Buckhurst Hill

Events

MONTHLY MEETINGS

Our Monthly Meetings take place at Roding Valley Hall, Station Road, Buckhurst Hill.
Doors open at 1.30pm, to give you time for a cup of tea before the meeting proper starts at 2pm!

11th April 2024: JFK: John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the Untied States.
A return visit from Andrew Baker, former Headmaster and Cruise Ship Lecturer.

9th May 2024 Concorde - A Twentieth Century Icon
A talk from John Hutchinson a former Concorde Pilot.

13th June TBC

11th July 2024. Tripe and Trotters - a humorous talk on growing up in the 40s and 50s
This is a return visit from Brian Carline, an author and broadcaster.

8th August 2024 Georgi Markov - The Poison Umbrella Murder
This is a return visit by Paul Barwick, an ex-Police Officer Specialising in Espionage.

12th September AGM and Afternoon Tea

10th October 2024. Alfred Hitchcock - born in 1899 in Leytonstone
A talk by Gary Lewis, a tour guide specialising in Alfred Hitchcock.

14th November 2024 TBC

12th December 2024 The Christmas Party and Afternoon Tea!

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

VISIT TO MIDDLE TEMPLE HALL

Middle Temple Hall

Date: 20th March 2024
Time: 11.00 am
Venue: Middle Temple Hall, Middle Temple Lane, LONDON EC4Y 9BT
Ticket Cost: £37.50 each
Availability: 30 tickets available (first come, first served)
Travel: Make your own way there
(Close to Temple underground station (District & Circle Lines))

The Middle Temple is one of the 4 Inns of Court and houses chambers from which barristers practice. The Inn's estate on the banks of the River Thames was provided by Letters Patent to The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple in 1608 on condition it would always be used for the joint objectives of educating and accommodating those practicing or training in the Law.
Now, over 400 years later, we are privileged to be allowed a guided tour around the historic and awe-inspiring buildings, ending with a 3-course set lunch with coffee in one of the finest Elizabethan Halls in the country, completed in 1573. It is said that Sir Walter Raleigh and Sir Francis Drake dined in the hall, and the first recorded performance
of Twelfth Night also took place there in 1603.
Tours are also available at the Temple Church in the grounds which was built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters, and was consecrated in 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem. This is not part of our visit and can be booked independently with an entry fee of £5.00.

To book your place, please return the booking form by Wednesday 31st January at the latest.
Open to Members only

A VISIT TO THE SPEAKER'S HOUSE, WESTMINSTER

Speakers House

Date: Wednesday 10th April 2024
Time: 10.45 am
Venue: The Speaker’s House, Westminster SW1A 0AA
Ticket Cost: £20.00 per person
Availability: 12 tickets available (first come, first served)

Travel: Make your own way there (Westminster Station on District, Circle & Jubilee Lines)
Open to Members Only

We are privileged to be offered 12 tickets for a tour of the Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster. The House occupies the twin-towered pavilion which projects at the northernmost end of the River Front, with one side parallel to Westminster Bridge. The Speaker now has a private flat on the second floor, but the formal State Apartments remain on the Principal Floor and are used for official business.

This year only, your ticket will include a special display which tells the story of the Speaker’s and UK
Parliament’s diplomatic relationship to other Commonwealth countries and its significance around the
world today.

To book your place, please return the booking form by Thursday 7th March at the latest together with your payment of £20.

The booking Form was issued with the February Newsletter.

A VISIT TO THE ROYAL GUNPOWDER MILLS

Gunpowder Mills

Date: Thursday 18th April 2024
Time: 10.00 am for entry at 10.15 am
Venue: Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey EN9 1JY
Ticket Cost: £22.00 per person
Availability: 20 tickets available (first come, first served)
Booking Deadline: Friday 1st March 2024

Travel: Make your own way there (car park on site)

Open to Members Only

The Royal Gunpowder Mills has a long and fascinating history. It has shaped military and civil industries such as mining and quarrying and was a major local employer of workers in the Lea Valley. Set in 170 acres of natural woodland, its numerous structures tell the extraordinary story of gunpowder and propellants from the time of Charles II until rocketry, in landscapes of alder woodland, waterways and dry canals, blast walls and unique process buildings. The factory workforce doubled during WW1 as 3000 women came into the workforce and the Mills became a top secret Explosives Research and Development Establishment after WW2, before being closed around 30 years ago. The Mills are now an anchor point of the European Route of Industrial Heritage in the UK.

The visit will include a tractor trailer tour around the site, an explanatory film show, and a short railway ride.

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be available on arrival and during a short lunch break, but there are no catering facilities: visitors are asked to bring their own sandwiches or packed lunch if required, please.

To book your place, please return the booking form by Friday 1st March at the latest. The Booking Form was issued with the February Newsletter.

A VISIT TO TRINITY HOUSE

Trinity House

Date: Monday 13th May 2024
Time: 11.00 am – 12.15 pm (75 min)
Venue: Trinity House, Tower Hill EC3N 4DH
Ticket Cost: £15.00 per person
Availability: 25 tickets available (first come, first served)

Travel: Make your own way there (Tower Hill station on District & Circle Lines)
Open to Members Only

This building was built in the years 1794-96 by Samuel Wyatt, Surveyor to the Corporation and brother of the famous James; Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger laid the foundation stone 12 September 1793, and the first Court inside the new building was on 23 May 1796. It was gutted in 1940 when a German incendiary bomb lodged in the roof of the stairwell, leaving nothing of the original building save the Trinity Square façade. Reconstruction of the house was undertaken using a number of photographs of the rooms, taken by Country Life magazine in 1919, to reconstitute almost exactly the interior in its original form. Trinity House, which is Grade I listed, was refurbished and redecorated in March 1990; the redecoration is, where possible, in keeping with the 1790s period when the house was originally built.
We will tour Trinity House and learn its history: it is the official authority for lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. Trinity House is also responsible for the provision and maintenance of other navigational aids, such as lightvessels, buoys, and maritime radio/satellite communication systems.
Trinity House is also a maritime charity, disbursing funds for the welfare of retired seamen, the training of young cadets and the promotion of safety at sea.

To book your place, please return the booking form by Thursday 28th March. The Booking Form was issued with the February Newsletter.

A VISIT TO THE ROYAL MILITARY ACADEMY, SANDHURST

Sandhurst

We are extremely privileged to be offered a visit to the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in Camberley, Surrey. The Tour commences at 11pm, lasting about 2 and a half hours and covers the prestige rooms of Old College as well as the Memorial and Roman Catholic chapels. Tea and coffee will be served on arrival. There are local restaurants for some lunch if required.

Date: Thursday 6th June 20224
Depart RVH: 8.30 am
Depart Sandhurst: 3.30pm approx
Arrive at RVH: 6pm approx (depending on traffic)
Cost: £50 per person
Availability: 49 tickets available - first come, first served
Open to u3a members only

The booking form was issued with the October Newsletter.

VISIT TO A PRIVATE GARDEN AT ROYDON, ESSEX

The Mount Gardens

We are very lucky to be invited to a private viewing of one of the most outstanding private gardens in Essex. There are approximately 9 acres of land, which includes formal, Japanese, beach and arid gardens as well as numerous sculptures and other points of interest. There is also a wood.
It is part of the National Gardens Scheme and all money raised goes to Cancer charities.
There is very limited parking, but there are surrounding roads and a small car park nearby.
The entry fee includes tea/coffee and biscuits.
Please do not bring any dogs as the owners have 3 of their own.

Date: Tuesday 25th June
Venue The Mount, Epping Road, Roydon, Harlow, Essex CM19 5HT
Open: 10.00 am – 4.00 pm
Cost: £7.00 per person
Make your own way there
Open to All.

A Booking Form was issued with the March Newsletter

VISIT TO THE THEATRE ROYAL, DRURY LANE

Theatre Royal

Date: Friday 5th July 2024
Time: 11.00 am (this tour lasts approximately 1¼ hr)
Venue: The Theatre Royal, Catherine Street, WC2B 5JF
Ticket Cost: £18.50 per person
Availability: 20 tickets available (first come, first served)
Booking Deadline: Friday 19th April 2024
Travel: Make your own way there: Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line) and Holborn (Central
and Piccadilly lines)
Members Only

Nestled in the heart of Covent Garden, the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has survived tragedy, fire, bankruptcy and even murder.
Join us on a magical journey through theatrical history at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the oldest theatre on the same site in the world.
Immerse yourself in the birthplace of the musical, modern pantomime, moving scenery, regular rehearsals and naturalistic acting, in our beautifully renovated theatre.
Discover the origins of theatrical terms such as Crew, Props and Box Office, as our expert actors entertain you with stories of stars, innovation, Royal scandal and even murder. Who knows, you may even get to see one of Drury Lane’s famous ghosts!

The Booking Form was issued with the March Newsletter.

MOTOWN SHOW AND CHRISTMAS LUNCH PARTY

Magic of Motown

Book your place for a great afternoon with hits from Motown and a 3-course Lunch. The hotel has plenty of free car parking available.
Forms to make menu choices will be issued to participants later this year.

Date: Wednesday 11th December 2024
Time: 10.15 am – 3.00 pm
Venue: Prince Regent Hotel, Woodford Green
Make your own way there
Cost: £47.00 per person (includes show and 3-course meal)
Availability: 40 places
Booking Deadline: Monday 12th February 2024
Members Only
A Booking Form was issued with the January Newsletter

FUTURE EVENTS
(Booking not yet opened)

4th July: Royal Hospital Visit, Chelsea
27th September: Macmillan Coffee Morning
19th October 2024: A Posh Ploughmans and Music Quiz with Ian Scruton from Essex Radio
21st November 2024: The Christmas Fayre at the Chelsea Physic Gardens
29th November 2024: Proms Concert