Past Events
The High Renaissance & King’s Chapel Glass
Wednesday 16 & 23 January 2013
Starting at 10am, tour lasting approx 1 1/2hrs
This tour, led by Nicholas Chrimes, will look at the glass as a lens into the Renaissance and Tudor Society, covering aspects from art, Protestant prejudice, ladies’ court fashion down to outright prejudice against women.
Organiser: Nicholas Chrimes
Places:16
Tickets: £16.50, Ballot Friday 4 January 2013
Friends only
Tours starting North Gate, King’s Chapel
Talks by Research Students in the History of Art Department
Wednesday 6 February & Wednesday 6 March
12 noon - 1pm
Meet in Courtyard Entrance. Talks are for Friends of Fitzwilliam only. Members are invited to meet afterwards in the Cafe for lunch.
Organiser: Sue Rasmussen
Places: 15
Friends only
The Two Libraries of Jesus College
Wednesdays 6 & 13 February 2013
Starting at 2pm, lasting approximately 1 1/2hrs
Our visit will start with the modern Quincentennial Library: a great contrast with the Old Library, where scholars had to cope with lack of heat and light to read books which were fewer in number but far more valuable. Some of the rarest books will be on display for the visit. The tour will be led by Peter Glazebrook, Emeritus Fellow Jesus College.
Organiser Gillian Harrison
Places: 16, Ballot Friday 11 January 2013
Tickets: £16.50
Friends only
Museum Tours for Friends
Tuesday 12 February 11.00am or 2.00pm;
Upper Floor Galleries
Thursday 14 February 11.00am or 2.00pm;
Ground Floor Galleries
We are offering two introductory tours to the Galleries, one upstairs (for Paintings & Sculpture), and one downstairs (for Antiquities, Ceramics, etc) with alternative times. Friends are welcome to book for either or both tours
Organiser Marr Grieve
Tours are free and for Friends only.
Behind the Scenes: African Characteristics in Ancient Egypt
Monday 4 March at 10.30am or 2.00pm
Access will be via the Rear (Goods) Entrance, ten minutes before the start.
Organiser: Marr Grieve
Places: 12 on each tour
Tickets: £15
Friends only
Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Wednesday 6 March 2013
We shall leave Madingley Park and Ride at 8.15, have coffee on arrival at about 10.30 and then, in groups of 15, have a guided tour of the highlights of the Museum’s collection, which will last for about 1 1/2 hours
Organiser: Monica Thomas
Places: 55
Tickets: £40, to include coffee and tour guide
Tour of The Old Schools
Wednesday 10 April 2013
5pm to 6.30
Tea in the Combination Room from 4.30
This is still very much a working environment, so numbers are strictly limited. Friends are advised to book early if they wish to join the tour.
Organiser Sue Rasmussen
Places: 45
Tickets: £25
Friends only
Sue Purdy Lecture
Wednesday 7 November 2012
6.00pm Howard Building, Downing College
Henry Moore as a Public Artist
Richard Calvocoressi CBE Director, Henry Moore Foundation
Guests welcome
Tickets: £6.00 with wine reception after the lecture
Hollywood Costume Exhibition
(and Christmas Shopping)
The V&A Museum, London.
Thursday 8 November 2012
This ground breaking exhibition includes over 100 of the most iconic and unforgettable film characters from a century of Hollywood filmmaking, 1912 – 2012
Places: 48
Tickets: £46.00
(Includes, coach, lecture and exhibition BUT DOES NOT include refreshments)
In the Museum: Refurbishing Galleries 1 & 5. Objects & Objectives, Degas to Epstein
Monday 12 or 19 November 2012 at 10.30am
Dr Vicky Avery, Keeper of Applied Arts, has kindly offered to talk to Friends about the rationale behind the recent re-hanging of Galleries 1 & 5, and describe in detail a few of the objects in them.
Places: 20 on each day
Tickets: £15
Friends only
Walthamstow, William Morris Gallery
Thursday 18 October
The newly refurbished William Morris Gallery, which has undergone a £5m restoration, is the only public gallery devoted to the Victorian designer, craftsman and social campaigner.The Gallery reopened in 2012, and the outstanding collection of textiles, wallpapers, ceramics, glass, furniture, stained glass, books and fine art will be on display.
Places 30
Tickets: £23.00 by ballot on 1 October
Friends only
The nature of study at Jesus College
Thursday 11 and Thursday 18 October
Tours starting 2.00pm
Pray at King’s, dine at Trinity, study at Jesus - and stool at Magdalene. Such was James 1st’s assessment of these colleges’ merits after his visit in 1615. To test some of this summary Friends are invited to Jesus where a Fellow will share some of its special places, amongst them its library, combination room, hall, the St Radegund nunnery’s C12th chapter house and chapel.
Places 16 on each tour: tour duration 1 1/2hrs
Tickets: £16.50, by ballot on 14 September
Friends only
Splendid Cambridge Staircases
Wednesday 26 September & Tuesday 9 October
Tours starting 2.00pm
Cambridge has a fascinating variety of staircases from the apogee of High Victorian interior decor seen at the Fitzwilliam Museum, the subdued elegance of Wren at the Trinity Library, to the inspiration for Hogwarts staircases at the Judge Institute.
Places 16 on each tour: tour duration 2 & a bit hrs.
Tickets: £16.50 by ballot on 10 September
Friends only
Victorian College Gardens
Thursday 16 August and Thursday 6 September 2.00pm
The fascinating variety of college gardens is almost equal to the variety of college architectures. In contrast to the monastic gardens of Emmanuel and the pleasure gardens of King’s and Clare, other colleges have fine gardens representing the late nineteenth century. Amongst the best examples are those of Selwyn and Robinson which we will visit on Thursday 16th August and Thursday 6th September. Meeting at Robinson College main entrance, the visit will last about 2 hours. It will end with tea in the King’s Fellows’ garden, another Victorian creation.
Places: 16 on each tour. Friends only.
Tickets: £16.50 by ballot on 30 June.
Organiser: Nicholas Chrimes
Behind the Scenes: A Viewing of Indian and Persian Miniatures
Tuesday 24 July 10.30am and 2.00pm
David Scrase, Keeper of Paintings, Drawings & Prints, has kindly agreed to show us a number of items from the collection that come out of storage only rarely for display; they will be a selection of Indian and Persian Miniatures.
Places: 15 (am) & 15 (pm), Friends only.
Tickets: £15
Organiser: Marr Grieve
Lamport Hall & Gardens
Tuesday 10 July
Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire has been the Isham family home for over four centuries. Developed from a Tudor manor, its remarkable classical frontage, started in 1655 by John Webb, was completed in the eighteenth century by Francis Smith of Warwick. The Gardens, originally laid out in 1655 by Gilbert Clark, were substantially developed in the 1820’s by Mary Isham and later her son.
Transport, tour of the House, and the Garden, refreshments on arrival, lunch and afternoon tea are included in the ticket price.
Places: 46
Tickets: £45
Organiser: Jane Dix
Clare, Suffolk
Wednesday 4 July
A visit to this old, interesting town, nestling in the Stour Valley, with its Country Park, 13th century Priory, 15th century Ancient House (now the museum) and a great Gothic Wool Church. Clare, referred to in the Domesday Book, has a rich history; it is much loved by its residents.
Places: 30
Tickets: £33 (coffee and lunch included)
Organiser: Sarah Bradfield
Friends Summer Drinks Party at Trinity Hall
Monday 2 July 6.00 – 8.00pm
We are delighted to be holding our Summer Drinks party in the Lodge and the adjacent area of the Fellows’ Garden. We should like to thank the Master and Mrs Daunton for their generous hospitality.
Tickets: £16.50 (includes wine and canapés)
Organisers: Cazzy Walshe and Sue Rasmussen
The Search for Immortality:
Tomb Treasures of Han China - Evening in the Museum
Thursday 14 June 6.00 – 8.00pm
A private view for Friends and their guests. This exceptional exhibition, re-creating two Han Dynasty tombs, will be introduced to us by its Curator, Dr James Lin, who will then answer questions informally Access is via the Courtyard Entrance from 6.00pm, with a glass of wine or soft drink in exchange for your ticket on arrival; a cash bar will remain thereafter.
Tickets: £15 per person
Organiser: Marr Grieve
History of Art Department: Wednesday
Lunch time talks by research students
2 May • Andrew Chen, 'The architecture of Domenico Veneziano - an Annunciation from the St. Lucy altarpiece.
6 June • Matt Fountain, 'The flower paintings of Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer in the Fitzwilliam Museum'.
All talks will be from 1-2pm.
Visit to the Murray Edwards Art Collection
Thursday 24 May and Wednesday 27 June – 2.30pm
The Murray Edwards Art Collection, consists solely of work by women artists, in an all female Cambridge college. Friends will be given a tour by the Administrator of the Collection, Sarah Greaves, and will be able to visit the wonderful gardens which act as a backdrop for several of the works of art. Tea will be served at the end of the visit.
Places: 16 on each tour. Friends only
Tickets: £16 50 by ballot on April 30th
Organiser: Gillian Harrison
Deene Park, Northamptonshire
Thursday 26 April 2012
We shall enjoy a Tour of the House, a Tour with the Head Gardener (1.5 hours each) and a visit to the Church.
Refreshments on arrival, lunch and afternoon tea are included in the ticket price.
Depart Trumpington P&R 9.30am.
Return to Cambridge approx 5pm.
Places: 46
Tickets: £46 (refreshments on arrival, lunch and afternoon tea are included)
Organiser: Jane Dix
Private View • Cheffins Fine Art Auction
Tuesday 20 March 2012, 6.00pm until 8.00pm
This is a very special and exclusive opportunity to attend a Private Sale Preview of the March Country House and Fine Art Sale.
Cheffins' experts will be available to discuss some of the pieces, and there will be a short talk about a few of the more interesting lots. Catalogues for the sale are included in the ticket price, as are wine and canapes.
The saleroom is situated on Clifton Road, just off Cherry Hinton Road, Cambridge.
Tickets: £15.00 Guests welcome
Ticket applications please, by the end of February.
Organiser: Cazzy Walshe
British Library, London
Thursday 1 March 2012
The British Library’s exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, brings together the Library's collection of manuscripts collected by English Sovereigns between the 9th and 16th centuries. We have organised a visit to the Library, which includes timed entry to the Exhibition plus a guided tour, in small groups. There will also be time to visit the library building and other exhibitions, to have refreshments/lunch in one of the Library’s cafes, and to visit the shop.
Depart Trumpington Park & Ride at 9.15am, return to Cambridge approx 5pm.
Places: 46
Tickets: £28 (to include entry ticket to exhibition and guided tours but NOT refreshments and lunch)
Organiser: Jane Dix
Visit to Magdalene College and the Pepys Library
Thursday 9th February 2012 • 2.00pm
Thursday 1st March 2012 • 2.00pm
Friends will be able to visit the Library with the 3,000 volumes which Pepys considered sufficient to contain the sum of worthwhile knowledge. We will visit the Chapel and end the tour with tea at the Master’s Lodge by kind invitation of the Master and Mrs Robinson.
Places: 16 on each tour. Friends only
Tickets: £16.50 by ballot on 13th January 2012
Organiser: Gillian Harrison
Museum Tours for Friends
Tuesday 14 February 2012 at 11.00am: Upper Floor Galleries
Thursday 16 February 2012 at 11.00am: Ground Floor Galleries
Friends are welcome to book for either or both tours, which will each take about 1 1/2 hours; groups will be small (10-12) and be guided by Friends who are familiar with the contents.
Meet at the Founder's Entrance 10 mins before the start of each tour.
Tours are free and for Friends only.
Organiser: Marr Grieve
History of Art Lunchtime talks given by Post-graduate students
These talks will recommence on the following Wednesdays from 1-2pm
January 11 Daria Foner: ‘Veronese’s Hermes, Herse and Agulauros’
February 1 Helen Glanville: ‘Poussin’s “Rebekah at the Well” ’
March 7 Anna Ferrari: ‘French Sculpture’
The talks are free and for Friends only. Tickets on application with an SAE to the Friends’ Office
Meet in Courtyard Entrance.
Places: 12
Organiser: Sue Rasmussen
Real Tennis
Thursday 26 January 2012 • Thursday 23 February 2012 • both at 2.00pm
This game was the dominant sport at the university - and the first by centuries to breach its monastic culture – from the time of the early Tudors to the early C19th. The game's mysteries will be unravelled during a half-hour talk by Nicholas Chrimes in the clubroom of the University’s Real Tennis Club. This will be followed by tea and an exhibition doubles match played by members of the current Blues team.
The tour will last approx. 11/2 hours.
Places: 15 • Friends only • Tickets: £16.50 By ballot by 7 January 2012
Organiser: Nicholas Chrimes
Medieval & Renaissance Galleries, V&A Museum
Tuesday 29 November 2011
The Medieval & Renaissance Galleries are home to one of the world's most remarkable collections of period
treasures. Ranging from delicately carved ivories and intricate metalwork to Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks and
powerful sculptures, they tell the story of European art and culture from 300– 1600. A private walking tour of the
galleries, led by a V&A historian will last for one and a half hours.
There will be two groups of 24 and the tours will finish at 12.30 approx. Lunch may be bought in the Café. There will be
some free time before the coach departs at 3.00pm.
Places: 48 Guests welcome
Tickets: £36.00 (not including coffee and lunch).
History of Art Faculty Talks
Following the success of the lunchtime talks earlier this year, three more talks have been planned for this 'term'. These informal talks are given by PhD students from the Faculty and take place either in the Graham Room or in front of the objects that are under discussion. Places are limited and should be applied for through Penny Cleobury at the Friends' office.
Wed 5 October 2011: Dan Zaman, 'Rethinking Titian's women - the Venus theme in Renaissance art explored from a post-modernist perspective'.
Wed 2 November 2011: Molly Dorkin, 'Souvenirs of the Grand Tour'.
Wed 7 December 2011: Rebeccea Norris, 'Mercenary elite: Italian arms and armour'.
All talks are for Friends only and run from 1-2pm.
Organiser: Sue Rasmussen
The Parker Library and William Wilkins – a Cambridge Tour
Wednesday 9 or 16 November 2011, 2:00pm
Ancient manuscripts at Corpus Christi College, which reach back to the very foundations of our Anglo-Saxon
culture, will be shown to Friends during a tour of this immensely significant library started by the Tudor
Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker.
The visit will not pay homage to Parker alone. The architect of this library in the early 1800s, William
Wilkins, designed the whole of New Court - as well as much of Downing College and the National Gallery.
Friends will be shown the Wilkins Chapel and his burial place and then walk past the Wilkins' screen and through
the Great Hall at King’s on their way to tea at the Provost’s Lodge.
Places: 16 on each tour. Friends only
Tickets: £16.50
Gilded Youth – a Cambridge Tour
Wednesday 19 or 26 October 2011
Between Jesus Lane, Sidney Street and Park Street lie
three examples of the outstanding privileges which are
still laid before the modern scholar.
The Union Building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse in
the 1860s, has a debating chamber which is a replica of
the House of Commons in a heavy hint as to the destiny
expected of the university’s best scholars.
The Pitt is an exclusive social club, membership a mere
£40pa though more funds are required to cover ‘dress,
damages and drink’.
The Hawks Club serves the fleet of foot and those gifted
with exceptional hand-eye coordination.
Nicholas Chrimes will lead a tour through all three clubs.
Places: 15 Friends only
Tickets: £16.50
The Hamilton Kerr Institute, Whittlesford
Thursday 20th October 2011, 10:30 – 12:30
We are delighted to be able to offer this very special opportunity to visit the Hamilton Kerr Institute with an
introduction from the Director, Rupert Featherstone.
The Institute is a department of the Fitzwilliam Museum which provides conservation services for the Museum
and also for the Royal Collection, the National Trust and other collections open to the public.
Places: 24 Friends only
Tickets: £20 (of which £5 is a donation to the Institute)
The National Horseracing Museum – Newmarket
Thursday 13 October 2011
Situated in the heart of Newmarket this is the only full time museum in England devoted to the sport of horseracing. The building housed the Subscription Rooms, the centre for betting men in the 19th Century. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the history and future of the museum, with an introductory talk by the Director of the museum, Mr Christopher Garibaldi. Coffee (after the tour) and lunch (at Palace House) are included
The morning will finish, after lunch, at 2pm approx.
A map of Newmarket to include parking information and
the itinerary will be sent out with the tickets.
Places: 30 Guests welcome
Tickets £25.00
Vermeers’s Women – Evening in the Museum
Thursday 6 October 2011, 6.00 – 8.00pm
A private view for Friends and their guests of this major exhibition, the day after it opens: there are not many Vermeers and they don`t usually visit Cambridge! The Curator, Betsy Wieseman of the National Gallery, will give an introduction to the exhibition before we look at it and will answer questions in the Mellon Gallery while we do.
Access is via the Courtyard Entrance from 6.00pm, with a glass of wine or soft drink in exchange for your ticket on arrival: a cash bar will remain thereafter.
Guests welcome
Tickets: £15 per person
Behind the scenes: an Introduction to the Coin Collection
Monday 3 October 2011, 10:30am or 2.00pm
The Museum has one of the finest coin collections in the country, covering ancient, medieval and modern coins. Dr Popescu & Dr Allen have kindly agreed to give us an insight into it on a Monday, when the Museum is closed to the public. Numbers are limited since the Department is small and full of interest: do look at the coins & medals on display in the Galleries before coming!
Places: 12 for each session
Friends only
Tickets: £10
College Trees
Monday 5th September 2011, 2.00pm and
Saturday 10th September 2011, 2.00pm
The university and its colleges have spared no effort to undermine the claim that Cambridgeshire is the most treeless county in England! Many stupendous members of the plant kingdom grow hidden in corners of college gardens. Many are not only beautiful, but also help track the development of the university itself.
This tour of college trees will start at Jesus College, pass on to Emmanuel, then Clare and finish at King's Fellows’ gardens. The tour will last about two hours and a cup of tea will be offered in the Edwardian summerhouse in the Fellows’ Garden at the end.
Sculpture in the Close, Jesus College
Monday 8th August 5.30pm – 7.00pm
Dr Rod Mengham, Fellow of Jesus and curator of the 2011 exhibition of modern sculpture at Jesus College, will lead this special tour for Friends. The exhibition will feature the work of Barry Flanagan and six other artists who taught him or who were his contemporaries at Central St Martin's: Anthony Caro, Phillip King, Bruce McLean, Tim Scott, Wendy Taylor and William Tucker. It will be the first major show to commemorate Flanagan since his death in 2009. The tour will also include some exhibits from the College’s permanent collection.
TEA on TUESDAY
Tuesdays 3rd May, 7th June & 5th July
We invite you to come to the Friends’ Room on the first Tuesday of May, June and July to meet other Friends, have a chat and have a tea or coffee. A member of the committee will be there to greet you, share information with you and answer any questions you may have. We are trying this as an experiment for three months but will hope to extend it if Friends enjoy the idea.
Don’t know where the Friends’ Room is?
Come to the Courtyard entrance, climb the stairs and enter
the Friends’ Room, through the glass door on the right.
We shall look forward to seeing you there!
Highlights of the Museum's European Bronzes (1450-1950)
Monday 20 June 2011 at 10.30am or 2.00pm
The Museum houses a splendid collection of small bronzes. Dr Victoria Avery, Keeper of Applied Arts, will give us a private conducted tour of its highlights, on a Monday when the Museum is closed to the public.
15 places on each tour.
Tickets: £10
History of Art Faculty: Post-Grad Talks
Wednesday 4th May 2011 and
Wednesday 1st June 2011
from 1.00 to 2.00 pm in the Graham-Robertson Room
Wednesday 4th May
Imma Ramos will talk about Indian Miniatures
Wednesday 1st June
Louise Hardiman will talk about Catherine the Great’s prints in
the Houghton Hall Collection
Talks are free.
Penshurst Place and Gardens
Penshurst Place lies in the rural Weald of Kent. The magnificent medieval hall, the heart of the house, was built in 1341. In 1552 it was gifted by Edward VI to the Sidney family, and has been their home ever since. One of the grandest and best preserved manor houses in England, with a fine collection of portraits, furniture, porcelain, tapestries and armour and a largely unaltered Tudor garden.
Depart: Trumpington Park & Ride 8.30am return 6.00pm
Places:
Tickets: £42.50 (coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, house and garden
tours included)
King's College Glass
The stained glass artists who were commissioned, over thirty years from 1515, to fill King's Chapel with coloured light were the very best in early sixteenth century Europe, and their work has never been surpassed in this country.
Tim Brown, an acknowledged expert on the glass, will interpret the religious stories, during a tour lasting an hour and a half. The tour will be even more interesting if Friends bring a pair of binoculars.
There will be tea in the Provost’s Lodge after the tour. 16 people on each tour.
Tickets: £15.00 (covering all college entrance fees) by ballot by May 20th
Summer Drinks with Optional Evensong
Friends are invited to come and enjoy a glass of wine and light refreshments in the Provost's Garden and Lodge.
Tickets: £16.50
Friends would be very welcome to attend Choral Evensong
in King’s College Chapel beforehand, at 5.30pm and special
seating will be reserved.
Saffron Walden and the Fry Art Gallery
Thursday 19th May 2011, 9.15–1.00 pm
This is a guided tour of the town, followed by a private visit to the Fry Art Gallery. We shall have a talk about the special exhibition of watercolours by Eric Ravilious and will view the permanent display of prints, pictures and paintings. The gallery has a unique collection of work by local artists living in and around Great Bardfield 1930 - 1970 and subsequently in Saffron Walden.
Kelmscott and Kelmscott Manor, Oxfordshire
We have organised a day’s visit to the village of Kelmscott, and Kelmscott Manor, the home of William Morris. The Manor is a
limestone farmhouse built around 1600, with an outstanding
collection of furniture, textiles, carpets, ceramics, metalwork
and paintings associated with Morris and the Arts and Crafts
Movement.
We will be most fortunate to have the company of Barley
Roscoe, a specialist on the Arts and Crafts Movement, who has kindly agreed to come with us and take us round the village. Please note: Journey time is about three hours each way and access to the attic is via a ladder stair.