UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday 14 May 2024, 12:15pm at Stationers’ Hall
Early Summer Luncheon
Come and enjoy drinks in the lovely gardens of Stationers’ Hall followed by a delicious BBQ buffet luncheon in the magnificent company of your fellow Kindred Spirits. You are welcome to bring other halves and family members.
There will also be another fantastic book raffle in aid of the Charitable Trust – here is just a taste of what’s on offer.
Thursday 13 June 2024 at Strawberry Hill House
Summer Outing
The poet Thomas Gray described Strawberry Hill House as “all Gothicism, gold and looking glass”.
The stunning Gothic Revival house and gardens were built in Twickenham by Horace Walpole in 1749 and are still home to the Strawberry Hill Press. He conceived of the house as a “little Gothic castle” with pinnacles, battlements and a round tower.
We will meet at 10:30am for coffee, tea and refreshments. We will then have a private guided tour of Strawberry Hill House and the opportunity to view items from the Strawberry Hill Press archives.
After lunch in the beautiful Waldegrave Dining Room, Professor Peter Tyler will give us a talk on the history of Strawberry Hill House, which is fabulously gossipy, filled with scandal, glamour and political intrigue, laced with Gothic horror. We will also have the opportunity to visit the Grade II* listed gardens.
Strawberry Hill train station (on the main line from Waterloo) is a five-minute walk from the house; there is also on-site parking.
The cost of the event covers welcome refreshments, entry to Strawberry Hill House, private guided tour, two-course lunch with wine, talk by Professor Tyler and entry to the gardens for a self-guided visit.
Tuesday 16 July 2024, 12:15 for 12:40 at Stationers’ Hall
Rupert Allason | Nigel West
We will return to Stationers’ in July to welcome Rupert Allason, former Member of Parliament for Torbay in Devon (1987-1997) and who writes espionage novels and works of military history under the pen name Nigel West. One of Rupert’s specialisms has been in tracking down former agents and persuading them to tell their remarkable stories. As a historian of security and espionage, he has lectured at both the KGB headquarters and the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.
Tuesday 10 September 2024, 6:30pm at The Art Workers’ Guild
Jack Homer
Editor, Hansard
September will see us back at The Art Workers’ Guild, where we will be joined by Jack Homer, the Editor of Hansard. Named after the family of printers who began working with Parliament in the late 18th century, Hansard is the written record of proceedings and debates in Parliament and was printed on vellum (goatskin or sheepskin) until as recently as 2015. It has been described as ‘a remarkable work – full of double-dealing, treachery, scorn and abuse’.
Tuesday 12 November 2024, 11:45 (AGM), 12:15 for 12:40 (luncheon)
AGM | Speaker to be announced
