Price £61 per person (this includes Coffee, Lunch and a Cream Tea)

This tour visits a number of churches in the area around Hay-on-Wye.

The first stop is St Mary Magdalene, Eardisley, which is a large medieval church in a 'black & white' village. There is a magnificent Noman font of Herefordshire School Sculpture. Coffee is served here. (https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/st-mary-magdalene-eardisley)

The second stop is St James Kinnersley. This is a fine medieval church with 17th century furnishings and decoration by Victorian architect G. F. Bodley, who is buried in the churchyard. (https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/st-james-kinnersley)

Lunch follows in Hay-on-Wye at The Swan Hotel. After lunch there is some free time in Hay-on-Wye.  (https://www.swanathay.co.uk/dine)

The third church we visit is St Andrew, Bredwardine. This is a large Norman and Medieval church and burial place of Rev Francis Kilvert the diarist. (https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/st-andrew-bredwardine)

The final church is St Michael, Moccas, which is a small Norman church in a parkland setting with medieval glass and an organ decorated by Kempe. A cream tea is served here. (https://moccas.church/visit-us)

Timings: The coach leaves Malvern from the car park opposite the Splash at 08:30. For the return journey to Malvern the coach leaves Moccas at 17:00.

Price £61 per person (this includes Coffee, Lunch and a Cream Tea)

Photo: St Mary's Church Hay-on-Wye, Philip Pankhurst, CA BY-SA 2.0

Price £60 per person (this includes Coffee and Lunch at the Holburne Museum)

As a follow up to Timothy Schroder’s lecture in May on the Schroder Collection of Renaissance Silver, a visit has been organised to the new Gallery housing the collection at the Holburne Museum. It is a magnificent collection, beautifully displayed, including silverware, bronzes, majolica and paintings from artists such as Lucas Cranach the elder and Hans Holbein the elder. There will also be time to view the Holburne’s own collection, at the heart of which is the collection of Sir William Holburne (1793-1874), who particularly loved bronze sculptures, silver, porcelain and Dutch landscapes.  He left his collection to the City of Bath for all to enjoy. 9,000 objects have been added since his death.  The Sydney Gardens are behind the museum and were created in the Georgian era, opened in 1795 and is the oldest park in Bath.  

On arrival at the museum Coffee will be served. After the tour Lunch will be taken at the Museum. In the afternoon the coach will convey the group to the Bath Abbey area, where we will have some free time. Some attractions to visit are: the Jane Austen Centre (http://janeausten.co.uk);  Bath Abbey (http://bathabbey.org); and the Victoria Art Gallery (http://victoriagal.org.uk). Booking is recommended for any of these free-time visits.

Timings

In the morning the coach will leave Malvern at 08:00 from the carpark opposite the Splash. The coach will leave Bath at 16:30 to return to Malvern.

Price £60 per person (this includes Coffee and Lunch at the Holburne Museum)

Image by David A. Russo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Click here to book at £47    Does not include coffee or lunch

Sezincote  -  http://sezincote.co.uk  

The house was the whim of Colonel John Cockerell, grandson of the diarist Samuel Pepys, but he died in 1798, three years after his return from India, and the estate passed to his youngest brother Charles. He commissioned his brother Samuel, an architect, to design and build an Indian house in the Mogul style of Rajasthan, complete with minarets, peacock-tail windows, jali-work railings and pavilion. Once completed, Sezincote dazzled all who came. The Prince Regent visited in 1807 and was so impressed that he changed his plans for the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. 

Gordon Russell Design Museum - http://gordonrusselldesignmuseum.org

Throughout his life, Gordon Russell (1892-1980) was dedicated to honest design, superb craftsmanship, quality and detailing. He firmly believed in the impact of good design on people’s lives. He bridged the history of furniture with new trends, private industry with state policy, and local traditions with national movements, placing British design at the heart of international progress. His contributions, spanning design, manufacturing, writing, and lecturing, touched all these aspects and were, in turn, shaped by them. 

Itinerary

9.00 am - Leave Splash Carpark Malvern 

10.00 am - Coffee at Batsford Arboretum Café

10.45 am - leave for Sezincote 

11.30 am - Tour 1 Sezincote

12.00 pm - Tour 2 Sezincote

12.45 pm - Lunch at Batsford Arboretum

1.45 pm - leave for Broadway 

2.15, 2.45 and 3.15 pm - tours at Gordon Russell Museum, Broadway

4.30 - 4.45 pm - Leave to return to Malvern TBD on the day

Click here to book at £47    Does not include coffee or lunch

Click here to book at £52   Does not include coffee or lunch

Coventry Cathedral -  http://coventrycathedral.org.uk

Founded with a Saxon nunnery circa AD 700. The city and Cathedral share a history of conflict just as, today, they share a determination to build justice and peace, by healing wounds and learning to live with difference.

The modern Cathedral is a very special building with the most beautiful stained glass amongst other unique features. 

Stoneleigh Abbey -  http://stoneleighabbey.org

With humble beginnings as a Cistercian monastic house in 1154, Stoneleigh Abbey was converted at the Dissolution into a comfortable family home. One of the seats of the Leigh family, Stoneleigh Abbey has played host to several people of note, including King Charles I, Queen Victoria, and novelist Jane Austen.

Itinerary 

8.00 am - Leave Splash Carpark Malvern 

10.00 am - Coventry Cathedral Tour 

11.35 am - Free time for Coffee and Light Lunch 

1.15 pm - Leave for Stoneleigh Abbey 

2.00 pm - Stoneleigh Abbey Tour 

3.00 pm - Cream Tea in Gilt Hall. Time afterwards in the Gardens 

4.30 - 4.45 pm - Leave to return to Malvern TBD on the day 

                                                                                          Click here to book

A visit to Vienna and the Danube Valley has been arranged for 5th to 9th October 2024.

Day 1
We meet at our designated pick up points and transfer by private coach to Heathrow Airport for our direct scheduled British Airways flight to Vienna. On arrival in Vienna we are met by our guide and transfer in our private executive coach to the 4* Renaissance Hotel for a four night stay. We enjoy a set 3 course dinner without drinks in our hotel this evening.

Day 2
Our morning guided city tour of Vienna takes in the imperial and architectural beauty of the city, a reminder of the great wealth of the Hapsburgs and the splendour of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During our guided tour we visit St Stephen’s Cathedral, dating back to 1147 and for a long time uncontested as the tallest building in Europe. This afternoon we visit Schönbrunn Palace, commissioned in 1696 by Leopold I, completed in 1730, and adapted in the mid-18th century for Maria Theresa. Our guided tour will include her bedroom, hung with Brussels tapestries, her breakfast room decorated with needlework worked by her and her daughters, and the Hall of Mirrors, where Mozart, aged 6, gave his first recital. The gardens were laid out with fountains and statues, and later, on the Gloriette Hill, a colonnaded arcade was added, from which one has an extensive view over the city.

Day 3
Today we explore the UNESCO listed Danube Valley with its rich history and magical scenery. Our first stop is for a guided tour of Baroque Melk Abbey, which towers above the Danube on a promontory. Begun as a palace stronghold in the 10th century and given to Benedictine monks in the 12th century, the interior is lavishly gilded, has ceiling frescoes and superb sculpted pulpit, choir and confessionals. We have time for lunch in Melk, a pretty town with Renaissance buildings, before embarking on an included cruise along the scenic Danube to Krems, the area centre of the wine industry, with its mixture of historical buildings and a Renaissance town hall.

Day 4
This morning we visit the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg Palace, the residence of the Hapsburgs for over 600 years. The Palace was considered the centre of the Hapsburg Empire and during our audio guided tour we visit the authentically furnished Imperial Apartments, the Sisi Museum and the Silver Collection. This afternoon we enjoy a guided tour at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. In the mid-19th century Franz Joseph commissioned magnificent buildings to be erected along the new circular boulevard, the Ringstrasse, amongst which was the Kunsthistorisches Museum, built to house the Imperial Collections. In this huge and sumptuously decorated building are to be found paintings, mainly the Old Masters from the 15th to the 18th centuries, antiquities, including those of early civilisations, sculptures and decorative arts, coins and medals, and numerous other artefacts.

Day 5
We visit Upper Belvedere Palace this morning, and our guided tour on arrival introduces us to a fine collection of Austrian art dating from the Middle Ages to the present day, including the world’s largest Gustav Klimt collection. We transfer to the airport for our direct scheduled British Airways flight to Heathrow, and onwards coach travel back to our original pick up points.

Our visit to Northwest Herefordshire will take us to Mortimer Country in the Welsh Marches and the valleys of the Rivers Lugg and Arrow near Leominster, where we shall discover four delightful villages with medieval churches, all set in beautiful countryside with rolling hills.

The itinerary is as follows

8.45am  Leave Malvern from Splash Car Park

9.30am  Pick up Tim Bridges from Broad Street Car Park, Leominster

10.15am - 11.15am  Church of St Leonard, Yarpole for Coffee

11.30am - 12.15pm  Church of St George, Orleton

12.30pm for 12.45pm - 2.15pm  Riverside restaurant for lunch

2.30pm - 2.10pm  Church of St John the Baptist & St Alkmund, Aymestrey (Walkable from restaurant)

3.15pm     Rejoin Coach

3.30pm - 4.45pm  Church of St Michael and All Angels, Kingsland for Tea

4.45pm  Leave Kingsland

Drop off Tim in Leominster

5.45pm  Arrive back in Malvern

Cost £57

Hartlebury Castle was the home of the Bishops of Worcester from 855 to 2007. The Hurd Library was built in 1782 by Richard Hurd, Bishop of Worcester, for his very fine collection of books. The Hurd Library is an outstanding survival of the Age of Enlightenment, and many consider it one of the most beautiful library rooms in the country.

Our visit will begin with Coffee in the Great Hall and a talk on The Palace and Bishop Hurd. The group will then split, one group will visit Bishop Hurd’s Library and the other group will have a guided tour of the Palace. They will then swop.

After lunch there will be free time to revisit the Bishop’s Palace apartments, visit Worcester County Museum, (upstairs in the same building) and explore the gardens.

Visit Itinerary:

9.30 am    Leave Splash Carpark 
10.15 am  Arrive Hartlebury Castle,
                   Coffee and Talk
                   Visit to Hurd Library
                   Tour of Bishop’s Palace
I.00 pm      Lunch in Hayley’s Café (on site)
2.00 pm     Free Time to visit Worcestershire County Museum, Revisit Bishop’s Palace, 
                    Walk in Gardens, Have tea in Hayley’s Café.
4.30 pm     Depart for Malvern 

Cost £47

AM.: Nature in Art Museum, Twigworth, Gloucestershire

Nature in Art is the world’s first museum dedicated exclusively to fine, decorative, and applied art inspired by nature. The museum’s collection reflects the exciting diversity of work that has been produced by artists inspired by nature through the ages.

Visit : Our visit will commence with coffee and a talk from the Director of the Museum, Simon Trapnell. This will be followed by unaccompanied tours of the museum and the grounds.

PM : Owlpen Manor

The House is owned by The Mander Family. A member of the family will lead our tour.

The house has medieval origins, but is mainly Tudor, dating from 1450 to 1616, with careful Cotswold Arts and Crafts repairs of 1926, when the house was saved from ruin after over 80 years of dereliction. Today the interiors contain a series of unique painted textiles and Mander family portraits and collections, as well as a representative collection of Cotswold Arts and Crafts furniture and fittings.

Visit: Our tour will commence in the garden followed by a tour of the manor. A cream tea will be served in the medieval Cyder Barn, beside the manor house. There will be an opportunity to visit the church and gardens before departing.

Cost: £56

‘You will find Weston Park beautiful. I marvel whether I will ever see the like of it again. It is a place that always pleased me.’

 Benjamin Disraeli (he and his wife were family friends and visited Weston frequently)

Weston Park is a remarkable historic house in Shropshire which is set in 1000 acres of Capability Brown Parkland. The land is mentioned in the Domesday Book, but the present house was bult in the Carolean style in the 17th century after the Civil War.  It is a house that has been owned and lived in by generations of the same family, until gifted to the nation in 1986 by Richard, the 7th Earl of Bradford. It is now administered by a board of trustees.

This beautiful family home now contains a world class collection of fine and decorative art, some of which dates back over 500 years.

 These include (this is a very short list of what there is to see)

• Works by Van Dyck and Holbein the Younger, to which have been added pictures by Thomas Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds and George Stubbs
• In the Tapestry Room, a superb set of French Gobelin tapestries, commissioned in the 1760’s for Weston, and one of only 6 sets of this type made for British patrons
• In the Entrance Hall, sensational chairs by Thomas Chippendale
• Weston’s outstanding collection of ceramics, including Chinese and Japanese porcelain in addition to pieces by Derby, Worcester, Wedgwood, Chelsea, Caughley, Bow and Coalport

TASMH itinerary for visit to Weston Park

8.15 - Leave from Splash Carpark Malvern

9.15 - 9.45 - Coffee Break at Hilton Park Services

10.30 - Arrive at Weston Park

11.00 - Talk on Weston Park (Gareth Williams, Curator & Head of Learning)

12.30 - Lunch in the Music Room

1.30 - Tour of House (Gareth Williams Curator & Head of Learning))

3.00 - Free Time

4.15 - Meet coach

4.30 - Leave Weston Park

Short stop on return journey at Frankley Services

COST:  £65

‘Gloucester is the most exciting of England’s smaller Cathedrals’    Simon Jenkins

The tour of the Cathedral will allow a rediscovery of the magnificent beauty of this medieval abbey with its unique architectural features. Recent funding has facilitated new areas, hitherto unseen, being opened up. The Library and The Tribune Gallery are two of these areas. Our visit will include a talk in the Library from the Cathedral Archivist as well as an opportunity to see some of the literary treasures held there. Please contact me if you have any requests re topics. After the Library visit the exit will be through the Tribune Gallery where you will climb a few more steps and enjoy an unusual view of the cathedral from above and enjoy the Whispering Gallery, a stone passage behind the Great East window. Please note that there are no lifts and the Library is reached by a number of steps with a good handrail for support. The steps down are at the end of the Tribune Gallery.

Gloucester Cathedral Visit Itinerary

• 9.00 am   Leave Splash Car Park
• 10.20 am Coffee and Biscuits in Parliament Area
• 11.00am  Group A Highlights of Cathedral tour: Group B Library visit followed by Tribune Gallery self-guided tour
• 12.45pm  Light Lunch in Parliament Area
• 2.00pm   Group B Highlights of Cathedral tour: Group A Library visit followed by Tribune Gallery self-guided tour
• 3.00pm   Free time to explore the Cathedral and its environs (The memorial to Bishop Hooper, just outside the Cathedral Close, to the West is recommended if not seen before)
• 4.15pm   Meet Coach 
• 4.30pm   Leave to return to Malvern

COST:  £47

Tim Bridges will be leading what will undoubtedly be another popular and successful tour of churches - this year returning to Radnorshire and taking in the following locations:

• St Andrew's in Presteigne (with Saxon, Norman and Victorian interest)
• St Mary's Bleddfa (dating from the early part of the 13th century)
• St Mary's Pilleth ((with 13th and 15th century interest)
• St Mary's Discoed (a medieval church with interesting local architectural details)
• St Stephen's, Old Radnor (including a much restored but  possibly the oldest church organ in the UK)

COST:  £42

Kelmscott Manor was a retreat for William Morris and was described by him as a 'heaven on earth'.   Its harmony with its Cotwolds surroundings, the craftsmanship in both the manor house and farm buildings and its unspoilt nature were obviously inspirational for the designer, poet and 'father' of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Buscot Park and the Faringdon Collection (National Trust)  will offer a different taste - a late 18th century Italianate house inspired by Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio.  The Faringdon collection of works by Reynolds, Rubens, Rembrandt and Murillo will be on show.

Cost:  £46 (NT members).  £56 (non-members)

Berkeley Castle, a medieval castle held by the Berkeley family since 1153, has a rich history and this visit will enable us to see a wide range of works.  Tapestries, silverware and paintings - as well as the dungeons - will comprise elements of this visit.

Our visit to Dr Jenner's House will enable us to trace this man's work and his impact on the evolution of medical understanding, especially in relation to the use of vaccinations to tackle (and eradicate) diseases such as smallpox.  

Both of these visits will include visits into their gardens and plant collections - Click here to view more details.

Cost:  £45

Tyntesfield is a fascinating glimpse into the world of mid-Victorian beliefs. It is an 1864 Gothic Revival mansion housing an impressive collection of Victorian decorative arts and a private chapel. There are a working kitchen garden and formal gardens on the 500-acre estate surrounding the house.
The Gibbs family were collectors and loved beautiful things. Over 4 generations they collected a vast array of some 50,000 items, making it the largest single collection in the hands of the National Trust today. From ivory to wood, fine furniture, Minton ceramics, Crace carpets and fine silver.

Please note that no bookings will be taken until the January meeting.

The Court of Noke (House and Garden)
A 17th-century garden with a T-shaped canal, including the bases of former statues and a summerhouse, as part of an orchard Elysium and a restored water garden
The house was probably built about 1700 and is surrounded on two sides by contemporary water gardens, unusual for Herefordshire. The water system was altered in the 19th century to power a waterwheel to drive farm machinery. By the mid 20th century the canal had become silted up. Mr Bulmer and his wife have restored the house and gardens in 1997.
Burton Court (House and Garden)
The Simpson family have been conducting guided tours around their home since the 1960s. The newest addition to the tour these days is the large archaeological dig. This has provided considerable interest, as they believe they have the remains of a Norman Castle inside the grounds. The discoveries on the mound have reshaped the tours that are conducted in the house as the finds tie in in with the various occupants that have lived at Burton Court over the centuries. They now have collected the largest medieval pottery find in Herefordshire.

Please note that no bookings will be taken until the January meeting.

Berkeley castle
This stunning medieval castle has been the home of the Berkeley family since 1153. Elizabeth, Edward II was murdered here. Private guided castle tours reveal tapestries, paintings, fine silver and dark dungeons. The terraced gardens are filled with unusual plants, a tropical butterfly house, picnic area and yurt restaurant.
Dr Jenner’s House
From Gloucestershire in the 1790s to Somalia in the 1970s, Dr Jenner’s House, Museum and Garden traces the impact of one of the pivotal events in world history, in the place where it happened. This is the house where Edward Jenner, pioneer of vaccination against smallpox, lived and told the world about his work. Less than 200 years later, smallpox had been eradicated, with countless lives saved in the process.

Please note that no bookings will be taken until January.
 

A 6 day tour of Berlin and Potsdam, departing 1st October 2020.

This tour will include the following -

• Guided city tour of Berlin
• East Side Gallery
• ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’ visit to the Reichstag
• Museum Island
• Pergamon Museum
• Neues Museum
• Gemäldegalerie
• Jewish Museum Berlin
• Potsdam
• Sanssouci Palace
• Cecilienhof Palace
• Charlottenburg Palace - Knobelsdorff Wing

Please note that this tour is now fully booked up, contact John Gregory if you wish to be added to the waiting list.

House and Garden at Hatton Grange and Millichope Park.

no bookings taken until the January meeting.

Tim Bridges tour of Monmouth Churches

no bookings taken until the January meeting.

Two night visit to Exeter - taking in the following

• Isle Abbots Church
• Powderham Castle
• Exeter Cathedral
• HestercombeGardens

no bookings taken until the January meeting.

Our next overseas tour is scheduled to take place from 7th October 2018 and will be a Tour of Nice & the Cote d'Azur lasting six days at a cost from £1199.

Take a look at the details on the Tailored Travel website.

This visit is to Chavenage House, a 16th centuray manor house near Tetbury, followed by Rodmarton Manor, a house built and furnished in Arts and Crafts style near Cirencester.

bookings will be taken starting at the January meeting.

A visit to Broughton Castle, a medieval fortified manor house near Banbury, and to Compton Verney, an 18th century country mansion near Kineton.

bookings will be taken starting at the January meeting.

A vist to Lichfield with a conducted tour of Lichfield Cathedral and a chance to visit Erasmus Darwin House and Samuel Johnson Birthplace museums nearby,

bookings will be taken starting at the January meeting.

Three day visit to Manchester taking in :

• Bramall Hall
• Whitworth Art Gallery
• Chethams Library
• Lowry Art Gallery

bookings will be taken starting at the January meeting.

Taking in Chillington Hall followed by Wightwick Manor and gardens

Visiting :

• St. Augustine's Church, Edgbaston.
•  St. Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook.
•  St Mary's Church, Handsworth.

bookings will be taken starting at the January meeting.

Our next overseas tour is scheduled to take place from 2 − 7 October 2016 and will be an "Art and Cultural Tour" of Lisbon lasting six days at a cost from £899.

Take a look at the details on the Tailored Travel website.

Some of the images from the tour are now on our Gallery page, for a commentary of these images please click here.

Woodchester Mansion near Stroud − an "unfinished Gothic masterpiece".
Also Hilles House on the Cotswold Escarpment.

Cost £42

Wednesday 11th May to Thurday 12th May

Kenwood House −  Adam interiors and a fine art collection
and Fenton House, a 17th. century Town House and Garden.
overnight stay followed by Syon House on the 12th.

With B&B £140,
single supplement £10,
without B&B £70.

Morning: Museum of Carpet, Kidderminster − A guided tour of the working museum.

Afternoon: Hagley Hall − A guided tour.

Cost - £40