Members of the Arts Society made a visit to Lansdowne House, now a private club, in London's Mayfair. We were greeted with refreshments in the beautiful Robert Adam's Drawing Room before being taken on a fascinating tour of the building. Notable features included the stylish swimming pool and gym in the basement and the glorious Art Deco restaurant on the 7th floor. Our guide, Pamela Campbell-Johnson, enlivened the tour with several anecdotes about the previous owners and the changes they had made to fabric of the building. 

We are delighted to announce that a visit for members of the Arts Society to the Gravesend Gurdwara has been arranged for Tuesday 20th January 2026 from 1.30pm to 4pm. The visit will include a guided tour, a talk and the opportunity to ask questions. Refreshments will also be provided. 

The visit will be led by volunteers from the Gurdwara and there is no charge. However donations are welcome and we would suggest a donation of £2 - £5 per head. 

We will meet in front of of the Gurdwara at 1.20pm in time for a 1.30pm start.

There is a pay and display car park at the Gurdwara, the postcode for which is DA12 1AG

As the Gurdwara is a place of worship, visitors are asked to observe the following guidelines:

* appropriate clothing should be worn before coming onto the Gurdwara premises

*please wear a head covering - a scarf or large hankerchief is regarded as preferable. Hats and caps are not to be worn.

*shoes must be taken off and placed in the shoe boxes on either the ground floor or the first floor.

Non-Sikh visitors are asked to show respect to the Sikh "Holy Scriptures" by bowing or standing still for a second and then moving away with a respectful nod.

You can find more information about the Gurdwara here: https://www.gurunanakdarbar.org/about

If you would like to attend we will take names and collect donations before the lecture on 13th January. As places are limited, this will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  If you have a question about the visit please contact our organiser, Pam Childs-Kelly at Pam.childs@btinternet.com

28 members plus family and friends recently toured the beautiful county of Derbyshire for five days, staying in an hotel in Derby itself. We enjoyed trips to Arkwright Cromford Cotton Mill, Chatsworth, the V&A Wedgewood collection, the Potteries Museum at Hanley, Pickfords House, Museum of Making and Derby Art Gallery and Museum. On the way home we stopped off at Canons Ashby in Northamptonshire - a National Trist property dating back to Elizabethan times. We even managed to get there and back without too many long traffic queues even on a Friday afternoon. 

Some of our tours were self guided while other organised with a tour guide, all of whom were excellent. Our hotel was in the cathedral quarter of Derby close to the River Derwent. It was also a walkable distance from the city centre and some of the museums. We all enjoyed each others' company while out and about and over drinks and meals in the restaurant. 

18 members of the Gravesend Arts Society assembled at the National Gallery in London for a 90 minute guided  tour of 6 paintings chosen by Arts Society lecturer Jo Rhymer.

The gallery has recently been given a makeover and a rehang to celebrate its 200 year anniversary and it looked fresh and vibrant and there was a real buzz in the air as people of all ages gathered to view the works of art on display.

Jo Rhymer was our excellent tour guide and we were fortunate to have her professional and animated instruction throughout the tour. We were captivated by her enthusiasm for the paintings and we learned a great deal how to enjoy and interpret them. Our examples ranged chronologically from Titian to Manet and we were taught to engage slowly with a painting, looking for compositional features, stories and interpretations which we could apply ourselves to future exhibitions and gallery visits. 

Thank you so much to Jo Rhymer, all the members who attended and the National Gallery for a most enjoyable and engaging session. 

On Wednesday 30th April, a coach party visited Belmont House near Faversham. It was a beautiful sunny day, so we saw the house and grounds at their best. On arrival we had tea/coffee and biscuits in the Orangery, before we split into two groups for our guided tour by very knowledgeable guides who clearly loved the house and grounds. Belmont House only does group guided tours on Wednesdays and only one party at a time - so we had the house to ourselves, but the grounds were open to the public. 

Following our tour we sat down for lunch in the Orangery once again, before spending the afternoon exploring the gardens and grounds and sitting having a cup of tea in the spring sunshine before returning home.

Belmont House is an elegant 18th century building designed by Samuel Wyatt with wonderful views over the surrounding estate and the North Downs. The original house was built in 1769 for Edward Wilks, storekeeper at the nearby Faversham Powder mill. The extensive views and its elevated position gave Belmont its' name. For most of its' existence Belmont House was owned by the Harris family until the 5th Lord Harris created a trust to ensure that the house remained as it was. The house contains mementos of the family's history and travels - they threw nothing away so the collection is extensive to say the least.

Belmont House is of interest in may ways, but perhaps three of the most significant are:

1. Architecturally it is an unspoilt example of Samuel Wyatt's work. One of the most progressive architects of the late 18th century this lovely house is a fine testimony to his understated neo-classical style.

2. Historically the house is important for its' well preserved records of a family who played a role in the development of the overseas territories in the 18th and 19th centuries (particularly India). Successive Lord Harris' served as soldiers and diplomats.

3. Its' clock collection - it is said to be the finest in England created by the 5th Lord Harris. It is visited by people from all over the world. 

We had a very successful visit to Hever Castle and gardens on April 16th with members and friends. Unfortunately a few people had to drop out for various reasons but a gorup of 39 members enjoyed an exciting coach trip through the narrow lanes which was almost as entertaining as the castle itself. 

The castle and gardens looked beautiful. Coincidentally a BBC camera crew were filming on the day for "Garden in Bloom" and there was a report on the South East Today programme the same evening.

We had an opportunity to take a tour of the gardens with members of the Hever gardening team which was much appreciated by those who participated. We were told a lot about the construction of the garden to suit Lord Astor's taste, as well as the vast variety of spring flowers on view. Many of us took the opportunity to ask lots of questions about the plants and their upkeep.

We also had the opportunity to tour the rooms with an audio guide: the rooms at the moment reflect the restoration work carried out by Lord Astor. The castle and gardens were in ruins when he purchased the property and he spent a considerable amount restoring it.A highlight was a Book of Hours signed by Ann Boleyn and another devotional book owned be her too. 

Some of the group took the opportunity to do a "behind the scenes" tour of 5 rooms used by the Boleyn family being refurbished to replicate the rooms as they would have been in Ann's time. 

The castle also has a display of miniature houses to show how grand homes looked during different periods and how furnishing and taste changed over time. The difference between Tudor and Georgian was most marked.

The weather was typical for April - sunshine and showers with a clap of thunder and some sleet flurries thrown in but most of us managed to be inside during those times and it did not spoil the enjoyment of the day.

A very enjoyable Celebration of Spring Event. 

A tour of Cobham Hall for a small group of members has been arranged and will conclude with a cream tea. There are already 22 people who have signed up but if you want to be added please contact Hazel Teale directly. 

Visits were on hold due to the pandemic.

Venice - a virtual tour

Wells - a guided tour with photos

Watts Gallery

Gads Hill Rochester

Knole

Tour of the Austrian Lakes and Tyrol

V&A

25th Anniversary lunch at the Hilltop

Christmas Lunch - Masonic Hall

The Red Shoes ballet at The Marlowe Theatre Canterbury

Belmont House

Christmas Lunch at Hilltop

Tour of Berlin and Potsdam

Sleeping Beauty at Sadlers Wells

Hatfield House

Kew Gardens and Palace

The V&A

Christmas Lunch at Knole

Tour of Liverpool