1st July 2020 Trip to Kilworth House Theatre, Lutterworth
Kilworth House Theatre is set in the delightful grounds of the Kilworth House Hotel just off junction 20 of the M1 near Lutterworth. During the summer months its professional company puts on popular musicals.
Next summer ‘Carousel’ by Rodgers and Hammerstein is the first choice and 30 seats have been booked for the matinee on 1st July 2020. Because we have to pay for these tickets by the end of January 2020 we must open the booking for this trip at the December meeting. Please bring a cheque for £50, payable to Southwell U3A, which will include the ticket, coach travel and driver’s tip.
If you cannot attend this meeting but wish to be included please telephone Fran Cayless on 01636 816518, who will explain how you can pay for this trip.
No bookings or cheques will be accepted before Tuesday 3rd December. Exact details of times of departure, coffee stop, picnic arrangements and return times will be given nearer to July 2020.
Trips for 2019
5th December 2019: Rockingham Castle - Victorian Christmas
It is Christmas Eve, 1849. The staff are preparing the Castle for the family’s Christmas celebrations. Under the butler’s direction the Great Hall table is laid, the silver is polished, the candles and fires are lit, the decorations are in place and the kitchen is a hive of activity. Prepare for nostalgia from Victorian times, as entertaining costumed guides escort you through the decorated Castle. Whether it is the butler, governess or housekeeper, they all have their story to impart to you as they transport you back to the year 1849.
Walker’s House Restaurant, with table service, offers a selection of delicious festive dishes created from locally sourced produce.
This very special trip departs from Southwell Leisure Centre at 9.30am and returns at approximately 5.30pm. The cost of the trip is £45.00 per person to include a full tour of the castle, mulled wine, tea, coffee and minced pies on arrival, a truly festive traditional lunch (with vegetarian option), dessert and return coach fare.
5th September 2019: Elton Hall and Gardens and Bosworth Garden Centre near Peterborough
Elton Hall is a baronial hall in Elton, Cambridgeshire. It has been the ancestral home of the Proby family since 1660. The lies in a 3,800-acre estate through which the River Nene flows. The building incorporates 15th18th and 19th century parts and is a Grade 1 listed building. There is a walled garden. The house contains superb treasures, including fine French furniture, one of the best libraries in private hands and a magnificent collection of paintings. Art enthusiasts can gaze upon works by Renaissance artists dating from the early 15th century, to marvellous 19th century works by J.F. Lewis, Landseer and Millais. The collection also has works by renowned British artists, Gainsborough, Constable and Reynolds.
Booking will take place during coffee time at the July& August Monthly Meeting. The cost will be £37 per person which includes coach, coffee or tea on arrival, lunch and entrance fees to the Hall and Gardens. Cheques to be made payable to Southwell U3A. Please complete all details on booking form. 35 places available.
Wednesday 10 July 2019: Visit to Wentworth Woodhouse Wentworth Woodhouse (near Rotherham) is considered to be the largest privately owned residence in the UK. A Grade 1 Listed country house with the longest façade in Europe (over 600 feet in length) and having more than 300 rooms. This grand South Yorkshire house has had a chequered past, encompassing both rise and fall from the 1600s to the present day.
The trip will include a one hour guided tour of both the state and family rooms, a 2 course buffet lunch with drinks included, and time to explore the 82 acre historical walled garden. The coach will leave Southwell Leisure Centre at 9am returning at 5.30 pm.
The cost of both tours and lunch is £36.50 for National Trust Members, and £48.50 for non NT members. Booking will commence on Tuesday 7 May.
Further information from Jane Parker (01636 814775)
Thursday 13th June: The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham.
With thanks to Richard Ashbery for the captioned slideshow below.
...and with thanks to Fran Cayless for this further slideshow of photos from the trip
Trips for 2018
Cromford Mill, Derbyshire 19th July 2018 It included a one and a half hour guided tour of the Mill followed by and a cold lunch of sandwiches, tortilla chips, home made cakes, fresh fruit and tea/coffee. Then time to browse on site shops and the museum. After lunch we crossed the road to the Cromford Canal to enjoy a 2 hour canal boat journey. See the photos from the trip below.
Trip to Sheffield, Assay Office & Cutlers Hall on 2nd Nov 2017
.Fray Canless writes: A group of 30 people went to Sheffield on Thursday 2nd November for an informative talk at the Assay Office, which was followed by a tour round the hallmarking workshop, then a buffet lunch .The Assay Office hallmark items from as small as earrings to large ones( see photo below) like the punch bowl ,which is now on show at the Winter Gardens in the city. After lunch we went to Cutlers Hall for the afternoon, where there was a talk, tour and tea and biscuits
Trip to Cadbury World on 4th Oct 2017
Trip to Potteries Museum & Art Gallery at Stoke on Trent - 15th March 2017
These photographs were taken when 32 members of the U3a went to the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery at Stoke on Trent. The displays there were fascinating, including all aspects of china & pottery and as diverse as a Spitfire plane , local history displays and famous art works. We were fortunate to see the Leekfrith Iron Age Torcs which were discovered before last Christmas and are dated back to 400BC. Everyone enjoyed the trip - the weather was absolutely glorious and the Staffordshire Oatcakes in the cafe were extremely tasty too!
Trip to Anglesey Abbey and Green Knowe - 9th March 2017
A trip beset by gremlins! After postponement due to Storm Doris an almost full coach set off on 9th March only to find the A1 closed as a result of a major accident. The Winter Garden at Anglesey was much enjoyed and the Mill was open too. A little difficulty finding the road to the Manor at Hemmingford Grey known as Green Knowe, but a fascinating house with an amazing history. Should anyone wish to borrow the DVDs of the stories of Green Knowe please contact me. Thank you all for your patience and help in sorting this particular trip, Kerry Holden