Welcome to the March edition of my occasional Blog.
Leicestershire Church Coach Tour.
This tour was postponed from last autumn and (all being well) will now take place from October 11th-14th 2020.
The tour is already almost full but anyone who wishes to enquire about vacancies, or re-confirm their bookings, is asked to contact me.
Monday 11th October 2021 for 3 nights
Little known churches of Leicestershire (all churches subject to availability)
Aylestone, St Andrew, Blaby, All Saints, Lutterworth, St Mary, Claybrooke Parva, St Peter, Wigston Parva, St Mary, Burbage, St Catherine, Hinkley, Assumption, Cadeby, All Saints, Market Bosworth, St Peter, Stoke Golding, Misterton, St Leonard, North Kilworth, St Andrew, Husbands Bosworth, All Saints, Market Harborough, Welford, St Mary (NORTHANTS),Yelvertoft, All Saints (NORTHANTS),Stanford on Avon, St Nicholas (NORTHANTS), Peatling Magna, All Saints, Foston, St Bartholomew, Wistow, St Winstan, Aylestone, St Andrew
Based at The Best Western Plus Ullesthorpe Court Hotel, Lutterworth
Starts and ends at Leicester Station at 2pm £595 per person £95 deposit
Claybrooke Parva
Zoom lectures
These continue to go from strength to strength andf cost £5 per household. I currently run two series. One is organised by me and is predominantly church-related. Forthcoming dates are listed below. I also run a series of Zoom lectures for Denman College. These repeat many of my own series but also include some non-church lectures www.denman.org.uk. Denman lectures start at 4.00pm
Murder Sex and Mayhem in English Churches 16th March at 7.30pm
Stained Glass in Norfolk Churches 17th March at 7.30pm
For Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals 23rd March at 7.30pm
Churches in Retirement 24th March at 7.30pm
Exploring Hampshire Churches 30th March at 7.30pm
Rood Screens and Lofts 13th April at 7.30pm
Exploring Essex Churches 14th April at 7.30pm
Exploring Cotswold Churches 4th May at 7.30pm
A Chip off Queen Victoria's Block!
Queen Victoria is one of our best loved monarchs. Almost within touching distance of our own time her story is so familiar to us it seems unlikely that there is much new to discover.
Victoria`s mother, the Duchess of Kent had already been married and widowed before her wedding to a son of George III. By her first husband she had a daughter, Feodora, who came to live in London when her mother remarried. At Kensington Palace she married the Prince of Hohenloe Langenberg. Their son, and Queen Victoria`s nephew, was Prince Victor Gleichen. After distinguished service in the British Navy he took up a career as a sculptor, working from his apartments in St James` Palace.
Quickly becoming the Victorian sculptor of choice his work may be found in collections throughout Britain, and especially in the Royal Collection. Two of his children followed in their father’s footsteps. Feodora became an even more successful sculptor, exhibiting at the Royal Academy on more than a dozen occasions. Helena, an early suffragist who served on the Western Front during WWI was an accomplished artist.
John`s brand new lecture looks at Prince Victor and tells his remarkable story through his work and that of his daughters.
ZOOM PREMIERE MARCH 31st at 7.30pm Book Now
The twice-postponed Somerset Churches Coach Tour is now going to take place from 4th - 7th April 2022.
Bookings will open in the summer, but please save the dates if you are interested.
Until our paths cross again - please keep safe and healthy.
John