September 2023 Newsletter

                                       NEWSLETTER -  SEPTEMBER 2023

                               DAY OF SPECIAL INTEREST 19TH OCTOBER

Dear Members,

Welcome back following the Summer break.  The purpose of this Newsletter is to draw your attention to a change of speaker from that advertised for the Day of Special Interest (DOSI).  Julia Marwood:  “A Breath of Fresh Air:  Glasgow Boys & Girls and the Scottish Colourists”, is still unwell from Long Covid and we hope she will be able to join us in the future.  Our next regular lectures are:

Monday 11th September, 2.15 for 2.30  The Mayan Heritage:  Ancient and Modern Culture presented by Ms Chloe Sayer.

Monday 9th October, 2.00pm sharp The AGM followed by “The Artistic Alcotts:  the Real Little Women” presented by Mrs Elizabeth Merry.   The AGM papers will be circulated separately.

         DAY OF SPECIAL INTEREST, THURSDAY 19TH OCTOBER, 11.00AM-3.00PM

“MANSIONS AND LEGENDS OF ‘GILDED-AGE’ AMERICA, 1870-1930” presented by MARK MEREDITH  TICKETS  £30.00 each

We are delighted to announce that Mark Meredith will be our guest speaker for the Day of Special Interest on 19th October.  His subject “Mansions and Legends of Gilded-Age America, 1870-1930” will provide an absorbing illustrated discovery of the real-life history which sparked Downton Abbey and many more films, plays, television and novels.  Mark is a write, the founder of HouseHistree.com, and lectures regularly in both Europe and the United States.  His passion has always been for history, particularly that behind houses through the characters that conjoin to create them.  Further information is available on our website.

There will be two lectures:  “Cash for Coronets”:  Between 1870 and 1914, no less than 454 heiresses exchanged their crisp new American dollars for musty, old European titles.  The monies were primarily used to restore the crumbling ancestral piles inherited by cash-strapped aristocrats.  We’ll hear how the couples were matched and the dollars were made and spent on many of these buildings, which are today among our best-loved national treasures.

Great English Mansions – Made in America:  These mansions, built during America’s ‘Gilded Age’, came in all shapes and sizes, but many were inspired by various classic English houses.  They were resurrected and lived in by an eclectic mix of millionaires.  Through the splendour of the architecture on both sides of the Atlantic, we’ll discover stories and characters associated with these international treasures.

Your £30 ticket will include a sandwich lunch and a glass of wine or soft drink.  The day begins at 11.00 am with coffee & biscuits and ends at 3.00pm.  For tickets, please complete the booking form on our website at www.theartssociety.org/henfield or ring Rosemary Nice on 01273 492221.  Tickets will be on sale at the September 11th and October 9th meetings.     

We look forward to seeing you soon,  

Your Committee.