Skittles at the Binfield Club
Thursday 7th November
 On Thursday 7th November 23 of our members attended our skittles evening at the Binfield Club.
We
played a few different rounds ranging from normal, then throwing with
your non-dominant hand, then throwing facing away from the skittles
then each bowling one ball.
There was also a table picture quiz
where we tried to identify pictures of bridges, famous buildings,
landmarks and castles. It turned out to be a little tricky with the
best team getting 11 out of 20 although there was only 1 picture that
nobody recognised (note for next year – must make it a little easier).
The score from the quiz was added to the skittles score to declare the winning team and they were duly awarded a prize.
The Binfield Club put on a really good buffet during the evening and out thanks go to Georgina and her team for their hard work.
An enjoyable evening was had by all.
|
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Palace, V & A
Wednesday 23rd October
  On Wednesday 23rd October 15 of our members travelled by bus to the Royal Albert Hall for an hour long tour.
We split into two groups, 8 for the 12:00 tour and 7 for the 12:30
tour. In both cases the guides were excellent and really made the tour
very interesting.
The tour took us round all the public areas right to the top viewing area and into some of the boxes including the royal   box.
After the tour we split up, some went to the V & A museum, some to
an exhibition at Kensington Palace and some for a walk in Kensington
Gardens.
The homeward journey was a bit manic as one of the buses was cancelled
thus making the one we all ended up travelling home on jam-packed with
many people standing. Never-the-less it was a really good day out. |
Marble Hill House, Orleans Gallery & York House Gardens
Friday 6th September
 
On Friday, the 6th of September 15 of our members visited Marble Hill
house and the Orleans Gallery in Twickenham.
Marble Hill house
was built in the 1720’s for Henrietta Howard countess of Suffolk
who lived there until her death in 1767. It is built in the Palladian style
and is grade one listed.
The gardens were
designed with advice from Alexanda Pope.
The house and estate
was saved from development by a public petition in 1902 because it
lays at the heart of the famous view from Richmond Hill, at the time it was owned by the Cunard family. The
houses and now by in English Heritage and houses a collection of
Georgian paintings and furniture, unfortunately not the original but items of the period.
Although most of us
were not English Heritage members the house was still free to enter.
There were guides in all rooms that were very informative.
Some of the group
went on a tour of the historical landscape garden.
 After lunch we
visited Orleans House and gallery which is approximately 10 minutes
walk from marble hill house.
The octagon room
within the house is grade one listed and very spectacularly the
restored.
The main exhibition
in the house was called “Ripple in Time” and consisted of many
musical related items to combine to make a dub experiment.
There were more
conversational on works on the mezzanine level and an interesting
embroidered piece depicting places along the river Thames.
On our way back to
Twickenham station we popped into York House Gardens which is next to
the river. Unfortunately we missed the main part of the gardens but we did see a magnificent fountain.
Both of buildings and gardens we
visited were well worth it and recommended.
|
Basingstoke Canal Barge Cruise
Wednesday 3rd July
 
On Wednesday the 3rd of July 32 of our members went on a canal barge
trip from Odiham. The morning trip was scheduled to be 2½ hours long
but it actually lasted 3¼ hours.
The trip was very
serene and peaceful down the canal. Some members stood in the open at
the front of the boat and some at the back from where the boat is
steered. There were a few big houses and gardens to see on the route.
After the cruise
some members returned home whilst others stayed for lunch in various
local hostelries.
  Everyone seemed to
enjoy the trip and the weather was kind on the day although overcast.
Our thanks to the
volunteer crew of four who were very friendly and informative and we
well recommend the trip.
|
Hidden London Walk
Tuesday 25th June
On
25th of June, 27 of us went on our annual London hidden walk. We
travelled to London Bridge station and split into two groups; one led
by Alan and Pauline Buckingham and the other by Tony and Brenda Bolt.
We
walked to Tower Hill where the official walk started by some remains of
the original London City wall. The walk took us through Trinity Gardens
passing Trinity House and Sir Edward Lutyens’s Mercantile Marine
Memorial to sailors who lost their lives in the first and second world
wars. Next to this was the site where executions were held in the 15th,
16th and 17th centuries.
The first church we visited was All
Hallows by the Tower which is the oldest church in the City of London
dating back to 675 A.D. In the crypt there were  remains of the original Roman floor tiles and a small interesting museum.
After
lunch we walked away from the crowds and deeper into the city where
there was a lot of history relating to famous people such as Samuel
Pepys, Christopher Wren and Charles Dickens. There are many churches in
the city and we visited a few, also great views of some of the iconic
office buildings such as the Gherkin, Walkie-talkie, Horizon 22 and the
Lloyds building. It was unusual to see some of them standing behind the
old churches and other old buildings which made for great photos.
The
weather on the day was very hot and humid so it was nice to find some
shady streets whilst walking around. Everybody seemed to enjoy the walk
and the commentary at various points of interest. Our group managed to
catch the 16:20 train back from
Waterloo which was a welcome rest. The other group caught the later train as they stopped for a drink break in the afternoon.
   
|
Wokingham Theatre Evening
Wednesday 5th June
On
the evening of Wednesday 5th June 12 of our members went to the
Wokingham Theatre to see “Steel Magnolias”, a play written by Robert
Harding in just 10 days; he wrote it in memory of his sister who died
of complications with diabetes. This was a charity performance in aid
of the Bracknell and district Samaritans.
The basic story, which was made into a film in 1989 starring Julia Roberts is as follows:-
In Chinquapin, Louisiana, a tightly-knit band of friends, confront
grief, loss, life's unforeseen tragedies and heartaches with what they
do best: gossiping and sharing.
At Truvy’s beauty salon, the spirited bride-to-be, Shelby, her
ever-supportive mother, M’Lynn, Truvy’s gawky assistant, Annelle, the
city’s curmudgeon, Ouiser, and the town’s former first lady, Clairee,
are the warm Southern belles who know how to survive life's challenges
with their unwavering friendship over the course of many years. But
when Shelby, who has diabetes, decides to conceive, things will turn
upside down...
Filled with humour and heartbreak, at its core is a powerful message
about the strength of female friendships. Steel Magnolias is a timeless
exploration of the bonds that unite us.
Excellent acting and a good evening’s entertainment.
Note:
According to Wikipedia, a steel magnolia is primarily a Southern States
woman who exemplifies both traditional femininity as well as brilliant
fortitude.
|
Chiltern Open Air Museum
Friday 17th May
  On Friday 17th May 9 of our members visitaed the Chiltern Open Air Museum at Chalfont St. Peter near Rickmansworth.
There were many types of building on display that have been re-located
from various parts of the Herts/Bucks area. These included a prefab
house, farm buildings with old machinery and tools, nissen huts (which
included wartime uniforms), and cottages from the 18th to 20th century.
The cottages and prefab were surrounded by gardens and allotments from
the time. There was also a replica of an Iron Age house.
There was a woodworking workshop containing many artifacts and tools
from early 20th century. There were a few farm animals on site
including rams, goats   and chickens.
The main toilet building was also 2oth century with pull chain flushes, wooden toilet seats and old penny slots on the doors.
We travelled by car sharing. On
arrival we discovered that the cafe was closed for the day; no food or
drinks were available so on the way home we stopped at the nearby
garden centre for a late lunch.
|
Houses of Parliament
Friday 10th May
 On Friday 10th May 17 of us travelled to London to visit
the Palace of Westminster, better known as the Houses of Parliament.
9 of us travelled up
on the train together to Waterloo where we had lunch.
After lunch we
walked down Leake Street which is an amazing tunnel covered in
graffiti and sprayed artwork. After Leake Street we continued through
Archbishop’s Park to a Garden Museum, right next to Lambeth Palace.
The remainder of our
group joined us at the Jewel Tower opposite the Palace of
Westminster;  the tour we booked gave us free entry to the Jewel
Tower.
 At 5 p.m. we started
our guided tour around the Houses of Parliament. It was an excellent
tour lead by a very knowledgable guide.
We started in
Westminster Hall where about 97% of the beautifully carved roof
timbers date back to 1097. We continued on through St Stephen’s
Hall into the central lobby where news reports seen on television are
often conducted.
 We continued on down
the Commons’ Corridor, through the Commons’ Lobby to the Commons
“Aye” lobby where  volumes of Hansard (the daily record of
Parliament) are kept and then through the House of Commons itself
where we paused to learn more about the House where the daily debates
take place.
Next we walked down
the Peers’ Corridor, through the peers’ lobby to the House of
Lords where our guide gave us more information about the House.
The tour, which was
booked through our local M.P. James Sunderland’s office took 1½
hours and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.
|
Battersea Power Station & Royal Hospital Chelsea
Wednesday 13th March
  On
Wednesday 13th March 23 of our members travelled by train to London to
visit Battersea Power Station. 16 of us took the Lift 109 which is a
lift that travels up the north-west chimney and pops out at the top to
give the most spectacular views of London. The ex-power station
is now home to a large shopping mall, cinema, plenty of eating places,
flats and more. There are also nice walks around the building and down
to the  river.  In
the afternoon we walked to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, which is just
across the river, for a guided tour. We were shown round by a Chelsea
Pensioner in full official uniform. We started the tour in their
museum by watching a video on the history of the site and then shown
round the museum. Next we were shown around the grounds with an
explanation of the different areas; the grass area between the hospital
and The Embankment is hired for events such as a classic car show, the
famous RHS Flower Show, an antique jewellery fair and more. We were
then taken into the hall where all the pensioners congregate at meal
times. There were several paintings on the walls depicting people of
importance in the hospital’s history plus inscribed details of each
campaign they have been involved in.   Finally we visited the chapel which had an amazing ceiling, The guide was informative, interesting and friendly, altogether a great tour. 
|
Westminster Central Hall and Supreme Court
Friday 9th February
On Friday 9th February 18 of our members travelled to
London to visit Westminster Central Hall and The Supreme Court which
are both located near or in Parliament Square.
  First we had a tour
round Central Hall which is part Methodist Church and part events
venue. The hall comprises 23 varied rooms that can accommodate up to
60 people in the smaller, more intimate function rooms, to over 2000
people in the main hall.
We were taken around
some of the rooms/halls - the library, chapel, church, Grand Hall –
all of which can also be hired for events.
The Grand Hall has a
magnificent organ and the stage is in  different parts which can be
raised and lowered according to the production requirements.
We also went out on
a balcony on the 4th floor that looked directly over the
main entrance to Westminster Abbey; this is where the BBC film any
major royal event at the Abbey.
At the beginning of
the 20th century there was a successful attempt to raise
one million guineas and everyone who collected or subscribed was
recorded in one of over 45 volumes, we were shown one of the volumes.
All around the place
there were paintings and statues many of which were of John Wesley,
founder of the Methodist movement.
They have a very
nice cafe there where we all had lunch.
  After lunch we
walked around the corner to the Supreme Court, the highest court in
the land, where we had our second guided tour of the day.
The Supreme Court of
the United Kingdom was only established in 2009 and is the final
court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for
criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As
the United Kingdom's highest appellate court for these matters, it
hears cases of the greatest public or constitutional importance
affecting the whole population. Criminal or civil
cases must have gone through at least two appeals before they can be
referred to  the Supreme court which only deals with points of law
that need clarifying, they do not get involved with the facts of the
case.
A very fascinating
and informative tour. We sat in each of the three  courts and the
guide explained how the Supreme court works. After that we were shown
the large library full of legal books and case books.
The tours are only
available on Friday afternoons as the courts are being used the rest
of the week, however you can go into any of the courts at any time
whilst cases are being decided.
A really good day
out enjoyed by all.
|
Windsor Theatre
Thursday 18th January
  On Thursday 18th
January 12 of our members went to the
Theatre Royal Windsor to see “Beyond the Barricade”.
The Show
featured
many songs from different West End musicals and were performed by two
men and two women who had, in the past, been in Les Miserables.
The singers
were
backed by great musicians and the standard was very professional.
The show is now
in
its 25th year so must they must be doing something right. We would highly
recommend this as a very entertaining night out.
|
