| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Group email: | Discover London group |
| When: | The timing of events will vary. All the details will be posted on the WhatsApp Group |
| Cost: | Cost will depend on the museum, art gallery or exhibition chosen |
Aim: To visit museums, art galleries, and exhibitions in London.
About: This is a fairly informal group that is run on WhatsApp. The coordinators of the group will suggest a venue to visit and those members who are interested can come along. For some activities the numbers able to attend are limited. Where possible 3 weeks notice will be given.
The coordinators will also suggest a hostelry where members can gather afterwards for refreshments.
Members will meet in London at an agreed point and go from there…..
To be added to the WhatsApp Group, just send a message via the Group Email above or email RVu3a@hotmail.com
Below you will find a list of Museums and Galleries that we hope to visit during the coming months. This is followed with more details on how the group will operate.
WHAT WE HAVE DISCOVERED
ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE
A member who had worked it the courts told us about the decision in the 19th century, to have a purpose-built structure for the courts on the 6-acre site. This decision required the demolition of 450 houses.
George Street's Victorian Gothic Revival style design was the winner of a competition to design the buildings in 1866. Building started in 1873, but a strike by stone masons at an early stage caused a stoppage of the works. As a result, foreign workmen were brought in. This aroused bitter hostility on the part of the men on strike, so the newcomers had to be housed and fed within the building. Len showed us where these workmen had started carving their own designs on some of the columns.
The buildings are made of expensive Portland stone in the public areas and cheaper red brick in less important areas. Because of the need to keep different groups (judges, lawyers, witnesses, prisoners and members of the public) separated from each other there is a complex arrangement of public spaces, stairways and approaches to each court as well as offices, jury rooms, waiting and interview rooms.
Street died before the building was opened, by Queen Victoria in 1882. The £700,000 cost of building was paid for by cash accumulated in court from the estates of the intestate .
During the visit we were allowed to sit in a court - which unfortunately was not in session.
After the visit we walked though beautiful Lincoln's Inn and Gray's Inn gardens to a local hostelry for lunch.
ESHER EXHIBITION
On Friday 10 July, some u3a members visited the Escher (1898 -1972) exhibition at Somerset House. The exhibition, which had more than 150 original works guides visitors through the major themes that made the artist famous: from landscapes, tessellations, and metamorphoses, to impossible constructions and the iconic visual paradoxes that make his style instantly recognizable.
We were able to see the different tools and techniques used to create different effects, as Escher progressed from using linocuts to woodcuts to lithography (stone printing) to produce ever more detailed images such as the texture of rocks or reflections in water or glass that were almost invisible to the naked eye. Well worth a visit.
HOCKNEY EXHIBITION
On Friday 8th May, 26 of the Discover London group travelled to Lancaster Gate on the Central line to visit the free Hockney exhibition at the Serpentine Galley. To get to the exhibition, we walked along the Serpentine through Hyde Park past a Henry Moore sculpture to the Friends Cafe for refreshments.
The exhibition "A year in Normandie" featured David Hockney's iPad drawings done during Covid in 2019-20. They were amazingly detailed and colourful.
BANK OF ENGLAND MUSEUM
AND
LAMB TAVERN - LEADENHALL MARKET
On 27 March, 28 members ventured into the City of London for a tour of the Bank of England Museum, starting with coffee at the Royal Exchange. We all enjoyed exploring the history of the Bank , viewing rare banknotes a, learning about economic stability through interactive displays.We also got a very rare chance to lift a a very heavy real gold bar which was not as easy as it looked. Afterwards, around 14 members enjoyed a drink at the Lamb Tavern in the beautiful Leadenhall market and 4 of us stayed on for a delicious fish and chip supper. A good afternoon was had by all.
IDEAS FOR FUTURES VISITS
Museums and Galleries | Website | Focus | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Postal Museum | The Postal Museum: Entry Ticket | Book Online | Discover the surprising story of the world's first social network | Chnancery Lane | £20.50 |
| Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum | Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum | Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | Life and scientific work of Alexander Fleming, discoverer of penicillin. | St Mary’s Hospital, London. | Free |
| Brunel Museum | https://www.thebrunelmuseum.com | Engineering and the Thames Tunnel, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. | Rotherhithe, London. | £6 adult |
| Cartoon Museum | https://www.cartoonmuseum.org | British cartoons, caricature, comic strips, and animation. | Fitzrovia, London. | Over 60 £8 |
| Courtauld Gallery | https://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery | European paintings, drawings, and decorative arts. | Somerset House, London. | £10 adult |
| Faraday Museum (Royal Institution) | https://www.rigb.org | History of science and Michael Faraday’s discoveries. | Mayfair, London. | Free |
| Imperial War Museum | https://www.iwm.org.uk | British and global conflicts from WWI to modern times. | Lambeth, London (main branch). | Free |
| London Transport Museum | https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk | History of London’s transport. | Covent Garden, London. | £24 adult |
| RAF Museum Hendon | https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london | History of the Royal Air Force. | Colindale, London. | Free |
| Wellcome Collection | Wellcome Collection | A free museum and library exploring health and human experience | Health, medicine, and society. | Euston, London | Free |
| Brand Museum | Museum of Brands - What's On? | 150 years of brands, packaging and advertising | Notting hill, London | £10 |
HOW THE GROUP WORKS
The coordinators will suggest, via the WhatsApp Group, a VISIT.
Normally 2 to 3 weeks notice will be given.
They will say a couple of lines about the attraction, and
- where it is on,
- the date,
- the time to meet,
- the place to meet,
- the cost (if any)
- booking arrangements (if required)
- maximum number of attendees (where applicable) and
- a nearby hostelry for post VISIT refreshments.
Once the suggestion has been posted, then members should reply on WhatsApp. Members must be very clear if they are keen to go.
Once at least three or four people have said they would like to attend, the person suggesting the VISIT will confirm all the arrangements.
EXAMPLE OF POST
“We are thinking about going to “The Great Exhibition”. This is the first international exhibition of industry showcasing innovations and achievements from around the world. The Exhibition is in Hyde Park. I suggest we go to the opening on 1 May 1851. We could gather at 2:00 pm in Lyons Tea House on Piccadilly and then walk to Hyde Park. Entrance is free. It will take about 3 hours to go round the exhibition. Afterwards we could wander down to The Grenadier, just off of Hyde Park Corner for a glass of ale. Is anyone interested in coming?”