Visits Secretary 2023-25: Marion Maudsley

Contact Marion Maudsley from our Committee page

Edinburgh Visit - Two Centuries of Fashion and Fabrics, 20th November, 2024

We are offering a trip to Edinburgh on Wednesday, 20 th November to see two exhibitions.

The first is in the Georgian House in Charlotte Square which has a special exhibition of Allan Ramsay paintings drawn from other National Trust for Scotland properties, focusing on female fashion of the mid 18 th century, including a silk dress of the period.

Our second exhibition is in the Dovecot Tapestry Studios near the Royal Scottish National Museum: Stitched: Scotland’s Embroidered Art 1720 – 1920, in collaboration with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). It is based on two years of research and conservation with over 80 NTS treasures, from bed hangings to tea cosies, many displayed for the first time.
Dovecot is a working tapestry studio and worth a visit in its own right. Founded by the Marquess of Bute over a hundred years ago and established more recently in a former public baths building in Infirmary Street, it is usually possible for visitors to look down on the weaving floor and see some other temporary exhibitions around the viewing balcony.
The main exhibition at Dovecot is on the ground floor and there is a lift to the upper floor. However there is no lift in the A-listed Georgian House – a broad Georgian staircase, with landings to catch your breath and admire it. The exhibition is on the second floor.

Entrance to the house and exhibition is free for NTS members (and National Trust members in England and Wales). There is a charge of £10 for non-members. Don’t forget your card if you are a member.

Between the above two venues we will visit the Royal National Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street where there are two splendid twentieth century Dovecot tapestries.
and have time for lunch in the museum or nearby.
As it is not possible for the coach to access Infirmary Street, we will walk down from
the museum after lunch, about 5 minutes – probably 10 minutes going back up
Infirmary Street to the coach at the end of the day.

We will leave at 9.15 am from the coach bays at Helensburgh Pier, a little earlier than
usual, and should return by 6.30 pm, a little later than usual, but we are going to the
Far East after all. There will be a coffee stop en route to Edinburgh.

The cost of £35 covers entrance to the Dovecot exhibition, coach transport and driver’s gratuity. It does not include lunch or other refreshments, but there are two facilities in the National Museum and other possibilities nearby.
There are a few places left due to cancellations. Please contact Marion if you are interested in joining this visit.

Visit of the Burrell Collection and Degas exhibition, Thursday 19^th September, 2024

The Burrell Collection is hosting an international exhibition this summer on Degas, featuring its own substantial collection of the artist’s works and some significant UK and international loans.

Click here to read why this is a unmissable exhibition.

Details of the visit.

leave from the coach bays at the Helensburgh Leisure Centre at 9.30 am
returning there by 4 pm.

This will allow over 4 hours to visit the exhibition and the collections with plenty of time for lunch at the museum.

The cost of £35 covers entrance to the exhibition, coach transport and driver’s gratuity. It does not include lunch or other refreshments, but there is a large restaurant downstairs and a smaller snack bar near the former entrance.

Thanks to those who have already signed up, we have been able to make a firm booking for a self-led group visit. Unfortunately a curator-led group tour would almost double the cost. However we can book a one hour curator talk as part of our visit (depending on total numbers and curator availability). There should also be a free audio guide to the exhibition which can be downloaded via a mobile phone app. The visit will be open to non-members after the 14^th May.

Please see the linked Registration Form.

Rather than posting or scanning the Registration form, you may send all required details required for Registration by email when confirming payment to Marion Maudsley via her email on the Committee Page.

Contact Marion Maudsley from our Committee page for more information.

Kilmartin Museum Argyll- Thursday May 23rd.

Kilmartin museum re-opened last summer after a major £7m refurbishment and expansion. Kilmartin Glen, a little to the north of Lochgilphead, boasts over 800 prehistoric monuments, including standing stones, rock carvings and cairns. Special loans from the National Museums of Scotland and the British Museum enrich one of the most comprehensive displays of ancient artefacts in the UK.

We will leave from the coach bays at the Helensburgh Leisure Centre at 9.30 am and return there by about 5.30 pm. The journey will take about two and a half hours, including a short coffee and comfort stop en route.

You will have at least an hour to explore the collection, which is very well displayed and explained. We will have a soup and sandwich lunch with coffee/tea and shortbread in the museum cafe at 1.30. There will then be a further hour to look at the exhibits in more detail or you could walk down to the cairn just outside. (Walking shoes are essential, as the path down includes many steps, some rough ground and a stile.)

An easier walk would be up to Kilmartin Church, where the churchyard contains an outstanding collection of medieval West Highland grave slabs, a great view of the glen and its cairns, and an unusual war memorial in the form of an arch.

The cost of £50 covers entrance to the museum, coach transport and driver’s gratuity, lunch as described above and morning coffee. Please indicate any allergies on the registration form.

Please sign up for the trip as soon as possible. May is a very busy time for coach companies and it is important that we make a firm booking soon.

Please contact Marion Maudsley with any queries:email from the Committee page

Hidden Glasgow – An Arts Society walk through the Georgian past – Wednesday 17th May 2023

Glasgow is know as one of the great Victorian cities of the UK, but the Victorian expansion stood on Georgian shoulders, for good or for ill, and many Georgian remnants are still to be found if you know where to look. Sometimes Georgian buildings are hidden in plain sight. Often the clue is in the names (George Square – Hanover Street). We will also go through some of the less well known spaces of the Merchant City.

Leave Helensburgh Central Station on the 9.25 train. Please arrive in time to get your ticket for Queen Street and bring your rail card if you have one.
Morning coffee/tea and scone at 10.30 in the Olive Tree Cafe, in St George’s Tron Church, itself a Georgian building. There will be a few non-Georgian surprises on the way.
At 11.15 we will start the walk proper (one to one and a half hours) in George Square and continue east towards the High Street. The walk is entirely on the flat and does not cover a lot of ground but there is a lot to see and to tell in such a small area.
About 1pm a light two course Italian lunch near the City Halls.
Return from Queen Street Station (only one more surprise on the way) for the 3.00 or 3.30 train.

The cost of £25 covers morning coffee/scone (including a donation to the homeless charity which the church supports through the cafe) and a two course lunch (not including drinks or gratuity).

Train travel is not included.

Click here to download an application form

Places are limited to 15. More becomes a bit unwieldy for a guided city walk.

Please register early to avoid disappointment.

Visit to Jupiter Artland – Thursday 21st September, 2023

Jupiter Artland is an award-winning sculpture park of over 100 acres of woodland and meadows in West Lothian, 12 miles outside Edinburgh, founded by Robert and Nicky Wilson. The artists who have been commissioned over the years include well-known names like Charles Jencks, Anthony Gormley, Anish Kapoor and most recently Tracey Emin, a roll-call of modern British and international artists, many of whom have created site-specific works, inspired by the landscape setting. The interaction of sometimes challenging modern works with a landscape shaped by centuries of human activity gives Jupiter Artland a uniquely intriguing atmosphere.

Each year a new artist is featured for a temporary exhibition and sometimes also commissioned to create a new work for the park. The artist this year will be Lindsey Mendick, who works predominantly in clay, and has a solo exhibition currently at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

9.30am Coach leaves Helensburgh Leisure Centre Coach park.
5.30 pm. Return to Helenburgh

The journey can take almost two hours, including a short comfort stop. We will therefore have around four hours to have lunch and explore the two main path loops (approximately two hours walking in all). You can also visit the indoor exhibitions in the old farm steadings and ballroom of Bonnington House. There is also, of course, a shop and cafe. Paths are mainly flat easy walking and wheelchair accessible. Surfaces vary, for example cobbles, gravel, sandy soil and occasionally stone steps, so sensible footwear is recommended, as is waterproof clothing. Most of the collection is outdoors.

The cost of £50 covers entrance to the park and exhibitions, transport, driver’s gratuity and lunch (Quiche of the day and seasonal salad, with brownies and tea or coffee). Please indicate any allergies on the registration form.
Click here to download an application form
Places are limited to 29, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Visits Secretary: Kati Byrne

Thursday September 15th 2020: Visit to Innerpeffray Library: Scotland first free public Lending Library.

Founded in 1680 by David Drummond, 3rd Lord Madertie, it was used by the local community until 1968. Today you can still read the rare books in the collection and trace the families who, over three centuries, took the time to cross the fields in pursuit of knowledge, education or just fun. Sited by an ancient ford on the River Earn, the area is soaked in history from Roman times onwards.

Please note that the library is accessed via a winding staircase, unsuitable if you have restricted mobility

9.30. Leave the Victoria Halls by coach, stopping for coffee en route and lunch in Crieff
13.30: Private guided tour of the library. There will be time to look at books individually, explore the special exhibition on ‘Innovation and Invention’ and look at a selection of 19th and 20th century gardening books recently bequeathed to the library. After tea at the old schoolhouse, people can either go back to the library or wander about the grounds - the graveyard and medieval St Mary’s Chapel are nearby, and a Heritage Trail tells the story of Innerpeffray through the centuries.
Set off for home by 17.30
Aim to get back to Helensburgh by 19.00.

Cost: £50 per person including travel, coffee, lunch, guided tour and tea

Please contact Kati Byrne if you would like to come

June 19th 2019: Visit to Mackintosh at The Willow and the Royal College of Physicians

Itinerary

9.15am: Depart Helensburgh Pier Car Park

10.30am: Coffee at The Willow

11.00am: Conducted Tour of the Building and visit to the shop

12.15pm: Iconic Afternoon Tea in the Salon de Luxe.

1.30pm: Depart

2.00pm: Conducted Tour of the exhibitions and the art collection at the Royal College

3.15pm: Return to Helensburgh, arrive at approximately 4.30pm

Cost: £28 per person. Cheques payable to The Arts Society Lomond and Argyll, by May 22nd. Please send to Penny Elles at the address on the application form

If oversubscribed, there will be a ballot on Friday May 24th.

Autumn 2018

Wednesday November 21st: Visit to V&A Museum in Dundee

This was a special event arranged by the Arts Society Scotland and Northern Ireland

Thirty two members of our Society enjoyed the trip.. We commenced with the director giving a welcome and outlining the future aims of the museum as the first design museum in Scotland, followed by introductory lectures to the Ocean liners exhibition and the Scottish Design galleries. In support, the area chairwoman presented a £2000 cheque to the museum. Following lunch we explored the galleries at leisure. The Ocean liners, Speed and Style, provides interest for all, focussing on promotion, engineering, interior design (stunning art deco exhibits) and lifestyle from Brunel’s 1859 steamship to the 1969 QE2. The Scottish Galleries concentrate on Scottish design with more than 300 exhibits including a reproduction of Miss Cranston’sTea room. Most of us left the museum feeling we needed to return to have time to enjoy more of this splendid addition to Scotland’s cultural landscape.

Report Provided by Penny Elles

Friday 2nd November 2.30 2018: Visit to Exhibition - The Walton Family

Venue: Lyon & Turnbull 182 Bath Street Glasgow

At the turn of the century there were five Walton siblings working in artistic fields in Glasgow; Helen, Edward Arthur, Hannah, Constance and George. Between them they produced a wide range of works of art, paintings, decorative arts, interiors and furniture. The exhibition, curated by James McNaught, contains a selection of works from private collections.

The private visit included a talk by the Curator followed by tea and coffee.

Click here to read short official biographical details of the members of the family.

Click here to read a report on the visit supplied by member Marion Maudsley.

Spring 2018

Thursday June 7th: Visit to Dumfries House

Dumfries House, Cumnock, is an 18^thCentury Robert Adam Palladian mansion, set within a 2000 acre estate. It has a unique collection of Chippendale and Scottish rococo furniture displayed within the beautiful interiors. There is a visitor centre and shop nearby the house.

The visit included a Coffee Break on the way at the Puffers Cafe in the Maritime Museum in Irvine and Lunch and a tour of the house.

Wednesday 28th March 10.30am: Visit to Exhibition - Atmospheric Abstractions | The work of Bet Low

Venue: Lyon & Turnbull 182 Bath Street Glasgow

On view was a selection of her works from private collections along with highlights from the upcoming Modern British & Contemporary Art Auction.

Bet Low D.Litt ARSA RSW RGI 1924-2007 studied at Glasgow School of Art during the war and went on to exhibit with The Society of Scottish Independent Artists, The Royal Glasgow Institute and the New Art Club founded by J D Fergusson and Margaret Morris. She is a Scottish figurative and landscape painter, and a co-founder of the Clyde Group. She was part of a group that organised the first open-air exhibition on the railings of Glasgow Botanical Gardens in 1956.

Click here to read a report on the visit supplied by member Carol Annesley

Autumn 2017

Wednesday 4th October 10.30am: Visit to Exhibition- The Scottish Colourists

Venue: Lyon & Turnbull 182 Bath Street Glasgow

On view was a selection of works from private collections along with highlights from the upcoming Scottish Pictures auction. It included work by Cadell, Hunter, Fergusson and Peploe who were working in the first half of the 20th century and are known for their bold and colourful works which still dominate the Scottish Art Market.

The private visit included a talk by Carly Shearer who works at Lyon and Turnbull's Edinburgh office and specialises in Scottish Paintings & Sculpture, followed by coffee.

Click here to read a report on the visit supplied by member Patsy Millar. The images have been supplied by James McNaught.

Spring 2017

Monday 24th April 2017 at 11am: Visit to Exhibition - The New Glasgow Boys.

Venue: Lyon & Turnbull 182 Bath Street Glasgow

This visit was fully subscibed.

The New Glasgow Boys, the name given by critics to a group from Glasgow School of Art, taught by Alexander Moffat, were at their height in the 1980s. Their group title pays homage to the original group of designers who came to be known as the Glasgow Boys a century earlier. Paintings in the exhibition by Peter Howson, Ken Currie, Alison Watt, Adrian Wiszneiwski, Stephen Conroy have been lent from Private Collections so are not normally on view.

The private visit included a talk by Lyon and Turnbull's Scottish Art Expert Ian Gale, followed by coffee.

Click here to read a report on the visit supplied by member Julia Gourd.

Wednesday 5th April 2017: Tour of Scottish Opera Production Studios

There was a Talk by John Liddell, Head of Wardrobe, followed by Tour of Scottish Opera's Production Studios in Groups; Scenery, Lighting, Make-up, Wigs, Costumes, Rehearsal Areas.
lunch in Scottish Opera's Café Octavia (soup, sandwich and soft drink and coffee)
Talk by the Manager of the Friends of Scottish Opera

Autumn 2016

October 5th 2016 at 10.30am. Private Viewing of Exhibition of Scottish Portraiture

This is a small exhibition of 10-15 paintings at the Glasgow office, of Lyon and Turnbull.
These paintings are from private collections and have rarely or never been seen in public.
Starting with examples from Allan Ramsay, the theme is taken into the 19th and 20th centuries by including works by James Guthrie, Mary Sturrock, Fra Newberry, John Lavery and Stephen Conroy amongst others.

The visit included a lecture by L&T's painting expert, Iain Gale, followed by a Q&A session and Tea or Coffee.

The intimate format allowed guests to get close to the paintings and engage with a highly knowledgeable lecturer.

You can read two appraisals of the visit (just click on the names), by

Rosemary Noon and
Mary-Jane Selwood

September 22nd 2016: Visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Coffee at the Palace Cafe on arrival.
A Tour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, known as the Royal Visit includes
- an audio tour of the State Apartments
- entry to the Queen's Gallery where the exhibition will be “Painting Paradise, the Art of the Garden”
- an exhibition of the Queen’s dresses “Fashioning a Reign; 90 years of style from the Queen’s Wardrobe.”
- a guided tour of the gardens.

These were all undertaken as individual tours rather than as a large group, so members had free time in the morning and afternoon in which to undertake the visits in the order they prefer.

Afternoon Tea from 1.30pm-2.30pm. This is not your average Afternoon Tea; it is served from 1.30pm until closing time for a start! It is regarded by many as the highlight of their visit.
Loose-leaf tea brewed to perfection in warmed teapots, with elegant tiers of smoked salmon and Aberdeen Angus canapés, triangular de-crusted sandwiches, masterful Ecclefechan tart, eclairs and Victoria sponge, and cheese scones with vanilla cream and rich jam.

Cost for the day was £50.

Organiser Mavis Henderson

Spring 2016

Tuesday, 17th May. Guided Tour of Glasgow Necropolis by Nigel Willis

Cost for the visit was £25.Click here for further details.

Nigel Willis, who lectured to Ladfas on the Necropolis will lead a guided walking tour of this 37 acre Victorian cemetery. This inter-denominational burial ground is full of wonderful architecture and sculpture and has fascinating stories of the many famous people buried there. Many of the vast monuments are a tribute to the disposable wealth of the Victorian merchants and businessmen and were designed by the leading Scottish architects of the day, such as “Greek“ Thomson. There are also wonderful views of the city from the top of the hill.

Travel was by coach and coffee and lunch were provided at Cathedral House Hotel.

Rosneath visit

Due to the Necropolis visit this will be postponed until the 2016/2017 LADFAS session.

Thursday, 2nd June. 2016: Visit to Floors Castle near Kelso in the Borders.

Cost for the visit will be £32. Click here for further details.

The Castle, situated on the River Tweed and home to the Dukes of Roxburghe, is the largest inhabited castle in Scotland and currently home to the 10th Duke and his family. Built in 1720s by William Adam, it was remodelled with turrets and battlements in the 1840s in the romantic style of the time. We will have the opportunity to view magnificent collections of art and porcelain as well as a set of Gobelin tapestries. Hopefully June sunshine will also allow us to explore the extensive grounds which contain a woodland garden, a parterre and a walled garden. There’s also a gift shop and plant centre. Lunch at the café was included.

Autumn 2015

Wednesday, 23rd September: Hidden Gems of Edinburgh