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PROGRAMME 2026
Monday 14th to Friday 18th September 2026
The Historic Houses & Heritage of North Wales
Including Wightwick Manor, Welsh Highland Narrow Gauge Railway, Portmerion, Caernarfon Castle, Plas Newydd Country House & Gardens, Bodnant Gardens, Penrhyn Castle, Powis Castle & Gardens
Over the years, the Centre has sponsored an annual ‘holiday’ with Yorkshire, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man being recent examples. In the early days there was even a visit to South Africa.
Our survey indicated that North Wales would be a popular destination – provided it included Portmeirion! – so we have agreed the attached itinerary with the firm ‘tailored travel’, who arrange everything for us as indicated in the programme below.
We do need to recruit a minimum of 25 members (or other friends) to make the holiday financially viable, so we were pleased to note that our preliminary survey indicated enough YES responses to encourage us to publicise the event.
Now we need to secure the booking by sending a £100 deposit per person to ‘tailored travel’, so would all prospective participants please send a cheque without delay to Jonathan Hughes to the address shown in the Itinerary and Booking Form below.
Cost : £899. [Same for non-members, for whom there may be room]
£999 for single rooms
£38 ‘Tailored travel’ insurance, if required
Accessibility: No known hazards.
Wednesday 30th September 2026
Visit to Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace is a World Heritage Site and has 200 years of history, stories and treasures to be explored. Share the splendours of Baroque architecture and wonder at the collection, which includes art, tapestries and fine furniture.
Cost (incl. concessionary entrance fees):
£69 Members
£74 Non-members Accessibility: No known hazards
Optional train @ 50p each way
Refreshments at own cost:
BYO or take advantage of facilities on site
Thursday 15th October 2026
2:00 for 2:30pm
Hampshire Hawk - a talk on Falcony
Presented by Anita Ebdon
Anita writes that birds of prey are a fascinating subject for people of all ages. She will bring along a Harris's hawk, a barn owl, kestrel and a buzzard for us to meet and learn about and to have the opportunity to hold on a glove for a photo, should you so wish.
These birds give a good basis to understand the differences between many of the species and how they fly and hunt. The birds sit calmly on a perch or her gloved hand during the talk and will not be flying free, they are all very calm and used to being indoors in all types of environment in the company of people.
Thursday 11th November 2026
2:00 for 2:30pm
Bishops, Buildings and Bones - Part 2 Winchester 1100 - 1600
Presented by Andrew Negus
Members will doubtless recall that Andrew Negus spoke to us last year on the very early history of Winchester. By the end of the Talk, members were already enquiring when the story will be continued, so here it is!​
Friday 11th December 2026
12:30 for 1:00pm
Christmas Lunch at
North Hampshire Golf Club
Minley Road, Fleet GU51 1RF
Highfield Park no longer operates as an hotel, so we have had to seek out a new
venue for our Christmas lunch this year. The menu is reproduced as attached and we are confident that we have found a promising alternative.
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Members £47.00 and non-members £52.00 inclusive of a welcome glass of wine. We will again have the delight of being entertained by Graham Hix on his keyboard. Many of you will remember him form previous years and the many concerts and musical showes in which he is involved.
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To make your reservation please complete the booking and payment form. You can use any UK Credit or Debit Card to make your payment.
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When you have completed your Booking Form and made your payment you will receive an acknowledgment by email. In this email there will be a link to make you menu choices. Please click on the button and select your preferences. Please click on this form for each person attending.
2027
Thursday 14th January 2027
2:00 for 2:30pm
Gertrde Jekyll's Munstead Wood
Presented by Ian Moulsworth
(General Manager)
Gertrude Jekyll’s house and garden (NT) are
both currently closed, so we have invited the
address us on the administrator to address us on the history of the property and the progress of the project of renovating the home and garden of the renowned designer, plantswoman
and artist.
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A designer of over 400 gardens, Jekyll designed only one for herself. Munstead Wood is therefore the truest expression of her ideals and philosophy. Join Ian Molesworth, Site Manager for the National Trust, to learn more about the Gertrude Jekyll, her home and garden and the plans for the property.
As a footnote, the famous grower David Austin created a rose in 2011 named ‘Munstead Wood’. It was exceptional for its fragrance and deep colour, as captured in this picture:
Thursday 11th February 2027
2:00 for 2:30pm
The Poetry Plane
Presented by Peter Booth
Our speaker today will be familiar to members as he has addressed us before on his family involvement in the battle of Rorke’s Drift and the death of Nelson. As former Head of History at Lord Wandsworth College, he has continued to put his historical knowledge and enthusiasm to good effect in his retirement. His talk today
offers a poignant alternative to the more usual visits to the WW1 battlefields.
The Poetry Plane is an annual initiative that sees poems written by schoolchildren on seeded paper being dropped from a WW1 aeroplane at key commemorations. The project aims to keep the sacrifice of WW1 alive for current and future generations.
The poem papers are seeded with memorial flowers of Britain, France, and Germany, the poppy, the cornflower, and the forget-me-not. The initiative is supported by various organizations and involves schools, colleges, and libraries worldwide. The Poetry Plane is a powerful way to honour the fallen and remember the sacrifices made during the Great War.
Thursday 11th March 2027
12:30 for 1:00pm Spring Lunch
followed by Hampshire Swing Riots of 1830
Presented by Howard Benbrook
Spacing out our social events, we are going to continue to have a SPRING LUNCH, which MUST be booked in advance. Having already experienced her excellent fare, we shall once more use the services of Nicola Leonard, from whom we shall order two choices of main dish and two desserts, and a vegetarian option, which you will be asked to select later after you have booked.
Water will be provided on the tables, but please bring your own drink and glasses (wine is allowed) to accompany the meal.
Note: The cost is inclusive of the normal entrance fee of £4.00/£5.00
The Swing Riots were the
outcome of considerable discontent in rural communities after the Napoleonic Wars when a combination of poor harvests,
the high price of bread .......
Thursday 15th April 2027
2:00 for 2:30pm
Annual General Meeting