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. This includes coach outings, informal coffee mornings, guided walks and the last lecture of our winter lecture series on 19 March, which follows our AGM.
Day Visit to Broadway Tower and Snowshill Manor – May 2024
Broadway Tower, the brainchild of Capability Brown, is a folly at the highest point in the Cotswolds with a viewing platform on the roof. From there, it’s a short coach ride to Snowshill Manor (NT), the unconventional home of eccentric Charles Wade, a treasure trove of quirky and curious objects. There’s also an Arts and Crafts garden laid out in a series of outdoor rooms.
Change to the Worcester Visit Itinerary: 18 June 2024
We had planned to include a visit to the Cathedral on this visit to Worcester. However, a special service is being held in Worcester Cathedral on 18 June, and the cathedral is shut to visitors. Sadly we have had to amend the visit to Worcester and miss out on the Cathedral – however we will see it, during the day, from the outside.
The Commandery
As a fascinating alternative we have been able to arrange a visit to the Worcester Commandery, a rather unique building which goes back to around1085. It was founded as an Almshouse and a Hospitality for Pilgrims by the Knights Hospitallers. There are some fascinating medieval paintings and a medieval banqueting hall, to view, from this period of usage, through to the reformation. Later it became a home to the Wylde Family, from the 1540’s and whilst in their hands the HQ for the Royalists in the Battle of Worcester 1651. It went through further changes in the last 200 years which were equally fascinating. You will be guided through the twists and turns of this building, hopefully avoiding the resident Ghost!
There is a small cafeteria where you will be able to get a bite to eat. From here we will walk through the medieval city of Worcester to Greyfriars House (NT), a 15th century timbered merchant’s house, saved from demolition in the 1930s, restored and handed to the Trust in 1966. Here you will have a further guided tour, and an opportunity for a National Trust afternoon tea.
Please note there are some old uneven stairs to climb and descend and uneven floors in the Commandery.
Our Lecture programme
Over the winter months we arrange monthly lectures, some at Magdalen College Auditorium, others via Zoom.
The final lecture of the 2023-24 season will be held in March at Magdalen Auditorium: a lecture by Dr Robert Saunders entitled The Asian Mystery: Benjamin Disraeli and the Poet in Politics. See Lectures page for further details.
