VISITS/TRIPS
| February 24 | The Supreme Court of the UK |
| March 1 | The Women’s Library |
| March 23 | Museum of the Order of St. John |
| April 18 | M.C.C., Lord’s Ground |
| May 3 | Museum of London |
| May 17 | Stanley Picker |
| June 6 | The Design Museum |
| July 3 | The De Morgan Centre |
| August 13 | Buckingham Palace |
| September 6 | Stanley Picker |
Friday 24 February, 11.00am
The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom,
Parliament Square, SW1P 3BD
In October 2009, the Supreme Court replaced the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the United Kingdom. Our guided tour, on a day when there are no sittings, will last approximately 50 minutes and will provide an insight into the work of the Court. After a brief welcome video, in which the President of the Supreme Court gives an overview of the Justices' work, the tour will be led by a member of staff who will be able to give examples of cases heard in the first two years of the Court’s operation. He will also explain the constitutional significance of the Court and its role in the UK justice system, and the history of the building and its refurbishment to become the home of the Court. The tour takes in the magnificent Justices' Library and the Lawyers' Suite - both of which are not generally open to the public. Download flyer here.
Max. 25 people. Meet at Wimbledon Station at 10.00 (to travel by District Line to Westminster, then a short walk); or at the Court at 10.55. Please note there are no facilities for leaving bags or coats at the court. There are lifts to all floors and a café.
This visit is now fully booked - sorry!
Thursday 1 March, 11.00
The Women’s Library, 25 Old Castle Street, E1 7NT
Special Exhibition: ‘All Work and No Pay’: this exhibition presents previously unseen documents, images, films and artefacts, illustrating campaigns for equal pay and fair working conditions for women. It features tales of women who strove to make working lives fairer and more pleasant for themselves, their colleagues and those who followed in their wake; including the 1968 Ford strike. In addition, we will be given a brief introduction to the Women’s Library, and the opportunity to handle the Library’s collection of books, newsletters, leaflets and badges referring to women’s activism in the 70s and 80s and the dramatic changes in women’s lives in recent decades. Download flyer here.
Meet at Wimbledon Station at 09.45 to travel by District Line to Aldgate East (47 mins) then a 3 minute walk; or at the Library at 10.55.
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £5.00, (a donation to the Library), payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Friday 23 March, 11.15am
Museum of the Order of St. John,
St. John’s Lane, Clerkenwell EC1M 4DA
The Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem was founded in the 12th century to care for sick pilgrims who had travelled to the Holy Land. In the 1140s the Priory in Clerkenwell was set up as the English headquarters of the Order. The modern Order of St John in England, granted a Royal Charter in 1888, recognised the need for public First Aid and ambulance transport services, as no such system existed in newly industrialised England. The Museum occupies two sites in Clerkenwell: St John’s Gate, the entrance to the former Priory, and the Priory Church, with its surviving twelfth century Crypt. The Museum’s collections, presented in completely new galleries, explore all aspects of the Order’s 900 year history and include rare manuscripts, silver and armour, as well as historic First Aid equipment and memorabilia from St John’s role in the First and Second World Wars. Download flyer here.
Min. 8, max. 15. Cost to include a guided tour of approximately 1 hour. We will meet at Wimbledon Station at 09.45 to travel by FCC to Farringdon, then a 5 minute walk; or at the museum at 11.10. Please note, the crypt and the upper floor of the museum are accessible only by stairs.
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £5.00, payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW, by Friday, 24th February. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Wednesday 18 April, 11.00am
M.C.C., Lord’s Ground, NW8 8QN
This guided tour of the Home of Cricket lasts about 1½ hours. It starts in the MCC Museum and takes us through the Long Room and the Dressing Rooms to the Indoor Cricket School, as well as to other sites of interest around the ground which may be available. Download flyer here.
This will be a private tour if we have a minimum of 10 participants by Friday MARCH 2nd; otherwise we will join a public tour. Please book early! We are warned that tours sometimes have to be cancelled at very short notice. Meet at Wimbledon Station at 09.40 to travel via Waterloo and the Jubilee line to St. John’s Wood, then a 20 minute walk; or at the Information Point just inside the Grace Gate by 10.45.
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £9.00 payable to U3A Merton Social Account to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Thursday 3 May, 11.00
Museum of London, London Wall, EC2Y 5HN
Special Exhibition: “Dickens and London”: this exhibition, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Dickens birth, aims to recreate the atmosphere of Victorian London. With audio-visual presentations, paintings, photographs, costume and other objects, it examines the great social questions of the 19th century that Dickens treated, and shows how his childhood experiences of London were introduced into his stories. A film explores the similarities between London after dark today and the night time city described by Dickens over 150 years ago. Download flyer here.
Cost: £7.00 pp, minimum 10. Self-guided tour, no talk, no guide. Meet at Wimbledon Station at 09.55 to travel by District and Circle lines to Barbican (50 mins); or at the Museum by 11.00. Café beforehand!
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £7.00, payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW, by Friday 20th April. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Wednesday 6 June, 11.00am
The Design Museum, 28 Shad Thames, SE1 2YD
1. “Designs of the Year 2012”: regarded as the Oscars of the design world, this exhibition showcases the most innovative and progressive designs from around the world, spanning seven categories: Architecture, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Digital, Transport and Product.
2. “Christian Louboutin”: this exhibition presents twenty years of designs and inspiration, revealing the artistry and theatricality of his iconic shoe designs from stilettos to lace-up boots, studded sneakers and bejewelled pumps - the epitome of style, glamour, power, and elegance. Displays reveal how a shoe is constructed, from the initial drawing and first prototype through to production in the factory, and illustrate the company’s innovative store design. Download flyer here.
Min. 11, to include self-guided tour of both exhibitions. There is a café. Meet 09.40 at Wimbledon Station to travel by District line to Tower Hill (45 mins) then 10 min walk via Tower Bridge; or at the Museum by 11.00.
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £7.50, payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW, by Friday, 4th May. After this date, the price may have to increase to £11.00: please check with Bernard. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Tuesday 3 July, 11.00am
The De Morgan Centre, 38 West Hill, SW18 1RZ
The De Morgan Foundation owns an unparalleled collection of work by the late 19th and early 20th ceramicist William De Morgan and his artist wife Evelyn, who were key participants at the beginning of the Arts and Crafts Movement. William De Morgan was the most important ceramicist of the Movement and a close friend and collaborator of William Morris, and his wife Evelyn was a talented artist and symbolist painter. Together they were actively involved in a number of social movements of their day; including prison reform and women’s suffrage. The Centre has been recently refurbished to present the Foundation’s collection of over 1000 ceramics and 500 paintings and drawings. Download flyer here.
Cost includes an introductory talk by the curator. Meet at Wimbledon Station at 10.15 to travel by District line to East Putney, then a 10 minute walk, or at the Centre before 11.00. Café beforehand!
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £5.00, payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW, by Friday, 15th June. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
Monday 13 August, 12.00 noon until about 3.15pm
The State Rooms and Garden, Buckingham Palace
(Because of the Olympics, the Palace is not offering next Spring the full tour of the Gardens which we had booked in 2011 and which was cancelled because of President Obama’s visit.) This is a tour with an audio guide of the nineteen state rooms opened to visitors when the Queen makes her annual visit to Scotland. The State Rooms are lavishly furnished with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection. The audio tour, which we take at our own pace, will leave us with about 45 minutes for light refreshments in the café or to visit the shop before we are given, at 2.30pm, a 45 minute guided tour of the south side of the garden with its views of the west front of the Palace and the famous lake. Download flyer here.
Min. 15, max. 25. Please book by Friday, 1st June. Be prepared for the Palace to be crowded! Meet at Wimbledon Station at 10.50 to travel by District line to St. James’ Park (30 mins), then a 15 minute walk; or elsewhere by arrangement with Bernard.
TO BOOK please send a cheque for £22.80, payable to U3A Merton Social Account, to Bernard Collyer, 44 Durham Road, SW20 0TW, by Friday 1st June. Please include your name and phone number, and also, so that your booking can be acknowledged, an email address or a SAE. Please say where you will meet the group. Cheques will not be cashed until the minimum number for the visit is reached. For further information or with any problems please phone Bernard on 8946 6371 or on the day only 07812 726 167.
VISIT TO STANLEY PICKER TRUST 1 Warren Park, Kingston.
17 May & 6 September 2.00 for 2.25
Merton U3A members are fortunate to be able to join a Spring or Autumn visit to the Stanley Picker collection of contemporary sculpture and art. This is housed in a private gallery in the landscaped garden of Stanley Picker’s former home. The collection includes works by modern English and international artists.
The tour includes a visit to the house and the extensive garden, where a lecturer details the history and craft of the artists, whose works are displayed. There is no charge.
For further details and how to book please contact
Yva Bernard 8946 9429.
LIST OF VISITS 2009-2012
This list is meant to prompt suggestions for future visits, which Bernard always welcomes. Venues must be easily accessible by public transport (one change from Wimbledon permitted), and preferably offer a guided tour or presentation for groups that is not available for individuals.
2009
| May | The Langdon Down Trust Centre |
| June | Whitelands College at Roehampton |
| July | Fulham Palace |
| August | Broadcasting House |
| September | Linley Sambourne House |
| October | Bank of England Museum |
| October | Guildford and Clandon Park |
| November | Whitechapel Art Gallery |
2010
| February | Royal Mint |
| March | Government Art Collection |
| April | Geffrye Museum and gardens |
| June | Musical Museum Brentford |
| July | London Fire Brigade Museum |
| September | Leighton House Museum |
| October | National Theatre, Backstage |
| November | Saatchi Gallery and the National Army Museum Gallery |
2011
| February | The Foundling Museum |
| March | The Hotung Gallery at the British Museum |
| April | Kenwood |
| May | Buckingham Palace Gardens (canc) |
| May | Chiswick House and Gardens |
| June | Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition |
| July | The Hunterian Museum |
| August | 7, Hammersmith Terrace |
| September | The Palace of Westminster and The Jewel Tower |
| October | The Guildhall Art Gallery |
| November | Bank of England Museum |
2012
| February | The Supreme Court of the UK |
| March | The Women’s Library |
| March | Museum of the Order of St. John |
| April | M.C.C., Lord’s Ground |
| May | Museum of London |
| May | Stanley Picker |
| June | The Design Museum |
| July | The De Morgan Centre |
| August | Buckingham Palace |
| September | Stanley Picker |
LOCAL MUSIC, VISUAL ARTS, DRAMA, FILM, LITERATURE, SCIENCES, HISTORY.
There is a website providing information about cultural events, e.g. see below, and organisations in and around Merton, founded by one of our members.
www.wimbledonmusicdiary.com
provides a regularly updated diary of non-commercial events in and around Wimbledon. To publicise an event or organisation, free of charge, email wimbledonmusic@btinternet.com
