CULTURAL EXPEDITIONS SPECIAL INTERESTS

Bristol 1904 Arts: Cultural Expeditions

Convenor:  Dr. Paul Main

Prior to Covid-19 there were single day coach expeditions which aimed to cover the fine and applied arts that our Society cherishes.  They were designed so that the participants could enjoy each others' company, as well as being enriched by history, architecture, art, music and our wonderful countryside.

Previous expeditions have been to: 

• Oxford:
  Ashmolean Museum, (‘Degas to Picasso'), guided walk to Magdalene College's water meadows via the Covered Market, the Schools Quad, the Sheldonian & the Radcliffe. 
• Cardiff:
  National Museum of Wales and Cardiff Castle and a meander through the Edwardian Arcades to dinner at Cote.       
• The Spirit of England and the Spirit of Brideshead:
  Elgar’s Birthplace and Madresfield Court (Evelyn Waugh’s Inspiration) including a talk on Elgar’s Humour.
• Bath a World Heritage City:
  At the Holburne Museum a guided tour of the highlights of the collection and a brilliant walking tour of Georgian architecture led by Dr Amy Frost, Senior Curator of the Bath Preservation Trust. Tea at the Francis Hotel. 
• Gems of Glorious Gloucestershire:
  The National Arboretum at Westonbirt and the historic Elizabethan Chavenage House where we had lunch, tea and two excellent guided tours of the historic house.
• Roman day:
  Cirencester’s Corinium Museum, lunch at the 300 year old ‘The Fleece Inn’, then at Chedworth Villa a guided tour around the fascinating site followed by a National Trust cream tea.

Following Covid, our events have been Bristol based morning events, including:

• Blue Plaques and Green Plaques walking tours.
  These have been in Clifton, Hotwells, Park Street and the Centre, the Harbourside, the medieval city and the old Somerset town of Redcliffe.
  During these walks we have discovered much about the fascinating story of our historic mercantile & maritime city and its many famous personalities.
  We have learnt about artists, architects, sportsmen, social reformers, poets, engineers, sailors, writers, scientists and even our benefactor, James Fuller Eberle (known as Bongie).
• The Park Row Synagogue:
  Park Row Synagogue is the place of worship for the Bristol Hebrew Congregation. It was designed by H.H. Collins and S.C. Fripp, and built in 1870-1 in the Italianate style.  It has an attached clergy house.
• The University of Bristol Theatre Collection:
  The Theatre Collection is one of the world’s largest archives of British theatre history and Live Art. It was founded in 1951 to support the establishment of Drama as an academic discipline in the UK and has grown to become one of the world’s leading collections relating to the history of British theatre and live art.
• The Ken Stradling Collection:
  The Stradling Collection is a remarkable collection of 20th and 21st century design and applied arts. It contains almost 2000 pieces of ceramics, glass, furniture and decorative objects. We had an excellent presentation from the curator revealing fascinating aspects of good interior design.
  

The latter;  the Synagogue, the University of Bristol Theatre Collection & the Ken Stradling Collection were all on Park Row (Bristol) and all followed by lunch at the Flour House.