This is our third visit of the 2025-26 season.

Stratfield Saye House has been the elegant, but intimate home to the Dukes of Wellington since 1818. 
The house offers an intriguing and informative insight into the life of the Great Duke of Wellington, including paintings and furniture collected by him.
The gardens include a walled garden, mature scenic trees and views over the River Loddon.

You can read more about it here.

Image courtesy of Wellington.co.uk

• Price £51 per person including coach, guided house tour, lunch and refreshments
• Booking today or contact the organisers.
• See website for more information

Image Courtesy of Neasden Temple

The Temple opened in 1995, and is dedicated to the worship of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the millennia - OLD TRADITIONS OF THE HINDU FAITH. 
Neasden Temple is a masterpiece of traditional Hindu design and exquisite Indian workmanship in the heart of north-west London.  Using 5,000 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and Italian and Indian marble, it was hand-carved in India before being assembled in London in just 2½ years and opened in 1995.
Learn about the world’s oldest living faith.

The visit will end with a delicious vegetarian lunch, an authentic taste of India!

• Coach leaves Aldbourne 8:45am & Hungerford 9am. Returns about 5pm.
• Tickets include coach, guided tour and lunch £46.00
• Bookings can be made via email and at the January lecture

This is a very special opportunity to visit Crosby Moran Hall which has been described by English Heritage as ‘the most important surviving secular domestic medieval building in London’.
Crosby Place (as it was originally known) was built in Bishopsgate between 1466 and 1475 by Sir John Crosby.  Amongst its well-known owners and occupants were the Duke of Gloucester (later King Richard III) and Sir Thomas More.  It miraculously survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.
The building was meticulously dismantled, moved and rebuilt in 1910 on Cheyne Walk in Chelsea.  In 1988 Crosby Hall was purchased by Dr Christopher Moran who embarked on a project to restore and rebuild the Hall. The house is filled with Dr Moran’s unrivalled collection of high status furniture of the period, paintings (including works by Holbein, Eworth, Dobson, Van Dyck and Hilliard, arms, armour and more……

You can read much more in a recent Country Life article about Crosby Moran Hall here

• Booking now open; contact the organisers.
• £85 per person to include entry, afternoon tea and coach travel
• The coach will leave Hungerford at 11.45 am for the 2.30-5.30 pm tour and return at approximately 8.00 pm.

Images of Crosby Moran Hall from the River & the Great Hall
Courtesy of Dr Christopher Moran and Country Life

Fully booked, but contact the organisers to enquire about returned tickets

Broughton Castle is a moated and fortified manor house near Banbury which has stood since the 1300s. It was purchased by William Wykeham Bishop of Winchester in 1377 and from then, over the centuries, the same family have added to the house via new building work and defensive additions. These were called upon in 1642 during the civil war, after the nearby Battle of Edgehill, when the Royalists laid siege to the castle.
Thankfully our day will be more peaceful, and we are fortunate to visit when the house is not open to the public. We will have tours of both the house where arms and armour of the Civil War period and from other periods are displayed in the Great Hall,and of the gardens including the Ladies Garden which has a variety of roses and borders stocked with perennials and shrubs.
It was one of only 20 properties to receive 5 stars in Simon Jenkins' book: England's Thousand Best Country Houses.

You can read more about Broughton Castle here and here

• Contact the organisers for information about returned tickets
• Price: £52.00 pp including lunch
• Departure 8:45am Aldbourne, 9am Hungerford

Image Courtesy of Broughton Castle

Fully booked! Contact the organisers to enquire about returned tickets...

Following our March Lecture on William Bankes we have the opportunity of an exclusive and private tour of his ancestral home Kingston Lacy, before the house opens to the public. (please note: an earlier leave bus time than usual.)

This ‘jewel box’ of a house, fashioned into a grand Italian palazzo in the 1830s, holds one of the UK’s finest private collections of paintings. Among other things to see are magnificent sculptures, bespoke furniture and Egyptian artefacts brought back by William Bankes.

Additionally we will have a guided tour of the garden. For more information, click here and here.

This is a National Trust property, and we are grateful to them for giving us this opportunity of a tour just for our society.

• Price per person:£38 for National Trust members, £57 for non NT members.
• Price includes coach travel and tour of house and gardens
• Coach departure times: 7.30am, Hungerford 7.45am.

Photo Attribution: Abhijeet Vardhan, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This visit is already fully booked. The waiting list is open.....

Situated within beautiful gardens on the banks of the River Avon, Longford Castle is one of the finest stately homes in England and is the seat of the Earl of Radnor.  It has an association with the National Gallery and is only open to the public on select days of the year.  The tour takes in the exceptional art collection and gives an overview of the architecture of the Castle and the Radnor family history.
You can read more about Longford here.

• COST: £40 includes the tour and coach travel.
• Lunch (extra) is booked at the local pub, The Radnor Arms, Nunton.
• The coach will depart from Hungerford at 9.00 am and return about 3.30 pm. Aldbourne departure is also available.
• This event is already fully booked. To go on the waiting list, please contact the organisers

Images courtesy of Longford Castle

On a few occasions each year Westminster Abbey opens its doors to private groups for a special guided tour of the church with choral music interludes sung by members of the Purcell Club.

The Purcell Club, founded in 1927, is named after the famous composer Henry Purcell, who was organist of Westminster Abbey from 1679-1695. It is a male voice choir drawn predominantly from members of the Westminster Abbey Old Choristers’ Association.

After a welcome in the Nave and the singing of a piece of sacred music, visitors go from location to location within the Abbey where guides describe its history and architecture. At various points in the tour there is a pause and members of the Purcell Club sing suitable musical items ranging from 16th to 21st Century.

We are delighted to be able to offer this unique opportunity to our members.

• Abbey visit from 6:45 to 9:15pm
• Limited to 40 tickets.
• Now fully booked, but there may be returns. Contact the organisers to enquire
• Price: £75 per person including coach travel.

Image of Westminster Abbey
Hammersfan, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

te Tour of Westminster Abbey
with accompanying music by the Purcell Club

This event is now fully booked, but please contact the organisers if you would like to go on the waiting list

A visit is planned to The Stonemason’s Yard at Salisbury Cathedral on Wednesday 13 March 2024.  We shall be divided into small groups who will be able to watch the stonemasons at work.  This tour lasts one hour.

We have also arranged for a tour of other aspects of the cathedral, which will commence with the medieval clock. 

There is also the opportunity for a tower tour which takes 90 minutes at an extra cost of £18.  This can be booked in advance through us or on the day.

• Lunch and refreshments can be taken at the Cathedral Refectory.
• Booking starting at November lecture or phone or email the organisers (phone numbers on your membership card)
  After booking your place you can pay by cheque or preferably online. Bank details here.
• The cost will be £40 per person including coach travel.

 Inside the banker shop in Salisbury Cathedral Works - credit Finnbarr Webster

In advance of the lecture on 18th October about Jane Austen's work, we arranged this relevant visit....

Jane Austen lived for the last eight years of her life in this cottage in Chawton near Alton, Hampshire where she wrote, revised and had published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Read more about the house here.

Chawton House is an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen's brother, Edward. It is now home to the research library of The Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing. There's more information here.

Cost £53 per person to include:

• a guided tour of Chawton House and gardens in the morning
• a self-guided tour of Jane Austen’s House in the afternoon
• Coach travel (leaving The Square, Aldbourne at 8.40am and Charnham Park Bus Stand, Hungerford at 9.00am)

Lunch is available at Chawton House for £12.50 per head (pre-booking required). Please contact the organisers when reserving your place or later.  Picnics are also allowed in the garden of Chawton House if you would like to bring your own.

Booking open now. Contact visits.tash@gmail.com

Images Courtesy of JaneAusten's House & Chawton House

ane Au

Jane Auste

Jane Austen lived for the last eight years of her life in this cottage where she wrote, revised and had published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

Chawton House is an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen's brother, Edward. It is now home to the research library of The Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing.

n lived for the last eight years of her life in this cottage where she wrote, revised and had published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

Chawton House is an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen's brother, Edward. It is now home to the research library of The Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing.

sten lived for the last eight years of her life in this cottage where she wrote, revised and had published Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion.

Chawton House is an Elizabethan manor house that once belonged to Jane Austen's brother, Edward. It is now home to the research library of The Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing.

Coach departures: 08:45 The Square, Aldbourne   09:05 Charnham Park Bus Stand, Hungerford

Bookings are now closed for this visit.........

But if you would like to go on the waiting list for any returned tickets, please contact Christine Young (details on your membership card).

Sudeley Castle has played an important role in England’s history for over 1,000 years. It is privately owned and Katherine Parr is buried in  the beautiful 15th century church.  

The Castle rooms contain many fascinating treasures, from ancient Roman times to the present day. Outside, it is surrounded by a breathtaking 1,200 acre estate and ten award-winning gardens.

Read more here and here.

Your day includes coach travel, entrance fee, a private talk and a cream tea at lunchtime – not to mention the house and gardens for you to explore at leisure.

Price £49  / person (The increase in ticket price is due to Sudeley Castle's increased costs)

Phone or email Christine Young (phone number on your membership card)

Sudeley Castle by William Pugh, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bookings are now closed for this visit.........

But if you would like to go on the waiting list for any returned tickets, please contact Christine Young (details on your membership card).

If enough people apply, we may be able to book a larger coach.

The Barber Institute of Fine Arts is an art gallery and concert hall situated in purpose-built premises on the campus of the University of Birmingham. The Grade II listed Art Deco building was designed by Robert Atkinson in the 1930s and opened in 1939 by Queen Mary. For more information click here

Soho House was the elegant Georgian home of the industrialist and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton which has been restored as a museum celebrating Boulton's life, his partnership with James Watt, his membership of the Lunar Society of Birmingham and his contribution to the Midlands Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. Click here for more information.

Price £44 per person
Includes: Coach Travel, Entrance, Private Tour and Sandwich Lunch at Soho House . Self guided tour at The Barber Institute of Fine Art.
Coach pickups from Aldbourne and Hungerford
Tickets on sale now and at the December lecture.
 

Photo courtesy of Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery

This visit was fully booked, but there have been a few cancellations. Please contact the Visits Secretary before Wednesday 21st to see if there are still places available or to go on the waiting list.

Chiswick House is a "glorious" example of Neo-Palladian architecture in west London designed and built by Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington, and completed in 1729. Click here for more information.

Hogarth’s House was built between 1713 and 1717 and was the country home of the great painter, engraver and satirist William Hogarth. Find more information here.

Contact the Visits Secretary for current information about ticket availability.
Price per person £45 including coach and House and Garden tour of Chiswick House
Optional visit to Hogarth House (10 minute walk from Chiswick House, free entry - no guide)
Picnics can be enjoyed in Chiswick House gardens, or buy lunch at the Colicci Café

Images courtesy of Patche99z at English Wikipedia,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian Monastery and now a popular destination for garden lovers and historians. It is set in 30 acres of award-winning gardens and is owned by the Roper who family who live in a wing of the house.

It is home to the stunning Mortlake tapestries, woven from the Raphael cartoons, which are now housed in the V&A.

Tickets available from April on lecture days or online
Price £41 per person to include coach & entrance fees
Bring your own picnic, or buy lunch at Forde Abbey café

Contact Christine Young for more information (contact details on your membership card)

Image courtesy of Julie Anne Workman, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

CANCELLED
Sadly we have had to cancel this visit as we did not have enough bookings to cover the cost of the coach

It would have included:

Morning visit to the Pallant House Gallery which is one of the most distinctive modern art museums in the UK, located in the heart of the historic city of Chichester. It tells the story of British Art from 1900 to present day through original and a world class collection. Its 20 galleries are housed in a Queen Anne townhouse.

Lunch at the Gallery Café

Afternoon guided tour of Chichester Cathedral and the Bishop's Palace

Pallant House image courtesy of Charlesdrakew, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Chichester Cathedral image courtesy of Evgeniy Podkopaev,
CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Details of the visit which was fully booked

We will have a tour round Frampton Court, a stunning Georgian mansion which has been lived in by the Clifford family since it was built in the 1730s. This will be followed by a guided stroll round the gardens
Lunch will be a picnic in the historic Wool Barn.
In the afternoon we will visit the National Trust’s Westbury Court Garden which is the only restored 17th-century Dutch water garden in the UK , originally laid out between 1696 and 1705.
The garden has now been restored to how it would have appeared at its best in 1720. Many of the plants are authentic to the period and style of the garden.

Price £38 per person including coach travel and picnic lunch.
Entrance to Westbury Court understood to be £5, free to NT members

We will meet for coffee at the Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace at 10.30am followed by an Exhibition Talk at 11am on Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing
This exhibition marks the 500th anniversary of the death of the artist.
You will then be free to view the gallery (more information here), with free time for lunch

In the afternoon we visit Apsley House, 149 Piccadilly where a Group tour has been arranged at 2.30
Apsley House is the London townhouse of the Duke of Wellington, formerly known as No 1, London. It is a Grade I listed building and stands alone at Hyde Park Corner, facing Wellington Arch. The original House was built on the site for Lord Apsley in 1778. Be delighted by paintings by Valazquez and Rubens as well as a wonderful collection of silver and porcelain. Click here for more information.
A visit to Wellington Arch is not included in the ticket price but you are welcome to visit independently if time allows.

Ticket price - £38 per person.     Booking at the September lecture
Includes all entrance fees & morning coffee but excludes travel fares

TRAVEL INFORMATION
Please make your own way to the Queen’s Gallery.  For those wishing to join a group travelling by train, we will be meeting at Hungerford station to catch the 8.47am train to Paddington then onwards by Circle line to Victoria.

This visit is fully booked and there is a waiting list.

Please note the date has changed from that in the programme card.

Madresfield Court is a moated ancestral home that for nearly 900 years has belonged to the Lygon family, who still live there. It is in the Malvern Hills. For more information, click here

This will include:         

• Guided Tour of Madresfield Court and written guide of garden www.madresfieldestate.co.uk/history/
• Lunch
• Guided tour of Beauchamp Almshouses & St Leonards Church on the estate www.beauchampstleonard.org/historic-buildings
• Tea and biscuits in the garden, weather permitting 

This visit is fully booked

BRISTOL  STREET ART (Banksy etc)  WALKING TOUR , lunch break and then TRY YOUR HAND AT SPRAY PAINTING !

This is a visit planned for 8 October 2018, it will be a full day and involve about 2 hours of walking, if it is wet umbrellas will be useful.  

The spray painting will take place indoors and caps will be provided, the paint is water based !

BOOKING  at September Lecture
 
  0910           Barnes Coach departs from The Square Aldbourne
 
  09.25          Barnes Coach departs Hungerford – bus stand at roundabout end of Charnham

                    Park
 
  11.00          Arrive Bristol, meet the Guide and start the Street Art Walk

  13.00          Lunch (soup and a sandwich included in the ticket price) at “The
                    Canteen”, 80 Stokes Croft, at the end of the Walking Tour. 

  14.00          Have a go at spray painting a stencil (A2) – indoors – caps will be
                    provided and the paint is water based !

  15.15          Barnes Coach departs for Hungerford and Aldbourne
 
 
Cost £49 
Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable If you are unable to come on the trip please contact: Carol Barber 01488 670428 / 07961 068761
Until 6.00pm on the day prior.

SPIRES AND SQUIRES VISIT -  £58

Tour of Salisbury Cathedral and Wilton House

Monday 14 May 2018

BOOKING AT 21 March and 18 April Lectures

            08.30             Barnes Coach departs from The Square Aldbourne

            08.45             Barnes Coach departs Hungerford – bus stand at roundabout end                                     of Charnham Park

            10.00             Arrive Salisbury Cathedral

            11.00             Coffee and pastries – included in the price

            11.30             Barnes Coach departs for Wilton House

            12.00             Arrive Wilton House – free time to walk round the grounds, see Cecil Beaton Exhibition curated by Jasper Conran and/or Lord Pembroke’s Classic Car Collection (both included in the ticket price) and have lunch which is not included in the ticket price.

            14.00           Guided Tour of Wilton House    

            15.15           Free Time

            16.00           Coach departs for Hungerford and Aldbourne

Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable

If you are unable to come on the trip please contact:

Sarah Barrett 01488 658051 / 07753 565115 or

Carol Barber 01488 670428 / 07961 068761

Until 6.00pm on the day prior.

CHRISTCHURCH COLLEGE OXFORD WEDNESDAY 8TH NOVEMBER 2017
BOOKING AT 20 SEPTEMBER & 18 OCTOBER 2017 LECTURES
 
GUIDED TOUR OF CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE OXFORD
SELF CATERED LUNCH
GUIDED TOUR OF CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE PICTURE GALLERY
£44.00
 
 09.45  DEPART Hungerford  (by bus stand at roundabout end of Charnham Park)
 10.45  ARRIVE Oxford (Tom Tower)
 11.00  Guided Tour of Christchurch College  
 
   Self Catered / Café Lunch in Oxford (not included in ticket price)
 
 14.00  Meet at Canterbury Gate entrance for 
Guided Tour of Christchurch College Picture Gallery. 
 
15.30  APPROXIMATE DEPARTURE Tom Tower Oxford
16.30  APPROXIMATE ARRIVAL Hungerford
 
 
 
Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable If you are unable to come on the trip please contact:
Sarah Barrett 01488 658051 / 07753 565115 or 
Carol Barber 01488 670428 / 07961 068761
Until 6.00pm on the day prior. Guided tour of Christchurch College, Oxford in the morning and Christchurch Picture Gallery in the afternoon.

More details to follow

LONDON WALKING TOUR WITH IAN SWANKIE

FOLLOWING HIS GLEAMING SPIRES LECTURE

 AND

TOUR OF GUILDHALL ART GALLERY

TUESDAY 6TH JUNE 2017

£24 – GUIDED WALK AND GALLERY TOUR

(DOES NOT INCLUDE TRANSPORT OR REFRESHMENTS)

Suggested train (at time of printing – please check yourself !):

DEPART :         Great Bedwyn 08.43              Hungerford 08.48                   Kintbury 08.53

ARRIVE :          Paddington 09.58

10.30               Meet at Caffe Nero in Bishopsgate. If you leave Liverpool Street Station by the Bishopsgate West exit then you’ll see the cafe on the left as you reach the top of the escalator. There are loos in the station (payable).  

London Walk

Self-Catered Picnic Lunch

Guildhall Art Gallery

Other costs to consider :  Parking at station, all transportation and refreshments.

Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable

If you are unable to come on the trip please contact:

Sarah Barrett 01488 658051 / 07753 565115

Until 6.00pm on the day prior.

BOOKING AT 19 APRIL & 17 MAY 2017 LECTURES