The Arts Society Hart

The Arts Society Hart A friendly society learning about the arts through lectures, visits and overseas trips.

22/08/2026

Give yourself a treat this Sunday 23 August and visit Odiham Art Group exhibiting at Robert May’s School
RG29 1NA.

It’s free entrance. 60 artist exhibiting painting, pottery and glass work. All the art is for sale and plenty of beautiful greetings cards.

I did notice tea and cake too!

Parking is easy at the school. All well signposted from Fleet direction or travelling from the M3.

Lots to see, plenty to admire.

18/08/2026

You are going to join, that’s a great move. Best do it this week so you enjoy the whole 2026/7 programme.

- Visit our website www.tas-hart.org.uk/MembershipForms/NewApplication.aspx
Complete your details and send a BACS payment £35

That’s it … you are in!

A warm welcome awaits at the first talk on Wednesday 9 September
Registration is 10.30 - 10.45 at The Harlington, Fleet
Talk starts at 11 O’clock, finishing at midday.

The title of the talk is Romancing the Rails: British Railway Posters. This is the golden age of travel when a train journey was a glamorous experience. The posters were bold and colourful promising the wealthy traveller an escape to sun-drenched beaches, rolling countryside and majestic mountains. Did they all work? Which posters were most persuasive, which were not?

Our speaker Charles Harris worked for global advertising agencies promoting famous brands. He’ll share his passion for these highly collectable posters and explain why the posters were so successful and may be some not so good.

16/08/2026

Make a visit to Farnham Art Society 2026 Annual Exhibition open daily from today until 30 August from 10am to 4pm at
The Medici Theatre,
Weydon School, Weydon Lane, Farnham GU9 8UG
Free admission and plenty of parking. It’s definitely worth spending time admiring the talented artists in the FAS … you can purchase the art too.

I hope I have not missed anyone in the credits …wallis.sculptures
David Paynter
Glyn Jones
Nigel Hobbs
Maggie Butler
Christine Banat

Sally Ferguson
Janet Hamilton Lacey

Elizabeth Calthorpe


Laura Robins
Diana Ashcroft
Margie O’Brien
Erika Speirs
Jelena Adamik
Armando Guatieri
Nick Hithersay
Joan Crawford
Rick Holmes
Sarah Tyson

So pleased you found us. Welcome to The Arts Society Hart.At the monthly* talks you will meet like-minded people interes...
07/08/2026

So pleased you found us. Welcome to The Arts Society Hart.

At the monthly* talks you will meet like-minded people interested in broadening their horizons with relaxed but informative talks on all sorts of arty subjects. It’s certainly not high-brow however the presentations are of a high standard from people who really know their subject making every talk interesting and thought provoking. As they say, every day is a school day!

The new programme starts in September. Here’s a taster of what’s to come this year.
There is an annual membership £35 giving you *ten talks through to July 2027.
Visit the website www.tas-hart.org.uk/Home.aspx where you will find joining information.

Or come as a visitor on Wednesday 9 September at The Harlington, Fleet. Registration is 10.30-10.45. Talk begins at 11pm finishing midday.
Visitors £5 cash or card payment.
You will enjoy a talk called “Romancing the Rails’ celebrating the golden age of rail travel with eye-catching colourful posters encouraging travel to the West Country, Scotland and everywhere in between.

Coming up ….

Wednesday 14 October - Salvador Dali - needs no introduction

Wednesday 11 November - Norman Rockwell (you may not know his name however will recognise many of his famous illustrations).

Wednesday 13 January - The Ghent Altarpiece (a monumental work on 18 hinged oak panels. Wait for the big-reveal when all the panels are open. It’s so good it is often referred to as the world’s most stolen artwork. Looted by the French, hidden during the wars and targeted by thieves with one panel still missing after a theft in 1934.).

Put the dates in your diary … we look forward to seeing you.

* no talks in December and August

01/08/2026

A free* family day out-and-about in-and-around Windsor.

Follow the free public art trail organised by Thames Hospice in collaboration with Wild in Art. There are 90 elephant sculptures displayed across Windsor, Slough, Maidenhead and Eton. All 30 large sculptures are placed outside. The 50 smaller elephants are in shop windows.

The trail is to raise awareness and vital funds for end-of-life-care.

Download the app from *(£1.99 of which £1.45 goes to Thames Hospice) and start your elephant hunt. I did find the paper map easier( £2 from the Thames Hospice shop, 44 Peascod Street, Windsor). Start your trail here as there is a whole herd to find in the Windsor shopping/railways station area!

I still have 67 elephants to find. 🐘🐘🐘

Pack a picnic to enjoy in Windsor Great Park and have a fun-filled day enjoying the elephant trail and it’s all for a good cause.
Well done Thames Hospice. A wonderful idea.



* map, car park and an ice cream might be a few £!

Our new programme 2026/27 begins on Wednesday 9 September with a talk presented by Charles Harris called Romancing the R...
23/07/2026

Our new programme 2026/27 begins on Wednesday 9 September with a talk presented by Charles Harris called Romancing the Rails: British Railways Posters.

The railways introduced a golden age of travel with colourful posters encouraging people to take trips to the coast and other picturesque regions in Britain. The posters turned ordinary station platforms into striking public art galleries.

Charles Harris created advertising campaigns for some of the world’s most recognised brands. He’ll share with us some of the railways most iconic posters and explain which worked, the posters that were less successful and explain why.

Thinking about joining The Arts Society Hart? Now is the perfect time to join. Membership is £35 for a single person or £60 for a couple. This gives you 10 lectures a year (starting in September) and affiliation to The Arts Society (a leading arts education charity). The Arts Society Hart is one of over 300 independent groups across the UK and overseas. Visit the website www.tas-hart.org.uk for more information about lectures “Next Lecture” and “Joining Us” to become a member.

Not sure about joining however curious and would like to attend a lecture. You will be most welcome as a guest. Arrive at The Harlington, Fleet between 10.30/10.45 and following the crowd to the registration desk where a member will be pleased to help you. Guest £5 cash or card.

We look forward to see you in September.

15/07/2026

Highly recommend the David Hockney exhibition at The Serpentine North Gallery, London running until 23 August.

The 80 meter frieze A Year in Normandie is Hockney’s digital creation capturing the changing seasons on his property in rural France. The individual iPad images were digitally brought together to ultimately give this amazing panoramic timeline which wraps around the gallery walls.

The exhibition is free however you can prebook tickets at serpentinegalleries.org or trust-to-luck that the waiting time is not too long.

Definitely worth a stroll through Hyde Park to experience the four seasons through Hockney’s eyes.

Today was the final meeting of the 2025/26 programme at The Arts Society Hart. We concluded the year with a fascinating...
08/07/2026

Today was the final meeting of the 2025/26 programme at The Arts Society Hart. We concluded the year with a fascinating insight into the life of illustrator E. H. Shepard and his iconic illustrations for A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. Lecturer James Campbell is married to Shepard’s great-granddaughter so he has access to extensive archives relating to Ernest Shepard, his family and friends.

We saw the very first image of Winnie the Pooh followed by illustrations demonstrating how the bear evolved and how Shepard masterfully created Piglet, Tiger, Eeyore and friends.

James Campbell has published a full-colour keepsake book The Men Who Created Winnie-the-Pooh. We had a copy to giveaway. Here’s member Maggie Rutter receiving the book from lecturer/author James Campbell. No doubt this will be a treasured family heirloom.

The Arts Society Hart starts a new programme on Wednesday 9 September. Same time, same place at The Harlington. Check our website for full list of talks starting with a nostalgic look at rail travel in the UK through the many colourful posters (all now highly collectable).

02/07/2026

Don’t miss the exhibition at the National Trust Petworth House, West Sussex.

Called Expressions in Blue you will find huge porcelain towers and vases by ceramic artist Felicity Aylieff. The work is awe inspiring not just because of the beautiful cobalt blue but the physical enormity of the items. Some reach up to 5 meters high.

Definitely visit the Exhibition Room first in the Servants’ Quarters to watch the short film showing how Felicity Aylieff and her team in Jingdezhen, China hand make this monumental porcelain. Knowing how it is created adds to the wonder and appreciation of each piece.

More information can be found at www.national trust.org.uk/visit/sussex/petworth

Plenty more to see at Petworth House including Turner, van Dyck and Titian. A treasure trove of art.

Next meeting of The Arts Society Hart is Celebrating the Centenary of Winnie the Pooh.Talking to us about the lives of A...
28/06/2026

Next meeting of The Arts Society Hart is Celebrating the Centenary of Winnie the Pooh.

Talking to us about the lives of A. A. MIlne and E. H. Shepard is the author of this brilliant book, James Campbell.
This lecture highlights how our much-loved bear and his friends were created by Milne and Shepard and explores the reason why they remain embedded in our national identity.

The beautiful keepsake book, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard - The Men Who Created Winnie-the-Pooh is published by Michael O’Mara Books Ltd.

This is the last lecture in The Arts Society Hart 2026/27 programme.
We are back in September with an exciting programme for the year ahead.

Visitors welcome to the lecture, £5 per person
Registration 10.30-1045am
Lecture begins at 11.00am finishing around midday.
We meet at The Harlington, Fleet

Address

The Harlington, 236 Fleet Road
Fleet
GU514BY

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