October 8th THE CHANGING FACE OF CONTEMPORARY GLASS ART SUSAN WOOD From the late twentieth century onwards, glass art has become very diverse. But it is rare to find galleries hosting exhibitions devoted to these new trends. In 2024 2 Temple Place on London's Embankment bucked the trend with a ground- breaking exhibition, The Glass Heart, showcasing works by leading glass artists, and receiving rave reviews. September 10th THE AGE OF JAZZ SANDY BURNETT Jazz is one of music’s most important genres: a fascinating blend of rigorous structure, free- wheeling creativity, close-knit ensembles and imaginative improvisation. Drawing on his experience both as musicologist and gigging musician, Sandy can shed light on jazz from the inside. His talk covers the early years of jazz up to the Second World War, and touches on the disparate influences which lay behind the emergence of jazz. Musical illustrations range from the blues, ragtime and the very first recordings through to classics by Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and the sumptuous sound of the Swing Era. June 11th 2026 AGM and Lunch see newsletter for further information Pots and Frocks: The world of Grayson Perry - From Essex punk potter to superstar national treasure Ian Swankie Grayson Perry is one of Britain's best known contemporary artists, and one of the most successful. Known primarily as a potter and visual artist he's also famous for his outlandish appearances dressed as his feminine alter ego, Claire. He is now a core part of the art establishment, a Knight of the Realm, Turner Prize winner, Royal Academician, popular broadcaster and colourful character. His works are highly sought after. Often controversial, he tackles difficult subjects in a poignant yet witty manner and holds a mirror up to modern society. May 14th 2026 Nordic Women Artists and the Modern Breakthrough James Vaux With the exception of Munch, it’s only in the last forty years that Nordic art from 1880 to 1920 has made an impression on the wider world. Exhibitions and books have traditionally focused on the supposedly unique Nordic light and evocative national landscapes painted in this era. But this was also a period of heady experimentation, of vastly different genres and painting styles, influenced by wave after wave of the French avant-garde. Study Day Ways of Looking at Painting Friday 24th April 2026 13.30 – 16.30 with sandwich tea in the interval Tutor: Alice White, contemporary artist and lecturer Two lectures which examine the more traditional styles of painting as well as more modern. Alice provides a painterly perspective on famous artworks from 17th to the 21st centuries. Rembrandt and Turner are revealed as artistic risk-takers, whose new combinations of glazes, surfaces, pigments and processes re-defined the language of painting. These two forefathers of experimentation led the way for modern artists such as Pollock and Fontana, who went beyond the brush, the canvas, and the gallery wall itself, in search of the meaning of making. £35 Visitors welcome. April 9th 2026 Please see the newsletter for information on the lunch Historic Building Mythbusting in Nottinghamshire James Wright In his book Historic Building Mythbusting the archaeologist James Wright, a resident of Nottinghamshire, has used many case studies from the county to articulate some of the tales which are told about ancient architecture. These include stories of secret passages underneath Wollaton, ship timbers in Worksop, strange sculptures at Laxton parish church, stones used by archers to sharpen arrows in Wilford, and yarns about Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem being the oldest inn in England… but are any of these stories true? March 12th 2026 Gilding the Cherry Blossom: how Western Jewellers discovered Japan Rachel Church Japan re-opened to the West in 1868 when the Meiji restoration brought the end of the Shogun era. Japanese lacquers, wood-block prints, ceramics and silks caused a sensation in the West and inspired fantastic jewellery from Cartier, Tiffany, Falize, Boucheron, Fouquet, Gaillard, Vever, Lalique and Fabergé. Chrysanthemums, cherry blossom, kimonos and samurais decorated jewels inspired by the colours and materials of Japanese art. The art of Japan became the foundation of the Art Nouveau movement. February 12th 2026 The Art Collection of the Bank of England Tim Kidd The Bank of England sets the leading interest rate for the UK and also regulates the UK’s financial services industry – its actions affect everyone in the country. It has also accumulated, since its foundation in 1694, an impressive range of artworks. Some are easily visible on the outside of the Bank’s City of London building in Threadneedle Street, whilst others are on display inside the building. During his lecture, Tim Kidd will show pictures of the artworks and explain their background. You can expect to hear about architecture, statues, mosaics and, of course, the intricate designs on the banknotes. There will be no free samples! December 11th 2025 A Cornucopia of Curious Christmas Customs Tim Stimson Strange, wondrous, perplexing, alarming; mischievous trolls descending on villages, and terrifying demons, the bane of naughty children; punishment and presents and traditional incarnations of the Yuletide Spirit… some of the fascinating Christmas customs from Iceland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and elsewhere, will be brought to life in this journey through the rich folklore surrounding the Festive Season. Illustrated with paintings and engravings depicting some of these mythical creatures, as well as photographs of traditional costume and celebration, this lecture will demonstrate that there is far more to Christmas than Santa Claus! November 13th 2025 Moorcroft Pottery James Smallwood William Moorcroft 1872 – 1945 was brought up in the back streets of Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. He knew tragedy from an early age losing his sister when he was 8, his mother a year later and his father when he was just 12. Perhaps it was this tragic upbringing that helped develop his strength of character and resilience that saw him establish himself as the most accomplished studio potter of recent times. Update:- Moorcroft pottery is back in business, with production having restarted in September 2025 at its historic Cobridge factory after Will Moorcroft, the founder's grandson, purchased the company in June 2025. The company was saved from liquidation, which had occurred in April 2025, allowing many of the former staff to return to their roles. The reopening includes preparations to restart the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre. A group of William Moorcroft wares, 1913-1930's. In the centre is a tall "Florian" vase of the type first produced under Macintyre, with the later "Pomegranate" pattern on two plates and a mug. Original uploader was Robmcrorie at en.wikipedia. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 For the latest information on the saving of Moorcroft click here October 9th 2025 The Culture of Ukraine Lecturer:Rosamund Bartlett This lecture tells the multifaceted Ukrainian story through the shared culture which binds its diverse people together, including the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv inherited from Byzantium, the rich legacy of the Cossacks, and a treasury of poetry, painting and song. We will also look at the key role played by folk culture in the years before Ukraine's emergence as an independent nation, whether "red icons" on glass or the country's remarkable embroidery tradition, which had a surprising influence on avant-garde art. September 11th 2025 Tom McGuiness, his life, his art and interpretation of his work. Lecturer: Robert McManners Tom McGuinness was born in Witton Park, Bishop Auckland, County Durham in 1926; the year of the General Strike. He did not choose to become a miner; he was conscripted to the collieries as a Bevin Boy in 1944 working as a collier until made redundant in 1983. Tom was a master of technique, painting and sculpting in eclectic media with a trademark expression style of elongated figures bowed by their wearisome work. 12th June 2025 2pm Tessa Boase London’s Lost Department Stores London’s sumptuous Victorian and Edwardian department stores changed the capital – and changed its women. Shoppers of every rank were lavishly wooed, seduced and often undone by the temptations laid out before them in these new ‘cathedrals of desire’. 8th May 2025 2pm Hilary Guise The Courtauld Collection: From Fra Angelico to the Impressionists. Unique in England as a collection that was formed entirely in the 20th century, the Courtauld Collection, housed in Somerset House, combines the finest examples of early Italian and Netherlandish gilded altarpieces with some of the greatest works of the French Impressionists and Post Impressionists. From the deeply expressive early Flemish and Italian masters, to the great Renaissance painters, Botticelli, Giovanni Bellini, Lucas Cranach, we study his vision of The Garden of Eden and Pieter Breugel’s haunting Woman taken in Adultery. 10th April 2025 2pm Lydia Goodson Mighty Madonnas and Wild Women “Oh, do not be born a woman in Florence, if you want your own way” sighed Nannina Rucellai in 1466, expressing her dissatisfaction at the restricted life of the wife of a wealthy merchant. Nannina’s complaint ricochets down the centuries replete with frustration at the limited freedoms available to her. Yet the art of Renaissance Italy is full of images of powerful women. The talk explores this contradiction through the multi-faceted depictions of feminine power in Renaissance Italy and uncovers what these tell us about the women in the paintings and the world they lived in. 13th March 2025 2pm John Vigar 1000 Years of Cats in churches Which animals are found depicted in churches has always fascinated me. From mythical beasts to faithful dogs, elephants and bats, our parish churches are full of carvings, paintings and stained glass. In this new presentation I will be looking at cats - domestic cats remembered with their owners, mousers earning their living, big cats in heraldry and even Queen Mary`s cuddly toy cat are all waiting to be discovered. Did you know that in the medieval period there was a Papal Bull dismissing cats as Evil - of course you did, just think of the witches familiar, so delightfully portrayed on a misericord at Great Malvern Priory. 13th February 2025 2pm Sophie Matthews The Book, the Devil and my Uncle’s Bagpipes This lecture looks at the story of a remarkable book published in 1539 called In Chaldaicam Lingua. It was published by Theseo Ambrogio who had been the Pope’s enforcer of doctrine, with the Lord’s Prayer and selected psalms translated into multiple languages for missionaries to use. However Ambrogio also had an eccentric uncle who was an inventor and had invented a brand new kind of bagpipe….that no one wanted to make, so he died with his vision mostly unrealised. Feeling that his uncle’s legacy shouldn’t be forgotten, Ambrogio included the designs for his Uncle’s Bagpipe in his new book of prayers. of Metalworks: The Knight's Tale (2012; BBC4) Followed by ‘Welcome Back ‘ Tea and Cake .