When we booked our speaker for September, Stephen Duffy, whose talk was ‘The Founders and Treasures of the Wallace Collection, we also decided that it would be ideal as a trip for our members. This was definitely confirmed on hearing Stephen’s talk. The Wallace Collection is a museum in London occupying Hertford House in Manchester Square, the former townhouse of the Seymour family.
Carrots and propaganda — not two words which instinctively go together. However, after Anne Haworth's lecture to the Horsham Arts Society in November — A Homage to the Carrot! The artistic legacy of a humble vegetable — we had to change our minds. Starting with the most recent example (from the Second World War, when a campaign promoting carrots to help see in the dark was used to mask the development of radar), Anne took us back to a time when this root vegetable wasn't just the orange colour we see today, but also yellow and purple.
In 2022-23 The Isle of Man Church Recorders completed their 16th record, that of St Maughold Church, which was presented to the Vicar and Wardens at the end of the harvest festival service on 1st October.
The record includes a full description and history, where known, of all items in and or belonging, to the church. Of particular interest are the significant collection of Manx Crosses and the 14th Century ‘Maughold High Cross’.
The record is accessible at MNH Library under MS # 11165.
On Wednesday the 13th September, 28 members and guests visited Tennants Auction House at Leyburn, North Yorkshire. After a hospitable reception with tea or coffee and delicious home made biscuits there was an introductory video outlining the history of the firm followed by a fascinating talk by Tennants specialist Diane Sinnott with "hands on" participation with selected antiques.
There then followed a superb two-course luncheon in their bistro. This was followed by a guided tour of the sales rooms with discussions of forthcoming sales and current exhibitions.
Salisbury Cathedral – Outreach and Workshops for ‘To Be Free’ – The Arts Society, Wessex Area
We remain very grateful to The Arts Society, Wessex for their kind support of the arts workshops during our 2023 ‘To Be Free’ exhibition. I’m happy to provide the society with the following report of activities and highlights during the exhibition.
Many of you will recall an excellent lecture entitled A Carpet Ride to Khiva given in February 2023 by veteran traveller and expert on Asian textiles, Chris Aslan. He has recently produced another highly readable book on a similar theme: Unravelling The Silk Road - Travels & Textiles in Central Asia. Published by Icon Books in June, it's also available as an e-book.