FLAG TALKS 2025/6

 

Talks held in Dormer Conference Centre, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa.  Admission £3 members and £5 guests which includes coffee/tea/biscuits.

 

14 OCTOBER 7.30pm

Jeff Watkin – Concealment & Deception: The Art of the Camoufleurs of Leamington Spa 1939-1945

 

 

18 NOVEMBER 7.30pm

Trudy Hillier – History of Pantomime

 

 

Wednesday 17 DECEMBER 2.30pm

Helen Castor – The Eagle and the Hart: The Tragedy of Richard II

and Henry IV

 

 

Wednesday 14 JANUARY 2.30pm

Simon Gulliver – Arts and Crafts Gardens

 

 

Wednesday 18 FEBRUARY 2.30pm

Dr. Graham Twemlow – Chiltern Landscapes, Art & Design

in the Chilterns

 

 

Tuesday 17 MARCH 7.30pm

Lewis McNaught – Returning Heritage, Informing the Restitution Debate

 

 

Tuesday 14 APRIL 7.30pm A.G.M. followed by

Adam Wood – Victorian Crime in Leamington

 

 

GUESTS ARE VERY WELCOME

Our August newsletter is out now.

There’s plenty to catch up on in our August newsletter!

Paul Baker took over as chair earlier in the year and introduced himself and gave us dates for some of the Winter Talks Programme - final details of speakers etc to follow., but there is a Friday Focus on 12th September you might like to note as it will be held in the cinema at the Spa Centre, where a film showing the Bridgeman sculpture of the Unknown Refugee recently installed in the Jephson Gardens, along with short talks by Dr Jane Bridgeman, and Professor Michael. Film maker Andrew David Barker will also be there.

Another date for your diary! Flag will be at the Leamington History Group Heritage Day on 13th September in All Saints Church, between 10 am and 3 pm.

Other features in the newsletter are details and images of our trips this year; a review of Unravelling History: Unpicking the collections and reworking textile tranditions by Annabel Rainbow who co-curated the exhibition with Abigael Flack, Curator of Social History; and an update on gallery news from Chloe Johnson and Vicki Slade, Collections and Engagement Managers.

 Dates for your diary: 

Tuesday 14th October 2025 7.30pm

Tuesday 18th November 2025 7.30pm

Wednesday 17th December 2025 2.30pm 

 

Wednesday 14th January 2026 2.30pm

Wednesday 18th February 2026 230pm

Tuesday 17th March 2026 7.30pm

Tuesday 14th Aril 7.30pm

 

 

Our trip to Royal Holloway College, University of London

The Royal Holloway College was founded over 170 years ago by two Victorian social pioneers who wanted to make a difference and is formed from two colleges, Bedford College and Royal Holloway College, founded by Thomas and Jane Holloway.

The colleges were among the first place  in Britain where women could access higher education.

"Bedford College in central London opened its doors in 1849. It was the first higher education college in the UK for women and counts the novelist George Eliot and the first female doctor, Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, among its early students. 

In 1886, Royal Holloway College in Surrey was opened by Queen Victoria. By 1900, the colleges became part of the University of London, later merging in 1985 to form what is now Royal Holloway". 

Read more about the Flag trip below.

"Our trip to Royal Holloway College yesterday was a very interesting and enjoyable day. We had a guided tour of the founder's building and ornate Victorian chapel and the picture gallery where we had a lovely lunch followed by a talk on the paintings and finished up with tea and cake"!  (text and photos by Cherry)

 "Astonished"!

 

An amazing building!

A very enjoyable trip yesterday to Royal Holloway College, University of London.  Having been astonished by the building that greeted us on arrival the start of our tour, the Chapel, was even more stunning.  The excellent tour including the quads, Dining Room and Reading Room was full of information about the history of the college and buildings.

Finishing in the Picture Gallery with lunch and a talk about this unique collection of Victorian pictures collected for the college by its Founder, Thomas Holloway and his wife Jane.  The one picture we'll all remember is the one that is still covered, to this day, with a Union Jack flag during exams in the Picture Gallery! (Text by Flag Secretary)

 

Founder, Thomas Holloway and his wife Jane

 

More images of the day from Cherry.

 

Did someone mention tea and cake? 

 

 A better look at some of the paintings (image with permission)

 

The beautiful Chapel

 

 

Bit of a fabulous ceiling!

 

 

Arley Hall and Gardens

FLAG members set off on a beautifully sunny day to Arley Hall and Gardens. It's nestled in the centre of a triangle formed by Northwich, Knutsford and Warrington. Everyone seems to have had a fantastic time and the gardens were particularly beautiful.

Huge thanks to all our contributors. 

Here's Carolyn's photo and words about the visit. 

On a hot day made very pleasant by a strong breeze, we visited Arley Hall, which at first glance looks like a substantial Tudor house. In a style known as Jacobethan, it was actually built between 1832 and 1845, copying both styles and now very much blackened by soot, At least the fourth house built on the site, it was commissioned by Rowland Egerton-Warburton, but fell into disrepair so that parts were demolished and much altered. 

 

It’s now the home of Viscount Ashbrook and has extensive panelling, heavily ornate ceilings and a massive staircase and is well furnished. 

 

Its real distinction is its grounds – eight acres of formal gardens including the first herbaceous border planted in England, and a great quantity of well-trimmed yew hedges and topiary, all immaculate.

 

In the grounds is a 15th-century cruck barn with seven cruck trusses.

 

Also in the grounds is a Gothic Revival chapel built at the same time as the house. Designed by Anthony Salvin, it has plain brick walls above stone arches and a number of carved angels in best medieval style. There is also some fine metalwork, including a very elaborate hearse canopy of wrought iron that you expect to be protecting a monument. Beneath is a fine Victorian radiator.

 

And here's some more photos of the day from Cherry. 

 

 

 

And finally this one. It's a rootery! A rootery is apparently a collection of roots and soil with plants growing from it.

 

Wollerton Old Hall and Shrewsbury

We spent the morning in Shrewsbury doing our own thing, wandering around at will, having coffee and lunch to suit ourselves.

Shrewsbury is a medieval market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, known for it's cobbled streets and old timbered buildings. It is sited on the River Severn, 33 miles (53 km) northwest of Wolverhampton. If you'd like a full history of Shrewsbury there is a dedicated Wiki page here. Here's some photos of the day from one of our group.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: one of the stained glass windows in St Mary's medieval church.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

A few snapshots in the excellent museum and art gallery.

 

 We then went on to the gardens at Wollerton Old Hall. These gardens were taken over in the 80's and started life as a bare field.

 

 As you can see, quite a transformation. The owner is an artist and the choice of colours and plant combinations was wonderful. The sun shone, the cakes were delicious, and a good time was had by all just wandering around the many garden rooms and wild areas.

 

 

Coventry Civic Society visit.

Yesterday, Thursday 12th June, The Leamington Society and FLAG hosted a return meeting with the Coventry Civic Society, who had kindly showed them around various sites in Coventry in October last year. The guide for that visit was Lady Godiva who walked everyone through the ruins of the old Cathedral and the splendid Guild Hall, before finishing in the Undercroft at the Priory Visitor Centre.

For their visit to Leamington the Coventry Civic Society were shown the new Creative Quarter:  The Fold in Spencer Street which is a new creative workshare space aiming for inspiration, education and creation.  The idea was to focus on the Stoneleigh Arms, the Old School redevelopment, 1 Mill Street, and then the new John Bridgeman sculpture in the Jephson Gardens. (You can see our posting about the sculpture here) 

Unfortunately it began to rain whilst the visitors were out walking, but they pressed on and were revitalised with tea and cake, and a good natter, at the Town Hall afterwards. (The cakes were by Wilhelmina's Bakery, a local Leamington bakery - they were fab!)

 

 

Below is a brief look at some of the places visited and links to the relevant websites, so you can find out more if you'd like to. 

 

The Old School redevelopment.

" The 2nd phase of the Creative Quarter development consists of the redevelopment of a derelict pub, an old school house, and an underutilised car park, off Court Street in Leamington Old Town. The new development will have a distinctive character and be a destination to pull visitors to the area. It will support and link to the continuing regeneration of Leamington’s Old Town – uplift the surrounding area and be a catalyst for further change in the area. We also plan to encourage active transport and a shift away from car use, tying into a wider sustainable movement network and encouraging connectivity and permeability to and through the area."

The Fold 

Phase One of the Creative Quarter was completed at the end of 2023 and includes the restoration, extension and change of use of three derelict buildings. The c.£5m project has delivered approximately 1,700m² of flagship creative office, media and education space. A former Grade II listed church is now home to Cogent a leading digital marketing firm, that operate The Fold, a new shared workspace with cutting-edge production studios designed for the creative community.

The Fold has been set up in partnership with SAE Institute, the global specialist provider of creative media education, who now operate from 2 Spencer Yard (formerly the old nursery) as part of their campus. Number 1 Spencer Yard a building comprising c. 370m² of office space, has been let to a number of businesses across a range of industries to complement the new creative hub

1 Mill Street

 

" The Most Community-Fuelled Coworking Space In The UK." 1 Mill Street started with a vision from co-founders Nigel and Dessie Shanahan: to bring people together, help them thrive, and have some fun along the way. "1 Mill Street and Make Good Grow was born: a haven for freelancers, digital creatives, startups, and anyone keen to do good things with good people. It’s more than just a workspace; it’s a spot where big ideas, local legends, and many laughs come together".

 

Our visit to Amersham and Chenies Manor

It's lovely to get feedback on our trips and today we're hearing from Carolyn about a lovely sunny day out and about in Buckinghamshire. Thank you for sharing Carolyn, and we're always delighted to hear from all Flag members, especially if you have some photos!

"We spent a brilliantly sunny day in Buckinghamshire, with the morning in the pleasant town of Amersham. 

 

Lots of us visited St Mary’s Church, where only one window remains from the 12th century, other parts having been added in every century since. It also contains the fine Drake family chapel and outside, a rare collection of ‘body stone’ gravestones dating from 1770 –1860.

 

The afternoon we spent at Chenies Manor, a Tudor manor house much enlarged by John Russell, the first Earl of Bedford. An excellent guided tour took us through two well-furnished floors, an apparently haunted tester bed and a priest’s hole which is a mystery in a Protestant household. 

 

After we had been refreshed by delicious tea and cake, we wandered round the immaculate gardens. These include a large sunken garden bordered by an impressive display of Alliums, other borders with huge white tulips, and a pergola very popular with newlyweds, as Chenies has branched out into the wedding business".

 

Instagram!

 

The Harmony of Difference 1 and 2 by Annabel Rainbow  At the gallery until 11th May.

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Say Hello to Our New Instagram! 

We’re excited to share some colourful news—Friends of Leamington Art Gallery is now on Instagram!

If you’re already following us on Facebook (thank you!), you’ll know we’ve been quietly building a lovely little online community over the past year. We’ve shared behind-the-scenes peeks, updates about gallery events, and stories that celebrate the art and artists that inspire us all. Now, we’re bringing that same spirit to Instagram; another wonderful way to stay connected with all things art and gallery life.

Whether you’re an Instagram regular or a complete newcomer, we warmly invite you to come along and give it a try. You don’t need to be a tech wizard, just a lover of art and community.

Why Instagram?
Instagram is all about images, and we think that’s a perfect match for art lovers. Expect beautiful photos from our exhibitions, sneak previews of upcoming events, glimpses into the gallery’s collection, and a celebration of creativity in all its forms.

Already on Facebook?
If you’ve been following our Facebook page, thank you for your support! Keep an eye on both pages for fresh content, updates, and more chances to connect with fellow Friends and art enthusiasts.

Follow us on Instagram:  @friendsofleamingtonartgallery
Find us on Facebook: Friends of Leamington Art Gallery

We hope you’ll join us online and help spread the word. Every follow, like, and share helps us support the gallery.

With thanks The Friends of Leamington Art Gallery Committee

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Can you help?

Support Local Culture – Become a Member of FLAG!

 

Are you passionate about art, history, and supporting your local community? Join us in championing the Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum by becoming a member of our charitable Friends group.

 

Why Join?

• Membership directly helps us:
• Fund new acquisitions and conserve important pieces
• Support exhibitions, including booklets and educational visits for children
• Host special talks, trips, and behind-the-scenes experiences
•  

Your support helps keep our gallery thriving for future generations!

Annual Membership: Only £15 per person

(Payable by cheque or bank transfer)

 

Let’s work together to celebrate and preserve the cultural heart of Leamington Spa. Whether you're an art lover, history buff, or someone who wants to give back to the community — we need you.

 

For more info or to join, contact us here, on the website, or by emailing friendsofleamingtonartgallery@hotmail.com