Suzanne Perrin gave three fascinating and informative lectures.  Many of the members knew little about Japan beforehand, and were certainly enlightened by the end of the day.

The first lecture gave an introduction to the Edo period (17th-19thC), illustrated by an impressive collection of beautiful woodblock prints.

After a break for coffee and pastries, we learnt about Japanese architecture and gardens and their significance, again supported by superb pictures.

A buffet lunch followed with a selection of sandwiches, wraps, sushi, salad, wine and soft drinks, finishing with doughnuts, crunchy nut clusters, grapes and figs.

The third lecture dealt with Japanese crafts and festivals, showing how many traditions are still in evidence today. 

Suzanne had also brought along a number of Japanese items to show us and these were on display throughout the day.

There has been very positive feedback for this event and it was definitely a success.  It was well-attended (45).

10 am – 3 pm

This event took place at Redbourn Parish Centre.  Our lecturer was Richard Whincop.

Cost: £40, including lunch.  This event was attended by 38 members and 4 guests.

The 3 lectures covered:

• Session 1:  Greek Sicily:  Temples and Tyrants
• Session 2:  Romans, Barbarians and Arabs:  The Benefits of Civilisation
• Session 3:  Norman Sicily:  Enlightened Rule

All were illustrated with beautiful slides that helped bring his subject to life.  He was easy to listen to and the level was pitched just right – not too academic nor too superficial.  He clearly has a deep understanding of the history, architecture, art, culture and people of Sicily. His enthusiasm for his topic was infectious and he communicated this throughout.   The cross-over of cultures and interplay between them was highlighted so that the audience gained a deeper knowledge of these aspects of Sicilian civilisation over time. He introduced the day with some quotes about Sicily and returned to them at the end which made the day seem complete and well considered.  He skilfully dealt with questions afterwards.   Feedback from the audience was that they had learnt a lot and really enjoyed the day. 

Cultural and Social Life on the Riviera in the 1920's

Once again, Mary Alexander charmed us with her Study Day on the Riviera in the 19th and early 20th centuries, plus a range of postcards and photographs from the time, which she brought with her and laid out for us to look at. I was particularly taken by the sheet music of "My Riviera Rose" by a music hall artist whose output included "My Romany Rose" and no doubt a lot more! As usual her talk has a reading list and tips for places to visit, which we can send you on request. Mary's "New York, New York!" special interest day is the regional choice for Friday 24th February 2023, highly recommended if you missed it when she presented it for us in 2014.

During her talk, Mary showed us an Edwardian postcard, the closest destination to Harpenden from her collection, addressed to someone at The Golden Parsonage, Hemel Hempstead, actually in Great Gaddesden and attached to Gaddesden Place. As I live in the town, I looked up the reference, and found an interesting story attached to this historic building, still owned by the Halsey family who once owned the land my house is built on. 

The Golden Parsonage

Here is an extract from the Halsey family blog:

Being founder’s kin of William of Wykeham, John Halsey, went to Winchester school and New College Oxford. Going into the law, he became a member of Lincoln’s Inn. During the Civil War (1642-1651), when King Charles I was based at Oxford, the university colleges were encouraged to donate their silver to the royalist cause, to be minted into shillings and half-crowns to pay the cavalier forces. Though New College largely escaped this, Parliament imposed a new Warden in 1649, the year of the King’s execution.

To save it from being sequestered the College Fellows entrusted their silver to John Halsey. It was probably hidden at the Golden Parsonage, and was returned in a ‘truncke’ in 1657 when a ‘true and legall’ warden was appointed. To this day New College retains uniquely a good collection of pre-Civil War plate. 

Held on Tuesday November 3rd 2020 on line

We ran a study morning about Sir Stamford Raffles on Tuesday November 3d this year. This took the form of two 45-minute lectures with a 15-minute coffee break in between and a question and answer session at the end. Our speaker Denise Heywood specialises in Far Eastern studies. In the first of her two lectures she spoke of Sir Stamford Raffles’ exploration of the Buddhist temple of Borobudur, and his widely known role in the foundation of Singapore.  

In 1804 he discovered Borobudur, which had lain hidden for centuries under volcanic ash.  It is an earthly manifestation of the Buddhist vision of the Universe dating from the 8th century Her second lecture was about Sir Stamford Raffles’ role as an art collector and founder of Singapore.  She discussed his art collection, as well as describing the architectural heritage of Singapore from its foundation in 1819 to its revival today with its magnificent art galleries and museums. Much of his collection is now housed in the British Museum.

We ran the lectures as Webinars. We opened the event to all the Area societies, asking for a fee of £10. We had over 40 attendees. The event was very successful and earned the lecturer a rating of outstanding. She had mastered the art of on-line lecturing, giving the audience a real sense that she was in the same room. Her enthusiasm for her subject was infectious. It made for a very enjoyable morning, even though attendees had to make their own coffee!