Welcome

A warm welcome to members and visitors alike. We hope everyone has a Happy Easter with an opportunity to meet up with family and friends.

There are still places available for the Study Day on the 29 April. You may remember Alan Gent previously gave a talk on Berlin which was very well received. Many of us are intrigued to find out more about our equivalent to the Bayeux tapestry.

****With this Newsletter is the formal Notice of our AGM to be held before the June lecture. Please click here to view the Notice. Copies of the Minutes of the last AGM, and, it is anticipated, copies of the 2026 Annual Report and the 2025/2026 Accounts should be available at the May meeting as well as at the AGM and will also be on our website in advance of the AGM.

We look forward to as many members as possible being at the AGM but if any member will not be able to be there and wishes to have apologies noted, please contact the Secretary:  
secretary.necheshireartssociety@gmail.com

Whilst in the past we have had a lunch for members after the lecture on the AGM day, the Conference Centre kitchen in the room we use does not have a dishwasher, refrigeration facilities nor a liquor licence so the Committee has decided that this year we will not be able to have a lunch, but we will provide cakes at the coffee break after the AGM and before the lecture. ****

You may like to know that you can find our Society on Facebook. Just do a Google search. It will be updated from time to time particularly with items we receive from The Arts Society head office.

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 8 April at Wilmslow Conference Centre SK9 3PE
at 10.30am is:
How to Read the English Country Church: Pre-Christian to The Tudors

It is possible to ‘read’ the passage of time, of movements, cultures and peoples in the architecture and art forms evident in many of our older English country churches.

This lecture takes us from the pre-Christian era, through the arrival of the Romans and onwards to the sixteenth century and the epoch changing Tudors. Simple indicators are given how to identify churches with Roman and Saxon origins.

The great flowering of Romanesque and gothic architecture that followed the invasion of the Normans in the eleventh century are explained with illustrated examples. Onwards again into the high Middle Ages and the tumultuous changes of the Reformation we can see the architectural and structural evidence of a period of great change.

Details can be found on our website:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

Our Speaker is:
Rev. Dr. Nicholas Henderson

A graduate of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Nicholas trained for the Anglican ministry at Ripon Hall, Oxford.

Inspired by a period working on the staff of Coventry Cathedral he has gained a wide experience of international matters. He was formerly Bishop-elect for the Diocese of Lake Malawi in Central Africa (2005-2009) and undertook his doctorate on Lay Anglican Ecclesiology with the University of Wales, Lampeter. 

Nicholas has a particular interest in the period of the English Reformation and the associated cultural, architectural and social changes it has produced. He lectures regularly and currently assists as a priest in the Diocese of London.

Study Day

THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND
Speaker: our very own Alan Gent

Wednesday 29 April 2026

THE VENUE FOR THIS EVENT IS THE PINEWOOD HOTEL

Our not to be missed Study Day will, as usual, be divided into three lectures.

• How the tapestry came to be - explores the inspiration and the people behind the development of the Tapestry (e.g., Alexander McCall Smith)

• Reading Scotland's story through the Tapestry - an in depth look at the panels and the progress of Scottish history

• From artwork to Journey - a ride along the Tapestry Trail a journey inspired by the Tapestry, highlighting the most important features along the way.

You can download the flyer by clicking here
Booking forms will be available at our meetings and can be found on the website or you can click here.
 

Conwy & Bodnant Garden
20 May 2026
Price £27

Join us on our final trip this year to the historic town of Conwy, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the spectacular gardens of a National Trust jewel - Bodnant Garden. Please remember to bring your National Trust or RHS cards if you have them as the entrance charge to the garden is not included.

 Morning - Conwy
Enjoy a leisurely morning in Conwy where you can opt to spend your time in
a variety of ways:

• Visit  Edward 1’s medieval castle with its stunning views over the town and surrounding area.
• Explore the castle walls, with their 21 towers, that completely enclose the town.
• Visit Plas Mawr, a magnificent 16th century town house in the heart of Conwy, that is said to be one of the finest houses of its era.
• Take a peek at The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, a centre of excellence for art in Wales.
• Marvel at the Quay House, the smallest house in Britain, and squeeze inside to see what it would be like to have lived there.
• Visit Conwy Mussel Museum, situated on the waterfront, which explores the town’s heritage and traditions and its relationship with the river.
• Hop on board the Queen Victoria for a short cruise to enjoy views up the Conwy River towards Conwy Valley, or out to the estuary for spectacular views of Anglesey and Puffin Island.
• Take a stroll around the attractive town centre and indulge in a little retail therapy or simply sit and watch the world go by at Conwy’s Quay or Marina taking in the views.

There is an abundance of cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a coffee break and lunch.

Afternoon - Bodnant Garden

Our afternoon will be spent at Bodnant Garden, one of Wales’ best gardens, a great place to relax and unwind. There you will find expansive lawns, grand ponds and impressive terraces, plus a steep wooded valley and stream to explore. Its remarkable collection of plants, from all over the world, are showcased in the finest style.

Booking forms will be available at the meeting or by clicking here

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield
You are welcome to join our lecture 'Pop Art and The Rise of Consumer Culture' at 2pm on Thursday 09 April.
The Speaker is: Colin Pink.
Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Road SK10 1BX.
Price: £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park.      

https://theartssocietymacclesfield.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

The Arts Society Wilmslow
The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture 'Modern Art in One Hour' on Thursday 09 April at 7.30pm.
The Speaker is: Sarah Ciacci.
Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR.
Price: £10 (cash or cheque on the day).
Parking is no longer free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park but Wilmslow Health Centre allows us free parking after 6pm in Chapel Lane or Broadway Meadow car park (SK9 1NB) is free after 3pm.

https://taswilmslow.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

Welcome

A warm welcome to members and visitors alike. We are in March already, how the year seems to be galloping along.

Jane, our visits co-ordinator, has another trip lined up for us, please see below. Thank you Jane for organising such interesting outings. I'm sure everyone who went to Lytham Hall would agree that we had a wonderful time.

Our thanks too to Alan who has prepared a study day for us on Wednesday 29 April. Again please see below for more details.

Invitation from June, Programme Secretary
 We have really appreciated the feedback from you all on our lectures, lecturers and study days and would like some members to get more involved in the selection of speakers and topics.

I would therefore like to invite members to join a small group to help me with the selection of our 2027-28 programme.

The Arts Society national organisation provides a directory of the many lecturers approved by them, with their CVs and wide variety of lecture topics.
I will produce a longlist of possibilities and would like other members to join me in choosing a shortlist for our programme. This is a very interesting process, getting to know more about the lecturers and their knowledge and expertise.
Bridget, our Chair, would also like a small team to join her in planning future study days. Suggestions of topics from members are welcome too.
 So please let me know if you might be interested, either in person or by email:

progsec.necheshireartssociety@gmail.com

We look forward to hearing from you. 

June

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 11 March at Wilmslow Conference Centre SK9 3PE
at 10.30am is:
Dress Code: 10 Iconic Dresses in Art

Ten iconic dresses within ten famous portraits from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Portraits that have shocked and delighted audiences in equal measure - the scandal of Sargent’s little black dress, Whistler’s ghostly women in white, Klimt’s golden visions fit for a queen to the swirling dreamlike drapery of Leighton’s Flaming June. Fashion and art has long been entwined and in the same way that every picture tells a story so too does every dress!
More details can be found on our website and on wikipedia.

Our Speaker is: Alexandra Epps

Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years. BA Saint Martins School of Art, MA London College of Printing.
Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Guildhall Art Gallery. Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering walks, talks and tours about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015).

Study Day

THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND
Speaker: Alan Gent

Wednesday 29 April 2026

THE VENUE FOR THIS EVENT IS THE PINEWOOD HOTEL

Our Study Day will, as usual, be divided into three lectures.

• How the tapestry came to be - explores the inspiration and the people behind the development of the Tapestry (e.g., Alexander McCall Smith)

• Reading Scotland's story through the Tapestry - an in depth look at the panels and the progress of Scottish history

• From artwork to Journey - a ride along the Tapestry Trail a journey inspired by the Tapestry, highlighting the most important features along the way.

Booking forms will be available at our meetings and can be found on the website or you can click here.

Conwy & Bodnant Garden
20 May 2026
Price £27

Join us on our final trip this year to the historic town of Conwy, a UNESCO world heritage site, and the spectacular gardens of a National Trust jewel - Bodnant Garden. Please remember to bring your National Trust or RHS cards if you have them as the entrance charge to the garden is not included.

 Morning - Conwy
Enjoy a leisurely morning in Conwy where you can opt to spend your time in
a variety of ways:

• Visit  Edward 1’s medieval castle with its stunning views over the town and surrounding area.
• Explore the castle walls, with their 21 towers, that completely enclose the town.
• Visit Plas Mawr, a magnificent 16th century town house in the heart of Conwy, that is said to be one of the finest houses of its era.
• Take a peek at The Royal Cambrian Academy of Art, a centre of excellence for art in Wales.
• Marvel at the Quay House, the smallest house in Britain, and squeeze inside to see what it would be like to have lived there.
• Visit Conwy Mussel Museum, situated on the waterfront, which explores the town’s heritage and traditions and its relationship with the river.
• Hop on board the Queen Victoria for a short cruise to enjoy views up the Conwy River towards Conwy Valley, or out to the estuary for spectacular views of Anglesey and Puffin Island.
• Take a stroll around the attractive town centre and indulge in a little retail therapy or simply sit and watch the world go by at Conwy’s Quay or Marina taking in the views.

There is an abundance of cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy a coffee break and lunch.

Afternoon - Bodnant Garden

Our afternoon will be spent at Bodnant Garden, one of Wales’ best gardens, a great place to relax and unwind. There you will find expansive lawns, grand ponds and impressive terraces, plus a steep wooded valley and stream to explore. Its remarkable collection of plants, from all over the world, are showcased in the finest style.

Booking forms will be available at the meeting or can be downloaded here.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield
You are welcome to join our lecture 'Three Great Families and their Gardens: a history of the Astors, Rothschilds and Sackville-Wests' at 2pm on Thursday 12 March.
The Speaker is: Caroline Rayman.
Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Road SK10 1BX.
Price: £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park.      

https://theartssocietymacclesfield.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

The Arts Society Wilmslow
The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture 'Recognise the Artist' on Thursday 12 March at 7.30pm.
Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR.
Price: £10 (cash or cheque on the day).
Parking is no longer free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park but Wilmslow Health Centre allows us free parking after 6pm in Chapel Lane or Broadway Meadow car park (SK9 1NB) is free after 3pm.

https://taswilmslow.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

Welcome

A warm welcome to our February Newsletter.

Firstly we must apologise for the shortage of seating, particularly at  our last lecture. We have had a meeting with the Conference Centre who confirm that they have purchased more chairs and these will now always be provided for our lectures. We hope that you will enjoy our talk this month on Constable's Treslove Portraits.

This Month's Talk on Wednesday 11 February at Wilmslow Conference Centre, SK9 3PE at 10.30am is: 
 

A Tale of Vanity Fair: Constable's Treslove Portraits Rediscovered

“Mrs Treslove has been sitting and we have got on pretty well- but she left me at two….[The Tresloves] are going out of town for a week so this will stop my picture.” John Constable to his wife Maria in Putney Heath, May 1826.

Until 2019, when it was brought to Sarah Cove ACR for cleaning and restoration, the whereabouts of Constable's sumptuous portrait of his neighbour in Charlotte Street, Mrs Emily Treslove, was unknown.

It had come down through five generations of her family to the present owners along with a volume of her Diaries and a jewel from the flashy parure of garnet and pearl jewellery given to her by her husband Thomas Treslove QC on 7th March 1825.

This portrait of Emily in all her finery is arguably one of Constable’s finest. Its progress is mentioned in his letters to Maria in May 1826 and in Emily's diary entries. It was delivered on 4th July after a number of sittings at a “cost 40 guineas and frame 7”. 

Following the 'discovery' of Emily's portrait, its companion, a portrait of Emily’s husband Thomas (1775-1841) came to light, also in the family collection.

According to Emily, it was painted “four years ago [1822]...which I think is a very good likeness”. Cleaning and technical examination revealed that Thomas’s portrait had to be altered to sit well against her vivid pink dress! 

Our Speaker is:
Sarah Cove

Sarah Cove ACR, FIIC, FBAPCR is an Accredited paintings conservator-restorer, technical art historian and lecturer with almost 40 years’ experience working on paintings for the heritage and private sectors. She lives and works in Falmouth, Cornwall, but also has a permanent base in London.

As a conservator, she specialises in British portraiture, 19th-20th century British landscapes and oil sketches on paper and board. Alongside her conservation practice, in 1986 Sarah founded the Constable Research Project and she is now the leading authority on Constable’s oil painting materials and techniques. 

STUDY DAY

THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND
Speaker: Alan Gent 
Wednesday 29 April  2026

THE VENUE FOR THIS EVENT IS THE PINEWOOD HOTEL

Our Study Day will, as usual, be divided into three lectures.

How the tapestry came to be - explores the inspiration and the people behind the development of the Tapestry. (e.g., Alexander McCall Smith).

Reading Scotland's story through the Tapestry - an in-depth look at the panels and the progress of Scottish history.

From artwork to Journey - a ride along the Tapestry Trail a journey inspired by the Tapestry, highlighting the most important features along the way.

You can see the flyer by clicking here. Booking forms will be available at our meetings and can be found on the website or you can click here.

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Special/FutureSpecial.aspx

A reminder that when communicating to a committee member, please use the most appropriate email address. Please do not use the Newsletter's email address as this is not monitored. Thank you.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture: 'The Honourable East India Company and East West Trade: Chintz, Chinese Export and Chinoiserie 1600-1800' at 2pm on Thursday 12 February. The speaker is Vivienne Lawes.

Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

https://theartssocietymacclesfield.org.uk/Home.aspx

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'A History of Jewellery - From Elizabeth 1 to Elizabeth Taylor' on Thursday 12 February at 7.30pm. The speaker is John Benjamin.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR.
Price £10.00 (cash or cheque on the day).

https://taswilmslow.org.uk/

Welcome

Happy New Year to everybody!

Foodbank and 'Goody Bags'

This year Stockport Foodbank, Station Street, Hazel Grove was chosen as the recipient of our annual Arts Volunteering commitment.

Fifty Christmas 'Goody Bags' containing art materials (paper, pens, paint, brushes, colouring books etc.) for lower junior school children were delivered to the Hazel Grove Centre on 25 November in time for the Christmas distribution of food parcels to deprived families.

Sam Young, Foodbank Coordinator, said the bags are a great success and faces lit up last year when children saw their own special gift in the general food parcel provided to their families. She commented on how lovely the bags were and how grateful they are.

The Foodbank is always very pleased to receive donations of non- perishable food items and she again stressed how excited the children were to see a bag just for them.

Society members added to our £250 budget. Raffle ticket sales at our October meeting meant that we could add £75 to the budget. A big Thank You to members for your generosity.
Angela Tindall (Arts Volunteering)

Alan wishes to thank members for their generosity for providing tins, packets of food and other products. A total of twenty six kilogrammes of food was collected which equates to 63 meals. Thank you so much, it is very much appreciated.

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 14 January
at Wilmslow Conference Centre, SK9 3PE at 10.30am is: 
The Post-War Textile Visionaries of Modern Art: A Yorkshire Textile Renaissance: Tom Heron, Crysede & Cresta at the birth of Modernism

An epic tale of two extraordinary figures from the same valley in Yorkshire who were destined to change the world of fashion and design for all time.

A story that takes us from the mills of Yorkshire in the 1920s to the coast of Cornwall. From Welwyn Garden City to the corridors of power at Westminster.

Art, design, textiles, fashion, politics, publishing, philosophy, and the very genesis of modern art in Britain. This lecture tells the story of creativity, determination, passion, and resilience of a true textile Maverick.

Our Speaker is:
Ashley Gray

Ashley Gray is a leading specialist and curator in the key art discipline of Modern Textiles and their history. 

As a curator and archivist, he works with institutions and foundations on conservation and exhibition projects. Most recently he curated Styled by Design at Cromwell Place in London, an exhibition that celebrates the innovation of Modernist textile design. 

He is currently researching the role David Whitehead Ltd in Lancashire played in commissioning innovative modern designs in the Festival of Britain era. An exhibition is planned for 2027.

Lytham Hall - 'Snowdrop Visit'
Thursday 12 February 2026
Cost £45
Price includes refreshments on arrival and lunch

February is the perfect time to enjoy the large expanse of snowdrops covering the mature parkland of this 18th Century Grade 1 listed Georgian House.
 

Once the ancestral home of the colourful Clifton family, our trip there will begin with a talk concerning the history of the family spanning four centuries. This will be followed by a guided tour of the Hall.
 

Later in the day there will be the opportunity to explore the grounds and visit Fylde Art Gallery which is housed within Lytham Hall. 

The Lytham St Anne’s Art collection is one of the largest and most diverse Town Hall collections in the country.

Please note there are no lifts to the 2nd and 3rd floors in the Hall.

Booking forms will be available at the meeting. Please see Jane.
You can find a copy of the form if you click here.

Jane notes that members might be interested in the latest exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool entitled “Treasure: History unearthed”, which features the largest collection of archaeological treasure ever to go on show in the North West of England. It brings together wonderful discoveries from across Merseyside, the North West and North Wales and runs until the 29 March 2026. Take a look at the website:
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/museum-of-liverpool/exhibition/treasure-history-unearthed#section--the-exhibition

A reminder that when communicating to a committee member, please use the most appropriate email address found on the back of your programme card. Please do not use the Newsletter's email address as this is not monitored. Thank you.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture: 'Painting Manchester: views of the city and its inhabitants over the centuries' at 2pm on Thursday 8 January. The speaker is Julia Marwood.

Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

https://theartssocietymacclesfield.org.uk/Home.aspx

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'The Joy of Indian Classical Music' on Thursday 15 January at 1pm (please note change of time). The speaker is John Stevens.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR.
Price £10.00 (cash or cheque on the day).

https://taswilmslow.org.uk/

Welcome

Welcome back everyone and welcome to any visitors or new members who are joining us this year. We hope you have had a pleasant break and we also hope you will enjoy the forthcoming programme of talks. As usual, we have a range of topics to tempt you beginning with Mediaeval Great Houses of the East Midlands.

Please remember that we have changed venue and we are now meeting at:

The Wilmslow Conference Centre
Wilmslow Way
Handforth
SK9 3PE

Correction to our notification sent on Monday 1 September: The Conference Centre can be accessed via Dairy House Lane off Hall Moss Lane. 

Advance Notice
We are sorry to announce that Wilmslow Conference Centre are unable to accommodate us on 19 November as per our published programme. The revised date is TUESDAY 11 November. The speaker will now be Adrian Sumner and the subject 'Artists of the American Sublime'. 

This Month's Meeting on Wednesday 10 September at 10.30am at The Wilmslow Conference Centre SK9 3PE  is: 

Mediaeval Great Houses of the East Midlands

The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries ushered in a new type of high-status residence in the Midlands – the late mediaeval great house. Previous scholars were somewhat obsessed with the semi-fortified nature of these properties. However, modern research has demonstrated that they were multi-functional and highly complex structures which offered opportunities for socially rising elites to show off their status in society.

Our Speaker is:
James Wright

James Wright FSA is a buildings archaeologist, based in Nottingham. With over twenty years of professional experience, he has published a number of books and articles concentrating on mediaeval and early modern architecture. James is interested in how we can use the evidence of physical structures to understand the realities of the everyday existence of ordinary people living in elite buildings. 
Lecturing is his favourite part of his job as he firmly believes that there is simply no point in carrying out research unless you actually tell folk what you have been doing!

Study Day
Wednesday 29 October 
Venue: The Pinewood Hotel Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow SK9 3LF

The Fabulous World of London's Lost Department Stores 
Speaker Tessa Boase
London’s department stores were far more than shops. By the late 19th century, they were destinations. Where else would you find a ‘reading room for husbands’ (Selfridges)? A crèche with giant toadstools (D.H Evans)? A service to clean and repair your entire winter wardrobe (Bradleys)?

This wonderfully nostalgic and captivating day will take you on a sensory, highly immersive journey backwards in time. We’ll be making stops at:

1. The West End, guided by Edwardian shopping lady Olivia (author of ‘A Prejudiced Guide to the Shops’), seeking out the latest ‘temples of desire’.
2. The flirty Thirties and its fabulous Deco department stores, from roof gardens to curved glass walls, Coronation fever to marketing stunts.
3. The showmen and shop girls who made it all happen. Big personalities and disgruntled workers; strikes and lavish lifestyles; shop girls and emancipation. 

The booking form can be found by clicking here.

Print, complete and send to Anne Wade or bring the completed form together with payment to September's meeting. Booking forms will also be available at the meeting.

A Trip to Bradford and Halifax

Friday 28 November 
Join us in November for our trip to Bradford, UK city of Culture 2025, where we will be spending the morning exploring the National Science and Media Museum.

The afternoon will be spent in Halifax where you can indulge in a spot of retail therapy at the Christmas Market located in the historical Piece Hall.

We will be taking bookings for the trip from October.

Please note: the September trip to Liverpool to The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House is now full.

Christmas

Talking of Christmas don't forget to book your place for our Society's Christmas lecture and lunch on 10 December to be held at Bramhall Park Golf Club, 20 Manor Road, Bramhall, SK7 3LY.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture: The Life and Works of William Moorcroft at 2pm on Thursday 11 September. The speaker is James Smallwood.
Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow
 

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: The Architecture of Liverpool on Thursday 11 September at 7.30pm. The speaker is Ed Glinert.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR.
Price £10.00 (cash or cheque on the day).
Parking is no longer free after 6pm in Sainsbury’s car park, but Wilmslow Health Centre allows us free parking after 6pm in Chapel Lane or Broadway Meadow car park (SK9 1NB) is free after 3pm.

You are also invited to …
The Arts Society Wilmslow Lunch Event at the Pinewood Hotel

With special Guest Speaker, Adam Partridge
Tuesday 14 October at 12.30 for 13.00
Tickets are £33.50 per person
 

We are delighted to introduce our speaker, Adam Partridge, the renowned British antiques expert, auctioneer, and TV personality, known for his appearances on popular shows like Flog It! and Bargain Hunt. 
After studying Classics at Oxford University, he began his career in the antiques industry, eventually founding his own auction house, Adam Partridge Auctioneers & Valuers, in 2008, which began with a saleroom in Macclesfield but has now grown into a leading independent firm with salesrooms  in London, Liverpool and Devon.

Click  here for lunch menu and further details on how to book.

Welcome  to our new Season and also to our new Venue!

I hope you have all had a good break over the summer months.   I, and the rest of the committee, look forward to welcoming you back on 10th  September for the first lecture in our 2025/26 Season at our new venue, Wilmslow Conference Centre, Handforth, SK9 3PE. The Conference Centre can be accessed both from Handforth Way (A34)  and via the first turn off  Daisy Barn Lane.

There is plenty of parking.  Once parked please make your way to the main entrance of Total Fitness where we will be there to show you the way.

Anne Wade will help you renew your subscription and you can also book for the October Study Day.  If you need to collect your programme, having paid on line beforehand, then this will also be available.   Those of you that renewed in June and picked up a programme will be able to collect a reprinted copy showing the unavoidable changes that had to be made due to our November speaker being replaced.  We have also now booked a venue for our Christmas lunch and lecture.

Sylvia Morgan and her team of helpers will also be there to offer you a cup of tea or coffee.  And, of course, Diana  Colquhoun will be there with raffle tickets for you to buy!

I am delighted that the  Chair of The Arts Society North West Area, Sue Brake, has accepted our invitation to visit our Society for our lecture this month.  She is a member of the Crosby branch of the Society, as is her husband Richard Ainsworth who will accompany her.
 
With best wishes
Bridget

The November lecture will now take place on TUESDAY the 11th November

The November lecture will now be entitled Artists of the American Sublime and will be given by Adrian Sumner. This is a change to the previously published programme.

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that our AGM is being held on 11 June 2025 at 10.00am to which only members may attend. The AGM Notice and Minutes of the last meeting can be found on the website.

The AGM will be followed by our June lecture at 11.00am. After the talk a sandwich lunch will be served for those who have booked.  

FINAL REMINDER -  if any members who want lunch and have not yet booked it please complete the AGM Attendance Form which is available on our website and forward it to our Secretary Diana Colquhoun, email:

secretary.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org
 
by no later than Wednesday  4 June.
 

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - Please see Bridget's message below. Don’t forget your bank card or cheque book! 

May you all have an enjoyable summer break and we look forward to seeing everyone in September for our new season of interesting lectures.

A Message from our Chair, Bridget
 

I hope you have enjoyed the lectures, visits and study days we have had this season – it seems hard to believe that on Wednesday we have our last lecture (see details below).

Before the Lecture you will have the opportunity to renew your membership for the next season, which starts on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at our new venue, Wilmslow Conference Centre.

Members of the Committee will be in the Lesser Hall to hand out renewal forms (although these can also be downloaded from our website) and accept your payment which this year will be £60.00 to take into account increase in both travel costs and lecturers' fees. 

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 11 June
  at 11am at the Brookdale is:

Monopoly - do we really know it?

Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life.  It is one of the world’s most popular and enduring board games.  But, how well do you really know it?

This talk starts with the original Landlord’s Game of 1903 and its evolution into the game as we know it today.  Based on the classic 1936 London version we then take a photographic journey around the locations on that Monopoly board.  

Expect some surprises as we explore the relationships between the various properties, look at the ones that don’t actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well - or do we?

Our Speaker is:
Roger Mendham

A keen and accomplished photographer Roger has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and has recently completed 3 years as President of the Surrey Photographic Association.

His artistic taste is predominantly 20th century and he is particularly interested in the visual aspects of art.  An experienced public speaker, his talks are all richly illustrated with both his own and images from some of the leading photographers in history.

Please visit our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

A Further Reminder

A big thank you to those of you who scored last month's lecture. Over thirty members did so. Perhaps this month we could make it fifty members! Although the head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback, your vote helps the committee to make future programming decisions. Many thanks again to those who took part.
Scoring is easily done by visiting the website: 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Home.aspx
 

1. On the Home Page of our website scroll down to the bottom right of the page where you will see in pink "please give some feedback on the last lecture by clicking here" - click on the words. 
2. On the page brought up you will see "enter your password". In the box below it type @rts (follow the case as typed). 
3. You can then select your assessment and add any comment you have. 
4. You then press "click here to submit your vote". (You may need to scroll down a little). After clicking you get an acknowledgment that you have made your assessment.

Visit to The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House
Wednesday 17 September 2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Art_Gallery#/media/File:Walker_Art_Gallery,_Liverpool_161009.JPG

Join us for our September trip to Liverpool where we will be spending the morning at The Walker Art Gallery which houses one of the largest Art collections in England outside of London, and where we will enjoy a guided tour focusing on The Renaissance.

The afternoon will be spent at Sudley House set in beautiful grounds in the heart of suburban Liverpool. Sudley houses the magnificent art collection of Victorian merchant ship owner George Holt and is  the only merchant art collection in the UK still  in its original setting.

Lunch and a Highlights tour of the house are included in the trip.

There will be an opportunity to secure a place at the June meeting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudley_House#/media/File:Sudley_House_Liverpool.jpg

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) 'Son of Heaven, Man of the World' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 2pm with David Rosier. David will also be speaking at Wilmslow Art Society's meeting later on in the day on a different subject. 

Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-209 BCE) China's First Emperor and his Terracotta Afterlife' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is David Rosier. Please note Wilmsow's AGM is to be held from 7pm but we are very welcome to attend from 7.30pm for the lecture.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that our AGM is being held on 11 June 2025 at 10.00am to which only members may attend. The AGM Notice and Minutes of the last meeting can be found on the website.

The AGM will be followed by our June lecture at 11.00am. After the talk a sandwich lunch will be served for those who have booked.  

FINAL REMINDER -  if any members who want lunch and have not yet booked it please complete the AGM Attendance Form which is available on our website and forward it to our Secretary Diana Colquhoun, email:

secretary.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org
 
by no later than Wednesday  4 June.
 

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - Please see Bridget's message below. Don’t forget your bank card or cheque book! 

May you all have an enjoyable summer break and we look forward to seeing everyone in September for our new season of interesting lectures.

A Message from our Chair, Bridget
 

I hope you have enjoyed the lectures, visits and study days we have had this season – it seems hard to believe that on Wednesday we have our last lecture (see details below).

Before the Lecture you will have the opportunity to renew your membership for the next season, which starts on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at our new venue, Wilmslow Conference Centre.

Members of the Committee will be in the Lesser Hall to hand out renewal forms (although these can also be downloaded from our website) and accept your payment which this year will be £60.00 to take into account increase in both travel costs and lecturers' fees. 

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 11 June
  at 11am at the Brookdale is:

Monopoly - do we really know it?

Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life.  It is one of the world’s most popular and enduring board games.  But, how well do you really know it?

This talk starts with the original Landlord’s Game of 1903 and its evolution into the game as we know it today.  Based on the classic 1936 London version we then take a photographic journey around the locations on that Monopoly board.  

Expect some surprises as we explore the relationships between the various properties, look at the ones that don’t actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well - or do we?

Our Speaker is:
Roger Mendham

A keen and accomplished photographer Roger has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and has recently completed 3 years as President of the Surrey Photographic Association.

His artistic taste is predominantly 20th century and he is particularly interested in the visual aspects of art.  An experienced public speaker, his talks are all richly illustrated with both his own and images from some of the leading photographers in history.

Please visit our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

A Further Reminder

A big thank you to those of you who scored last month's lecture. Over thirty members did so. Perhaps this month we could make it fifty members! Although the head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback, your vote helps the committee to make future programming decisions. Many thanks again to those who took part.
Scoring is easily done by visiting the website: 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Home.aspx
 

1. On the Home Page of our website scroll down to the bottom right of the page where you will see in pink "please give some feedback on the last lecture by clicking here" - click on the words. 
2. On the page brought up you will see "enter your password". In the box below it type @rts (follow the case as typed). 
3. You can then select your assessment and add any comment you have. 
4. You then press "click here to submit your vote". (You may need to scroll down a little). After clicking you get an acknowledgment that you have made your assessment.

Visit to The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House
Wednesday 17 September 2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Art_Gallery#/media/File:Walker_Art_Gallery,_Liverpool_161009.JPG

Join us for our September trip to Liverpool where we will be spending the morning at The Walker Art Gallery which houses one of the largest Art collections in England outside of London, and where we will enjoy a guided tour focusing on The Renaissance.

The afternoon will be spent at Sudley House set in beautiful grounds in the heart of suburban Liverpool. Sudley houses the magnificent art collection of Victorian merchant ship owner George Holt and is  the only merchant art collection in the UK still  in its original setting.

Lunch and a Highlights tour of the house are included in the trip.

There will be an opportunity to secure a place at the June meeting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudley_House#/media/File:Sudley_House_Liverpool.jpg

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) 'Son of Heaven, Man of the World' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 2pm with David Rosier. David will also be speaking at Wilmslow Art Society's meeting later on in the day on a different subject. 

Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-209 BCE) China's First Emperor and his Terracotta Afterlife' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is David Rosier. Please note Wilmsow's AGM is to be held from 7pm but we are very welcome to attend from 7.30pm for the lecture.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that our AGM is being held on 11 June 2025 at 10.00am to which only members may attend. The AGM Notice and Minutes of the last meeting can be found on the website.

The AGM will be followed by our June lecture at 11.00am. After the talk a sandwich lunch will be served for those who have booked.  

FINAL REMINDER -  if any members who want lunch and have not yet booked it please complete the AGM Attendance Form which is available on our website and forward it to our Secretary Diana Colquhoun, email:

secretary.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org
 
by no later than Wednesday  4 June.
 

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL - Please see Bridget's message below. Don’t forget your bank card or cheque book! 

May you all have an enjoyable summer break and we look forward to seeing everyone in September for our new season of interesting lectures.

A Message from our Chair, Bridget
 

I hope you have enjoyed the lectures, visits and study days we have had this season – it seems hard to believe that on Wednesday we have our last lecture (see details below).

Before the Lecture you will have the opportunity to renew your membership for the next season, which starts on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at our new venue, Wilmslow Conference Centre.

Members of the Committee will be in the Lesser Hall to hand out renewal forms (although these can also be downloaded from our website) and accept your payment which this year will be £60.00 to take into account increase in both travel costs and lecturers' fees. 

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 11 June
  at 11am at the Brookdale is:

Monopoly - do we really know it?

Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life.  It is one of the world’s most popular and enduring board games.  But, how well do you really know it?

This talk starts with the original Landlord’s Game of 1903 and its evolution into the game as we know it today.  Based on the classic 1936 London version we then take a photographic journey around the locations on that Monopoly board.  

Expect some surprises as we explore the relationships between the various properties, look at the ones that don’t actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well - or do we?

Our Speaker is:
Roger Mendham

A keen and accomplished photographer Roger has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and has recently completed 3 years as President of the Surrey Photographic Association.

His artistic taste is predominantly 20th century and he is particularly interested in the visual aspects of art.  An experienced public speaker, his talks are all richly illustrated with both his own and images from some of the leading photographers in history.

Please visit our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

A Further Reminder

A big thank you to those of you who scored last month's lecture. Over thirty members did so. Perhaps this month we could make it fifty members! Although the head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback, your vote helps the committee to make future programming decisions. Many thanks again to those who took part.
Scoring is easily done by visiting the website: 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Home.aspx
 

1. On the Home Page of our website scroll down to the bottom right of the page where you will see in pink "please give some feedback on the last lecture by clicking here" - click on the words. 
2. On the page brought up you will see "enter your password". 
3. You can then select your assessment and add any comment you have. 
4. You then press "click here to submit your vote". (You may need to scroll down a little). After clicking you get an acknowledgment that you have made your assessment.

Visit to The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House
Wednesday 17 September 2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Art_Gallery#/media/File:Walker_Art_Gallery,_Liverpool_161009.JPG

Join us for our September trip to Liverpool where we will be spending the morning at The Walker Art Gallery which houses one of the largest Art collections in England outside of London, and where we will enjoy a guided tour focusing on The Renaissance.

The afternoon will be spent at Sudley House set in beautiful grounds in the heart of suburban Liverpool. Sudley houses the magnificent art collection of Victorian merchant ship owner George Holt and is  the only merchant art collection in the UK still  in its original setting.

Lunch and a Highlights tour of the house are included in the trip.

There will be an opportunity to secure a place at the June meeting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudley_House#/media/File:Sudley_House_Liverpool.jpg

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795) 'Son of Heaven, Man of the World' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 2pm with David Rosier. David will also be speaking at Wilmslow Art Society's meeting later on in the day on a different subject. 

Venue: Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (221-209 BCE) China's First Emperor and his Terracotta Afterlife' on Thursday 12 June 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is David Rosier. Please note Wilmsow's AGM is to be held from 7pm but we are very welcome to attend from 7.30pm for the lecture.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that we are still meeting at the Brookdale. 

A Message From Bridget Our Chair

As you know next month is our AGM when we elect members to the committee. Alan and Carol Gent who manage our website and public relations are standing down and, in addition, we are in need of a new Membership Secretary. If you are interested in one of these roles or would just like to know what is involved, please have a word with Bridget.

Even if you have joined our Society relatively recently, undertaking a role is a great way to get to know more people and helps to keep those 'little grey cells' functioning. You can email Bridget at: 

chair.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org
or telephone:07870986771

AGM

We attached the Formal Notice of our AGM, to be held in June, to last month's newsletter. Please click here to view the notice again if you so wish. Copies of the Minutes of the last AGM will be available at the  May meeting as well as at the AGM itself, and details are also on our website.

As usual it would be helpful to know how many members are likely to attend and to know how many will stay for lunch. An Attendance Form is attached, please click here and again copies will be available in May as well as on the website. Please could all members complete the form in good time and either hand it in at one of our meetings  or email to the Secretary:

secretary.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org

A Reminder

A big thank you to those of you who scored last month's lecture. Over thirty members did so. Although the head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback, your vote helps the committee to make future programming decisions. Many thanks again.
Scoring is easily done by visiting the website: 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Home.aspx
 

1. On the Home Page of our website scroll down to the bottom right of the page where you will see in pink "please give some feedback on the last lecture by clicking here" - click on the words. 
2. On the page brought up you will see "enter your password". Enter the password.
3. You can then select your assessment and add any comment you have. 
4. You then press "click here to submit your vote". (You may need to scroll down a little). After clicking you get an acknowledgment that you have made your assessment.

This Month's Talk on Wednesday 14 May
  at 10.30am at the Brookdale is:

Celebrating Black Fashion: Designers & Models who Shaped Fashion History from 1850 - the Present

Black Fashion designers have gone unrecognised and underrepresented within the history of western fashion. There is much to be learnt from Black designers and how their experiences have changed throughout history.

In the same way, Black models deserve major recognition too – they have not only helped transform attitudes and ideals of beauty, but they are also pioneers, trailblazers and activists who have revolutionised the fashion industry.

Our Speaker is:
Scott Schiavone

Scott William Schiavone is a Fashion Historian and Curator. He has worked with fashion and textile collections across the UK, including Glasgow Museums, National Museums Scotland and The Harris Museum in Preston where he is currently the Decorative Art Curator. 

His areas of expertise are nineteenth and twentieth century French, British and American womenswear, luxury fashion accessories and marginalised social histories of fashion. 

Please visit our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

Visit to The Walker Art Gallery and Sudley House
Wednesday 17 September 2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walker_Art_Gallery#/media/File:Walker_Art_Gallery,_Liverpool_161009.JPG

Join us for our September trip to Liverpool where we will be spending the morning at The Walker Art Gallery which houses one of the largest Art collections in England outside of London, and where we will enjoy a guided tour focusing on The Renaissance.

The afternoon will be spent at Sudley House set in beautiful grounds in the heart of suburban Liverpool. Sudley houses the magnificent art collection of Victorian merchant ship owner George Holt and is  the only merchant art collection in the UK still  in its original setting.

Lunch and a Highlights tour of the house are included in the trip.

Places for the trip will be available to purchase at our May meeting.
 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudley_House#/media/File:Sudley_House_Liverpool.jpg

Members may also be interested in:

The Northern Art Workers Guild and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Manchester
Wednesday 14 May 7pm
The Friends' Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester
Cost £10 - no booking required

A talk by Barry Clark following the publication of the book 'The Northern Art Workers Guild'.

This book is a major study giving us at last a reliable history of the Guild and its members, and its role as ‘an essential component of the Arts and Crafts movement located in the heart of industrial England,’ and co-written by Barry Clark, Stephanie Boydell and Richard Fletcher.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

'Carnations, Tulips and Hyacinths: The Story of  Turkey's Iznik Ceramics' by Antonia Gatward-Cevizli on Thursday 8 May 2025 at 2pm. Antonia will also be speaking at Wilmslow Art Society's meeting later on in the day on a different subject. Please see below.

It will be held in the Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'Shopping on the Rialto in Renaissance Venice' on Thursday 8 May 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is Antonia Gatward-Cevizli. 

This next lecture was cancelled in January due to snow and has now been rearranged and will take place on 22 May 2025 at 7.30pm - 'Much More than Soupcans. The Life and Work of Andy Warhol'. The speaker is Bill Powell.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane. 

Grand Day Out
 

Wilmslow Arts Society are warmly inviting our members to a Day Trip to Chatsworth on Tuesday 13 May. Cost £49 which includes coach travel, entry, specialist art tour and access to the garden and farmyard. Click here for more details. Email the organiser Claire Moreland at clairejmoreland@gmail.com

Welcome

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that we are still meeting
at the Brookdale. 

With this newsletter is the Formal Notice of our AGM to be held in
June.  Copies of the Minutes of the last AGM will be available at the April and May meetings as well
as at the AGM itself, and details are also on our website.

As usual it would be helpful to know how many members are likely
to attend and to know how many will stay for lunch. An Attendance
Form  will be available in April and May as well as on the website.

Please could all members complete the form in good time and either

hand it in at one of our meetings  or email to the Secretary:

secretary.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org

A Reminder

Would members please remember to score the lectures. This is
easily done by visiting the Societys website.
The head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback.

This Months Talk on Wednesday 9 April at 10.30am at the Brookdale is:

 Banksy - Fraud or Genius

The lecture will trace the story of Banksy’s humble beginnings as a
tagger on the streets of Bristol in the 1980’s to one of the most
recognisable names in the art world.  

We will examine the reasons behind his incredible rise, looking at
some of his famous stunts and discuss what his influence has been
on the art market today and look at what his legacy, if any, might
be. 

Our Speaker is:
Pepe Martinez

I qualified as a London blue badge tourist guide in 2011. Since
qualifying as a guide I have specialised in the graffiti and street art of
East London.

Prior to becoming a London blue badge, I was a tour manager for 15
years, travelling extensively, all over the world.

Please visit our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectur
es.aspx

Study Day Wednesday 23 April

The Home Beautiful: Pre-Raphaelite Interiors

Speaker Joanna Banham

Venue: The Pinewood Hotel 180 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow SK9 3LF

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood not only challenged conventional
definitions of beauty within the fine arts, they also rejected many of
the fashions associated with the mid- and late-Victorian home.
Inspired by their admiration for the middle ages and the medieval
guild, they believed that artists should also be craftsmen, as capable
of decorating furniture as painting on canvas. 

For Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris and Edward Burne-
Jones, a beautiful home was “the most important production of art”
and they expended considerable time and energy on beautifying
their own homes. 

Joanna will base her talks on The Red House, Kelmscott House
Hammersmith and Kelmscott Manor.

Booking forms will be available at the April meeting.

Rochdale Trip - Feedback

With the added bonus of a lovely sunny day, we all thoroughly
enjoyed our recent trip to Rochdale. Our guided tour of the
magnificent Town Hall was both interesting and informative, and we
were later treated to an excellent and entertaining talk on the
beginnings of the Co-operative Movement at the Rochdale Pioneers
Museum. The  article below gives details of our next trip.

Visit to Nantwich and Dorfold Hall Wednesday 21 May 2025

Dorfold House

Enjoy a morning exploring Nantwich - a charming, historical market
town set beside the River Weaver. There you will find one of the
highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with many
fine examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture including St
Mary’s one of our finest medieval town churches. The town centre
also hosts a wide range of speciality shops.
 
Spend the afternoon visiting Dorfold Hall, a magnificent brick and
stone gabled Jacobean house, originally built in 1616. Surrounded by
enchanting gardens and woodland it is full of old English charm. A
guided tour of the house, time to explore the grounds and
refreshments are all included in the visit.

There is still some availability for this trip. If you would
like to book a place the closing date is 21 April. You can
book at the April meeting or contact Jane Moorhouse if
you are paying by bank transfer at:

janemoorhouse459@gmail.com

Members may be interested in the following:

Monday 19 May 7.30pm Bridgewater Hall

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra is performing:

Mendelssohns Italian Symphony
Tchaikovskys Swan Lake Suite
Elgars Nimrod from the Enigma Variations
Bizets Carmen Suite No.1

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

Three Families and their Gardens: A history of the Asters,
Rothschilds and Sackville-Wests;  with speaker Caroline Rayman on
Thursday 10 April 2025 at 2pm.

It will be held in the Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster
Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: The
Age of Jazz on Thursday 10 April 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is
Sandy Burnett.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane
and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in
Sainsburys car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

A warm welcome to you all and a reminder that we are still meeting at the Brookdale. This year is the 250th year of Jane Austen's birth so it is appropriate that we help mark the occasion with our topic this month reflecting on the age in which she lived.

For those of  you going on the trip to Rochdale, you may like to know that there is a restaurant in the Town Hall called The Martlet, telephone number 01706 924762. As it is a very popular venue it is advised that you book ahead if you wish to eat there. Our lunch break will be between 12.15 and 1.45pm.

There will be a list of other places to eat in the town centre available at the next meeting.

There are still a few places available if you wish to join this trip. More details below.

Our Visits' Organiser, Jane Moorhouse, has been busy arranging another trip. This time to Nantwich and Dorfold Hall on Wednesday 21 May. More details can be found further down this newsletter.

Remember that on 23 April we have another Study Day, entitled 'The Home Beautiful: Pre-Raphaelite Interiors'. Again further details can be found below.

Two Reminders
 

Would members please remember to score the lectures. This is easily done by visiting the Society's website:
 https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

The head office of the Arts Society requires us to provide feedback.

Also would members please use the email addresses found on the back of our Society's programme card when you wish to correspond with committee members. Please do not use the email address tasnecmail@gmail.com as this is solely for sending out the newsletter.

This Month's Talk on
Wednesday 12 March
  at 10.30am at the Brookdale is:

Two Inches of Ivory: Portrait Miniatures and Silhouettes in the Age of Jane Austen

(Reminder: This is a change to the published details found in your programme leaflet)

Jane Austen compared the finely-observed sketches of human nature in her novels to the tiny, cherished portraits that her family and friends carried around as tokens of their loved ones.

During her lifetime, British artists excelled in this form of intimate portraiture, and, as Austen’s novels show, miniatures and silhouettes were an important symbol in courtship and family life. This lecture will use some of the best examples of this typically Regency art form to show how ‘portraits in little’ expressed affection and changed lives.

Our Speaker is:
Amina Wright

Amina Wright has three decades of experience as a curator of historic art collections and exhibitions. She has produced several major exhibitions on eighteenth-century British Art and Old Masters and published and lectured widely in these areas. She has recently completed a brand new one-of-a-kind museum, the Auckland Project’s Faith Museum in County Durham.

As Senior Curator at the Holburne Museum in Bath she was a leading member of the team that delivered the museum’s highly successful 2011 redevelopment. Amina has also worked for English Heritage and the National Trust and has an MA in Christianity & the Arts from King’s College London. 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx

Visit to Rochdale Town Hall & The Pioneers Museum  
Wednesday 19 March 2025
 

Our next trip will be to Rochdale where we will visit the Town Hall and The Pioneers Museum.

Rochdale Town Hall, a Victorian-era municipal building is widely recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the country.

The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is regarded as the birthplace of the modern co-operative movement, and showcases the influence of the movement on issues such as women’s rights, poverty, education, fair trade and social reform.

Booking forms will still be available at our March meeting.

Study Day
Wednesday 23 April
The Home Beautiful: Pre-Raphaelite Interiors
Speaker Joanna Banham
Venue: The Pinewood Hotel 180 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow SK9 3LF

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood not only challenged conventional definitions of beauty within the fine arts, they also rejected many of the fashions associated with the mid and late Victorian home. Inspired by their admiration for the middle ages and the medieval guild, they believed that artists should also be craftsmen, as capable of decorating furniture as painting on canvas. 

For Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, a beautiful home was “the most important production of art” and they expended considerable time and energy on beautifying their own homes. 

Joanna will base her talks on The Red House, Kelmscott House Hammersmith and Kelmscott Manor.

Booking forms will be available at the March meeting or you can access one here.

Visit to Nantwich and Dorfold Hall
Wednesday 21 May 2025

     Enjoy a morning exploring Nantwich - a charming, historical market town set beside the River Weaver. There you will find one of the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with many fine examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture including St Mary’s one of our finest medieval town churches. The town centre also hosts a wide range of speciality shops.

 
Spend the afternoon visiting Dorfold Hall, a magnificent brick and stone gabled Jacobean house, originally built in 1616. Surrounded by enchanting gardens and woodland it is full of old English charm. A guided tour of the house, time to explore the grounds and refreshments are all included in the visit.

Booking forms will be available at our meetings.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

'Bauhaus:Idea and Reality' with speaker Gavin Plumley on Thursday 13 March 2025 at 2pm.

It will be held in the Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

Special Interest Day

Macclesfield also has a Special Interest Day on Thursday 20 March:

The Lost Lowrys and Much More.

Join us for a fascinating day where we welcome back renowned Lowry expert, published author, and celebrated artist, Michael Howard.

Programme for the Day
10am Registration with coffee and biscuits
10:30 The fascinating and compelling story of the Lost Lowrys
11:30 Comfort break
11:45 Looking at Lowry’s work: an opportunity to view his paintings
12:45 Lunch is served
2pm Michael Howard’s art and exciting tales from his professional life

3pm Finish

We welcome guests for £41

Macclesfield Methodist Church

To book:  email   artsocietymaccprogssec@gmail.com

contact Adrienne Fox on 01625 511393

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture: 'The Wallace Collection's Rembrandts - From Twelve to One, but now Three and Two Halves' on Thursday 13 March 2025 at 7.30pm.  The speaker is Stephen Duffy.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in Sainsbury's car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

We are pleased to say that this months lecture is taking place at the Brookdale. We are hopeful
that our subsequent meetings until June will also be at the Brookdale.

A Message From Bridget, Our Chair:
 
As you will have read I recently had major heart surgery but am well on
the road to recovery. I would just like to thank all those members who
have enquired after me and also to thank our Vice Chair, Anne Wade,
our secretary Diana Colquhoun and the rest of the committee who have
continued to run the Society so smoothly - in spite of floods thwarting
plans for our last lecture. However things are back to normal and The
Brookdale have confirmed they look forward to welcoming us back for
our February lecture and the new members get-together thereafter.
 
Unfortunately I do have to let members know that Viginia McMahon
(Gini) has stepped down as Membership Secretary. I know you will join
the committee and me in thanking her for her efforts over the last few
months.

Members Who Joined In 2024

Postponed from Januarys meeting: For all members new to the Society
in 2024, you are kindly invited to come along to a New Members
Get-Together in the bar following the February 2025 lecture at The
Brookdale.

Our committee will be there to answer any questions you may have or
you may just like to have a drink and a chat and find out what we all
do.

Our March Lecture

Due to problems with travel arrangements, the published lecturer for
the March talk apologises but is unable to be with us. Instead, our
Programme Secretary has arranged for Amina Wright to lecture on a
similar topic entitled Two Inches of Ivory: Portrait Miniatures and
Silhouettes in the Age of Jane Austen;. We are sure that this will be just
as interesting.

Chris Aslans Tours

Those that made it to the Pinewood Hotel last month despite the
weather conditions found the lecture to have been worth the effort. It
was very well received with some spontaneous comments of Outstanding.

The lecturer, Chris Aslan, organises tours to the region
he covered in his talk. Expressions of interest were made and here are
a couple of links detailing tours he is undertaking in 2025:

https://www.indusexperiences.co.uk/tours/a-carpet-ride-to-khiva-

2025/

https://www.indusexperiences.co.uk/tours/land-of-fire-and-wine-

2025/

This Months Talk on Wednesday 12 February at 10.30am at the Brookdale is:

Chinamania - The Impact of Chinese Porcelain on European Taste, Collecting and Display Chinese Wan Li Dish

When the very first Chinese porcelains found their way to Europe, the
beauty and fragility of the material led to their being mounted with
precious metal and treasured. 

This early and exclusive ownership of Chinese porcelain spread
enormously in the 17th century with the opening up of trading
routes and spawned a whole range of European imitations.

This lecture will examine the enormous and long-lasting influence that
these Chinese porcelains had on European taste and culture and the
whole history of interior design.   

Our Speaker is:
Jane Gardiner

MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and
continues to lecture there. Was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute
of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sothebys, UK.

Jane has lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London
University, Buckingham University, Institut d'Etudes Superieures des
Arts in Paris, a private womens college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships
and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.
 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectur
es.aspx

Study Day Wednesday 26 February 2025
The Medici: Bankrolling the Renaissance 

Three lectures covering this fascinating family. Our Speaker will be
Douglas Skeggs.
 
Lecture 1: Bankrolling the Renaissance. Under the guidance of Cosimo
Medici, the family became the unofficial rulers of Florence and leading
patrons of the arts. 

Lecture 2: Popes and Patrons. With Florence gripped by the
apocalyptic preaching of Savonarola, the Medici were exiled from
Florence. But they re-emerged triumphantly as Popes in Rome. 

Lecture 3: From Riches to Royalty. Although the Medici were a spent
force in Italy, an ingenious marriage had put Catherine de Medici on
the throne of France, to be followed, shortly afterwards, by Marie de
Medici. This last talk looks at the impact these two formidable queens
had on the shape of French history.

Booking forms for the Study Day will be available at our
February meeting or click here for a copy.

Visit to Rochdale Town Hall & The Pioneers Museum  

Wednesday 19th March 2025

Our next trip will be to Rochdale where we will visit the Town Hall and
The Pioneers Museum.

Rochdale Town Hall, a Victorian-era municipal building is widely
recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the
country.

The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is regarded as the birthplace of the
modern co-operative movement, and showcases the influence of the
movement on issues such as women’s rights, poverty, education, fair
trade and social reform.

Booking forms will be available at our February meeting.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture:

The Dutch Golden Age in Six Pictures, a talk by Mariska Beekenkamp-

Vladimiroff  on Thursday 9 January 2025 at 2pm.

It will be held in the Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd.
SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.
Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture Tulip
Mania on Thursday 13 February 2025 at 7.30pm.  Mariska
Beekenkamp-Vladimiroff is the speaker here too.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and
Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in
Sainsburys car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel
Lane.

Welcome

A Happy New Year to everyone. May it prove to be a healthy, peaceful
and productive year for you all.
 
****CHANGE OF VENUE****

Please be aware that due to the adverse weather conditions on New
Year’s Day, the Brookdale has been flooded again and they have

informed us that we are unable to have our lecture there next week.
Fortunately we have been able to book the: Tatton Suite at the Pinewood Hotel
180 Wilmslow Road, Handforth SK9 3LF

We apologise for this last minute change of plan but the alternative was
to cancel the lecture altogether.

Please note: the New Members get-together following the January
lecture has been postponed and will take place the next time we meet
at the Brookdale, hopefully in February.

Our Chair 

Members are aware that our chair Bridget Pettigrew has been in
hospital. She has had open heart bypass surgery but is now back home
and on the road to recovery. This will take a while and in the interim
our Vice Chair Anne Wade will continue to lead the Committee as she
has over the last few weeks. We look forward to welcoming Bridget
back in due course.

This Months' Talk on Wednesday 8 January  at 10.30am at the Pinewood Hotel is:

How to Get Down from a Yak - Adventures in Central Asian Nomadic Textiles
 

The little-known nomadic textile cultures of the Kyrgyz, Turkoman and
Karakalpak are explored in this lecture.

Houses made from wool that warm in the depths of winter, carpets
that tell stories, woven bands that appease ancestors, embroideries
that ward off evil, and kilims that store kitchenware, with everything
ready to be packed and carried on yak, or camel at a moment’s notice.

Our Speaker is: Chris Aslan

Chris Aslan was born in Turkey and spent his childhood there and in
war-torn Beirut.

After school, Chris spent two years at sea before studying Media and
journalism at Leicester University. He then moved to Khiva, a desert
oasis in Uzbekistan. He was kicked out as part of an anti-Western
purge, and took a year in Cambridge to write A Carpet Ride to Khiva.

Chris then spent several years in the Pamirs mountains of Tajikistan,
training yak herders to comb their yaks for their cashmere-like down.
Next came a couple more years in Kyrgyzstan.

Chris is now based in Cambridge, but with plans to move to North
Cyprus. When he’s not lecturing for The Arts Society, he writes. His
latest book, Unravelling the Silk Road, is published by Icon Books. 

Please see our website for more details:

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectur
es.aspx

Study Day

Wednesday 26 February 2025 at The Pinewood Hotel

The Medici: Bankrolling the Renaissance 

Three lectures covering this fascinating family. Our Speaker will be
Douglas Skeggs.
 
Lecture 1: Bankrolling the Renaissance. Under the guidance of Cosimo
Medici, the family became the unofficial rulers of Florence and leading
patrons of the arts. 

Lecture 2: Popes and Patrons. With Florence gripped by the
apocalyptic preaching of Savonarola, the Medici were exiled from
Florence. But they re-emerged triumphantly as Popes in Rome. 

Lecture 3: From Riches to Royalty. Although the Medici were a spent
force in Italy, an ingenious marriage had put Catherine de Medici on
the throne of France, to be followed, shortly afterwards, by Marie de
Medici. This last talk looks at the impact these two formidable queens
had on the shape of French history.

Booking forms for the Study Day will be available at our January meeting or click here for a copy.

Visit to Rochdale Town Hall & The Pioneers Museum  

Wednesday 19th March 2025

Our next trip will be to Rochdale where we will visit the Town Hall and The Pioneers Museum.

Rochdale Town Hall, a Victorian-era municipal building is widely
recognised as being one of the finest municipal buildings in the
country.

The Rochdale Pioneers Museum is regarded as the birthplace of the
modern co-operative movement, and showcases the influence of the
movement on issues such as women’s rights, poverty, education, fair
trade and social reform.

Booking forms will be available at our January meeting.

Local Event

Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition of
local artist Helen Clapcotts' work. She is renowned for her depiction of
the post-industrial landscape of her hometown, Stockport.

The exhibition is on until Saturday 25 January 2025. There is a free 
Talk and Tour by the artist on Saturday 18 January 2-3pm but please
ring 0161 474 4453 to book.
 
More details here https://www.stockport.gov.uk/current-exhibitions

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Wilmslow

The Arts Society Wilmslow kindly invite you to their lecture on
Thursday 9 January 2025 at 7.30pm. Bill Powell is speaking on

Much More Than Soup Cans: The Life and Work of Andy Warhol.

Venue: The United Reformed Church on the corner of Chapel Lane and
Alderley Road, Wilmslow SK9 1PR. Parking is free after 6pm in
Sainsburys car park or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

A warm welcome to everyone.

Please note that this month’s talk is
being held at:
The Pinewood Hotel, 180 Wilmslow Road,

Handforth SK9 3LF

 
Members can use an overflow car park at the church next door to the hotel if the hotel car park is full.  

Please remember to register your cars number plate.

Your  Committee Needs You!

We are looking to expand our membership in the coming year and
raise our profile and are in need of professional help in marketing our
wonderful Arts Society to a wider audience.

In addition we are looking to find professional creative and design
skills among our membership. Please talk to any of the Committee if
you think you have the background and skills to assist.

This Months' Talk on Wednesday 9 October

 at 10.30am at the Pinewood Hotel is:

British Architecture in India

A look at the variety of architectural styles adopted by the British during the period of
the Empire in India for public and private buildings.  More details can be found on our
website:
 

https://theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectur
es.aspx

Our Speaker is: Prasannajit de Silva

Prasannajit de Silva completed his doctorate in 2007, researching the art of the British in

India during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

His lecturing covers British visual culture of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early

twentieth centuries, including art produced in various colonial settings.

A Trip to Haddon Hall

If you love a little bit of Christmas magic, join us on our trip to this
year’s Mercatum Christmas Artisan Market at Haddon Hall,
Derbyshire on Wednesday 27 November.

Medieval Haddon Hall’s beautifully decorated courtyards, rooms and galleries are

hosting over 180 talented artisans and makers, making your Christmas shopping

easy and enjoyable. Delicious freshly made street food, hot chocolate, mulled wine

and live music will complete the festive atmosphere.
 

Bookings can be made at the October meeting.

Carol Concert

The Gallery Choir will be entertaining us at our Carol Concert on
Wednesday 4 December from 11am to 12.30 at the Brookdale Theatre.

Tickets will cost £8 with refreshments included.

Tickets will be on sale at the October and November lectures.

Who We Are And What We Do

Hello, my name is Virginia McMahon and at the last committee
meeting of your North East Cheshire branch of the Arts Society I was
elected as Membership Secretary. I live in Marple, Stockport and was
introduced to the Society by Bridget Pettigrew.

I was born in Westminster, London and have lived in Surrey, West
Yorkshire and now Cheshire. 

Prior to retiring I worked in office administration in Wages, Accounts
and Organisation and Management departments.  I also have
experience working in Hospitality and Education and I am looking
forward to my new role in the Arts Society.

Maggie Schofield, the retiring Membership Secretary has been
generous with her time and experience in training me to do the job, I
hope I can be as successful as she was in the role.   
 
The visual and performing arts have always been an important part of
my life and joining The Arts Society and attending the lectures and
trips have been very enjoyable. 
 

 Please address all membership enquiries to Gini at:
Membershipsec.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Wilmslow

You are invited to our lecture, Antoni Gaudi: Turning Nature into
Stone; with Brian Healey on Thursday 10 October, 7.30pm at the
United Reformed Church, on the corner of Chapel Lane and
Alderley Road, Wilmslow, SK9 4PR.
Price £10.00 (cash or cheque on the day).

Parking is available free after 6pm in Sainsburys car park across the
road or Wilmslow Health Centre car park in Chapel Lane.

Contact wilmslow@theartssociety.org to check availability.

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join our lecture;The Art of the Cartoonist; with Harry Venning on Thursday 10 October at 2pm.
It will be held in the Macclesfield Methodist Church,
Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Price £10 for visitors.

Parking is available across the road on Whalley Hayes car park. 

Cultural Events Held in our Region 

Providence United Reformed Church, Mellor Road, New Mills, SK22 4DP

The Longest Yarn -A Thread Through History.

From Friday 22 November.

Knitted and crocheted - an 80 metre 3D depiction of 6 June 1944 in
wool art to commemorate the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. Bookings are now being taken. 

Enquiries please contact:providenceurc@nwsynod.org.uk

https://providencechurch.co.uk/

Victorian Society Talks

The Victorian Society is inviting Arts Societies in our region to the following talk:
 
The Arts and Crafts Museum at the Manchester School of Art – a guided tour from 1903.

Saturday, 12 October, 2.00 for 2.15. Stretford Public Hall Chester
Road, Manchester, M32 0LG.  £10. Booking not essential.

The School of Art and its museum collection are linked to some of the
most celebrated names associated with the Arts and Crafts movement,
such as Walter Crane and William Morris, but also to significant
cultural and political figures in nineteenth century Manchester.

Evidence from the School of Art archive, alongside the extant
collections, will illustrate the story of how this government art school
came to have a museum, and how its location, in “Cottonopolis”, would
afford the school, and its museum, a unique identity, distinct from
other regional schools and collections.

Stephanie is the Curator of the Manchester School of Art Collection,
Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections Museum (and
PhD candidate).
 
Her talk will look at the history and rationale behind the establishment
of the Manchester School of Art’s Arts and Crafts Museum in 1898 and
explore the variety of objects that were acquired for display through a
virtual tour of the gallery as it was arranged in 1903.

https://www.victoriansociety.org.uk/regional-groups/manchester/

Pictures from; the speaker, Haddon Hall, and member contribution; illustrations clip art, google images.

Welcome

A very warm welcome to both current and new members, hopefully suitably refreshed after the summer break and eager to learn more about the arts, old and contemporary, here and abroad. However before providing details of our talk this month, there are a few important notices to convey.

Our long time and very supportive President, Lady Bromley Davenport - Lizzie - has decided to retire from her role. The Committee has accepted this with reluctance, but also with many thanks for all she has done for us over the years. In recognition of this Lizzie will become an Honorary President with no duties although we hope she will join our meetings occasionally.

Our Vice Chair Anne recently presented her with a gift of two rose bushes for her garden – picture below. The roses are ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ and ‘Queen Bee’ which we hope was appropriate. 

New Membership Secretary

Virginia McMahon has now taken over from Maggie Schofield as Membership Secretary so from now on please address all membership enquiries to Gini at:

Membershipsec.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org

Programme Cards

 
If you have not received your programme card for the forthcoming season and have paid your membership renewal fee you may collect one from Gini when you sign in at the next meeting.

Volunteers Rotas

  If you have previously signed up to volunteer for helping out with coffee, hospitality or the welcome team we have not changed the rotas since last year and we hope that you are happy to remain on the rotas.  If you are not sure whether you are on the rota or you wish to change your mind, please contact the relevant volunteer co-ordinator.

Coffee rota - Sylvia Morgan:
sylviamorgan14@gmail.com
Hospitality - June Westley:
Programmesec.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org   
Welcome Team - Virginia McMahon:
Membershipsec.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org

The Heritage Volunteers group is currently in abeyance.

We are also in need of someone to help out on the AV Team so if you are interested please contact John Broadbent: 

john.broadbent@stcatz.oxon.org

Your  Committee Needs You!

We are looking to expand our membership in the coming year and raise our profile and are in need of professional help in marketing our wonderful Arts Society to a wider audience.

In addition we are looking to find professional creative and design skills among our membership. Please talk to any of the Committee if you think you have the background and skills to assist.

Valerie Poizer

Sadly we have been told of the death on 4 August of Valerie Poizer at the age of 84. Val joined the membership in 1985, and served on the committee from 1986 to 1988 as visits and study day secretary, then as programme secretary from 1988 to 1990.

She was a regular attendee at our meetings until recently and will be remembered for her enthusiasm for the Arts in general and for her artistic skills as a painter. We send our condolences to her family and friends.

Our speaker this month is Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe who came to talk to us last year when she spoke on the woman artist Artemisia Gentileschi. This time she is giving us an insight on how to identify an artist by their brushstrokes amongst other things.
 

This Month's Meeting on
Wednesday 11 September
 at 10.30am at the Brookdale is:

Recognise the Artist

"When we receive a letter or a Christmas card from someone we know, we often recognise the handwriting straight away, and know who it’s from without even opening the envelope.

Recognising the hand of an artist can be like that – an instant certainty that the painting must be by Rubens, or El Greco, or Rembrandt.
 Yet if you try to explain to someone else how you know that your letter is from that person, or what it is in their handwriting that is so distinctive, you would probably struggle to put it into words.  

This lecture takes examples of a wide range of artists from the 15th, 16th 17th and 18th centuries, and will put into words what it is that tells us a picture is by Rubens rather than Rembrandt, or even, by Rubens rather than by, say, Van Dyck, who was taught by him and painted so very much like him".
 

Our Speaker is:
Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe

Chantal has an MA in History of Art from Edinburgh, and PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University.

With 40 years' experience as a lecturer, Chantal has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art on the MA in Fine and Decorative Arts since 1989, and as a freelance lecturer for a number of societies and institutions in London, including the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection.

Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the making and the physical painting to her lectures and study sessions.

A Trip to Port Sunlight

There are a few places left if you wish to join us on our visit to Port Sunlight on Wednesday 23 October, the village founded by ‘Soap King’ William Hesketh Lever in 1888 to house his ‘Sunlight Soap’ factory workers. Bookings can be made at the September meeting.

A Trip to Haddon Hall

If you love a little bit of Christmas magic, join us on our trip to this year’s Mercatum Christmas Artisan Market at Haddon Hall, Derbyshire on Wednesday 27 November.

Medieval Haddon Hall’s beautifully decorated courtyards, rooms and galleries are hosting over 180 talented artisans and makers, making your Christmas shopping easy and enjoyable. Delicious freshly made Street food, hot chocolate, mulled wine and live music will complete the festive atmosphere.

Again bookings can be made at the September meeting.

Cultural Events Held in our Region 

Bramhall Festival of Arts
Hosted by St. Michael and All Angels Church Bramhall
Friday 27 September to Saturday 5 October
Please see their website for the daily itinerary. 

Campaign for Victorian and Edwardian Built Heritage

Edgar Wood Church Middleton

 Other Victorian buildings of interest in Greater Manchester open for Heritage Open Days include the following:
 
Church of the Holy Name  M13 9PG
Christ Church Timperley  WA15 7AN   
Mechanics Institute*  M1 6DD   
Ashton Old Baths*  OL6 7FW 
Withington Baths* M20 3EB   
St Mary's Church Hyde  SK14 4HC 
St Aidan's Church, Sudden  OL11 3EL   
Oldham Lyceum*  OL1 1QG 
Monton Unitarian Church  M30 9NX   
Stretford Public Hall  M32 0LG 
Pankhurst Museum*  M13 9WP 
St Peter's Church Swinton  M27 0WA 
Oldham Parish Church  OL1 3UH 
St Cross Clayton  M11 4VA   
St Augustine's Pendlebury  M27 8VX 
Bury parish church  BL9 0LA   
Didsbury CE Primary School  M20 6RL 
*pre-booking required- limited dates
 
For further information, please visit http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk  

Please note the June meeting is being held at the Pinewood Hotel.

A message from our Chair Bridget Pettigrew:

Hello Members
 
I just wanted to say that I was honoured to be elected as your Chair for
the coming season at our May AGM and I know I will be ably
supported by my committee. I hope those of you who were able to stay
for the buffet lunch thereafter enjoyed the sociable and friendly
atmosphere.

It seems incredible that this Newsletter is the last one for this Season. I

hope you have enjoyed the very varied programme of events the
Committee have been able to put together for you. Most of you will
now have your programme card for the next season and will be able to
see what you can look forward to!
 
Very best wishes
Bridget

If you have not already renewed your subscription you can click
here  to access a Membership Renewal form for 2024/25. Please
print off, complete and hand in at the June meeting. Don't forget your
bank card or check book. If you do not intend renewing your
membership it is important that you let Anne Wade know.
Thank you.

Please also note - we are sorry but due to restricted space at the
Pinewood Hotel we are unable to accommodate more guests at the
June lecture. Bookings already made will be honoured but
unfortunately we cannot accept further guest bookings for this
particular lecture. All members are of course welcome to attend.

You may notice that this newsletter is sent from the email address
newsletter.northeastcheshire@theartssociety.org This is to be used for
sending potential articles for future newsletters. For other
correspondence, please use the relevant email addresses which can be
found on the back of your 2024/2025 programme card.

This Month's Meeting on
Wednesday 12 June

 at 10.30am at the Pinewood Hotel

is

Seafaring: Art and Life at Sea from Turner until today

Based on the lecturer's critically-acclaimed 2022 exhibition at
Hastings Contemporary, Seafaring brings to life the perils and
pleasures of life at sea, with stunning artworks by Turner, Gericault,
Tissot, John Everett, Ravilious, Ronald Searle and many more. 

British artists have always been fascinated by the maritime world, but
in the age of Turner and Gericault, attention shifted to the experience
of sailors and travellers.

At first the emphasis was on disaster, but soon we begin to see more
nuanced depictions of ocean travel, such as Ford Madox Brown's The
Last of England.

With the 20th century came opportunities for artists to portray life
aboard battleships, ocean liners, submarines and fishing trawlers.

Alternating between drama and serenity, tragedy and laughter, and

featuring works by a star-studded cast of artists, this lecture brings to
life a fascinating story.

Our Speaker is: James Russell

Having studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, James

Russell enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and
sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, an experience that inspired him to
begin writing and lecturing on 20th century art.

Of his dozen or so books, one was a Sunday Times book of the year,
while his writing has been described by critics as 'insightful',
'informative' and 'enjoyably readable'. 

James has curated major exhibitions at Dulwich Picture Gallery and
for museums around the country. He bases his lectures on wide-
ranging original research into the subjects that fascinate him.
 

 Port Sunlight Village and The Lady Lever Art Gallery 23 October 2024

Join us on our trip to Port
Sunlight, the village founded by
'Soap King' William Hesketh
Lever in 1888.

The village was built to house
Lever's 'Sunlight Soap' factory
workers, but today is home to a
fascinating museum and
Edwardian worker's cottage,
beautiful architecture, a world-
class art gallery, stunning
parkland and a thriving
community.

Our visit will include a guided
coach tour of the village where
we will learn about its history, as
well as visiting the art gallery,
museum and worker's cottage.

Local Arts Societies

The Arts Society Wilmslow

From Kitchen to Banqueting Hall - The history of
cooking through art and architecture

 
Thursday 13 June, 7.30pm at the United Reformed Church,
on the corner of Chapel Lane and Alderley Road, Wilmslow,
SK9 4PR.

This lecture examines depictions of food and feasting in the art of
Western Europe and explores the architecture in which such meals
were produced. Immortalised in paintings and frescoes, feasting and
fine meals were a mark of wealth and status. From the medieval period
to the modern era, imagery of feasts, banquets and intimate dinners
are considered while examining some fine examples of kitchen design.

Sarah Pearson holds an Art History degree and postgraduate
degrees in World Art Studies and Architectural History. She lectured at
Reading and at the University of East Anglia for 10 years and now
works as a freelance lecturer and an education provider.

Price £10.00 (cash or cheque on the day). Contact
wilmslow@theartssociety.org to check availability.

Parking is available free after 6pm in Sainsbury’s car park across the
road.

The Arts Society Macclesfield

You are welcome to join us for our next lecture on 13 June at 2pm held
in the Macclesfield Methodist Church, Westminster Rd. SK10 1BX.
Parking is available opposite the church in the Whalley Hayes car park.
Cost for visitors is £8. 

The Glamour Years- Jewellery and Fashion from 1929 to

1959
 

Our lecturer is Andrew Prince. Jewellery has held a fascination for
Andrew from being a child. The first piece he made aged 5 was a ring
using beads and some copper wire he pulled from the back of an old
television. He gave it to his grandmother- it turned her finger green
and gave her a rash! Aged 16 he started as a junior in Bond Street,
London, working for Antiques Roadshow expert Ian Harris.

Later he began designing and making jewellery working for Elizabeth
Gage and then Harrods Fine Jewellery Room. He has created pieces
for Downton Abbey, Disney’s ‘Cinderella’ and Miss Piggy! Branching
out and wanting to share his knowledge, he has now become a popular
lecturer on both jewellery history and fashion.

In this talk, Andrew shows how Hollywood of the 1930’s and the
Second World War had such an extraordinary effect on fashion and
jewellery design.

He explains why the great stars like Marlene Dietrich and Joan
Crawford through to Grace Kelly were so important to the everyday
person. He also shows that with the development of labour saving
devices and leisure time, people had more opportunities to enjoy
themselves as well as how political events at the time influenced design
and what was worn.

Summer visit to Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire 

Macclesfield Arts Society are organising a trip to Hardwick Hall to

which we are invited.

Thursday 27th June 2024

We are planning to visit Hardwick Hall, built by Bess of Hardwick in
1597, filled with rich furnishings and tapestries, preserved by
generations of her descendants the Devonshire family. The unique
collection of the thirteen Gideon Elizabethan tapestries has now been

fully restored after 24 years of work, and there is also a significant
portrait collection.

Alongside the Hall are lovely gardens and the ruins of Hardwick Old
Hall, also built by Bess, recently opened following conservation work
to restore the 400 year old plaster friezes. Talks on the history of the
hall and tapestries are available at times throughout the day.

Accessibility: There are several steps in the Hall and wheelchairs and
trampers are available free of charge. However there is a virtual tour
available on the ground floor for those who cannot access the upper
floors.

Lunch: We can eat in the Hall’s café or picnic in the grounds.

Cost:   The coach will cost £19.00 for members of the Arts Society.
Guests will pay an additional £2.00 to cover costs, of £21.00. Members
of the National Trust or English Heritage will have free admission. All
other guests  will pay the discounted group rate of £18.05 per person,
payable on the day.

It is envisaged that we will depart about 9.30am from Macclesfield
Leisure Centre, returning about 4.30pm

Please contact:  info@theartssocietymacclesfield.org.uk to book.

Cultural Events Held in our Region 
 
A quick search on Google will take you to the relevant pages.

Hope Mill Theatre
Dido and Aeneas and Orfeo ed Euridice
Friday 14 June to Sunday 16 June

The Taming of the Shrew
Wednesday 19 June to Sunday 30 June

Manchester Palace Theatre
Aladdin
Wednesday 22 May to Sunday 7 July

Hairspray
Tuesday 16 July to Saturday 27 July

Manchester Opera House
Burlesque The Musical
Thursday 13 June to Saturday 2 November

& Juliet

Monday 8 July to Saturday 20 July

Royal Exchange 
Importance of Being Ernest
Friday 14 June to Saturday 20 July

The Lowry, Salford
2:22 A Ghost Story
Tuesday 4 June to Saturday 15 June

Light Cinema Redrock Stockport

Event Cinema is showing:

National Theatre Live:
Nye
Thursday 6 June 2pm

Royal Opera 2023/24 Season:
Andrea Chenier
Tuesday 11 June 7.15pm

Andre Rieu 2024 Maastricht Concert
Power of  Love
Saturday 31 August  7pm
Sunday 1 September  3pm

Please Note that the AGM will be held at theBrookdale Club, starting at 10:00, Lecture at 11:00, lunch to follow.

You need to book for the lunch using the form available at this months' lecture.

The Gallery Choir (who are also singing at Tatton Hall, Bramhall Hall and Quarry Bank this Christmas) are singing at a carol concert to be hosted by the Society and to be held at the Brookdale Club on Wednesday 6th December.  This is open to all members and friends.

Doors open at 10:30 for an 11:00 start.

Please contact anne.wade@hotmail.co.uk  (or 07941807850) if you would like a ticket (price £8.00 to include coffee/tea and mince pies served in the interval).

Please note, there will be no tea or coffee beforehand, but drinks will be served at the break in the concert.

Tickets will be on sale on lecture days, there is no booking form for this event