ARTS SOCIETY EXETER FORDE ABBEY and GARDENS WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY 

 Forde Abbey is a former Cistercian Monastery dating back to the 12thcentury and converted into a family home during the mid 17th century. Throughout the 20th century, the 30 acres of garden have been developed.

Cost of £ 35 includes transport and entry to the Abbey and Gardens.

Timetable:

Pick up either:  Lower South Street, 9.45 am OR  Toby Inn, 10.00 am

Return around 5.15pm, traffic dependent.

BOOKING FORM Link here 

Either send an email with the information outlined in booking form or scan this form and email to visits.exeter@theartssociety.org. PAYMENT BY BACS.

Please put your name and FORDE as the online reference.

The Exeter Arts Society, Lloyds Bank. Sort 30 93 14. Account 00149155

PAYMENT BY CHEQUE To. The Arts Society Exeter.

Send cheque and this form to Lynda Powney, 24, Richmond Road, Exeter, EX4 4JF. If you are a member of Historic Homes, please let me know. Thank you.

Image courtesy Julie Anne Workman wikimedia commons

This tour is now closed to booking and full. Sorry to disappoint. 

Monday April 20th - Friday 24th 2026 4 nights 5 days 

We stay in Delft and visit Amsterdam, the Hague and Keukenhof.

We fly direct scheduled from Exeter Airport KLM to Amsterdam. 

We go with Success Tours. 

VISIT TO SHERBORNE CASTLE & GARDENS FRIDAY 12th SEPTEMBER 2025

Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, the castle houses a nationally important collection of art, porcelain and furniture. The castle has a wonderful history and beautiful gardens; one of the first designed by Capability Brown. It is now an RHS partner garden. We will be having bespoke tours in groups of ten in the afternoon with free time in the morning.

TIMETABLE – Redwood’s Coaches

Lower South Street     pick up 9.30am           return approx. 6.00pm

Toby Inn                       pick up 9.45am            return approx. 5.45

 Cost £37.00 each to include transport, castle entry and pre-booked group tours at 2.00pm onwards. We should arrive at 11.00am. Coffee and lunch (NOT INCLUDED) will be in the Butterfly Room of the adjoining Castle Gardens Centre. Picnics can be held in the castle grounds.

 BOOKING FORM HERE

NOW FULL

The Arts Society Exeter

The Art, History & Palaces of Vienna

Departs Monday 1st - Friday 5th  SEPT 2025.

 Image of Belverdere Palace - image and photo courtesy  Jose Francisco Fernandez Saura

Day Visit to Lanhydrock ( National Trust) 

 Wednesday 21st May

Visit to the Lanhydrock Estate, Bodmin, Cornwall Wednesday 21st May.
Lanhydrock has a fascinating history that encompasses wars, political scandals and a fire that devastated large parts of the house. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the house was acquired, in 1614, by Richard Robartes, known as the 'wealthiest in the west'.

Timetable: Lower South Street, 9.30am. Return approximately 6pm.
OR: Toby Inn. 9.45am. Return approximately 5.45pm  Car parking charges at Toby Inn to be confirmed.

Lanhydrock is a National Trust property. If you are a National Trust member, you will pay only for the coach. You will be required to show your pass on entry and confirm here your position. As a non-member of the National Trust, the charge is £20.

National Trust member pay £18 for the coach
Non member of National Trust pay £38 for the coach and entry

Form here

Forms will be available at talks. Contact Lynda Powney for help lyndapowney@gmail.com

Refunds may be possible on resale to other people.

Image by Olaf Tausch courtesy of Creative Commons 

A 4 night visit to wonderful Vienna staying in a 4* hotel with a River Danube Cruise

Schedulaed BA Flights from Heathrow (Executice private coach from Exeter there and back) at decent times!

What will we see?

Karlskirche, Stefansdom, Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens, Hundertwasser Haus, Melk Abbey, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Upper Belverdere Palace (Art Gallery with Klimt paintings incl the Kiss) and the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg Palace.

Document and full application form here

Please register interest with me asap at chair.exeter@theartssociety.org or fill in the from and post to me with deposit. Info on form. thank YOU 

More to follow .....

A day visit to Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire

Castle and grounds - website looks fab. 

Leaving Exeter at 9.30am returning about 6pm 

Cost £34 per person for the coach and entrance fee. 

Link to Form here 

Image courtesy of wikicommons by Philip Halling https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1441218

Trip to Tuscany, Italy Monday 30th September to Sunday 6th October 

Details here  

£1,499 pp  (+£99 single supplement) HB in 3* hotel
 

Day 1     - We meet at our designated pick-up point and transfer by private coach to Bristol Airport for our direct scheduled 12.15 midday Easyjet flight to Rome Fiumicino Airport. 

On arrival in Italy we are met by our tour manager who will accompany us throughout our tour. We continue by coach to the spa town of Chianciano Terme in Tuscany and check in at the Hotel Villa Ricci for a six night stay. Dinner is included in our hotel every evening, bar one.

Day 2     - This morning we visit the Abbey of Monte Olivieto Maggiore to see the magnificent 41 frescoes of the Life of St Benedict.

We continue on to the charming small town of Pienza where parts of the ‘English Patient’ were filmed. Take the time to walk the walls to enjoy the wonderful views and relax in the central square where the Cathedral and the town hall are located. Dinner is served in our hotel this evening.

Day 3 - Heading into Umbria this morning we make our first stop at the medieval town of beautiful medieval town of Assisi and home to St Francis of Assisi, where we have a guided tour of the Basilica, taking in the stunning frescoes by Giotto depicting the life of this most popular of saints. The Basilica, which dominates the town, is one of the great Christian shrines and is visited by thousands of pilgrims each year.

We then continue to Perugia, dating from Etruscan times, where we have a guided tour of the Galleria Nazionale dell’ Umbria, the centre for Umbrian art. Alternatively, you may choose to visit the Cathedral or explore Perugia at your leisure. Dinner is served in our hotel this evening.

Day 4 - This morning you can have a free day exploring the Spa or join us on a visit to Florence. On arrival we will have a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery Italy’s the private art gallery of the Medici Family and now one of Italy’s finest gallery. In the afternoon you have free time and you may wish to visit the Duomo, the River Arno & Ponte Vecchio. Dinner is served in our hotel this evening.

Day 5 - On arrival in Siena this morning our guided tour takes in sights such as Siena’s main square, the Piazza del Campo, and the magnificent Gothic Duomo. The town is home to the annual festival of the Palio, a daring horserace which takes place each year in the Campo. This is the heart of Siena, a sloping amphitheatre of a square, lined with café tables with the focal point being the Palazzo Pubblico. Our guided tour also includes a visit to the Cathedral and it’s Piccolomini Library. This evening is free to dine out ( restaurants & taxis can be booked at reception)

Day 6     - This morning we visit the Church of Madonna Di San Biagio at Montepulciano, dating back to 1518 and one of the most important church buildings of the Renaissance period.

We then enjoy a guided tour at the Gardens of Villa La Foce. When Antonio and Iris Origo bought the estate of La Foce, they engaged the English architect Cecil Pinsent to restructure the main buildings and create a large garden. The house is surrounded by a formal Italian garden, which is divided into geometrical ‘rooms’ by box hedges with lemon trees in terracotta pots. Travertine stairs lead to the rose garden and a winding wisteria-covered pergola bordered by lavender hedge. Gentle informal terraces climb up the hill, where cherry trees, pines and cypresses grow among wild broom, thyme and rosemary, and a long cypress avenue leads to a 17th-century stone statue. Through the wood, a path joins the garden and the family cemetery, considered one of Pinsent's best creations. After our guided tour, we enjoy an included lunch at a carefully selected local restaurant. Dinner is served in our hotel this evening.

Day 7 - This morning after checking out of our hotel, we visit the charming Etruscan town of Orvieto. Gaining access into the town by cable car, we enjoy some free time at leisure. On an individual basis you may choose to visit the stunning 13th century Duomo, among the greatest of all Italy’s Romanesque-Gothic cathedrals. After we travel to Rome Fiumicino Airport for our direct scheduled flight back to the UK where we continue by private coach back to our original pick-up point.

 EMAIL Susie :  chair.exeter@theartssociety.org ig interested 

Image courtesy of Villa La Foce, Italy 

THE ARTS SOCIETY EXETER

VISIT TO BOWOOD HOUSE, 15th May 2024

Bowood House is the home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdown. Originally built in1720, part of the building was destroyed by fire in 1955. This left a beautiful Georgian building. The Robert Adams Diocletian wing contains a library, orangery (picture gallery) and the Lansdowne marbles in the sculpture gallery. At the east end is the laboratory where Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen gas. Exhibition rooms show Lord Byron’s Albanian dress, watercolours, miniatures and jewellery and paintings by Constable, Gainsborough, Turner. David Roberts, and Edward Lear. The Arcadian and extensive grounds were landscaped by Capability Brown with formal gardens surrounding the house. 

TIME TABLE – Redwood Coach

Lower South Street            Pick up     9.15am                  Return approx.    6.00pm

Toby Inn                                Pick up     9.30am                  Return approx.    5.45pm

Cost £36.00 to include transport, house entry pre-booked groups. Stable restaurant available, at own cost.  One course meal, hot or cold for £13.70,  sandwiches and drinks available. Picnics must be eaten outdoors where there are plenty of seats. Please note Bowood House is a Cash Free Zone.              FORM HERE 

Applications, please contact: Mrs Veronica Rossignol Tel: 07432553000 Email: vice.exeter@theartssociety.org

 Any queries, other than payment, please contact Jean Simpson-Smith, email: visits.exeter@theartssociety.org  

Image courtesy of Paul Farmer of Bowood House and wikimedia license

THE ARTS SOCIETY EXETER

VISIT TO HOLBURNE MUSEUM, BATH,

 Wednesday 25th OCTOBER 2023

I’m sure you will all have read the article about Gwen John in this quarter of the Arts Society magazine. Many of you will also have been to the Holburne gallery and know that it houses an eclectic mixture of artefacts collected by Sir John Holburne. This was donated to Bath City and subsequently added to. Unfortunately, we have not been given a guided tour. I’m told that it has to be self-led. However, here is some information. Booking form- under Tab 'Our Society' - scroll down to documents.

TIME TABLE – Redwood Coach

Toby Inn                               Pick up     9.45am                  Return approx..    6.00pm

Lower South Street               Pick up     10.00am                Return approx.    6.15pm

Cost £34.00  to include transport & entrance.   Cafe available, at own cost.

Find the booking form under DOCUMENTS in the Our Society tab- scroll down to the bottom. 

Image courtesy of Tate Gallery and Creative Commons Licence.

This is now full and can no longer take any more bookings. 

Departing 17th September,  2023 returning Thursday 21st September (5 days, 4 nights)

Click here for more details from Tailored Travel

Image by Zubair Sheikh of Powerscourt Gardens courtesy of Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode

We're off to Caerhays Castle - designed by John Nash over 200 years ago

Gardens are well known for Magnolias, Camelias and Rhododendrons. 

Trip by coach - from two pick up points in Exeter.

VISIT TO CAERHAYS CASTLE, CORNWALL ON 3RD MAY 2023

Caerhays is one of the few Nash built castles still standing and was completed in 1810. The 60 acres estate was originally a Manor House owned by the same family from 1370-1840 when the Williams family acquired it and it is still their home. The tour therefore only includes the ground floor where exhibitions are displayed. The family don’t wish to spoil the surprise of the tour with too much information. What is known is that they encouraged plant hunting and developed a renowned spring garden with the national collection of magnolias and a wide variety of azaleas and rhododendrons.

TIME TABLE: Toby Inn Pick up 9.45am Return 6.00pm Lower South Street Pick up 10.00am Return 6.15pm Cost £36.00 to include transport, guided tour of the house and access to the gardens. Tea rooms are available, at own cost 

Booking form will be found in Documents section (at bottom of Our Society tab) 

Image by Nilfanion courtesy of Creative Commons This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Pencarrow estate has been the home of the Molesworth family and their descendants since Elizabethan times is described as exquisite. Pencarrow is approached by a magnificent mile-long carriage drive through an Iron Age Hill Fort. However, the house as we see it was not completed until 1766 on older foundations, The Molesworth family became Molesworth-St Aubyn when Sir Hugh married into the St. Michaels Mount family. As a result of this, the rooms contain much of interest including Chinese porcelain, decorated walls and paintings. These include a series of portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds. The Anti room is described as exquisite. Around the Palladian mansion are Grade II formal gardens in Italianate style, a large Victorian rock garden and ice house, Celtic Cross, 50acres of parkland, lake and woodland which is easily accessible along well-maintained footpaths. £32 per person

Click here for the booking form for this event. It can also be found on this website under Our Society/Documents

Mapperton House is one of the oldest Dorset manors. At the time of the Domesday Book, it belonged to William de Moion, Sheriff of Somerset. After him it belonged to the same family for over 800 years, passing by descent from the Bretts to the Morgans, Brodrepps and Comptons, each inheriting through the female line. Today the house is the home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich and contains a fine collection of paintings and antiques which reflect the Montagu family’s contribution to Britain’s naval history. Learn about the connection to Samuel Pepys, as well as the origin of the “snack”.

Mapperton Garden is one of the most important and distinctive gardens in Dorset. The gardens are famous for their romantic setting, their varied planting and their sense of peace. They are set in a valley below the house and lead from an Italianate formal garden with fountains, topiary, grottoes, ponds and stone statuary, laid out in 1920s. Beyond this is a summer house overlooking 2 fish ponds leading to the wild garden with its wonderful specimen shrubs and trees.                                             

Dates: 30th Sept 5th Oct 2021, ie Duration: 6 Days 5 Nights

Details: We will have an Executive 49 seater coach for the duration of the tour and a Blue Badge guide is included on Days 2, 3, 4 & 5. Guided tours are also included at Salle Church, Norwich Cathedral (subject to availability), Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Christchurch Mansion, Lavenham Church, Long Melford Church, Frys Gallery & the Henry Moore Studio.

Hotels: We stay three nights on a half board basis at the 4* Q Hotel Dunston Hall Hotel on the outskirts of Norwich (www.qhotels.co.uk) and then the remaining two nights of our tour on a half board basis at the 4* Stoke by Nayland Hotel (www.stokebynayland.com) on the outskirts of Leavenheath, located in a countryside setting ten miles from the centre of Colchester.

Places to be visited: Wimpole Hall, Salle Church, Blickling Hall, Ranworth Church, Norwich city Tour, Norwich Cathedral, Castle Museum & Gallery, Sainsbury Centre, Christchurch Mansion, Sir Alfred Munnings Art Museum, Lavenham & Long Melford Churches, Audley End House, Henry Moore Studios, Fry Gallery & Buscot Park.

Costs: Double room per person: £799.00, Single room supplement: £149.00; insurance: £29 per person. There are a couple of spaces remaining on this tour.

A tour of the Fine Art of Exeter Cathedral

Exeter Cathedral are offering members of TAS Exeter a private tour of the Cathedral’s “Illustrated Architecture”, which will follow much the same pattern as that in 2017. This proved very popular with so much art of high quality right on our doorstep. Three specialists will lead parties of no more than ten in number, to look at the Medieval Stained Glass, Notable Tombs and Monuments and The Library in turn. Each tour will last approximately one hour with a break for coffee and a break for lunch. Of course three hours hardly does justice to the wealth of architectural features in the cathedral but will surely whet your appetite for further exploration, in due course. Although The Cathedral Café, situated in The Cloisters, is open Monday to Saturday for breakfast (served from 09.30), morning coffee and handmade cakes, light lunches and afternoon tea, our refreshments will be provided in the Chapter House. The total number will be limited to 30.

The Programme:

•                     ? 09.50 Arrival Time, meet in the Chapter House, booked all day for us, and best approached by coming down the Nave to the South Transept, where there is a small door in the wall.

•                     ? 10.00 1st Tour

•                     ? 11.00 Break for Coffee/Tea in the Chapter House and Convenience Break

•                     ? 11.30 2nd Tour

•                     ? 12.30 Break for lunch, in the Chapter House, please note the break for lunch might not be quite long enough to eat in the town.

•                     ? 13.45 3rd Tour

•                     ? 15.00 Farewells..

Cost - £21 for the whole day, but not including lunch, which will cost a further £7.95  It does, of course, include your entry to the cathedral.

BOOKING FORM: Look under "Our Society/Documents

Torre Abbey was founded on 25th March 1196, with arrival of an abbot and six cannons at Torre (now known as Torquay). They had been sent from Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire following a gift of land from the lord of the manor at Torre, William Brewer. It now houses beautifully presented heritage rooms, galleries, art exhibitions, interactive displays. Talking portraits, and videos, which bring the Abbey’s history to life.

We will have a guided tour through the art galleries where there are many interesting paintings by well known artists including Pre-Raphaelites works of Holman Hunt and Burne-Jones; water colours by Thomas Luny and F J Widgery and a rare set of William Blake’s “Book of Job”.

Lunch has been arranged at “The Hare and Hounds” where a carvery for “the over 60s” will only be served to cope with so many in the time we have. This will cost £9.50.

In the afternoon we will be listening to and seeing the collection of mechanical musical instruments at Aeolian Court in Chudleigh. There are over fifty period pieces of various ages and sizes which Robert Hough, the collector will play and talk about. He tells me that this will take about one and a half hours. We will then have tea before returning to Exeter.

The booking form for this outing can be found under Our Society/Documents on this website.