The Arts Society Ashford

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The Arts Society Ashford

A society dedicated to the arts through fellowship, meetings and events.

08/06/2026

“We are amused!” even though the world of work was the foundation of Victorian progress & improvement, Queen Victoria’s reign saw the greatest increase in leisure pursuits ever witnessed. As people earned more money and worked shorter hours, a true golden age of entertainment and healthy activities was born. Popular speaker Bertie Pearce returns to The Arts Society Ashford at Aldington Village Hall on Tuesday 16 June. His talk about a pre-television age, when the ability to amuse and occupy yourself was so important, is bound to entertain us! Guests are very welcome. £7 cash on the door. Refreshments served (included) from 10.15 a.m. Book at: [email protected]
www.theartssocietyashford.org.uk

11/05/2026

‘Insatiable Appetites: Eating out in Georgian London’ - travel back in time with us for what is sure to be a tasty lecture at The Arts Society Ashford, Aldington Village Hall on Tuesday 19 May (pre-lecture refreshments from 10.15 a.m.). Georgians of all classes dined out in pubs, coaching inns and confectioners and ate all kinds of street food. Our speaker, Peter Ross, a historian of both food and crime, will take us on a journey to discover what food and drink was consumed and what particular specialities could be enjoyed. Guests are very welcome for just £7.00 (cash on door please), including hot drinks and delicious biscuits, by booking with Chris: [email protected]
www.theartssocietyashford.org.uk

13/04/2026

Next week we’re getting Wilde About Oscar when we learn more insights into the extraordinary life and dramatic times of author, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. At The Arts Society Ashford, Tuesday 21 April, Aldington Village Hall, the morning starts with refreshments from 10.15 a.m. followed by the lecture at 11.00 a.m. Our speaker is Simon Whitehouse, a (recovering) actor, lecturer, presenter and award-winning London Blue Badge Guide. He will take us from Oscar’s Irish roots to his days as a student at Oxford and his meteoric rise to the heights of celebrity. Simon will examine Oscar’s starring role within the artistic and theatrical worlds in 19th Century London to how, tired of being in the heights of fame, he plunged into the depths and became ‘famous for being infamous.’ Guests are very welcome to join us for just £7.00, including refreshments. Please book with Christina at [email protected]

08/03/2026

Next week (17 March) at The Arts Society Ashford: how did that enormous, valuable and delicate painting or statue end up on show in a gallery or museum? Art expert and lecturer Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe will answer such questions as what practicalities did shipping a painting over 15 feet high or a statue such as Michelangelo’s David involve? When Napoleon invaded Europe, he had Europe’s best works of art sent to Paris for his new museum. But how did they get four life-size bronze horses of San Marco down from the basilica in Venice, over the Alps and all the way to Paris? Find out on Tuesday 17 March at Aldington Village Hall from 10.15 a.m. Guests are very welcome for £7 including refreshments. Please book with Chris at gday2u@sky

07/02/2026

Coming up soon at The Arts Society Ashford: ‘The Irritating & Influential Mr Whistler’, a lecture, examining the life and work of American painter and printmaker, James McNeill Whistler (portrait below). After living and working in Paris, Whistler settled in London in 1859. He was renowned for his support of ‘art for art’s sake, his distinctive post-impressionist style, his wit and quarrelsome personality. Our talk is presented by art historian Julia Musgrave and takes place at Aldington Village Hall on Tuesday 17 February. Guests are always welcome at our lectures for just £7, including refreshments, which start at 10.15 a.m. Pre-booking recommended, simply email Chris at [email protected] For more info find us at: https://theartssocietyashford.org.uk/

12/01/2026

‘Discovering MacDonald 'Max' Gill’ is the subject of next week’s Arts Society Ashford lecture at Aldington Village Hall on Tuesday 20 January from 10.15 a.m. Max Gill was the younger brother of the sculptor Eric Gill, and was an architect, letterer, and graphic artist of the first half of the 20th century. He was famed for his 1914 quirky map posters for the London Underground (seen here) and magnificent painted map panels for landmark buildings such as Lindisfarne Castle and the Palace of Westminster. Our speaker, Caroline Walker, his great niece, promises us humour, colour, wonderful artworks and fascinating historical links during her talk. Non-members can book a place with Chris at [email protected] for just £7 including refreshments.

02/12/2025

The Music of the Caribbean is set to take us to warmer climes next Tuesday 9 December for our Arts Society Ashford lecture by Graham Jones, who was a musician in the British Army for 40 years. We will not only learn about the rhythm, patterns and styles of this popular musical culture, combining African, European, Indian and indigenous influences, but Graham’s talk will also include sounds from some of the Caribbean islands. We’re at Aldington Village Hall, with coffee/biscuits from 10.15 a.m. and the talk starts at 11.00 a.m. Afterwards, as Christmas is not that far off, we’ll be serving complimentary mulled wine and mince pies. To book all this for just £7.00 please book with Chris at [email protected]

11/11/2025

Step into the gardens with us at our lecture next Tuesday 18 November, starting at 10:15 a.m. at Aldington Village Hall: Great Gardens of the 18th Century, from Ha-Has to Hermits by Patrick Conner. The landscape garden was an English innovation, replacing the formal patterns and straight lines seen throughout Europe, with a ‘natural’ garden full of variety, drama and surprise. As seen here at Stourhead in Wiltshire and in Georgian gardens throughout the country. It’s just £7 to come as a guest and that includes pre-talk refreshments. If you’d like to join us at The Arts Society Ashford, please email Chris Smith and she will book you in: [email protected] Find us at: www.theartssocietyashford.org.uk

14/10/2025

Travel back with us over one hundred years to a London that was a horse-drawn city. Without its horses, London in 1900 would have ground to a halt. Our talk on Tuesday 21 October at Aldington Village Hall, ‘When Horses Ran London’ is by London walking tour guide and lecturer, Charlie Forman. It combines an insight into city life before the internal combustion engine took over. Learn about the vast increase in the demand for horses and what traces of this forgotten world can still be seen from this lost era. Guests are always welcome at The Arts Society Ashford, and we kick off (no horses will be involved!) at 10.15 a.m. with refreshments. To book, email Chris and she will be happy to help you: [email protected] £7 including refreshments.

07/09/2025

Ashford’s Arts Society is open to all, and our 2025/26 monthly lecture season starts again on Tues 16 September, Aldington Village Hall, from 10.15 a.m. with pre-lecture refreshments. We start off with ‘Ways to Look at Painting’ with speaker Alice White. She will tell us all about a painter’s perspective on famous artworks from the 17th to the 21st centuries. Rembrandt and Turner will be revealed as artistic risk-takers, leading the way for modern artists such as Po***ck and Fontana, who went beyond the brush and the canvas in search of different interpretations.
Guests are very welcome: please email Chris: [email protected] and she will be happy to help. It’s just £7.00 per lecture, including refreshments. For more information on future topics: theartssocietyashford.org.uk

Address

Aldington Village Hall, Roman Road
Aldington
TN257EE

Website

http://www.theartssocietyashford.org.uk/

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