arts Society is now on Facebook

If you use Facebook would you "Follow" them and post "Likes", as this will  increase their visibility.
 

Local Arts

The Fircroft Art Exhibition 2024

Albury

8th - 23rd June

For more information visit here
 

Grange Park Opera

We have been offered seats at Grange Park Opera at an Introductory price for this 2024 season only.  

This Introductory offer is ONLY OPEN to those who are NOT Members of Grange Park Opera and who have been able to purchase a wider choice of seats for the past several weeks. 

For more information, please see previous E-news sent on 26 March.

All Arts Society member queries should be made to Linda Bristow at chair.tase@gmail.com

Lecture

Tuesday 14th May at 10.30 a.m. 
Delacroix's Liberty

Delacroix wrote to his brother, 'If I have not fought for the country, at least I will paint for her.' This lecture explores one particular painting, Liberty Leading the People, placing it at the heart of French Romanticism and looks at its powerful role in the aftermath of the July Revolution and its mixed critical reception. It also covers the historical background and the influences that led to the creation of Liberty and her compatriots on the barricades and asks why this icon of French revolutionary fervour continues to exert its fascination today.

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:
For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Visit to Hatfield House
Thursday 6th June 2024

This is your last chance to book a ticket

Photo by Simon Q from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 

Visit to The Vyne and West Green

Thursday 4th July 2024

Lectures with Lunch

Pink Champagne: the world of French and
Viennese Operetta
and
Glamorous Nights and Music between the wars

Thursday 28th May 2024
Photo by Danilo D'Agostino on Unsplash

Tour to Naples
For all those going on the Naples tour next week, there is a meeting in the upstairs bar after the lecture.

IMPORTANT - Dorking Halls June, July and October

Dorking Halls is undergoing planned refurbishment work during the summer months. Therefore we will be unable to hold our lectures there. Instead we will be holding our lectures at Denbies. 
More information will be sent out nearer the time.
 

Dorking Museum

Curator of Paintings

Dorking Museum are looking for a curator to look after the paintings at the Museum. This part time role will involve looking after the painting collection, knowing where each item is and attending to any conservation that is needed.
The person concerned does not need to be an art expert or to have conservation expertise as s/he would take advice from experts and arrange for any work to be done by professionals.

For more information please contact me chairmantasd@gmail.com.
 

Our Society

Membership Renewal

We will be handing out the Membership Renewal forms this month at the lecture, please collect them. Any not collected will be posted to you. To save postage please collect them if you can. The forms will be on the tables at the front of the Hall on Tuesday. 

Please ensure that you return your renewal form by the end of July.

Archivist 

Our Archivist Sue Hoad will be standing down from this role. If you are interested in taking on this role please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com or speak to Sue Hoad. 
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Parking
We have been advised that there is one other small event at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that may have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  
Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

 

The Arts Society Trustee Elections 2024

Are you interested in becoming a Trustee for The Arts Society? (This is the national society not Dorking). There will be four vacancies on the Trustee Board at the AGM 2024 in August. Interested applicants who are members of local Societies are invited to submit their nominations.
Any Society members who are interested in the Trustee role should contact me chairmantasd@gmail.com for more information.
Nominations are to be submitted to The Company Secretary of the Society. The deadline for nominations is 13 June 2024.
 

East Surrey Area Arts Society is now on Facebook

If you use Facebook would you "Follow" them and post "Likes", as this will  increase their visibility.
 

Local Arts

Dorking Halls

Exhibition on Screen

John Singer Sargent

Monday 13 May

For more information click here
 

Surrey Hills International Music Festival
May 2024

The music festival will be from 7 to 18 May 2024, it will include a collection of concerts and walks featuring musicians of world class standing.
Leaflets about the Festival, will be on the table outside the Hall on Tuesday.
For more information visit here or here
 

Exhibition at The Lightbox Woking
The Vanity of Small Differences
by Grayson Perry

27 January – 2 June 2024 

The six tapestries are on display for the first time in Surrey.
For more information visit here
 

Brockham Choral Society

Summer Concert: ‘From Dawn to Dusk’

8 June 2024

A Picnic Concert taking us on a journey of song through our Summer’s day 
St Paul’s Church, St Paul’s Road West, Dorking RH4 2HT, 7.30pm
 

Grange Park Opera
We have been offered seats at Grange Park Opera at an Introductory price for this 2024 season only.  

This Introductory offer is ONLY OPEN to those who are NOT Members of Grange Park Opera and who have been able to purchase a wider choice of seats for the past several weeks. 
For more information, please see previous E-news sent on 26th March.

All Arts Society member queries should be made to Linda Bristow at chair.tase@gmail.com

Lecture

Tuesday 9th April at 10.30 a.m. 

Sun King & Versailles
 

For all the things that have been written about the great Sun King, Louis XIV, he is best remembered for the creation of Versailles; the immense chateau which he built on the site of his father’s old hunting lodge and which became the seat of French government, the setting for all grand court ceremonial and the envy of every other European monarch. This lecture will be an introduction to the sumptuous state apartments, the vast gardens and pleasure pavilions, the spectacular entertainments which took place both inside and out, the collections of the King and the whole etiquette of life at one of the greatest courts in Europe.

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.

Visit to Mottisfont

Wednesday 24th  April 2024

If you are a National Trust member, please remember to bring your membership card with you.

Visit to Hatfield House

Thursday 6th June 2024

Many of you signed an expression of interest last month. This doesn't secure your booking. Please collect a ticket at the lecture.
 

Lectures with Lunch

Pink Champagne: the world of French and
Viennese Operetta

and

Glamorous Nights and Music between the wars

Thursday 28th May 2024

 

IMPORTANT - Dorking Halls June, July and October

Dorking Halls is undergoing planned refurbishment work during the summer months. Therefore we will be unable to hold our lectures there. Instead we will be holding our lectures at Denbies. 
More information will be sent out nearer the time.
 

What's On

Peter Dawkins What's On in London January to March 2024 is now available on the website under Latest News or by clicking this link 

East Surrey Area Special Interest Morning

Two Talks on Magic And Illusion in Art

Bertie Pearce

Friday 12 April 2024

The Menuhin Hall, Cobham Rd, Stoke D’Abernon  KT11 3QQ

For more information click here

Our Society

Our Society needs You

Archivist 

Our Archivist Sue Hoad will be standing down from this role. If you are interested in taking on this role please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com or speak to Sue Hoad. 
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  
However it would be worth noting that the roadworks on the bypass by Dorking Golf Club are causing  delays for anyone coming into Dorking from the Horsham direction.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

 

East Surrey Area Arts Society is now on Facebook

If you use Facebook would you "Follow" them and post "Likes", as this will  increase their visibility.
 

Local Arts

Dorking Halls

Exhibition on Screen

John Singer Sargent

Monday 13 May

For more information click here
 

Surrey Hills International Music Festival

May 2024

The music festival will be from 7 to 18 May 2024, it will include a collection of concerts and walks featuring musicians of world class standing.
 
Leaflets about the Festival, will be on the table outside the Hall on Tuesday.
 
For more information visit here or here

 

Exhibition at The Lightbox Woking
 

The Vanity of Small Differences

by Grayson Perry

27 January – 2 June 2024 

The six tapestries are on display for the first time in Surrey.

For more information visit here

Grange Park Opera

We have been offered seats at Grange Park Opera at an Introductory price for this 2024 season only.  

This Introductory offer is ONLY OPEN to those who are NOT Members of Grange Park Opera and who have been able to purchase a wider choice of seats for the past several weeks. 

For more information, please see previous E-news sent on 26 March.

All Arts Society member queries should be made to Linda Bristow at chair.tase@gmail.com

Lecture

Tuesday 13th February at 10.30 a.m. 
Through a Glass Darkly

Vermeer & the Camera Obscura
 

The tranquil and meditative paintings of Johannes Vermeer are among the best-loved artworks in the world. Relatively little is known about the master from Delft, but that has not deterred a torrent of publications about him, both fictional and scholarly. One of the most hotly debated topics in Vermeer literature is his supposed use of the camera obscura.  We will tackle this controversy head on by investigating the history of optical devices in art and examining the latest theories on Vermeer’s technique.  It will be a great opportunity to look at Vermeer’s beguiling body of work afresh through  a different lens.

There are no other events in the Hall that could cause parking problems

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Visit to Mottisfont

Wednesday 24th  April 2024

 

Lectures with Lunch

Iran, Land of the Great Kings, Shahs and Ayatollahs

Thursday 15th February 2024

REMINDER: The venue has changed to
Beare Green Hall
There is plenty of parking on the steet if the car park is full
 

Tour: Corfu/Albania

Monday 21 - Monday 28 October 2024

If you are interested in going on this tour, please see Jenny. There is now a waiting List

Sarande, Albania Photo by wstuppert

Our Society needs You

Would you like to be involved with the Society more and get to know the other members? We have just the job for you. Due to our Membership Secretary changing roles, we are looking for someone to take up this position from July. You will be working alongside a very friendly and helpful committee who will help you into the role.

For more information please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

Local Arts

Surrey Hills International Music Festival
May 2024

The music festival will be from 7 to 18 May 2024, it will include a collection of concerts and walks featuring musicians of world class standing.
 
Leaflets about the Festival, will be on the table outside the Hall on Tuesday.
 
For more information visit:
 https://shimf.co.uk

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas

Lecture

Tuesday 12th December at 10.30 a.m. 

A Bit of a Carry On: untold story of Peter Butterworth and Janet Brown

 

The remarkable untold story of Carry On actor Peter Butterworth, and his wife, Britain’s first female tv impressionist Janet Brown, best known for her impression of Mrs Thatcher.  Using classic film and tv clips, personal mementos, and rare photographs and letters from his family’s unseen collection, Tyler reveals the private story behind his parents’ public lives. It’s a journey that takes in MI9, the building of a theatre in the notorious WW2 Prisoner of War camp Stalag Luft III, nights at Chequers with a Prime Minister, This Is Your Life, and many more moments in their long, shared life in the theatre. 

New Year Celebration 

After the January lecture we do hope you will stay and join us for a drink to celebrate the New Year. 

P.S. you might need to increase the length of time for your parking ticket
 

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Visit

Christmas Concert at Glyndebourne Opera house Sunday 17th December

This is an afternoon concert preceded by a two-course lunch at Glyndebourne.

We are now fully booked for the Glyndebourne Christmas concert on Sunday 17th December, but are keeping a waiting list in case of any cancellations. If you do need to cancel, please let us know so that someone from the waiting list can attend.

It is most important for you to note the timings and other details for the day, as given on the pink booking ticket that all attendees have received.

In particular, the coach pickup arrangements are not the same as for our usual weekday visits. The coach pickup is at bus stop G, which is over the road from Dorking Halls, opposite Dorking swimming pool and outside Mole Valley Council’s Pippbrook offices.

Concert tickets will be issued on the coach and you will also be reminded what you ordered for the pre-concert lunch.

Visits 2024

We now have the dates for the visits next year, they are:

Mottisfont on Wednesday April 24th

Hatfield House on Thursday 6th June

The Vyne and West Green House on Thursday 4th July
 

Lectures with Lunch

Iran, Land of the Great Kings, Shahs and Ayatollahs

Thursday 15th February 2024
 

Tour to Naples

Saturday 18th May 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024

If you are interested in going on this tour, please see Jenny. 

Photo by Danilo D'Agostino on Unsplash

Our Society

Church Recording

A project will be starting at Mickleham Church to bring the Church Record, that was written in 1990, up to date. If you are interested in joining this small group please get in touch with me - Chairman - and I will pass your name onto the Area organizer.

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

Local Arts

The Arts Society Betchworth

Charity Christmas Lecture - The 12 Plants of Christmas

Friday 15 December at 6.45pm

For more information please email tasbtours@gmail.com
 

Dorking Museum

Volunteer Window Dresser
 

is required to ensure that the Museum’s display window provides an attractive promotional space for the passing public.

For more information please email museum@dorkingmuseum.org.uk

Christmas Concert at Glyndebourne Opera house Sunday 17th December

This is an afternoon concert preceded by a two-course lunch at Glyndebourne.

We are now fully booked for the Glyndebourne Christmas concert, but are keeping a waiting list in case of any cancellations. If you haven’t yet received your pink ticket and lunch menu choice slip, please be sure to pick them up from the desk at the front of the lecture hall. If not already done, please make your lunch menu choices and hand in your slip at the desk at the front of the lecture hall.
However, please note that one of the menu choices has been changed.  Instead of “Norfolk Bronze Turkey”, the option is now “Turkey Wellington”, which includes pork stuffing.  If you wish to change your menu choice, please also come to the desk, or contact Lizzie by phone: the number is on your pink ticket.

Tour to Naples

Saturday 18th May 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024

If you are interested in going on this tour, please see Jenny. 

List of recommended Agatha Christie books

At our lecture in July, the lecturer Benedict Morrison recommended the following books:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)
The ABC Murders (1936)
And Then There Were None (1939)
Five Little Pigs (1942)
Death Comes as the End (1944)
Absent in the Spring (as Mary Westmacott, 1944)
A Murder Is Announced (1950)
Dead Man's Folly (for its Greenway connections, 1956)
The Pale Horse (1961)
Endless Night (1967)

What's On

Peter Dawkin's What's On in London October to December 2023 is now available on the website under Latest News 

Surrey South East Area
Special Interest Morning


JAPANESE ART AND THE WEST: FROM NAMBAN TO JAPONAISERIE

Friday 10th November 2023

For more information click here
 

Passion for the Planet

21 - 28 October 2023

 At the Friends Meeting House in Dorking,

The show is an immersive theatrical journey combining music, song, dance, mask, puppetry, storytelling and multi-media installations.

Our aim? To deliver a deeper understanding of the issues alongside audience enjoyment via truly accessible local theatre.

For more details click here.

 

The Arts Society Chipstead
Special Interest Day

Pots, Pictures and Porcelain

Saturday 21 October 2023

For more information click here 
 

The Arts Society Reigate 

Special Interest Morning

The Art of India

Thursday 16 November 2023

For details click here

Annual General Meeting


Tuesday 11th July at 10.15 a.m. followed at 10.30 a.m. by the Lecture:

Disorder Restored: The Radical Side of Agatha Christie


Please note the earlier start time.

 

Agatha Christie is often dismissed as a writer of intriguing but lightweight novels which are no more literary than the average cryptic crossword. If her work is credited with any political meaning at all, it is seen as self-evidently reactionary and outmoded. This talk suggests that, looked at another way, the work can be read as exposing a disorder at the heart of polite society. Christie emerges as one of the twentieth century’s great chroniclers of political instability.

Papers for July AGM 

The AGM papers: Chairman's Invitation, Accounts and  Agenda have been sent out by email.

The documents: Proposed Programme 2023/2024, Minutes of the AGM 2022 and The Chairman, Membership Secretary and Treasurer report are on the website under  Latest News. To access these click here

Anybody not on email has been sent a paper copy of the AGM papers.
 

Membership Renewal 

Membership Renewal - deadline 31st July 2023

Please remember to renew your Membership. We do hope you will all be rejoining. At the Lecture there will be a box at the front of the Hall where you will be able to return your completed forms. 

The Newsletter and Programme card will be sent out to members early September.
 

Visits and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Visit

Christmas Concert at Glyndebourne Opera house Sunday 17th December

This is an afternoon concert preceded by a two-course lunch at Glyndebourne.

Tickets are available at the July lecture for members who expressed an interest.

Tour to Chester and North Wales

Wednesday 27th September - Sunday 1st October

Information available on the website, Jenny is taking bookings for this.

Powis Castle - photo taken by Alexander Forst-Rakoczy

Tour to Naples

Saturday 18th May 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024

If you are interested in going on this tour, please see Jenny. 

Photo by Danilo D'Agostino on Unsplash

Our Society

Financial - Independent Examiner
Required

 Due to our Independent Examiner retiring from this role, we are looking for someone to take up this position. This is an important role for the society. 

We hope someone will be happy to step forward to take up this role or if you could recommend someone let me know.

For more information please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com

 

Memory Trail at St Martins Church, Dorking

Recently Leatherhead Parish Church completed a very successful Memory Trail. St Martins would now like us to work with them to develop one.

Memory Trails are designed to provide enjoyable activity for people living with Dementia. The Trail is intended to evoke memories and prompt discussion and thereby engage people living with Dementia and their carers.

We have one person who has offered to help with this. If you would be interested in helping create a St Martin’s Trail please contact me.
 

What's On

Peter Dawkin's What's On in London July to September 2023 is now available on the website or by clicking this link.
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

Local Arts

Mole Valley Heritage Open Days Festival 

8 - 17 September 2023

Details of the events are up on the website, the events are free but some require booking.

To see the work undertaken by the volunteers on the textiles at Mickleham Church, visit Mickleham Church on Saturday 16 September.   For more details click here.

The talk 'Creativity Unwrapped' on Friday September 8th at Dorking Halls is hosted by The Arts Society East Surrey Area. For more details click here

The Arts Society Leatherhead

Visit to Longford Castle

Thursday 20 July 2023

A special interest morning tour of Longford Castle, the home of The Earl of Radnor. 

For more information click here
 

The Arts Society Chipstead

Visit to Arundel Castle

Friday 21 July 2023

For more information click here or contact Liz Cruise at  sawb1914@sky.com
 

The Arts Society Ashtead

Visit to Parham House

21 September 2023

For more information click here or contact linda.crook.uk@gmail.com

Lecture

Ship Burial at Sutton Hoo

Tuesday 13th June at 10.30 a.m. 
 

The extraordinarily rich hoard found at Sutton Hoo dates to the early C7th and tells us a great deal about the wealth of the country at the time, inter-action with other cultures and status within Anglo-Saxon society. What we cannot yet prove is who was buried within the ship in the mound although the popular theory is that it was King Readwald of East Anglia. This lecture uses images of the treasures found as well as Old English poetry to discuss kingship and power in Anglo-Saxon England.

Papers for July AGM 

The AGM papers: Chairman's Invitation, Accounts and  Agenda will be sent out by email.

The documents: Proposed Programme 2023/2024, Minutes of the AGM 2022 and The Chairman, Membership Secretary and Treasurer report are on the website under Latest News.

Anybody not on email will be sent a paper copy of the AGM papers.
 

Membership Renewal Forms

If you have not already collected your forms, please collect them from the tables at the front of the Martineau Hall at the lecture on Tuesday. It would be very helpful if you could also take them for someone you know or lives near you.
It will help save our postage costs! 
 

Visits and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on our website.
 

Visit
Evening Musical Tour of Westminster Abbey

Saturday 15th July 2023

There are a few tickets left for this visit which will be on sale next Tuesday.
The tour will be preceded by supper in the Cellarium Café.

Visit
Christmas Concert at Glyndebourne Opera house Sunday 17th December

This is an afternoon concert and will be preceded by a two-course lunch at Glyndebourne.

Likely cost, including the coach, lunch and concert is around £125 per head.

There was sufficient interest expressed in this concert so we are going ahead with booking this.

Tickets will be available at the July lecture.

Tour to Chester and North Wales

Wednesday 27th September - Sunday 1st October

Information available on the website, Jenny is taking bookings for this.

Powis Castle - photo taken by Alexander Forst-Rakoczy

Tour to Naples

Saturday 18th May 2024 to Friday 24th May 2024

Please see Jenny at the lecture for more information on this. Tour brochure and booking form is on the website.

Photo by Danilo D'Agostino on Unsplash

Our Society

Memory Trail at St Martins Church, Dorking

Recently Leatherhead Parish Church completed a very successful Memory Trail. St Martins would now like us to work with them to develop one.

Memory Trails are designed to provide enjoyable activity for people living with Dementia. The Trail is intended to evoke memories and prompt discussion and thereby engage people living with Dementia and their carers.

If you would be interested in helping create a St Martin’s Trail please contact me.

July Lecture
Please note that this will now be:

Disorder Restored: The Radical Side of Agatha Christie
by Benedict Morrison.
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We have been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

Local Arts

Grange Park Opera

A special price of £50 invites first-timers to a unique opera experience and an afternoon and evening of bliss. Book your tickets here.

The recently built Opera House is in the grounds of a romantic Tudor manor house, West Horsley Place, where BBC Ghosts is filmed. 

Take a stylish saunter through the formal gardens, hear international artists accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra, and in the long interval, picnic or eat in the restaurant. 

The Arts Society Leatherhead

Visit to Longford Castle

Thursday 20 July 2023

A special interest morning tour of Longford Castle, the home of The Earl of Radnor. 

For more information click here

Celebrate the Coronation

We will be holding a short celebration, to mark this occasion, so come along and join us for a drink and a piece of cake. This will take place in the Masonic Hall straight after the lecture on Tuesday.

The people going on the The Netherlands tour will have a short get-together immediately after the lecture and will then join us in the Masonic Hall.

PS you might need to increase the length of time for your parking ticket

Lecture

Painters in Paradise: visions of French
Indo-china

Tuesday 9th May at 10.30 a.m. 
Old Saigon, elegant Hanoi, mystical Ha Long Bay ... these places captivated French artists of the 19th century colonial regime in Vietnam where they taught painting at the School of Fine Arts. Their sensual portraits and exotic landscapes evoked an idyllic world of gracious people with rich artistic traditions harking back to ancient civilisations. Imbuing their students with Western ideas, artists such as Alix Aymé, who revived lustrous lacquer work and silk painting, and Victor Tardieu, a pupil of Matisse, formed a generation of Vietnamese painters whose creative expression fused Eastern imagery with Paris Modernism. This lecture shows the historic background of Indochina, of ancient Hindu temples, Buddhist pagodas and Chinese style palaces, that was transformed by the addition of French architecture and culture. A new aesthetic emerged, depicted by French artists as paradisical and romantic, reflecting an era and a way of life that would vanish with war.

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Tickets for sale on Tuesday:

For all of these more information is available on the relevant page of our website.
 

Marble Hill House - Historic England Archive

Visit
Marble Hill and Pitzhanger Manor

Wednesday 7th June 2023

If you have not already done so, please make your bookings on Tuesday, as we need to finalise the numbers soon. Also, a reminder to hand in your lunch order at the desk if you haven’t done so already.

Visit
Evening Musical Tour of Westminster Abbey

Saturday 15th July 2023

Bookings are now open and will close after our June lecture, so please book now to give us an early indication of numbers. The tour will be preceded by supper in the Cellarium Café.

Possible Visit

Glyndebourne Opera house for a Christmas Concert
mid-December

This is an afternoon concert and will be preceded by a two-course lunch at Glyndebourne.

Likely cost, including the coach, lunch and concert is around £125 per head.

We are seeking only expressions of interest at this stage in order to decide if it will be viable for the Society to make an advance booking. Sign-up lists will be available on Tuesday.

Lectures with Lunch

The Birth, Growth and Influence of London's Great Auction Houses

Tuesday 30th May


Tour to Chester and North Wales

Wednesday 27th September - Sunday 1st October

Information available on the website, Jenny is taking bookings for this.

Our Society

Memory Trail at St Martin's Church, Dorking

Recently Leatherhead Parish Church completed a very successful Memory Trail. St Martins would now like us to work with them to develop one.

Memory Trails are designed to provide enjoyable activity for people living with Dementia. The Trail is intended to evoke memories and prompt discussion and thereby engage people living with Dementia and their carers.
If you would be interested in creating a St Martin’s Trail please contact me.

Young Arts

Our Young Arts Representative Linda Packman helped with the Coronation Craft activity that the museum team ran at the library last Saturday. It was a very successful day with nearly a 100 people attending, a great turnout. The museum have said that our sponsorship really made a difference to the success of the event and our support was much appreciated. 
 

July Lecture

Please note that this will now be:

Disorder Restored: The Radical Side of Agatha Christie
by Benedict Morrison.
 

Membership Renewal

We have decided this year to start handing out the Membership Renewal forms in May. This will give you two months to collect your forms as they will also be available to collect in June. They will be on the tables at the front of the Hall on Tuesday. 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

Local Arts

The Arts Society Chipstead

Picasso and Cubism 
Art is a lie by which we understand the truth

by Douglas Skeggs.

The lecture will take place at 7.30pm on Friday, May 12th in the Community Hall, Park Road, SM7 3AJ. 

Tickets cost £10 including coffee after the lecture and are available from www.bansteadarts.co.uk or at Banstead Library or at the door if available.

Grange Park Opera

A special price of £50 invites first-timers to a unique opera experience and an afternoon and evening of bliss. Book your tickets here.

The recently built Opera House is in the grounds of a romantic Tudor manor house, West Horsley Place, where BBC Ghosts is filmed. 

Take a stylish saunter through the formal gardens, hear international artists accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra, and in the long interval, picnic or eat in the restaurant. 

Surrey Hills International Music Festival
May 2023

The music festival will be from 5 to 13 May 2023, it will include a collection of concerts and walks featuring musicians of world class standing.
 
The Arts Society East Surrey Area has teamed up with West Surrey Area for this partnership for the closing concert on 13 May featuring lecturer Kay Hamilton and the Sitkovetsky Trio & Friends. The evening promises to be a unique experience of lecture and music with a glass of wine at The Menuhin Hall.
 
Leaflets about the Festival, will be on the table outside the Hall on Tuesday.
 
For more information visit:
 https://shimf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SHIMF-2023.pdf
 
Priority booking will be available to Arts Society members for the 2023 Festival Finale.
 

The Arts Society Reigate’s Coronation Tea
Saturday, May 27th
 
This is being held at the Holbein Hall, Reigate Priory Junior School, Bell Street, Reigate, RH2 7AN between 3pm and 5pm and is open to both Arts Society members and non-members.
 
Cost: £22 per head to include a glass of bubbly on arrival and a fully catered afternoon tea

To book your place or places please email: info@theartssocietyreigate.org.uk 
to be added to the attendance list and for bank transfer details.

Last date for payments is 8th May 2023.

Please note that our events are non-refundable unless we have a waiting list.

Visits, Lectures with Lunch and Tours

Visit 
Wrest Park and Hughenden Manor

Thursday 27th April 2023

Marble Hill House - Historic England Archive

Visit
Marble Hill and Pitzhanger Manor

Wednesday 7th June 2023

Lectures with Lunch

The Birth, Growth and Influence of London's Great Auction Houses

Tuesday 30th May
image by Thomas Rowlandson

Tour to Chester and North Wales

Wednesday 27th September - Sunday 1st October

Information available on the website, Jenny is taking bookings for this.

Powis Castle - photo taken by Alexander Forst-Rakoczy

Your Society needs You

Do you like looking after other people's money? We have just the job for you. Due to our Treasurer stepping down, we are looking for someone to take up this position from July. This is an important role for the society; you will be working with a very friendly and helpful committee. 

For more information please contact me: chairmantasd@gmail.com
 

Amber Foundation

In line with the objects of The Arts Society to improve young people's access to the Arts, we have made a donation to the Amber Foundation, who support young people facing complex problems to transform their lives. The money will be used to enable them to work with a musician who has the skills to engage and motivate young people.

For more information on the Amber foundation click here

If you would like to further support the charity there is a Hike the Hill on Sunday 11th June 2023 at 9am for more information about this click here
 

Feedback
After each lecture we send out an email asking for feedback. We very much appreciate you doing this.

Reception
When you arrive at Dorking Halls, please, would you go to The Arts Society Dorking reception table and give your name. This is so that they know you are there. This is important to us so that we know how many people are attending the lecture.

We realise that sometimes it's not possible to arrive on time and give your name to reception. So that we know you have attended the lecture, we have a Latecomers form on the table outside the Hall. We would like you to sign this so we know you attended the lecture. It would be a great help to us.

Please remember that if bringing a guest, this is to be booked in advance. Please see the website for how to do this.

Access

Please note - Dorking Halls have asked me to emphasize that Members should use the front entrance to access Dorking Halls (the back door will be locked) so enough time should be left to park and make your way around the building. The back door is for staff and deliveries only. The café will be open.

Parking
We've been advised that there are no other events at Dorking Halls on Tuesday that would have an additional impact on parking in the Dorking Halls car park.  

What's On

Peter Dawkin's What's On in London April to June 2023 is now available by clicking here 

 

Coronation event

After our May lecture we are going to hold a celebration for the Coronation. There will be further details  in the May E-news.
 

Local Arts

Dorking Art Competition

Have your say in the Dorking Coronation celebration of local art and artists! For further information click here

11 to 16 April 2023
 

The Stitch Together Group

Embroidery Exhibition at Denbies

April 18, 2023 at 5:00 pm

Exhibition on Screen - Vermeer

at The Leatherhead Theatre

For more information click here
 

Surrey Hills International Music Festival
May 2023

The music festival will be from 5 to 13 May 2023, it will include a collection of concerts and walks featuring musicians of world class standing.
 
The Arts Society East Surrey Area has teamed up with West Surrey Area for this partnership for the closing concert on 13 May featuring lecturer Kay Hamilton and the Sitkovetsky Trio & Friends. The evening promises to be a unique experience of lecture and music with a glass of wine at The Menuhin Hall.
 
Leaflets about the Festival, will be on the table outside the Hall on Tuesday.
 
For more information visit:
 https://shimf.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SHIMF-2023.pdf
 
Priority booking will be available to Arts Society members from Monday 9 January for the 2023 Festival Finale.

What's On art exhibitions in London April to June link can be found in Latest News on the Home page

Details of art exhibitions in London can be accessed from 'Latest News' on the Home page