| Christine Dickson, Course organiser, explained how the courses are allocated, and advised all members to send in their applications now. |
| Outings. The trip to Clarence House and Buckingham Palace is fully booked. On 12th October a mystery tour is planned with an early start. On 1st December, a trip to the Mayflower in Southampton to see The Merry Widow is planned, and postal bookings will be accepted. |
| Secretary Neville Jennings announced that the 2006 diaries are available to those who ordered them. |
| Tom Burr gave a very interesting talk with slides on the creation of the landscape of Stourhead. In 1704 the cottages in Stourhead village were all for sale, and Sir Richard Hoare, MP, Lord Mayor of London, bought the estate. His son Henry created the lake out of the mediaeval fishponds. An ice house kept game fresh all summer. The grotto, the Pantheon, the Temple of Flora, the Druid’s cell, the Temple of Apollo, all were added to the landscaped grounds. In 1804 Chippendale furnished the house. Two wings were added, the library and the art gallery. In 1883 many priceless paintings were sold to defray gambling debts. The last members of the Hoare family died in 1946, and the estate was given to the National Trust. |
