Our new programme of activities is available in the February newsletter for Members and is listed in greater detail in our Events Calendar on this website.
Planned outings to explore heritage sites include a visit to the Roman Baths and Bath in March; an outing in May to explore more Roman sites in the Cotswolds, at Cirencester’s Corinium Museum, and the Roman Villa at Chedworth; and a visit to Delapré Abbey and Parkland near Northampton in June.
We have also arranged a Guided Tour of Oxford Botanic Garden led by its Director, Professor Simon Hiscock and senior colleagues, towards the end of June; and a coach outing to enjoy a drive in the Cotswolds and a cream tea at Dobbies Garden Centre near Cirencester in late July: something for everyone’s taste, we hope!
Popular coffee mornings!
Towards the end of 2022 we started an informal coffee morning for Members on the last Tuesday of each month at the Weston Library café in Broad Street. These have grown in popularity, and we are continuing them into the summer months. Members can drop in for a chat over a cup of tea or coffee and meet friends, new and old, between 10.30 and 11.45am.
For the more energetic….
Our monthly guided walks continue, starting each time from a National Trust venue and exploring local countryside. Options of different length walks are offered, from two miles or less to around 5 miles. It’s often possible to combine the short walk with a visit to the NT property. See the Events Calendar for further details and dates.
AGM for members of Oxford Centre, followed by lecture
Our AGM will be held on Tuesday 21 March in the Auditorium at Magdalen College at 10.45am. Tea and coffee will be served in the foyer from 10.20am.
After the AGM at around 11am there will be the last lecture of the winter season: “Colonial Photographic Collections at the National Trust”. Rebekah Hodgkinson will describe her research into photographic archives and historical records to explore how the National Trust has been shaped by imperialism. This lecture is open to non-members.
Holidays for Members
In April a group of over 30 Members are visiting Plymouth by coach, staying in a city centre hotel. Visits are planned to Kingston Lacey, Buckland Abbey, Cotehele, Saltram and Killerton, all National Trust properties, many reminding us of the Tudor seafaring history of the area.
Plans are now in place for the holiday staying in Chester in October 2023, with visits on outward and return journeys, in this case Coughton Court and Wightwick Manor. During the stay in Chester we hope to see Dunham Massey, Speke Hall and Quarry Bank, as well as spending time in Liverpool at the Cathedrals and seeing parts of historic Chester.
