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G E Street St James the Less, Pimlico, 1861 © Neil Jackson

Past Events

This page displays ƵSociety events that have already taken place.

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March

From Palaces of Art to the Studios of Bohemia: Artists’ Houses in ƵKensington and Chelsea, by Jo Banham

Successful Ƶartists, like Leighton and Luke Fildes, earned incomes that meant they were able to commission magnificent, purpose-built studio houses in the leafy suburbs of Holland Park and Kensington. The less wealthy and more unconventional, like Rossetti and Whistler, gravitated towards Chelsea, occupying picturesque old buildings in the area. This lecture reviews the two most famous artists’ colonies – Melbury Road, Kensington and Cheyne Walk and Tite Street, Chelsea – and explores the lives and interiors of the painters who lived there.

More information
Ticket Price: £10
Date: Tuesday, March 12th, 2024
Time: 07:00
Venue: St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington, W8 4LA –
Location: In Person | London

June

George Edmund Street Bicentenary Symposium – Day 1

G E Street (1824-1881), the bicentenary of whose birth we celebrate this year, was one of the most prolific architects of the nineteenth-century gothic revival. This symposium at St James the Less, celebrates Street’s work and achievements through a programme of talks in the morning, and visits to his works in the afternoon.

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Ticket Price: £30 for morning and £20 for the afternoon.
Date: Friday, June 21st, 2024
Time: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Venue: St James the Less church, Thorndike Street, London SW1V 2PS. –
Location: In Person | London

George Edmund Street Bicentenary Symposium – Day 2

G E Street (1824-1881), the bicentenary of whose birth we celebrate this year, was one of the most prolific architects of the nineteenth-century gothic revival. This symposium at St James the Less, celebrates Street’s work and achievements through a programme of talks in the morning, and visits to his works in the afternoon.

More information
Ticket Price: £30 in the morning and £20 for the afternoon
Date: Saturday, June 22nd, 2024
Time: 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Venue: St James the Less church, Thorndike Street, London SW1V 2PS. –
Location: In Person | London

July

Visit: Golders Green Crematorium, led by Hilary Grainger

A unique opportunity to visit Golders Green crematorium described as ‘London’s first crematorium and England’s first purpose-designed crematorium landscape,’ (Grade II listed) designed by Sir Ernest George in 1902. Professor Hilary J Grainger, Chair of the ƵSociety. She is the leading authority on Sir Ernest George and the architecture of UK crematoria.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Saturday, July 6th, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: Golders Green Crematorium, Hoop Lane, London, NW11 7NL –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: Hampton Court in the 19th Century

Hampton Court Palace is renowned as the finest surviving Tudor palace in the world. The history of the Palace in the Ƶera is often overlooked, but is equally as fascinating.

More information
Ticket Price: £35 (Over 65s £30.00)
Date: Wednesday, July 10th, 2024
Time: 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Venue: Hampton Court Palace –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: ‘The Cathedral of Sewage’ – Crossness Pumping Station

Discover one of London’s most extraordinary interiors in this outing where we discover the Victorian’s solution to sewage.

More information
Ticket Price: £28
Date: Sunday, July 14th, 2024
Time: 11:00 am – 2:30 pm
Venue: Crossness Pumping Station –
Location: In Person | London

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Pestilence at Noonday’ by Cornelia Sorabji

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, starting with stories from India.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, July 24th, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

August

Walk: Exploring ƵClapham, led by Christopher Claxton Stevens

Clapham became part of the Metropolis with the coming of the underground in 1900. This walk will cover the earlier background of the area and focus on the grander Ƶarchitecture that still remains

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Ticket Price: £18
Date: Saturday, August 31st, 2024
Time: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Venue: Clapham Common Underground Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

September

Walk: Liverpool Street Station and its Environs, led by Steven Brindle

This walk explores Liverpool Street Station and its environs, to see how the north-eastern City developed in the Ƶage, how the historic streetscape has fared in modern times, and what impact the proposed over-development of the station, which the Society strongly opposes, would have on this many layered and sensitive area.

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Ticket Price: £18
Date: Thursday, September 5th, 2024
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue: Liverpool Street Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

Walk: Exploring Brixton’s ƵHistory

In this walking tour, led by the Brixton Society, we will explore the fascinating retail heritage of Brixton.

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Ticket Price: £20
Date: Wednesday, September 11th, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: Brixton Recreation Centre –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

Walk: Merton Park, “The Original and Most Unique Garden Suburb”, led by Tony Woolfenden

Tony Woolfenden leads a walk around John Innes’ Merton Park estate, “the original and most unique garden suburb” (to quote the estate company’s advertisements).

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Ticket Price: £22
Date: Saturday, September 21st, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:15 pm
Venue: Merton Park Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

October

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Postmaster’ by Rabindranath Tagore

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, starting with stories from India.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Talk: Lost Gardens of London, by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan

This talk will focus on and celebrate the evanescence of the metropolis’s vast and varied garden legacy.

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Ticket Price: £10
Date: Monday, October 7th, 2024
Time: 07:00 pm – 08:30 pm
Venue: St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington, W8 4LA –
Location: In Person | London | Talk

Visit: RIBA Drawings Collection at the V&A

The visit will start with an introductory talk on the history of the RIBA Drawings Collection by curator, Charles Hind followed by a look at a selection of Ƶdrawings from the collection, including several by Alfred Waterhouse for the Natural History Museum. We will move across to the Museum to look at the exterior and the Great Hall.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Monday, October 21st, 2024
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue: Victoria and Albert Museum, Exhibition Road –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

November

Visit: All Saints’ church, Putney Common – G E Street Bicentenary

All Saints’ church, Putney, was opened as a chapel of ease in 1874. The interior is richly polychromatic and the many Morris & Co windows are of outstanding quality. This visit is our final look at a church by G E Street.

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Ticket Price: £15
Date: Saturday, November 2nd, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Venue: All Saints, Putney –
Location: In Person | London | G E Street Bicentenary 2024 | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Salt Inspector’ (Namak ka Daroga) by Munshi Premchand

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, starting with stories from India.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, November 13th, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Walk: Westminster by Gaslight Walk, led by Elan Walks

Discover the magical gas lamps of Westminster and marvel at their fascinating history and world-changing legacy.

More information
Ticket Price: £26
Date: Thursday, November 14th, 2024
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Venue: Green Park Underground Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

December

Visit: Palace of Westminster

Join us on a crisp winter morning as we discover one of London’s best known buildings.

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Ticket Price: £30
Date: Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024
Time: 8:45 am – 10:30 am
Venue: Palace of Westminster –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Dâk Bungalow at Dakor’ by B. M. Croker

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, starting with stories from India.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, December 11th, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Online Lecture: Street Closure: A Discussion about Recent Visits to Buildings by G E Street

Join Neil Jackson as he examines the themes that have been raised from these visits.

More information
Ticket Price: £6/£10
Date: Tuesday, December 17th, 2024
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: Online or Head Office at Priory Gardens, London –
Location: Online | In Person | London | G E Street Bicentenary 2024

January

Visit: An 1890s House in Clapham

This is a rare opportunity to see the colourful and atmospheric candlelit interiors of this house in Clapham.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Thursday, January 16th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: Address available closer to the date. –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Ghost upon the Rail’ by John Lang

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: Old Bailey

Discover the architecture of the Old Bailey.

More information
Ticket Price: £30
Date: Thursday, January 30th, 2025
Time: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Venue: Old Bailey –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

February

Visit: Royal Albert Hall

This is a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes of Grade I listed building and see parts of the Royal Albert Hall that are normally off limits to the public.

More information
Ticket Price: £25
Date: Monday, February 17th, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
Venue: Royal Albert Hall –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Dead Witness’ or ‘The Bush Waterhole’ by Mary Fortune

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

March

Walk: Westminster by Gaslight Walk, led by Elan Walks

Discover the magical gas lamps of Westminster and marvel at their fascinating history and world-changing legacy.

More information
Ticket Price: £26
Date: Thursday, March 13th, 2025
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: Green Park Underground Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Drover’s Wife’ by Henry Lawson

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, March 19th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: Makers of Modern Gothic: A.W.N Pugin and John Hardman Jr: Curators’ Tour

Join Angus Patterson & Max Donnelly, co-curators of Makers of Modern Gothic: for a exhibition talk at the V& A museum, London.

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Ticket Price: £18
Date: Thursday, March 20th, 2025
Time: 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
Venue: Victoria and Albert Museum, Exhibition Road –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

Artistic Houses: London’s Pre-Raphaelite Interiors by Jo Banham

The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood not only challenged conventional definitions of beauty within the fine arts, they also rejected many of the fashions associated with the mid and late Ƶhome. This lecture explores the decoration and lifestyles associated with these and other famous Pre-Raphaelite homes.

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Ticket Price: £10
Date: Monday, March 24th, 2025
Time: 07:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington, W8 4LA –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: A Guided Tour of Two Temple Place, London

Discover this extraordinary Ƶbuilding and its history.

More information
Ticket Price: £18
Date: Thursday, March 27th, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Venue: 2 Temple Place –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

April

Visit: Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington including a Visit to the Restored Chapel

Join us on a tour of Abney Park, one of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries, as we discover its history.

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Ticket Price: £20
Date: Sunday, April 6th, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue: Abney Park Cemetery –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: The Cast-iron Canvasser’ by Banjo Paterson

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: Tour of Stanley Arts in South Norwood

Discover this delightful Grade II listed building hidden in the depths of south London.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Thursday, April 10th, 2025
Time: 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue: Stanley Arts –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

Visit: A Guided Tour of Guildhall Art Gallery, London – Morning

Looking at one of the country’s best collections of Ƶart at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.

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Ticket Price: £20
Date: Tuesday, April 15th, 2025
Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Venue: Guildhall Art Gallery, London –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

Visit: A Guided Tour of Guildhall Art Gallery, London – Afternoon

Looking at one of the country’s best collections of Ƶart at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Tuesday, April 15th, 2025
Time: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Venue: Guildhall Art Gallery, London –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

May

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘Promotion’ by Guy Boothby

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Walk: A Lutyens walk in Mayfair, led by Paul Waite of the Lutyens Trust

Explore the buildings of Ƶarchitect Edwin Lutyens, and his associates, which can be seen in the Mayfair area of London.

More information
Ticket Price: £18
Date: Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: 7 St James Square, London –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

Walk: Angel Islington to Smithfield Walk, Led by Alec Forshaw

Discover the stunning Ƶand Edwardian buildings to be found in the Angel neighbourhood during this evening walking tour.

More information
Ticket Price: £18
Date: Wednesday, May 21st, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Venue: Angel Tube Station –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

Walk: The Thames Path, from Tower Hill to Canary Wharf, Led by Steven Brindle

A chance to discover the Ƶheritage along the Thames path from Tower Hill to Canary Wharf.

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Ticket Price: £20
Date: Saturday, May 24th, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Venue: Tower Hill Station Exit –
Location: In Person | London | Walk

Visit: Woking, England’s First Crematorium: A Visit led by Prof Hilary J Grainger

A unique opportunity to visit the UK’s first crematorium, designed by Edward Francis Channing Clarke in 1885.

More information
Ticket Price: £20
Date: Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Venue: Woking Crematorium –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

June

Online Lecture and in person: The Magnetic Margot Gayle , by Joshua Mardell

This lecture will (re-)introduce the American metallurgist, politician and preservationist Margot Gayle (1908-2008), who co-founded the ƵSociety in America on the advice of Nikolaus Pevsner in 1966, and established the Friends of Cast-Iron Architecture in 1970.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Venue: Online or In-Person –
Location: Online | In Person | London

Visit: Lutyens, Flockhart, Waterhouse and Voysey Day – Visit to Goddards

A unique visit to explore the architecture of Goddards and surrounding buildings.

More information
Ticket Price: £55
Date: Sunday, June 8th, 2025
Time: 10:30 am – 4:00 pm
Venue: Goddards, Surrey –
Location: In Person | London | Visit

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘The Golden Shanty by Edward Dyson

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, June 11th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London

Visit: ‘The Cathedral of Sewage’ – Crossness Pumping Station

Witness this extraordinary interior on a steaming day at Crossness Pumping Station. Join us as we go on a tour of the site to discover the historical context and impetus for Bazalgette’s revolutionary sewage system for London

More information
Ticket Price: £35
Date: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Venue: Crossness Pumping Station –
Location: In Person | London

July

ƵShort Story Reading Group: ‘Billy Skywonkie’ by Barbara Baynton

The ƵShort Story Reading Group has regular meetings to explore some of the exciting material from the golden age of the British short story, which began during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The current theme is colonial short stories, with stories from Australia.

More information
Ticket Price: £6
Date: Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm– 8:30 pm
Venue: Priory Gardens, London W4 1TT –
Location: In Person | London