Lectures

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LECTURES

Tuesday 7^th September at 12 noon in the Studio

LUNCH

The first of our meetings will be on September 7^th in the Studio at 12 noon and we do hope you will be able to
come and support this event. There will be a luncheon for all Society members, but we would like you to invite a new friend who is not a paid up member, who would like to learn more about us and meet the new committee. We are delighted to have representatives from West Mercia as our guests for the lunch. At this meeting there will be stands representing the three volunteer groups.

There will also be a special visit from Penmaes School students to tell us about their project "Record A Song" which was sponsored by Brecon NADFAS earlier this year. I have been told that this was a very uplifting experience for many of the students and they want to come and share this with us.

Dorcas Cresswell
Chairman

Tuesday 5^th October at 2.30 pm

WRITING HOME: JANE AUSTEN’S HOUSES

Jane Austen lived and stayed in a wide variety of houses across southern England, particularly in Hampshire and Kent, Bath and London. Michael Wheeler, author of Jane Austen and Winchester Cathedral, illustrates some of the houses – mainly Georgian – that meant most to her and discusses the way in which she describes houses in her novels, and why.

Tuesday 2^nd November at 2.30 pm

THE SILK ROAD AND THE SEA: CHINA’S WINDOW ON THE WORLD

China has for centuries regarded itself as The Middle Kingdom, bordered on the west by the ancient Silk Road, which reached the Eastern Mediterranean and Rome, and on the east by the sea, a gateway to the wider world. Anne Haworth explores the cultural encounters and religious exchanges between East and West through trade in silks, aromatics, exotic luxury goods and tea, first via camel caravan along the land routes and later via the ''foreign devils' of the European East India companies.

Tuesday 7^th December at 2.30 pm

MASTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE: LEONARDO AND MICHELANGELO

How much do we really know about these two great artists? Were they rich and famous in their own lifetimes? Where and how did they learn their craft? Leslie Primo, specialist in Renaissance studies, looks at their early lives and training and provides an understanding of their work set within the social and historical context of the period.

Tuesday 4^th January at 2.30 pm

TAKING THE WATERS: SOCIAL LIFE IN THE SPA TOWNS FROM ROMAN TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY

Jane Tapley traces the development of the Spa town using photographs, period cartoons, posters and historical paintings to emphasise the human fascination with this most essential element – water!

Tuesday 1^st February at 2.30

ARTISTS OF THE LLANTHONY VALLEY (in conjunction with Powys Art Fund)

William Gibbs will cover works of art created in the Llanthony Valley from the 13th century to the present time. The talk will be illustrated with pictures by, amongst others, Turner and Cotman from the turn of the 18th century, Michael Angelo Rooker, Thomas Tudor and Paul Sandby Munn in the 19th century, and, in the early 20th century, by the Capel-y-ffin community of Gill and Jones followed, in the forties, by Piper, Craxton and Ravillious. The talk concludes with examples from the work of Reg Gammon who lived, worked, wrote and painted in the valley over many years

The lecture will be followed by a special Afternoon Tea.

Tuesday 1^st March 10.30 am to 3.30 pm

STUDY DAY on BOOKS – Their Care and Repair

The morning starts with Christopher Rowlatt, bookbinder and marbler, distinguishing between conservation and restoration, followed up by practical advice on the following topics:

            Basic management and upkeep of a library:
            General cleaning of books and useful techniques including:
            Brushing and using a vacuum cleaner as an extractor:
            Using smoke sponges and plastic 526 erasers:
            De-creasing pages:
            Carrying out simple repairs of tears etc.

There will be an opportunity for hands-on experience.

This will be followed by a buffet lunch in the Studio - booking essential - telephone Christina Gale 01874 676258.

In the afternoon he will explain some case histories of books requiring particular repair before holding a book surgery for participants bringing books for advice about their condition and repair.

Tuesday 5^th April at 2.30 pm

MIRRORS AND TORRENTS: WATER IN HISTORIC GARDENS

Water features have been a key ingredient of garden layouts since earliest times. The ideal of glittering refreshment is powerfully appealing to the human mind. Steven Desmond, landscape consultant, reviews the progress of water through the historic garden in Britain, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Tuesday 3^rd May at 2.30 pm

CANALETTO, VENICE AND THE BRITISH

Nigel Goodman analyses the unforgettable image Canaletto created of Venice and explains why this appealed so much to the British public and patrons. His lecture includes the story of Canaletto’s visit to England and he describes the allure of Venice in the eighteenth century.

Tuesday 7^th June – 2.00 pm

AGM followed at 2.30 pm by:

A PASSION FOR TEA: CEREMONIES, HISTORY AND STYLE, BRITISH FASHION

Amanda Herries read archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge. She lived in Japan for seven years and lectures on Oriental/Western cross-cultural and artistic influences. She takes guided tours to Japan.

In this lecture she explains the differences between green and black teas, describes the race to bring tea to the West and explores the development of the teacup and other tea-time accessories. Her lecture will be followed by a tea tasting.

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