Two guides: the Head Gardener from Lincoln’s Inn and a Professional London Guide for Middle and Inner Temples.

Tuesday 28 July 2026, 10.30 – 15.00

Cost: £25 for members, £28 for guests

Meeting: Pear Tree Café, Lincoln’s Inn Fields

Finishing: Temple Church and Inner Temple Gardens, close to Temple Station

We shall explore centuries of history and a warren of lanes, courtyards, arches and passageways in a beautiful garden setting. In Lincoln’s Inn the head gardener, Miranda Kimberley, will give an informal talk and a tour of the gardens she cares for. Then Andrew Davies will take us on a leisurely walk through the legal district and into the nooks and crannies of Middle and Inner Temples. There is a café where we can buy lunch and then there will be an opportunity to make a self-guided visit to Temple Church and the renowned Inner Temple Garden.

TO BOOK: please send an email to rosemarythornes@yahoo.co.uk

A Private Walking Tour with a guide

Friday 19 June 2026, 10.30 – 12.30

Cost: £15 for members, £18 for guests

Meeting place and also finishing point:  Cannon Street Station

Discover the City of London’s extraordinary spires, with Rick Jones, art historian and Blue Badge guide. After the devastating Great Fire of 1666, Sir Christopher Wren worked on rebuilding the city, a task that included 51 City churches. On this walk we shall explore five of them*, along with others that have fascinating stories of their own. Rick will show us fan vaulting, Bow bells, a Mediterranean courtyard, a sermon timer and a mighty organ beneath Wren’s most beautiful dome.

*St Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane; St Mary-le-Bow, Bow Lane; St Vedast, Foster Lane; St Lawrence Jewry, Gresham Street; and St Stephen Walbrook.

TO BOOK: please email rosemarythornes@yahoo.co.uk

Twelve stained glass windows at All Saints’ Church, the gift of the Russian artist Marc Chagall

A historic  Livery Company of the City of London

Friday 13 March 2026, 10.30 – 13.00

Lecture and tour, including tea or coffee.

Cost: £8 for members, £13 for non-members

The Drapers’ Company is one of the 113 livery companies of the City of London. Founded in the Middle Ages, it is considered one of the 12 most historic companies. The Hall includes four finely decorated main rooms used for the Company's functions.  The interior is magnificent, from the elegant staircase, to the ceremonial rooms on the first floor, to the small courtyard and gardens.

Originally, the organisation was a trade association of wool and cloth merchants which met informally as early as 1180. The first (Lord) Mayor of London in 1189, Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone, is believed to have been a Draper. The guild was formally founded in 1361 and received a Royal Charter three years later. It was incorporated as a company under a Royal Charter in 1438 and was the first corporate body to be granted a coat of arms. Today, the Company operates as a charitable, ceremonial and educational institution.

WALLACE COLLECTION

Private tour of selected European old master pictures of the same era as Caravaggio’s Cupid

When: Thursday 22 January 2026, 11.00 - 12.30

Where: Hertford House, Manchester Square W1U 3BN

Cost: £18 for members, £23 for guests

Many of us have visited the Wallace Collection and have come away with recollections of a lovely house packed with many beautiful objects, but with few memories of detailed items. To counteract this, we have booked a private tour of their fine art collection, concentrating on old masters from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Our aim is to complement their special exhibition of Caravaggio's Cupid by setting it in the wider context of art in Europe at the time.

The Cupid painting, Amor Vincit Omnia (1602), is on short-term loan from Berlin. Before our tour starts at 11.30, we shall view the special exhibition in small groups in the Exhibition Gallery. This exhibition has been designed to recreate the spirit of the Giustiniani Palace in 17th century Rome where this picture, other masterpieces and classical sculptures were s

Private tour, including tea or coffee 

11.00 - 13.00 

Spencer House is a rare survivor of the great aristocratic town houses that once adorned London. Built in 1756-66 for the First Lord and Lady Spencer in a prime location overlooking Green Park, the house immediately became an important architectural landmark whilst the spectacular suite of State Rooms has played host to the social, political and cultural elite of each generation. We shall join a Blue Badge guide for a tour of the eight State Rooms and learn more about the history of the house and its famous occupants over the years.

Cost: £29 for members, £34 for non-members

We shall take a private guided tour of the National Theatre and discover the secrets of one of the most iconic buildings on the South Bank. Led by one of the theatre’s expert guides, our 75 minutes tour will provide a journey behind the scenes to see what’s being made in the on-site carpentry, props and scenic painting workshops. Since this is a busy working theatre, each tour is unique, varying according to what is available on the day.

There are many cafes nearby to buy lunch after our visit.

Time    11.00 - 12.15 

Cost     £20 for members, £25 for guests

  Tuesday 8 July 2025 11am to noon  (ref: VISIT CPG)

Cost £18.
Meeting place: Main entrance at 10.45. 

There is a café/restaurant in the Garden where we can have lunch after our tour. 

The Garden was established in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries as an outdoor classroom to train their apprentices. For the last 350 years it has been evolving with the world around it. Today, as a four acre green space in the heart of London, it contributes to the city’s biodiversity and provides a space for people to connect with nature. It is the only botanic garden collection focusing entirely on medicinal, herbal and useful plants and forms a living library of 4,500 species, illustrating the vital importance of plants in every aspects of our lives.

The Arts Society Greenwich cannot be held responsible for any personal accident, loss, damage or theft of members’ personal property. Members are covered against personal liability to third parties.

If you cannot come on the day, please contact Rosemary Thornes on 07713 256193.

Reference for this outing: VISIT SPF

Please hand this booking form to the Visits Desk with your payment; or copy and attach it to an email to rosemarythornes@yahoo.co.uk

* For BACS payment: The Arts Society Greenwich, Sort Code: 20-49-81, Account Number: 00549452. For reference put the Visit Code followed by your surname.

Follow-up to our May lecture on the Huguenots

Cost £15. We shall suggest restaurants/cafes for a leisurely lunch and chat after the walk; participants will pay for this themselves.

Meeting place, Liverpool St Station at 10.50am. Further details to follow.

This visit follows the lecture given by Sue Jackson on 12 May ‘The Huguenot Silk Weavers of Spitalfields’. We shall do a leisurely 2 hour walk led by Andrew Davies, an Art Society lecturer and experienced London guide. We shall explore not only the Huguenot connection, but also more recent immigrants, the breweries, markets, history and architecture of the district. By lunchtime, we should have a good knowledge of the spread of the City of London and will have built up a picture of the area today.

Reference for this outing: VISIT SPF

KING’S CROSS REDEVELOPMENT

Thursday 10 April 2025 11.30 to 4.00

Cost £20. A restaurant/cafe will be proposed for a leisurely lunch and chat between the visits. Participants will pay for this themselves.

Over the past 20 years, this underused industrial site has been transformed with new streets, squares and parks, offices, homes, galleries, restaurants, and even a university. There is a lot to see and our visit will include a short walk (10 to 15 minutes) to get an overview of the development.

At 11.30 we will have a private guided tour of the AGA KHAN CENTRE, 10 Handyside Street, N1C 4DN, a place of education, knowledge, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim civilisations. It was conceived as an academic centre with places for students, scholars and staff to share ideas and work together in flexible teaching spaces and quiet research areas. Our guide will explain the architecture and interior planning by a contemporary Japanese architect, Fumihiko Maki. We will see art installations and several incorporated gardens, courtyards and terraces that provide an insight into the diversity of Islamic landscape design. The top floor also provides an excellent viewpoint for the King’s Cross Development Area.

After lunch we will trace the extraordinary history of this area on a walking tour with a London guide. We shall step inside a Victorian gasholder, marvel at Thomas Heatherwick’s Kissing Roof over the coalsheds, stroll along the canal and admire the facilities of the new university. 

The Arts Society Greenwich cannot be held responsible for any personal accident, loss, damage or theft of members’ personal property. Members are covered against personal liability to third parties.

If you wish to attend only part of the programme, please inform Rosemary Thornes at the time of booking; the cost will remain the same at £20. If you cannot come on the day, please contact Rosemary Thornes on 07713 256 193.

Please hand this booking form to the Visits Desk with your payment or copy and email it to rosemarythornes@yahoo.co.uk

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

BOOKING FORM: KING’S CROSS REDEVELOPMENT 10 APRIL 2025

Name(s)                                                                      No. of places

Email                                                                           Phone

Tick method of payment                                              Card               BACS*

Emergency contact (name and phone)

*Name: The Arts Society Greenwich, Sort Code: 20-49-81, Account Number: 00549452

For reference, put your surname followed by VISIT KGX

TO SEE: ‘Goya to Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Oscar Reinhart Collection’

12.30 pm to 1.30 pm 

Cost £15. Following the organised visit, there is an opportunity to have lunch in the courtyard. Our tickets also allow us to stay longer and explore the Public Galleries.

Meeting place, The Courtauld at 12 noon. Further details to follow.

This outing is a pilot for the Art Society Greenwich: a visit to an important exhibition at a major London art institution for a small group. We are calling it an ‘Exhibition Visit Together’ and have 8 tickets available.

This exhibition provides a unique opportunity to see some of the masterpieces from the Oscar Reinhart Collection, which is normally housed in Switzerland. It opens with a group of major paintings by artists who preceded the Impressionists, including Goya’s Still Life with Three Salmon Steaks (c.1808-12), Géricault’s A Man Suffering from Delusions of Military Rank (c.1819-22) and Courbet’s The Hammock (1844). At the heart of the exhibition will be some of the greatest paintings of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, including Toulouse-Lautrec’s striking representation of the female performer The Clown Cha-U-Kao (1895), Manet’s depiction of modern life Au Café (1878), and a group of sensational works by Renoir and Cezanne.  A further highlight is the pair of  paintings by Van Gogh, A Ward in the Hospital at Arles and The Courtyard of the Hospital at Arles (1889), which illustrate where he was a patient following his mental breakdown and the mutilation of his ear, as seen in Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear in The Courtauld’s own collection.

Reference for this outing: VISIT CTD

DUE TO THE RAIL STRIKE ON 7 MAY THIS VISIT HAS BEEN REARRANGED TO TUESDAY 23 JULY 2024.  

Andrew Davies has agreed to lead us to the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow on Tuesday 23 July.  We plan to meet Andrew at 11.15 am at Walthamstow Central station, having travelled there by surface train (via Victoria mainline station is probably the easiest) and then the Victoria line underground.  Walthamstow Central is the last station on the Victoria line. 

Andrew will lead us on a gentle stroll through delightful Walthamstow Village, one of London’s most unexpected delights – full of Tudor and Georgian treasures.  The walk will last a pleasant hour and will take us to the William Morris Gallery where Andrew will provide an introductory talk and handouts, before a free-flow tour that will begin at around 12.30 pm.  There is a charming little café in the Gallery, where we can have lunch after the tour.

At the end of the visit we are on Forest Road where London Transport buses can whisk us straight down to Blackhorse Road or Tottenham Hale stations on the Victoria line.

COST: £15   20 PLACES

Set in 18th century Grade 1 listed alms houses, this Museum explores the changes in home- making from 1600 to the present day.  Our homes and gardens express our identity.  This is demonstrated by a series of rooms and gardens through the ages.  For instance: from changes in how we keep our homes clean (including getting rid of bed bugs and cleaning carpets with oxen gallbladders) to the role of servants, inventions, concepts of comfort, lighting, furniture, gender roles and so on. 

As this is the Festive Season each room will be decorated in the style appropriate to the time.

This museum was formerly known as the Geffrye Museum.  It was closed for an £18  million refurbishment and reopened as The Museum of the Home in 2021. 

This is a SELF GUIDED TOUR.  Pick up a free Welcome Guide from the front desk.  MEET AT THE FRONT DESK AT 12 NOON.

The Museum entrance is opposite Hoxton Station (London Overground) on Geffryre St and provides step-free access from trains to Museum. 

(There is café at the Museum but there are various eating opportunities nearby).

FREE (you may choose to leave a donation) BUT YOU NEED TO BOOK

15 places BOOK EARLY

Edward Linley Sambourne (1844-1910), an acclaimed illustrator (e.g. Punch, Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies) and photographer moved here with his family and redecorated in the aesthetic style. After his death and that of his wife the interiors were largely preserved. Aestheticism was a reaction against mass production and sought to elevate the status of furniture and furnishings as artworks in their own right. It provides an insight into upper middle class living in Victorian society.

This is a one and a half hour GUIDED TOUR. THE HOUSE IS BEING OPENED ESPECIALLY FOR US ON THIS DATE.

Meet at 10.50am in Reception at 18 Stafford Terrace, W8 7BH

A 5 min walk from High St Kensington tube station.

Sambourne House does not have step free access. Folding stools are available.

Cost: £25 (members), £28 (non-members)

15 places BOOK EARLY

Explore the area around London’s great northern termini and unlock the secrets of the area’s history with Diane Burnstein. Once a notorious red light district the area has undergone a transformation which is still ongoing. Two Victorian railway stations, the gothic splendour of the old Midland Grand Hotel, industrial buildings, regeneration projects, a German gymnasium, film locations, arts venues, a canal side walkway and literary connections all feature. The walk will not be strenuous. The area is well served by cafes and loos.

This is a 2hr GUIDED WALK.

Meet at 11.15 next to the Meeting Place sculpture of a couple embracing under the clock on the upper concourse of St. Pancras Station.  There is a lift to the upper concourse.

Cost: £20 (members), £25 (non-members)

On-line bank transfer to Barclays Bank PLC: sort code 20-49-81; Account No. 00549452. Reference: please include your surname and KX for identification.  This is important to enable us to register your payment.

Cheques made out to The Arts Society Greenwich, should be sent to Geraldine Yate, 1 Blyths Wharf, Narrow St, E14 8BF

25places BOOK EARLY

For more information and to book a place contact Geraldine Yate: geraldine.holt4@btinternet.com   07860132725

RESCHEDULED DUE TO TRAIN STRIKE

Frederic Leighton (1830-96), an acclaimed artist, was fascinated by the Islamic world and famously adorned his Holland Park home and studio with items he’d collected from his travels to Turkey, Syria and Iran. It also contains some of his artworks and those of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.

It has just undergone an £8 million refurbishment.

This is a one and a half hour GUIDED TOUR.

There is step-free access, and folding stools are available. 

Meet at 10.45 am in Reception at 12 Holland Park Rd, W14 8LZ

 A 10 min walk from High St Kensington tube station.

At the end of our visit we can disperse for lunch and then independently or together meet outside Leighton House at 2pm to follow a map and written guide (we’ll be given these on arrival at Leighton House in the morning) around the Houses of the Holland Park Artists 

Cost: £18 (members), £23 (non-members)

On-line bank transfer to Barclays Bank PLC: sort code 20-49-81; Account No. 00549452. Reference: please include your surname and LH for identification. This is important to enable us to register your payment.

Cheques made out to The Arts Society Greenwich, should be sent to Geraldine Yate, 1 Blyths Wharf, Narrow St, E14 8BF

20 places BOOK EARLY

For more information and to book a place contact Geraldine Yate: geraldine.holt4@btinternet.com 

07860132725

David Parr worked for FR Leach from 1871. Commissions included Morris and Co and St James’ Palace. He decorated his home in Gwydir St, Cambridge over 40 yrs. His granddaughter lived in it until 2013 and it has been lovingly restored. It has a steep staircase.

This is a 3hr guided TOUR and ILLUSTRATED TALK with a sandwich lunch and mid-afternoon refreshments.

At the end of our visit we shall have a 20 min walk or 16min walk and bus ride to All Saints Church (aka The Painted Church), Jesus Lane, built by the architect George Frederick Bodley. This is where David Parr served some of his apprenticeship. We shall have a guided TOUR, tea and biscuits, all courtesy of AS Cambridge. 

Once a secluded backwater known as “West End” this former village was so quiet that residents reported hearing the chimes of Big Ben 5 miles away but it was all change in the 1870s with the arrival of the railways followed by building of fine houses, mansion flats, shops and places of worship. On the surface today’s West Hampstead is an unassuming London district but this walk looks behind the façade to reveal stories of the musicians, actors, artists and authors who have made West Hampstead their home.  Our tour features two landmarks associated with 1960s music, a village green, an eccentric front garden, a surprising church interior and a burial ground containing several graves of notable London residents. 

This is a 2hr guided walk with some gentle inclines and no steps.

Members have suggested that we meet again informally having enjoyed our last coffee morning here. How about the date above? As you know the tables are in the open and well-spaced. I hope you can come. 

Meeting at 11 am.

Often overlooked, Queen Anne lived through turbulent times during a significant period of history. Her grandfather was executed and her father exiled. The last of the Stuart monarchs, Anne was queen when England and Wales united with Scotland to form Great Britain. Discover her story as you walk around the streets of the City, with City Guide, Debbie Pearson. Tour lasts 90 mins -2 hours.

Start at Monument and finish at St Paul’s Cathedral.

The entire walk is accessible.

Designed, built and lived in by Sir John Soane as a neoclassical country house to entertain guests, as well as a family home.  Set in parkland and recently extensively restored. Our personal guide will be with us for 60-75 minutes.  You will have time at leisure to explore too.  There is a café on site so we can lunch together if you wish. 

A 2 hour guided walk - takes place on level ground with no stairs.  

Meet at Battersea Park Station 

AFTERNOON OF MONDAY 21st JUNE 2021 at 4pm

Murray Jacobs, a Cambridge Green Badge Guide will reveal the answers to the following intriguing questions:

• Why did Darwin, a Cambridge undergraduate say “The three years I spent in Cambridge were the most joyful of my happy life”?
• Why did he end up living in three different places in the city centre despite no plans whatsoever to live in two of them?
• What could possibly have made him swear at Mr Harbour and is there any truth in the suggestion that he may have inspired the TV programme “Come Dine with Me”?

This will introduce you to some Darwin-related sites in Cambridge which you might want to visit in the future.

Cost: £5

AFTERNOON OF MONDAY 19th APRIL 2021 at 4 pm

Danielle Harte, a London Blue Badge Guide, will reveal the secrets hidden behind buildings and characters around Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden.

We will discover:-

• Murderous actors
• Secret societies
• Be taken along gas lit alleyways
• Superstitious hotels

- And much more

Cost: £5

Due to popular demand, we were hoping to be able to offer a second visit for those who missed out last time.  We are hoping the visit can be reinstated in the future.

2pm (AFTERNOON VISIT)

A 60-75 min. guided tour of this 19th century building designed by George Gilbert Scott in the Italianate style. English sculptors Henry Hugh Armistead and John Bimie Phillip provided allegorical figures for the outside. A £100 million renovation was completed in 1997.

Cost: £10

20 places

Meet at: 

13.50 Foreign Office Reception Desk, King Charles St, SW1A 2AH

For more information or TO BOOK A PLACE contact Tica Clark: ticaclark@hotmail.com  020 8850 3044

Go behind the scenes and discover the iconic spots such as Centre Court, Broadcast Centre, Media Centre and Museum.

After a 90 minute guided tour you may wish to visit the cafe.

GUIDED TOUR OF THE GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS AT CHRISTIE’S

Christie’s was founded in 1766. Subsequently it has conducted some of the most famous and celebrated auctions in the world. In 1778 James Christie negotiated the sale of the art collection of Sir Robert Walpole to Catherine the Great of Russia. It is now part of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg. Originally located in Pall Mall, Christie’s moved to its present location in 1823.

Includes a private guided tour through the galleries and exhibitions and a talk from a specialist of the upcoming Prints and Multiples Sale. This sale includes works by Warhol, Hockney, Bridget Riley and Banksy.

AFTERNOON OF WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2020  -  1 pm

A 60 minute private guided tour of this Grade II listed Tudor manor house.  Built as a family home in 1535 by Sir Ralph Sadler, Secretary of State to Henry VIII.  As well as a private residence, it has been a Victorian school, a fire watch centre in WWII, a trade union office and a punk squat!  Now renovated it has oak panelled rooms, including a rare “linen fold” room. Tudor windows and carved fireplaces survive intact. An exhibition tells the history of the house and its former occupants.

A 60-75 minute guided tour of this 19th century building designed by George Gilbert Scott in the Italianate style.  English sculptors Henry Hugh Armistead and John Bimie Phillip provided allegorical figures for the outside.  A £100 million renovation was completed in 1997.

For the Romans, getting together to eat and drink, in a pub or at a banquet was a central part of life. This exhibition has been widely acclaimed in the press and on TV and radio.

Everything from the exquisite mosaics of the villas to the remains found in kitchen drains reveals what the people of Pompeii loved to eat and drink in AD79. Many of the objects have never left Italy before. They range from luxury furnishings of the Roman dining room to the carbonised food that was on the table when the volcano erupted.

Knole sits in 1000 acres of deer park. Over 600 years it has passed through the hands of archbishops, kings and several generations of the Sackville family. It has recently been refurbished and conserved. 

After a 50 min. guided tour of the outside of the building and a visit to the conservation studio you visit the House (self-guided). There are 16 showrooms including 9 opened for the first time in two years. These contain a world class collection of paintings, royal furniture and silver.