Chair’s June 2026 Newsletter  

Hope that you are enjoying the recent heatwave which has heralded in the meteorological start to Summer.

Hatfield House visit on New Date 3rd September 2026

The date of the visit has had to be changed from the 10th of September 2026 as the house will be closed for a major festival on the previous weekend. The only viable date offered as an alternative was Thursday 3rd September 2026 which unfortunately clashes with our September lecture on Time Machines by Christina Faraday. It is not ideal to have two activities on the same day, but the visit should finish with the coach departing Hatfield House by mid-afternoon which will provide time for those members attending to make the lecture in the evening.

Booking for the visit to Hatfield House opens this week at the June lecture on Thursday 4th 2026.

Lecture on 4th June 2026

Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899): animal painter extraordinaire by Lois Oliver

 One of the most celebrated artists of her time, French painter Rosa Bonheur had an extraordinary gift for painting animals that brought her international fame and recognition. Her works fetched exceptionally high prices on both sides of the Atlantic, and in 1865 she became the first woman to be awarded the légion d’honneur, France’s highest order of merit. 

Forthcoming visits:

The Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire, Monday 8th June 2026

Deene Park House and Garden, Northamptonshire, Thursday 16th July 2026 (new date from that on the Programme Card)

There are a few places available on both visits.

Hatfield House Thursday 3rd September 2026 (new date)  - booking opens on 4th June 2026.

Reminder: The success of the Society rests with its committee members and to continue support, we are looking for committee members to help me as Vice Chair, Social Secretary, Young Arts coordinator and help with day-to-day IT issues as we are looking to update our website and membership/payments processes for which we will need some help.

If you have the inclination and the time, please talk to a committee member or me.

Wishing good health to all,

Mike Johnstone

Chair of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA)

Chair’s Spring 2026 Newsletter for the 30th anniversary celebration of The Arts Society Amersham and our lecture on 7th May 2026

I hope that you have enjoyed the May Bank Holiday weekend and are looking forward to our next lecture this week on Thursday 7th May 2026.

Please join us a little earlier for a celebratory glass of sparkling wine (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) served in the Chapel Room in recognition of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA) reaching its 30th Anniversary. Tea and coffee will also be served as usual. Drinks will not be served after 7.40 pm to allow our volunteers to tidy up in good time so that they can attend the whole lecture.

TASA has bounced back from the impact of COVID with membership numbers restored to 257 which is a magnificent achievement through difficult times.

The Arts Society (our national body) has just had its 60th anniversary and was formerly call NADFAS, The National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Society. The original society was called “The Chiltern Antiques Group” and met in the Long Room at Chenies Manor on the 28th of January 1965. Although TASA was founded later, we still have strong links with Chenies Manor and help to provide guides. TASA previously met in Drake Hall, Amersham before moving to the King’s Church in 2014.

The success of TASA rests with its committee members and to continue our success we are looking for members to join the committee to help as Vice Chair, Social Secretary, Young Arts coordinator and help with day-to-day IT issues.

If interested, please contact any of the committee.

Lecture on 7th May 2026

The Unknown Churchill - Winston Churchill and Blenheim Palace by Antonia Keaney

It is now over 150 years ago since Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was unexpectedly born at Blenheim Palace.  This lecture draws upon the private resources of Blenheim and adds new and refreshing insights into this remarkable man. We examine the breadth of talent, achievement and personality of the "Greatest Briton": soldier, politician, statesman, painter, writer, orator, family man - and bricklayer!   

Antonia Keaney joined Blenheim Palace in 2008 as a member of the Education Team, later becoming the Palace’s Social Historian and Researcher  

Visits

The next visit is to Sudeley Castle on Tuesday 12th May 2026. Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds - Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII – who lived and died at Sudeley.

On Monday 8th June 2026 we visit the Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire. There are a few spaces available. The visit co-ordinator, Pippa Sims will be at the May lecture from 7pm to take bookings and has offered to accept bookings by phone 07513 121233; please leave a message if she is unable to answer.

Correction to July 2026 visit date: the visit to Deene Park House and Garden is now on 16th July 2026. Booking for this visit opens at this week’s lecture on 7th May 2026.

Wishing good health to all,

Mike Johnstone

Chair of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA)

Chair’s Easter 2026 Newsletter and vote for Young Arts - Art Bytes

Please vote on Art Bytes

Our society has sponsored St Mary’s C of E school in Old Amersham in submitting paintings digitally. Three have been shortlisted by the judges and now, before April 19th, TASA members have been asked to vote for one of the three shortlisted to go forward to the next round.

The voting process is straight forward and is outlined below.   

Art Bytes provides a digital platform for schools to submit artworks and promote development of pupils through this means.  Your committee under the guidance of our Young Arts Secretary, Christina Anderson, has been keen to support this project.  We have sponsored schools for two consecutive years and this year it is St Mary’s in Old Amersham.

Art Bytes provides a digital platform for regional exhibitions leading to a national exhibition and awards. After the first layer of selection by judges, the public are asked to vote for their individual choice of painting/drawing/sculpture from each school to go forward to the next round and onward to a finding a national winner. Students at St Mary’s C of E school have very much enjoyed creating the paintings!

Voting Process:

1. Please use your voting powers.  Your vote should be cast before Sunday, April 19th.

 2. You can access the platform by searching for ‘Art Bytes’ on google or specifically, you can get access through the internet link on: https://artbytes.co.uk/browse schools/

3. Pick ‘Year 5’.

 4. Or select ‘S’ in the alphabet, then go to ‘St Mary’s’. i.e. St Marys C of E School Amersham

5.   Select one only of the three paintings which can be voted for, as pre-selected by the judges.  The three paintings are 'Vibrant Landscape', 'Mount Sunset' and 'Reflection' which can  be  found at the top of this newsletter. Only one vote per email address is allowed for each email address but you can use different email addresses to vote (once per email address).

6. Click on ‘Vote Now’ for your chosen painting from the three pre-selected by the judges.. 

7. Insert your email address in the dialog box which appears.

8. Check your email and spam because you must click to confirm that it is you who has voted.  Without this step your vote will not be counted.

Thank you

………………………………………………………………………………………

Lectures:

April Lecture - Thursday 02 April 2026

‘Memorials of these Dark Days’: Arts and Crafts War Memorials

By Kirsty Hartsiotis

There was a national need for memorials in the wake of the First World War, and the designers of the Arts and Crafts Movement rose to the challenge, creating crosses, memorials, halls and much more. Arts and Crafts designers wrote extensively about the right kinds of memorial - and did not always agree with each other! This talk explores the ways that Arts and Crafts designers chose to interpret their commissions to commemorate the war and looks at a rich array of memorials from church and town alike, crosses to stained glass to water troughs – and at the attendant local politics in erecting them!

………………………………………………………………...............................

Kirsty Hartsiotis was the curator of the decorative and fine art at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, Cheltenham from 2008 to 2023. She is currently a curator at Swindon Museums, where she also worked prior to 2008. At Cheltenham she looked after the Designated Arts and Crafts Movement collection. Her most recent exhibition is A Very British Art Revolution at Swindon, and she is currently working on a touring exhibition about British studio pottery. Passionate about sharing her deep love for and knowledge of the arts, she is also a freelance researcher, currently researching Arts and Crafts war memorials and the work of Arts and Crafts designers in churches in the South West and was the newsletter editor for the Society of Decorative Art Collections

Please note that members and their guests need to arrive promptly for Lectures, by 7.40 pm. Teas and coffees will not be served after 7.40 pm. to allow our volunteers to tidy up in good time so that they can attend the whole lecture.

Our lecture on 7th May is a celebration as The Arts Society Amersham is acheives its 30th Anniversary this year so please arrive a little earlier and join us for a celebratory drink (Tea and coffee will also be available)

This will be followed by a lecture about The Unknown Churchill - Winston Churchill and Blenheim Palace by Antonia Keaney which should be a fascinating and memorable evening.

 Visits:

Our next visit on 16th April 2026 is to the Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery in Bournemouth. This former home of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife Annie is filled with many objects from their extensive worldwide travels, art, delicate and fine ceramics, and an extensive Japanese collection as well as some British art. The visit is fully booked.

The visit to Sudeley Castle is on Tuesday 12th May 2026. Sudeley Castle remains the only private castle in England to have a queen buried within the grounds - Queen Katherine Parr, the last and surviving wife of King Henry VIII – who lived and died at Sudeley. There are still a few places available.

Correction to July visit date: the visit to Deene Park House and Garden is now on 16th July, booking opens at the May lecture.

The TASA holiday for 2026 will be based in Norwich to explore Norfolk: dates are Sunday 20th - Thursday 24th September 2026. The holiday will include a tour of Norwich and its Cathedral, Sandringham, Houghton Hall, and Holkham Hall. The holiday has been supported enthusiastically and is now fully booked.

 Wishing all a Happy Easter

Mike Johnstone

Chair of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA)

Chair’s February 2026 Newsletter

Please join us Thursday 5th February for the first lecture of 2026; the lecture is about the painter William Powell Frith entitled Painting the Victorian World by Mark Bills.

This is my first newsletter for 2026, and I intend to issue them intermittently to update you with news about your society.

I have inherited a vibrant and competent committee which I fully support, and we are looking for more volunteers to join the committee.

If you are interested or there is an issue you would like to raise, please contact me or a committee member either by email or in person, a good opportunity is as we assemble in the coffee lounge before a lecture.

Please ensure that you have picked up a 2025 – 2026 Programme Card to cover the lectures and visits for the society’s new year and details of your committee members. The cards are available by the welcome desk on arrival.

 Membership:

Membership of our society is healthy, and at the start of this new society year currently stands at 255 (at the end of July the total was 262).

We had around thirty new members over the last 12 months and we need to ensure that we make them feel welcome; a short chat in the coffee lounge with a new member will help them being involved.

Our society is as strong as its members and relies on the committee. We are looking this year to fill the positions of Vice Chair, Social Secretary and Young Arts. If interested please contact me or a committee member either by email or in person,

Lectures:

The first lecture for 2026 is on Thursday 5th February and is about William Powell Frith entitled Painting the Victorian World by Mark Bills.

W P Frith was one of the greatest painters of his age. No other artist captured life in the Victorian period so comprehensively. Through costume, pose and physiognomy, Frith's paintings depict all strata of society and define the age. This lecture examines his great social panoramas including Derby Day and The Railway Station as well as his Hogarthian series Road to Ruin illustrating how the artist became the greatest painter of crowds.

Frith was married twice. He had twelve children with his first wife, Isabelle, whilst a mile down the road maintaining a mistress (Mary Alford, formerly his ward) and seven more children.

Any requests for lectures or lecturers, please raise with a committee member or directly with Clare, our Programme Secretary, for review.

Correction to March lecture date: whilst our lectures are planned for the first Thursdays in the Month, Please note that the lecture in March 2026 is on the 12th rather than the 5th of March, as would be customary,  and also note that members and their guests need to arrive promptly for Lectures, by 7.40 p.m. Teas and coffees will not be served after 7.40 p.m. to allow our volunteers to tidy up in good time so that they can attend the whole lecture.

We are looking for a member to host our lecturer, Kirsty Hartsiotis, on 2nd April to provide her dinner, bed, and breakfast …... expenses paid. If you can help, please contact me or Clare.

 Visits:

The next visit on 16th April 2026 is to the Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery in Bournemouth. This former home of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife Annie is filled with many objects from their extensive worldwide travels; art, delicate and fine ceramics, and an extensive Japanese collection as well as some British art. Booking opens for this visit on 5th February 2026 lecture

Correction to July visit date: the visit to Deene Park House and Garden is now on 16th July, booking opens at the May lecture.

The TASA holiday in York in September 2025 went very well and we are arranging that the 2026 TASA holiday will be based in Norwich to explore Norfolk: provisional dates are Sunday 20th - Thursday 24th September 2026. Josephine Allen will have a flyer available at the February lecture with salient details for inclusion in your 2026 holiday plans along with a booking form.

 Wishing all a belated Happy and Healthy New Year

Mike Johnstone

Chair of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA)

chair.tasamersham@gmail.com

Chairs Newsletter December 2025

A Very Ceremonial Christmas

Please join us on Thursday 4th December at 7pm to start the festive season with coffee/tea and mince pies in the coffee lounge before the lecture.

This is my first newsletter as chair, and I intend to issue them intermittently to update you with news about your society.

I have inherited a vibrant and competent committee which I fully support and if there is any issue you would like to raise please raise it with myself or a committee member either by email or in person, a good opportunity is as we assemble in the coffee lounge before a lecture.

Please ensure that you have picked up a 2025 – 2026 Programme Card to cover the lectures and visits for the society’s new year and details of your committee members. The cards are available by the welcome desk on arrival.

Membership:

Membership of our society is healthy at the start of this new society year and currently stands at 255 (at the end of July the total was 262).

Our society is as strong as its members and relies on the committee. We are looking this year to fill the positions of Vice Chair, Programme Secretary and Social Secretary.

In particular TASA cannot function without a Programme Secretary and, furthermore, he/she needs to be in place by March 2026 to get the next season’s lecturers booked whilst Clare O’Driscoll is in place, so please consider how you can help…. thanks

Lectures:

The final lecture for December 2025 is A Very Ceremonial Christmas by Graham Jones on Thursday 04 December 2025.

It is a very light-hearted lecture, about the various ceremonial events that take place around Christmas time. Carol services, concerts and even Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace and Windsor all play their part. How do the Chelsea Pensioners prepare and celebrate the festive season? All will be revealed so, come along and feel the festive spirit.

The following lecture is on Thursday 5th February (we do not meet in January) and is about William Powell Frith entitled Painting the Victorian World by Mark Bills

W P Frith was one of the greatest painters of his age. No other artist captured life in the Victorian period so comprehensively. Through costume, pose and physiognomy, Frith's paintings depict all strata of society and define the age. This lecture examines his great social panoramas including Derby Day and The Railway Station as well as his Hogarthian series Road to Ruin illustrating how the artist became the greatest painter of crowds and of painterly story telling.

In September 2025 we had for the first time an extra lecture - Opium – Seduction, greed, art by Amanda Herries.

This extra lecture had been well received with an ‘excellent’ rating and 153 members attended making it similar in attendance to recent lectures and so the committee decided to continue with an extra lecture in September in future years.

Please note that the lecture in March 2026 is on the 12th rather than the 5th of March, as would be customary and also note that members and their guests need to arrive promptly for Lectures, at 7.40 p.m. Teas and coffees will not be served after 7.40 p.m. to allow our volunteers to tidy up in good time so that they can attend the whole lecture.

Visits:

The next visit on the 8th December is an extra visit for 2025 to Kew Gardens for the Christmas lights.

The Trail is approximately 3 kms long, is well lit and is on footpaths throughout. Please note that the coach departs from the Tesco lay-by at 3.30 p.m. We have places available so please contact Josephine Allen by text on 07871844867 or by email  jjcallen2004@yahoo.co.uk.

The following visit is not until 16 th April 2026 which is a visit to the Russell-Cotes Museum and Art Gallery in Bournemouth. This former home of Sir Merton Russell-Cotes and his wife Annie is filled with many objects from their extensive worldwide travels including British art, delicate and fine ceramics and an extensive Japanese collection. Booking opens for this visit at the 5th February 2026 lecture

The TASA holiday in York in September 2025 went very well. The greatest success was the trip to the Auction House – probably because it was somewhere out of the ordinary.

In 2026 the TASA holiday is likely to be based in Norwich to explore Norfolk: provisional dates are Sunday 20th - Thursday 24th September 2026. Josephine Allen hopes to have a flyer available at the December lecture with salient details for inclusion in your 2026 holiday plans and a booking form available at the February lecture.

 Wishing all a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year

Mike Johnstone

Chair of The Arts Society Amersham (TASA)

Chair’s September 2025 Newsletter

Lecture

The September 2025 lecture ‘Opium, Seduction, Greed and Art’ given by Amanda Herries attracted 133 members and 16 guests. As you know holding a meeting in September was a trial to see whether members would support having ten lectures a year rather than nine. Previously it was felt there would be insufficient interest due to it being a peak holiday time and the hall might be embarrassingly empty. However, that proved not to be the case. At the next Committee meeting I feel confident it will be voted a permanent fixture.

Society Holiday

In just under two weeks’ time thirty members will be off to York for five days where there is so much to see. Having several Committee members from Yorkshire who were able to give knowledgeable advice on the best places to visit, as well as the more unusual, the initial itinerary sent by the travel company was changed to give the best experience possible and one I’m sure the group will greatly enjoy.

Visit Bookings

• 9th October 2025 to Chichester Cathedral & backstage at Chichester Festival Theatre. Both are just a short walk from the delights of the town centre – there are a couple of spaces left
• 12th November 2025 to The Foundling Museum & Dickens House London – this trip is full but there is a waiting list.
• 8th December 2025 to Christmas at Kew Gardens. Full details on Kew Gardens’ website (https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas).

If you look in the Documents section, you will find booking forms containing details for each visit. You don’t need to wait for the October meeting. Just give the leader shown on the form a call or text them to reserve your place.

Membership Renewal

Everyone has been asked now to renew their membership and have received instructions on how to do so. It’s great that the vast majority of you have already done this, but if you haven’t got around to it yet, this is a gentle reminder! What excellent value we get – the subscription is staying at £50 for another year but from now you’ll have one extra lecture and one extra visit a year included.

Membership Cards

Membership cards are not available until the November meeting as they cannot be printed until after the AGM when the new Committee is elected.  

AGM – 2nd October 2025 at 19.45

Please be seated by quarter to eight so we can begin the AGM sharply. I hope as many people as possible will come as we have farewells to say to those who have generously given their time to TASA over many years, and we will be welcoming new volunteers for these roles, including a new Chair and President.

Lecture 2nd October 2025 to follow immediately after the AGM

‘Turner and the Sublime’ given by Jennifer Toynbee-Holmes. Refreshments served as usual from 7pm. Full details on the TASA website.

With very best wishes as I close my final newsletter as Chair.

Anne Hogbin

TASA Chair

Chair’s July/August 2025 Newsletter

Changes are afoot! President Maggie Johnstone who has been such a wonderful support to the Society over many years will be retiring at the AGM in October and Ernest Newhouse, a member for twenty-eight years and Treasurer for the past seven, has accepted the Committee’s invitation to become the next President. We have a new Treasurer, Vince Parry, lined up and waiting for your acceptance votes at the AGM. Membership Co-Secretary Lin Walker will be retiring at the AGM having served on the Committee for thirteen years after making an enormous contribution both to the Membership team and Young Art. Lilianne Kilshaw will stand for this position at the AGM but meanwhile has been co-opted to the Committee to help with the busy membership subscription renewal process.

Lectures

At our July lecture Gabriel Chanan gave a fascinating description of the evolution of painting from Medieval to Renaissance times which was enhanced by an excellent collection of slides. The talk was enjoyed by 131 members and guests, slightly fewer than in previous months but not unexpected as the weather was excessively hot and the nation gripped by an extremely exciting men’s Wimbledon quarter finals match!

Visits

The trip to Wilton House on 9th July 2025 was very much enjoyed because there was so much of interest in addition to the tour of the house and its internationally important art collection led by expert guides. Members visited the classic car collection, sculpture garden and Palladian Bridge …..and said the café was first class too!

Monday, 9th October 2025: Visit to Chichester Cathedral & backstage at Chichester Festival Theatre. Both are just a couple of minutes’ walk from the shopping centre with its many independent small shops if you have the time and energy – 9 places still available.

Wednesday, 12th November 2025: Visit to The Foundling Museum & Dickens House London –  2 places still available.

The booking forms in the VISITS section of our website show contact details for the organisers.

Very Advanced Notice of Visit

Monday, 8th December 2025:  An opportunity has arisen to take a group to this spectacular late afternoon/early evening event, so our enterprising Visits Team has added it in as an extra trip this year. Full details are on Kew Gardens’ website (https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/christmas).  Booking opens at the September meeting.

Young Art

St Mary’s C of E School Amersham We have just paid the entry fee for St Mary’s to take part in the 2026 edition of Art Bytes, a national digital art competition. The school is very excited to extend their pupils’ experience in this way and are busy planning how to best showcase their talents.

Chestnut Lane School The School Art Coordinator is finalising the list of art books we will be buying for their library to enhance and extend pupils knowledge within their new Art Curriculum.

St George’s School Amersham We have successfully gained a Community Award of £250 from the Arts Society, which together with our own award, will enable St. Georges to engage a professional artist to work with children to create a welcoming mural in their entrance hall.

Amersham Library plans are underway with the help of our award to stage a children’s workshop in October half term using Bruegel’s painting ‘The Fall of Icarus’ as its focus.

As usual there’s no lecture during August but we’re back on Thursday 4th September 2025 for our extra lecture that was planned after your pink programme card was printed. Amanda Herries will give her talk entitled ‘Opium: Seduction, Greed and Art’.

Enjoy the Summer

Best wishes

Anne Hogbin Chair TASA

CHAIRS JUNE NEWSLETTER

Lectures

The June lecture:   ‘Christopher Marlowe, Poet and Spy’ by Giles Ramsay was enjoyed by an audience of 154 members and guests who judged it as excellent. In order to fully appreciate Marlowe’s work, Giles led us skilfully through the political and religious environment in which Marlowe lived and created his masterpieces which gave us a greater depth of understanding.

Lecture timings:   Following free refreshments and social time from 7-7.45 pm and an informative slideshow on the two big screens in the hall, the meeting opens at 8pm sharp with Chair’s Notices for 5 minutes or so, followed by the lecture. Our lecturers are engaged to talk for an hour exactly followed by up to 10 minutes of questions before the Vote of Thanks which is when the meeting officially closes, although lecturers are always willing to stay for bit to chat to individual members. We have to clear the hall by 9.30pm. The reason our lectures are of such high quality is because we only engage lecturers who have been through a rigorous selection procedure by The Arts Society before being placed on their register. Their fees range from £350 to £450 plus expenses per evening.

We expect members to be courteous and stay until after the Vote of Thanks but if occasionally you have to leave earlier could you sit at the back and be very discrete about your exit.

Visits

Our visit on 9th June 2025 was to Hogarth House and Chiswick House. Although Hogarth House is on the very busy Great West Road in London it was bought by Hogarth in 1749 as his country residence. Our group enjoyed learning about his life and looking at the large collection of his work including his most famous prints such as Gin Lane and Beer Street. At Chiswick House we had tours of the house and gardens. Everyone agreed it was a very enjoyable visit

Our visit to Wilton House on 9th July 2025 is fully booked.

Booking opens at the meeting on 3rd July 2025 for visits to:

• 9th October 2025 to Chichester Cathedral & Festival Theatre
• 12th November 2025 to The Foundling Museum & Dickens House, London

Please download booking forms from our website or pick up a paper copy at the booking

desk.

Some help needed, please

We need a few extra helpers to join the refreshment rota including an extra pair of hands for the July meeting. If now and again you could arrive about 6.45 pm to help set up and then serve, please contact Helen Morgan, our Social Secretary, and indicate your availability. helenmorgan9145@gmail.com

Future Lectures

I look forward to welcoming you to the last two lectures of this season.

3rd July 2025 (change of advertised lecture) ‘Light on Realism’ by Gabriel Chanon. We
will explore how and why European artists moved on from flat medieval symbolism to
the detailed imagery of realistic representation of the Renaissance period.

4th September 2025 (extra lecture; not advertised on programme cards) ‘Opium- Seduction, Greed, Art’ by Amanda Harries.

As always guests are very welcome for £8.00. This needs to be cash at the July meeting
as the card reader will be unavailable.

With very best wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair TASA

01494 729220

Chair’s May 2025 Newsletter

As you know my three years as Chair will finish in October. The marvellous news for the Society is that Mike Johnstone has agreed to stand as our next Chair at the AGM and has been co-opted onto the Committee as Vice-Chair with immediate effect. This will allow us a seamless transition and also give Mike a say in the programme which we are well into planning for next season. Many of you will already know Mike as he is a longstanding member. He and his wife Maggie, our President, ran the Visits for many years before handing over to the current team. Then he joined the Committee and was responsible in part for dragging us into the modern age by setting up the computerised mailing system and membership lists as well as the website. If you don’t know him by name, you will have seen him at meetings moving around with the microphone at question time after each lecture. The Committee is delighted, and I hope you will be too.

Last Lecture

The Art of Norse Mythology by James Vaux on 1st May 2025  Talking to an audience of over 150 members and 9 guests, James gave us an excellent introduction to the complicated story of Norse mythology and Viking Gods before moving on to the art they have inspired through the ages. Members told us they had very much enjoyed learning something new which they had barely considered previously.

Visits

The National Gallery and guided walk around Covent Garden on 24th April 2025  Last year when Simon Whitehouse gave his lecture to us about the treasures of the National Gallery he mentioned he took guided tours. By popular demand our Visits Team secured his services, and a wonderful day was spent in his company. He pointed out not just art on the walls but the tessellated floors and ceilings of the National Gallery. St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, referred to as The Actors Church and full of memorial plaques to all the great names of the theatre, was an afternoon highlight, together with seeing Agatha Christie’s memorial statue set in the pavement nearby.

Brighton Pavilion on 13th May 2025  In glorious sunshine members enjoyed their guided tour of this exotic seaside palace of George IV and were taken aback by the opulence of the furnishings. One piece of artwork that left a lasting impression was the portrait of George IV made from tiny mosaics.

Young Arts

Artbytes  Thank you to all our members who went online to ArtBytes digital gallery to vote for their favourite artwork of the ten pieces submitted by Stony Dean School. Public voting has now finished and if you go to the Artbytes website you can see which were placed as the top three. The pencil and collage picture called Gargoyle secured First Place and now goes through to the regional digital gallery and the next judging stage. We were pleased to have given the school funding for their pupils to enter this stimulating new venture that they, the parents and the school has found very exciting.

Can you help?

Membership Team   It is wonderful to have a fast-growing membership but with this comes the need for an extra pair of hands in the Membership Team led by Virginia Wedgwood and Lin Walker. The only requirements are that you have access to a computer to help keep the membership lists up-to-date and be able to come to meetings early enough to greet guests and new members in the Entrance Hall. Please let us know if you would be able to help these two stalwarts who are rather overworked currently. We would equally welcome both gentlemen and ladies, age is no barrier nor is the length of time you have been a member.  All our contact details are on the Programme Card and website, and we’d be very happy to chat it over with you; or you may prefer to talk to Virginia or Lin at our June meeting.

Milton’s Cottage, Chalfont St Giles   This local heritage site and tourist attraction desperately needs extra volunteers and would welcome even a small amount of your time such as a couple of afternoons a month, but would really appreciate more if you could manage it. Hours to suit yourself. You don’t need to know anything about John Milton or his works as there are helpful notices around and other volunteers to show you the ropes. They have a very informative website you might care to look at if you haven’t visited the cottage yet. If you would like to explore this idea further, please contact them direct on 01494 872313 or info@miltonscottage.org.

I look forward to seeing you at our next lecture on 5th June 2025 when the subject is “Christopher Marlowe, Poet and Spy” and will be given by Giles Ramsay.

With very best wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair TASA

Chairs April Newsletter 2025

Lecture      Sadly I couldn’t be at the April lecture about the Spanish painter Sorolla due to Covid. However, I know how much the record audience of 170 members and 19 guests enjoyed it from the online feedback. It seems although a few members had been to the Sorolla exhibition at the National Gallery a few years ago, most didn’t know much about the artist before the lecture but will definitely be looking out for his paintings in future after Gail Turner’s informative and interesting lecture.

Young Art     As you know our Society has a strong focus on supporting the young people in our community to develop their creative skills. Recently we have given two grants on your behalf from TASA funds.
The first, as I mentioned in my last letter, is an award to Stony Dean School Amersham for pupils with profound learning and developmental difficulties to enable them to take part in a national online art competition called ArtBytes. Please now do your bit as an individual member by voting for the piece of art you think should win at this school before 28th April by clicking on the following link or by cutting and pasting it into your browser after you finish reading this newsletter.

https://artbytes.co.uk/how-to-vote/

The second award was to Amersham Museum to fund two free art days for children aged 7 years upwards together with a family adult. A specialist teacher used the museum’s summer exhibition called Rooted in the Land that explores Amersham’s relationship with the surrounding countryside over the centuries as the stimulus for 3D modelling. The resulting models are now displayed in the window of the museum together with a label that states that ‘The two family workshops were kindly funded by The Arts Society Amersham’. A good way to raise our profile locally as well.

Visits     Country Life calls Dorney Court ‘one of the finest Tudor Manor Houses in Britain and where the first pineapple in the British Isles was cultivated’. On 20th March 2025 Members enjoyed their guided tour through rooms that houses paintings, Palmer family portraits and collections of sculptures and tapestries before a very social lunch in the garden of the nearby Palmers Arms. Then in the afternoon on to Uxbridge to see the bunker where fighter aircraft operations were controlled, most notably for D-Day and the Battle of Britain. Members also spent an interesting time looking at the large collection of historical photographs taken during World War 2.

Our visit on 24th April 2025 to The National Gallery and a walk round Covent Garden will be led by Simon Whitehouse who you will recall gave us such a wonderful lecture last year about the treasures of the National Gallery. This is eagerly anticipated and needless to say fully booked.

Similarly our trip on 13th May 2025 to The Royal Pavilion Brighton is fully booked.

Booking forms for visits later this year are in the Documents section of the website so you can choose well in advance which you’d like to join.

I hope you enjoy a very happy Easter holiday with family and friends and look forward to seeing you on 1st May 2025 to learn about the Art of Norse Mythology. If this is a subject you would like to look further into, either before or after the lecture, James Vaux the lecturer has made several recommendations which we have put in the Lecture section of our website.

Don’t forget to vote for the ArtBytes Competition winner at Stony Dean as soon as possible.

With Very Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin Chair TASA
07484 848994 www.theartssocietyamersham.org.uk

Chair’s March Newsletter 2025

Young Art

As you know our Society has a strong focus on supporting local young people to extend their artistic experiences. This year we are particularly pleased to have given a grant to Stoney Dean School in Amersham, whose pupils have multiple and profound learning disabilities, so they could enter a new national digital art competition called ARTBYTES for pupils in Year 5 (nine-year-olds} and Year 9 (thirteen-year-olds). In return The Arts Society Amersham is shown as a sponsor.

Each of the 150 schools entering the competition sends photographs of 12 artworks to an online gallery. The general public is invited during April to go online to vote which leads to identifying one winner from each school. This then leads on to regional and ultimately a national winner.

I very much hope you will take part in the voting. In my April newsletter I shall send you the link to follow to log on to do so. You will help to make one pupil at Stoney Dean very proud and happy. You might like to invite your friends and family to vote too. Giving young people confidence in their abilities, especially when they face an uphill struggle in life, is a wonderful thing to be able to do.

Lectures

‘The Female Gaze’ about women photographers by Suzanne Fagence Cooper, our March lecture, had an audience of 165 members and guests and 95 members enjoyed refreshments in the coffee lounge beforehand. The quality of the lecture itself had mixed reviews in the feedback forms but was rated ‘Very Good’ overall. Everyone agreed the lecturer had expert knowledge, but many found her style of delivery lacked fluency which led to some confusion.

Our next lecture on 3rd April 2025 promises a wonderful evening -  “Joaquin Sorolla (1863-1923) Spanish Painter of Sunlight” by Gail Turner, who has an impressive CV on our website.

Visits

20th March 2025 to Dorney Court and the Battle of Britain Bunker - fully subscribed

24th April 2025 to The National Gallery and guided tour around Covent Garden - fully subscribed

13th May 2025 to The Royal Pavilion Brighton - fully subscribed

22nd-26th September2025 Society Holiday to York - fully subscribed

Book before the meeting at the booking table by the coffee lounge for the visit on Monday 9th June 2025 to Chiswick House and Hogarth House London. Booking forms with further details are in the Documents section of the website.

In the national news

The Sunday Times Newspaper has voted Amersham as one of the best places to live in the south-east of England citing its busy Arts Society as a reason!

With that in mind please consider whether you could join the Committee with the possibility of becoming Chair in October. No previous experience needed, just a wish to help our successful Society continue. My contact details are on the back of the programme card if you would like more information about what it entails, please call or email.

With Very Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin
Chair TASA

07484 848994
www.theartssocietyamersham.org.uk

Chair’s February Newsletter 2025

Lectures

177 members and guests welcomed Jeremy Mainwaring-Burton as our February lecturer. Jeremy had worked as an Equerry to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother before becoming a jewellery and precious stone dealer in Hatton Garden. We were extremely grateful to him for stepping in with less than two days’ notice to give his talk ‘The Queen Mother’s Lifelong Love of Jewellery’ when our scheduled lecturer had a family emergency. Members’ feedback voted this lecture as ‘Excellent’ finding it both informative and amusing. We plan to re-engage Antonia Keaney to give her lecture ‘The Unknown Churchill’ next year. Congratulations to Clare O’Driscoll our Programme Secretary for dealing so calmly and efficiently with a nightmare situation!

Here’s some good news to lift the winter gloom. There will be an extra lecture this year at no extra cost to members. Historically the Society has not met between July and October. This rather long holiday started in the mists of time when there were far fewer members and, as many went off on holiday as soon as the schools went back for the Autumn Term, it was thought the audience would be too depleted. Currently we are lucky enough to have a large and increasing membership with very well attended lectures and so the Committee has decided to trial a September lecture this year which can become a permanent fixture if there is sufficient support. Full details for all this year’s lectures are on our website.

Please make the following changes in your diary and pink Programme Card:-

·          Thursday 3rd July 2025 ‘Light on Realism. The Elusive Transition from Medieval to Renaissance Painting’ by Gabriel Chanon (a different lecture than shown in your programme card)

·          Thursday 4th September 2025 ‘Opium, Seduction and Greed in Art’ by Amanda Herries (previously advertised as our July lecture)

Visits

·          York Holiday 22nd - 26th September 2025 - fully subscribed within 3 days of the booking opening, including the hotel releasing an extra couple of rooms to meet demand.

·          Thursday 20th March 2025 to Dorney Court and the Battle of Britain Bunker - fully subscribed.

·          Thursday 24th April 2025 to The National Gallery and Covent Garden - fully subscribed.

·          Tuesday 13th May 2025 to The Brighton Pavilion. Booking opens at our next lecture on 6th March. Booking forms and all details are, as usual, in the Documents section of the website.

Young Art

There’s lots going on behind the scenes, but until it moves past the planning stage we’re keeping it under wraps.

Area Charity Bridge Drive

Last Sunday the grand sum of £1,459 was raised for the Area Awards Scheme that is used to support individual students starting higher education in the creative arts. The Area Committee is most grateful to the Amersham members who played Bridge, donated raffle prizes and masterminded the raffle on the day. The culinary skills of our members who made and served such delicious sandwiches and cakes for tea were much appreciated. Several people who played have enquired about membership of their nearest Arts Society so that was an unexpected bonus.

Special Interest Day

On Monday 7th April 2025 from 10am - 4pm TAS Thames Area is hosting a Special Interest Day of three lectures on Covent Garden by Simon Whitehouse at Bourne End Community Centre. The cost is £48 to include a buffet lunch with wine. Full details are on their website www.theartssocietythames.org.uk. Our members would be most welcome.

National News

The Arts Society will be holding two Book Conservation Workshops in London during the year. If you are interested in attending please follow this link https://forms.gle/af2hAo5R3hM5pGra8.

TASA Committee Vacancy

We’re looking for a member to join the Committee as Vice Chair as soon as possible with a view to becoming Chair at the AGM in October 2025, when I have to stand down. Please contact me for a chat without obligation if you enjoy coming to lectures and would like to know a little more of what is involved. It doesn’t matter how long or short your membership has been and no particular expertise, past experience or artistic knowledge is needed although being able create Word documents on a computer is useful. It would be the best possible scenario to have a planned transition, rather than a last-minute handover, so please do consider whether it could be you.

With Very Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin
Chair TASA

Chair’s January Newsletter 2025

I hope you had a very enjoyable Christmas and New Year break. It seems an age since we had our Christmas drinks and mince pie Social in December 2024 before a most enjoyable lecture that evoked wonderful memories of past musicals. Just right for the start of the festive season!

February Lecture

Now onto 2025, and our first lecture on 6th February 2025 when the subject will be “The Unknown Churchill”. Our lecturer, Antonia Keaney, works as a Social Historian and Researcher at Blenheim Palace and has drawn upon its archive to afford new and refreshing insights into this remarkable man. Further details about the lecture can be found on our website. This is one I’m sure you will want to invite guests to, and they will be most welcome (Guest fee £8.00)

Visits

Thursday 20th March 2025 to Dorney Court and the Battle of Britain Bunker – There’s just one place remaining after which a waiting list will be created. However, do join the list as at this time of year, as we all know, viruses abound and people have to withdraw. Details and booking form are in the Documents section of the website.

Thursday 24th April 2025 to The National Gallery and Covent Garden – Booking opens before the February lecture. Please note that this does not include a visit to The Portrait Gallery as indicated on your Programme Card. Do you remember that excellent lecture Simon Whitehouse gave us last year about the world’s greatest paintings in the National Gallery? We are excited that we have been able to engage him to lead this visit. In the morning he will take us around the National Gallery and after lunch on a tour of nearby Covent Garden. There is a strict limit of 25 members for this one … so be quick off the mark with your booking form which is in the Documents section of our website and will be available in hard copy at the meeting.

York holiday – Monday 22nd September – Friday 26th September 2025. We have now received our agreed itinerary and costings from Heritage Travel for this year’s holiday. We were lucky to have the input of several members who know the area well and consequently have built in sufficient time for personal exploration. We also have suggestions of places of interest within a short distance of the hotel, such as the renowned Railway Museum, that you might like to visit independently. Brochures and booking forms will be available to take home to look at in detail before you sign up, and posted on the website around the same time for anyone who can’t get to the February meeting. We need a minimum of 25 in the group to run the trip. It would be lovely to have you join us.

Area Charity Bridge Drive

Sunday 9th February 2025 at The Lifestyle Centre Amersham. The Area Team has arranged this event to raise funds to give awards to young people starting their further education. Historically such awards have enabled those on a silversmithing course and those on creative courses at Bucks New University to purchase specialist tools and materials. If you haven’t booked your table of 4 yet please speak to any Committee Member who will direct you to Felicity Sykes, the Area Team leader, who is one of our members. Raffle prizes from any member who would like to help swell the Awards Fund would be much appreciated. Please bring to the meeting.

The Committee looks forward to meeting everyone again on Thursday, February 6th 2025 from 7pm onwards.

Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair TASA

The society’s year ended with our December talk which was preceded by a festive glass of wine for everyone.  In the spirit of the season, the talk was about the History of Musicals with scenes and songs from many of the most popular musicals of the last half century.  In 2025 we start on 6th February with a very interesting talk on ‘The unknown Churchill – Winston Churchill and Blenheim Palace’.  Bookings will be open then for our next trip out to Dorney Court, Windsor & Battle of Britain Bunker at Uxbridge on 20th March.

The Society would like to thank its members for their support during the past year, to wish you all a very happy Christmas and very much hope you enjoy the programme of talks and visits arranged for the coming year.

Chair’s November Newsletter 2024

Appeal      In July 2025 my three years as Chair will be at an end and I shall have to hand over to a new pair of hands. How would you feel about joining the committee as Vice Chair to find out how we work with a view to becoming Chair of TASA in October 2025? As you know we are a thriving society with a constantly increasing membership, managed by an enthusiastic and supportive committee. If not yourself, could you suggest someone you think might be approached but wouldn’t necessarily put themselves forward? Without a Chair the society cannot continue, so it really is important to find someone as soon as possible. No previous knowledge is required and you don’t need to be an art expert either, just someone who enjoys the society and wants to see it flourish. Perhaps you might like to chat it over to see what it entails with no obligation to proceed – I or any of the committee would be happy to talk with you.

Lectures    Our excellent November lecture ‘Shopping on the Rialto in Renaissance Venice’ by Antonia Gatward Cevizli was enjoyed by 165 members and guests. Her slides were of the highest quality and added to our appreciation of the artefacts referred to.

Lecture Feedback    We have a re-designed letter to send out after each lecture asking you to go to the website to record your views. We know that, previously, there has been difficulty accessing the right page on the website depending on which device you were using. Hopefully we have this sorted out and by clicking on the blue print within the Lecture Feedback Letter you will arrive immediately at the correct place. Usually we have around a third of the audience giving feedback and we would really like more to make sure we get a true reflection of your reactions to send to Head Office. Please give it a go in December. It’s totally anonymous.

Visits

11th November 2024 visit to Holland Park

Twenty-seven members visited Leighton House in Holland Park where they admired the spectacular Arab Hall and exceptional collection of Victorian Art before moving on to Sambourne House, the home of the famous late Victorian Punch Cartoonist, Edward Linley Sambourne. His house was decorated in the Aesthetic style that sought to elevate the status of furniture and furnishings as artworks in their own right. An extremely interesting and enjoyable day out was the verdict.

York Holiday – Monday 23rd September to Friday  26th September 2025

We have just finalised arrangements for our 2025 Society Holiday to York. Flyers will be available at the December meeting and booking forms available in February. In brief it comprises:

• Staying in a 4-star central York hotel with restaurant for 5 days and 4 nights at a cost of £1,055 B&B with £190 single supplement
• Price includes 1 hotel dinner, 1 local dinner, 1 lunch, 1 tea

Chair’s October Newsletter 2024

We start our 27th Year with two hundred and thirty-nine members. Welcome back to our longstanding members and hello to the ten new members who joined during the summer recess. The committee wear name badges and are always keen to have a chat, especially to new members, so please introduce yourselves. I hope you will all enjoy the programme of lectures and visits the committee has created for the coming year. Your new pink membership cards will be ready to pick up as you sign in at the Welcome Desk in November and at subsequent meetings.

AGM

The AGM before the October lecture went very smoothly and was concluded quickly thanks to the information of proposers and seconders being shown on the large screens. Jenny Falcon was voted onto the committee in the new role of Assistant Secretary and John Flood as manager of IT and Website. The remaining members of the committee are the same as last year. Simon Flood was thanked for agreeing to manage the Fire Warden Rota for the coming year.

LECTURE

The excellent opening lecture, appreciated by 162 members and 7 guests, was ‘The History of American Art in 25 iconic Works’ by Dr Marie-Anne Mancio who gave a lively, enthusiastic and most informative presentation of American Art from before Independence to the present day. The lecture would have been classed as outstanding had the lecturer not run over time in her enthusiasm, leaving insufficient time for questions. We have suggested perhaps 20 works of art might be more realistic in an hour’s lecture.

VISITS

17th October. The visit to the Henry Moore Foundation started with a guided tour of Hoglands, the home of Henry and Irena Moore with its wonderful art collection. After lunch in the Rosy Lea Café the group enjoyed a guided tour of Henry Moore’s studio and the gardens. It was interesting to hear that their daughter who now lives in America takes an active interest and visits once a year to ensure everything is kept in pristine condition.

11th November. The trip to Leighton House and Sambourne House London is fully subscribed. Why not join the waiting list for last minute availability.

May 2025. The visit to Madrid and Toledo has been cancelled due to insufficient numbers which is a disappointment after the hard work our holiday coordinator Josphine Allen put into the initial planning. However, undaunted, she is now investigating a venue for our 2025 holiday closer to home that we will let you know about after our Committee Meeting in late November.

YOUNG ART

We use part of your subscription money to fund our Young Arts projects, giving local young people an enjoyment and experience of the arts that would not generally be provided due to restricted budgets.

Earlier in the Year TASA awarded Dr Challoner’s School £250 to use in a creative way to celebrate their 400th anniversary. I thought you would like to see the report they have posted on their Facebook page which acknowledges our contribution. I’m sure this is a project the boys will remember for the rest of their lives.

400 clay fish are now swimming through the centre of Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham. Students and staff have created the 40 metre art installation over the past year. The stream meanders through the grassy quad at the heart of the school and represents the flow of knowledge over the past 400 years. The school was founded in 1624, and this is a visual marker to celebrate our 400th anniversary.

The first clay was rolled by Year 7 and 8 students in January. Since then many members of the school community have been involved. The fish have been glazed in different designs in the colours of our school crest (navy, blue, gold and white) and we finally installed them this September. 

The fish also highlight the importance of the chalk streams in the Chilterns including the River Misbourne which flows behind the original school. If you look closely at some sections of the river, you can see schools of small, darting fish, which take you by surprise and you can easily miss them. The shape of our fish is inspired by trout and pike although the markings are very different. The installation will remain in place until later this term. We would like to thank The Art Society Amersham whose support enabled us to buy the clay.

NEXT LECTURE

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday November 7th from 7pm onwards for coffee and biscuits before our lecture ‘Shopping on the Rialto in Renaissance Venice’ by Antonia Gatward Cevizli. In the coffee lounge don’t forget to look at the two ever changing notice boards. If you are involved in any Arts related venture such as a choir, art show or theatrical performance we will be happy to promote it via posters on our notice boards. Just hand them over at the meeting to any committee member. From about 7.45 when the kitchen closes, we show an informative slide show, different every month, on the large screens.

Guests are always welcome [fee £8]

Best wishes

Anne Hogbin Chair TASA

Chair’s July 2024 Newsletter

We say farewell to another season of The Arts Society Amersham but there are still a few opportunities itemised below that I hope will be of interest to you and reports from the last two  outings.

Madrid and Toledo 7th to 11th April 2025

Don't delay in booking our Society holiday as deposits are required very soon in order to secure flights at current advantageous prices. The rather high deposit (£500 per person), which is fully refundable in the event of the trip not happening, is demanded by the airline. We need around 30 members to make it viable and currently we have not quite reached that number. Why not come? It’s door-to-door service from the Tesco lay-by – so no hassle getting to and from Heathrow. The flights are at sensible times so no setting alarms for the early hours.  The itinerary is very interesting and we have a lecture on Sorolla just a week before you will visit his house. This holiday is tried and tested and has been very much enjoyed by several Arts Societies in the last couple of years. Booking forms and   all information are in the DOCUMENTS section of the website. 

Visits to the Henry Moore Foundation on 17th October 2024 and Leighton House & Sambourne House  on 11th November 2025

A few spaces remain on both trips. Booking is via the forms in the DOCUMENTS section of our website or at the next meeting on October 3rd – if places are still available by then. The Henry Moore trip date is different from shown on your Membership Card due to venue availability.

Chiltern Hills Area Special Interest Day 17th October 2024

Following coffee and biscuits on the banks of the River Misbourne there will be a guided historical tour of Old Amersham followed by time at Amersham Museum to see their newly acquired artworks. This Special Interest Day is being run by the Chiltern Hills Area Team for all the Arts Societies in the group. The application form is in the DOCUMENTS section of our website. 

Amersham Museum Art Day 1st August 2024

There are currently six paintings displayed at the museum by the Austrian émigré expressionist artist Marie-Louise von Motesiczky, a one-time resident of Chestnut Lane, Chesham Bois who also had a house in Hampstead. Accompanied throughout by a knowledgeable guide, the day starts in Amersham Museum looking at its exhibition, then taking a train to Hampstead Museum to see the special exhibition of her work there. (Full details and application form to be found on Amersham Museum’s website) 

Report of TASA visit to Jane Austin’s House and Gilbert White’s House 8th July 2024

Our visit started with delicious coffee and cake at Jane Austin’s brother’s house in the pretty Hampshire village of Clandon before moving on to Jane’s house and garden nearby where she wrote six of her novels. We stepped back in time to explore the rooms where she lived and wrote, still decorated with her own furniture, pictures and artefacts. A short ride took us to Selborne Village where after lunch we visited the family house and garden of Gilbert White, an eminent eighteenth-century naturalist whose books and collection of insect specimens are housed there. The upper floor of the house retains artefacts belonging to the British Antarctic explorers Frank and Lawrence Oates, a surprising bonus to the day’s visit. 

Report on TASA visit to Chequers on 10th July 2024

Thirty-three members and guests of the Society travelled by coach to the Prime Minister’s country retreat on a cool overcast mid-July morning. Arriving at the fortified main gates we were greeted by armed police, our coach was thoroughly searched and our identities checked, after which we were escorted to the main door of the house. There we were greeted by the head housekeeper and from that point on we were honoured guests – nothing was too much trouble for the staff. After coffee, (hot milk or cold milk, china service, biscuits!) we were divided into groups for our tour. 

One group visited the gardens with the head gardener who explained the running of the estate and how she and her one assistant managed to supply the house with vegetables, fruit and flowers. We saw various trees planted by the many famous and powerful visitors. Our visit to the gardens ended on the terrace where our guide explained her plans for a garden which, whilst British in nature, would thrive in the climate of the future. 

The indoor visit took us through the principle rooms where the history of the house was explained from its Tudor origins to the present day. We saw where our Prime Ministers have worked in the Cabinet Room and relaxed in the comfort of the Long Gallery. The artworks and memorabilia were explained and discussed with enthusiasm.  After a glass of champagne, we were treated to a truly exceptional lunch in the main dining room where visiting dignitaries and Prime Ministers’ families routinely dine.  

Our visit ended with a group photograph at the main entrance – the only one allowed. We came away informed and entertained – what a privileged experience! And the staff told us that they had very much enjoyed the company of such a pleasant, knowledgeable and enthusiastic group. 

Report of TASA lecture on 4th July 2024

Our final lecture of the season, attended by 137 members and guests, was ‘Latin American Art’ by Daniela Galen. Although undoubtedly very knowledgeable, she spoke very quickly which made listening and absorbing information difficult and the theories behind each artist’s work were lost in the speed of delivery. Most members found the lecture too esoteric and unsuited to a general Arts Society audience with little previous knowledge of the subject, but several members who spoke Spanish and already had a grounding in the subject found the lecture outstanding. 

Thank you for your support at lectures this year where there has never been fewer than 130 members and guests present – and for the Christmas lecture we had a record 197!

In the last few weeks we have been very pleased (relieved!) to welcome John Flood to the Committee to manage our IT and website and Jenny Falcon who has brought along her talents as Assistant Secretary. Many thanks too to all our volunteers and to members who signed up during July to join the Fire Duty rota, Refreshments Team and to staff the Welcome Desk next season. You will be contacted in due course when it’s your turn to be on duty.  

Enjoy the sunshine! Your renewal form will be with you and on the website at the end of August/start of September and I look forward to seeing you again on  3rd October 2024 for our AGM followed by our first lecture of the new season – “Shopping on the Rialto in Renaissance Venice” by Antonia Gatward Cevizli. 

The news many of you have been waiting for…..the Brochure and Booking Form for our society holiday 7-11 April next year to Madrid and Toledo are now on the website and will be available as a paper copy if you prefer on July 4th at our meeting. You will, I’m sure, be very pleased to know Josephine Allen who is managing the trip has also arranged coach travel between Amersham and Heathrow and flights at sociable hours. Places need to be secured with a deposit by the end of July on a first come first served basis.

Future Day Visits

Your membership card shows there are three more visits you can join this year

Monday 8th July to Jane Austin’s House and Gilbert White’s House- this will be a delightful day out in Hampshire. The booking form is on the website a few places remain or book on July 4th at the meeting.

Tuesday 15 October to the Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire.

Monday 11th November a visit to two London Houses.

Thursday 4th July to Chequers- trip full.

Lectures In June we enjoyed a very good lecture about stained glass in the City of London. The Committee values the feedback comments you fill in on the website for us to amalgamate to pass on to The Centre [head office]. In turn they use them to ensure the standards of their accredited lecturers remains as high as possible. There was an unusually wide range of reactions to this lecture ranging from outstanding to poor. Whilst everyone agreed the lecturer had expert knowledge and enthusiasm, many felt that although enjoyable and informative, too much information was covered at too fast a pace and the detail was difficult to see in many of the slides.

July 4th Latin American Art by Daniela Golan who is a Columbian artist and art historian.

Please make every effort to come It’s the last meeting of this season, then a break until October. What a busy day it will be what with going to vote in the General Election and for thirty of our members a visit to Chequers, maybe the day before the removal vans arrive!

We wouldn’t be such a successful society without our wonderful committee men and women and the teams of volunteers who work with them. We would now really appreciate a spare pair of hands to join us. Our meetings take place in the morning around every 6-8 weeks. No need to take a major roll but a basic ability to use email/whats app and create a word document is helpful as we try not to use too much paper these days. Please call/email me or speak to any committee member before the meeting on July 4th to chat it over. No previous committee experience needed.

Best wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair TASA

Lectures

Our May lecture celebrating the National Gallery’s bicentenary by Simon Whitehouse was outstanding. Thankyou to the 90 members who filled in the online feedback form to help the committee come to this decision which we have to feed back to The Centre. Echoed throughout was the view ‘An exceptional lecture, with the finest slides we’ve seen’. In response to several of your requests the Visits Group are  hoping to arrange a trip to the National Gallery trip next year with Simon as our guide.

We’re now looking forward tour next lecture on 6th June when Anna Warrillow will  talk about 2000 years of history within the City of London, illustrated through its stained glass windows. Our last month’s lecturer Simon is a fellow blue badge guide and good friend of Anna and says we’re in for a treat. As usual your guests are most welcome for an £8.00 visitors’ fee.

Help needed on Lecture nights.

At the June Meeting the Welcome desk and the worktop in the kitchen will both have a sheet of paper and pen for you to sign up to help in their rotas, We are very grateful to the faithful band of ladies and gents who have helped this year but new recruits would be welcomed for the occasional stint. [You can sign both!]

Visits

Thursday May 9th to Compton Verney in Oxfordshire was very much enjoyed.

Tuesday 11th June to Penshurst Place and All Saints Church Tudely.  A few places still available. You are welcome to bring non members to fill the coach at this stage. Contact the Visits Secretary Anne Webb the Visits Secretary or myself.

Monday 8th July to Jane Austin’s House and Gilbert White’s House in Hampshire. Details and booking forms as usual in the website]s documents section and also at the Booking Table outside the coffee lounge.

Wednesday 10th July to Chequers with a champagne reception and  lunch. Trip full.

Holidays We’re just back from a great holiday in Liverpool with Beatles songs ringing in our ears. On the way up we stopped at the National Memorial Arboretum, which if you haven’t been is  a ‘must’. We had a wonderful blue badge guide Harriet with us on most days who was a mine of interesting information and loved every inch of the city [and its football team!] Thanks to Josephine Allan who masterminded the trip brilliantly.

Onto next year-  Madrid and Toledo will be 7th -11th April 2025 with coach travel to and from Heathrow and conveniently timed flights. We hope to have the finalised itinerary and pricing mid June when we will put full details and the booking form on the website and have them available in hard copy at the July meeting.

Advance Planning  We are looking for a couple of new committee members to join our team from October in supporting roles. Meetings are about every 6 weeks and we rotate the days of the week they are held realising Committee members may have regular commitments elsewhere. Please have a think about it and give me a call in confidence to find out more or speak to any committee member you bump into in the coffee lounge.  We’d love to get some of our post Covid members to come on board, but equally value those who have been with us for longer. All jobs can be done equally by men or ladies.

With Very Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair.

Chequers Visit- Wednesday July 10th. The thirty members who have expressed interest in this unique opportunity will hear directly via email from Anne Webb in the next week with full details. We hope the allocated date will suit most people who wish to go. If anyone else would like to join the group, please let Anne know as soon as possible. annewebb120@gmail.com

Lectures. Our April Lecture about the Royal School of Needlework by its chief executive Susan Kay-Williams attracted an audience of 160 members and guests. The general view was that  it was an excellent lecture, delivered by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic speaker, but that her slides were somewhat disappointing and needed reassessing to enhance them using modern techniques and increased to include close up views of the intricate stitching on garments. Thanks to Simon and his team of fire wardens for keeping us safe.

Visits

Following a very enjoyable visit to Kent to see Restoration House and Rochester Cathedral earlier this month we are now taking names for members to join the next two trips.

Thursday May 9th to Compton Verney in Oxfordshire.

Tuesday 11th June to Penshurst Place and All Saints Church Tudely where the story goes that following the death of the daughter of the Lord and Lady of the Manor in a sailing accident in 1953 her parents commissioned Marc Chagall to design a stained glass window in her honour. When he arrived he was very taken with the little church and said ‘C’est magnifique! Je les ferais tous’ and made stained glass designs for the 11 remaining windows in watercolours, then  had them made at his workshop in Reims and luckily managed their installation before his death in 1985.

Further details and booking forms are on the website or at the booking table by the coffee lounge at our next meeting.

Holidays

Liverpool 13th -17th May 2024. Everyone going on this year’s holiday will receive full details of the Itinerary and any other relevant paperwork at the start of next week from Heritage Travel who run the trip on our behalf. Hopefully we’ll have warmer and drier  weather by then.

Madrid and Toledo will 7th -11th April 2025 with conveniently timed flights from Heathrow, so be sure to reserve those dates in your diaries. Planning is well under way with our specialist agent Heritage Travel and we’re expecting full details by June. More details when I have them.

Website Workshop

Our Society hosted a very successful afternoon session last week in the Band Hall on Rectory Hill led by Kevin Mc.Carthy our website developer which was attended by  twenty six Arts Society members from twelve local societies and the Area Team.  We all found it very helpful and left enthused by the discussions and new ideas. Particular thanks to Amersham Probus Club for the loan of their digital projector and our Social Secretary Helen for providing refreshments.

Finally

I look forward to seeing you next week, 2nd May, when Simon Whitehouse will talk about the National Gallery’s bicentenary and some of the world’s greatest paintings housed there. As usual your guests are most welcome for an £8.00 visitors’ fee.

Best wishes

Anne Hogbin

Chair  www.theartssocietyamersham.org.uk

Chair’s March Newsletter

 Another record broken! Our March lecture on Art Deco attracted the largest audience ever - 196 members and guests - who enjoyed the excellent lecture on Art Deco by Pamela Campbell-Johnston. Thank you to everyone for your support in making us a very successful Arts Society and to Clare O’Driscoll and Helen Tippins who so effectively devise our lecture programme and look after the lecturer on the night.

I hope you have all enjoyed reading the Spring issue of the Arts Magazine which opens the window onto the national and international world of the arts as well as showcasing the work of individual societies. However, behind the scenes there is a major reform proposed concerned with the way the Arts Society is governed which you will hear about in the coming months although we are assured individual societies and their members should not notice any difference. I will try to condense it into the major points.

·       The Arts Society is a charity and charities are increasingly being held to account to prove their charitable status in order to retain the benefits this brings.

·       Currently all Arts Society trustees are members of an individual Arts Society. Each individual society throughout the world has one vote at the AGM on any trustee proposals and whether to accept the accounts. In modern governance terms this could be viewed as a conflict of interest between the wishes of individual societies and the objectives of the Arts Society as an international organisation in pursuing its charitable aims of bringing more art to more people with an emphasis on inclusion and diversity.

·       The Governance Reform Proposal is to move to a wholly appointed trustee board, recruited on the open market to appoint those with the required skill set needed to meet the strategic aim of bringing the arts to a wider audience as befits an international charity with just three places [a minority] allocated to trustees representing Arts Society members.

·       The current Articles would be reformed to allow the Trustee board to hold their own AGM and individual societies would no longer vote on the strategic direction of The Arts Society or how their affiliation fees are spent.

A representative of the current Trustee Board came to the Area Chairs’ forum a few weeks ago and you can imagine the lively discussion that ensued. The feeling was [which reflects my own views] that the Chairs in this area whilst approving of modernisation, the requirements of the charity commissioners and the wider international aims of The Arts Society, individual societies are at the heart of the Arts Society and the majority of trustees should reflect that. The proposed trustee structure would shut out their voice. Members of the Arts Society with the relevant skills sets required should be able to have an equal opportunity for appointment as those found through open recruitment advertising. Outside specialists could be co-opted to the Trustee Board for their particular skills if needed. Reform can be managed without altering the current Articles.

Individual Chairs were asked to submit their views and an EGM is shortly taking place to vote on the proposed changes.

Visits – bookable at our April Lecture or online.

·       Thursday 9th May. Compton Verney– a few places remain.

·       Tuesday 11th June. Penshurst Place and  All Saints Church Tudely famous for its 12 Marc Chagall stained glass windows

I look forward to seeing you at our next lecture on Thursday April 4th to find out about the history of the Royal School of Needlework from its chief executive based at Hampton Court, Susan Kay-Williams. The school is now over 150 years old and has created garments for every royal occasion from coronations to funerals by ‘using a needle to create art’.

With very best wishes

Anne Hogbin Chair TASA.

Members who came in record numbers to our February meeting were rewarded by an informative and very well researched lecture about English Delftware pots and the poisons they contained by Briony Hudson the director of Amersham Museum who is also an experienced Arts Society lecturer. 

May 13th to 17th  Holiday to Liverpool   Sold Out

We are delighted that this trip is fully booked which after the success of Cardiff last year is no surprise. Thankyou to Josephine Allen for her superb organizing and I know she’s now busy working on arranging next year’s holiday which is rumoured to be further afield.   

Membership

We held our second annual New Members’ Social Evening in January which was very well attended and both the Committee and new members knew each other much better by the end. Hopefully events like this enable our society to be the friendly place we all value. Thankyou to our Social Secretary Helen Morgan for arranging the delicious nibbles and arranging for there to be plenty of wine and soft drinks available and to Anne Webb who again created a lovely floral display to set off the table so elegantly. 

Local - Special Interest Day

Tuesday 5th March at Chalfont St Peter Community Centre at 10 a.m. Cost £38.

Chalfont Fine Arts Society invites our members to join them in find out during 3 lectures‘ What you didn’t know about Passports’ There will be a hot lunch with wine or soft drinks included. Contact their chair Jane Mackie 01494 264702 for more details. 

National

Part of your membership fee goes to The Centre [head office] who use it to pay for your Arts Society Magazine 3x a year and emails of interest. The latest was about Australian Aboriginal Art which I’ve heard several members with family in Australia found particularly interesting. If you haven’t received this in the last few weeks do let us know. The Arts Society website itself is worth a browse if you have a spare half hour. It’s packed with interesting articles and opportunities. 

Fire Regulations at The King’s Church

Thankyou to the first cast of four fire wardens under the management of Simon Flood who kept us safe at the last meeting. If you signed the list to help in this area, Simon will be in contact with you in good time when your turn arrives. 

Young Art   

The Amersham School

We were pleased this month to give a £250 grant from The Arts Society Amersham towards the staging of the school’s ‘We Will Rock You’ musical which is relying solely on outside funding to produce. Parents and pupils have come together to design and make everything from costumes to scenery and from social media publicity to posters, programmes and tickets. Our award is being put towards the purchase of radio microphones and paint for the scenery. These pupils who are studying the creative arts will be learning practical skills they can carry onto further education and careers whilst taking part in an ambitious project that far exceeds any school budget. 

Website workshop Thursday April 18th at 2.30 at The Band Hall Rectory Hill

We’d like to invite any of our members to come out of general curiosity at a cost of £5 each. [There’s no hidden agenda here - we just need help to defray the cost of the hall.] Just let me know. You’ll be most welcome. No prior knowledge about websites is needed. The majority of our committee will be there.

The workshop is being led by Kevin McCarthy who is the designer and manager of most Arts Society Websites nationally including ours and it is being part-funded by Area to enable each Arts Society in our Chiltern Hills Area to send up to 2 members for free. I understand however that it will also be of interest to anyone not using this particular company and will cover topics such as future trends and how to get visitors to use your site as well as the key elements of designing and managing an interesting website.  

With Very Best Wishes

Anne Hogbin Chair TASA – contact details on membership card.

I hope the New Year has started well for you despite the extreme cold, high winds and days of rain. I noticed the first snowdrop last week at Cliveden and daffodils bravely nodding in the grass verge in Little Chalfont so Spring’s on the way.

Next Meeting  Our first meeting is next week on February 1st when Briony Hudson the director of Amersham Museum and a well-respected Arts Society lecturer will talk about English Delftware pots and the poisons they held, drawing on knowledge gained whilst director of the Royal College of Surgeons Museum and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum.

Visits  We are delighted that Jenny West and Susan Russell have joined the Visits Team. It’s great to have the extra help to arrange the trips which so many members enjoy.

 April 11th Rochester Cathedral and Restoration House Booking opens at the February meeting. The booking table is by the entrance to the coffee lounge. It helps [but not essential] if you print off the booking form from the DOCUMENTS section of our website and bring it completed to the meeting. Alternatively, you can email it to the visits team.

****Please note the advice on the Restoration House website is ‘Regrettably neither the house nor garden are currently suitable for wheelchair users’

Membership We are holding a New Members Evening this Tuesday, following the success of last year’s event. The committee is looking forward to chatting to recently joined members over a drink and nibbles and hearing both what they have enjoyed and their suggestions for making our society even more inclusive and enjoyable.

Holiday to Liverpool May 13th to 17th   We are delighted that 25 members have signed up to come. There is still time for recently joined members to join in and full details can be found in the DOCUMENTS section of our website.

Fire Regulations at The King’s Church  We are most grateful that Simon Flood has volunteered to coordinate the monthly Fire Rota. Thankyou to everyone who signed up to help at the last meeting as this allows it to become a not a too onerous task.

Young Art- Theatre Shed  In recent years The Arts Society has asked local societies to broaden their lectures and support to include the creative arts as well as fine art. That is why we are particularly pleased with the diversity of our Young Arts programme. In December we gave £250 to Theatre Shed based in Chesham towards their production of Peter Pan. This group particularly focuses on bringing enjoyment of the arts to young people who have physical and mental disabilities, helping them through creative expression to mix on equal terms with the rest of the cast, fostering confidence and self-expression.

Website  I’d be very pleased if you could email me any comments you have about the website- positive or negative. Anything you would like changed?  Anything annoy you? Any difficulties you encounter using it?  What else would you like to see included? Comments on the post lecture feedback form. If you don’t use it why not? Anything particularly helpful to you on the website?.......

The committee is holding a website workshop at Amersham Band Hall in early March for societies in the Chiltern Hills Area as the majority have the same basic website although each society inputs their own text. The company who creates and maintains them would welcome any queries we might have and suggestions for improvement. Please don’t hold back!