THE KING’S SOCIETY
SUMMER TERM 2016
The King’s Society The King’s Society aims to provide opportunities for the enhancement and enrichment of the King’s community. We hope to enable members of the Society to enjoy social events together and appreciate all the educational and cultural facilities that the School, the Cathedral and the Precincts have to offer. We organise a variety of events here in Canterbury, London and further afield. We liaise closely with the Visitors’ Department of Canterbury Cathedral and have arranged many tours in the Precincts. There are frequent theatre trips, visits to art galleries and guided walking tours in London. We enjoy our garden visits in the summer term, which have included Highgrove, Kew Gardens, Sissinghurst and Great Dixter. We hold fine-dining evenings here at School and pub suppers in Kent and East Sussex. We have regular lectures, craft and culinary workshops and wine tastings, and our Reading Group meets on a termly basis in the Library. We have had guided weekends away in Seville, Florence, Paris and Berlin, and more recently spent a weekend near Ypres visiting the First World War battlefields. The Society has over 325 members. We are a non-profit making organisation and the Society exists solely for the benefit of its members. There is also a branch of The King’s Society in Hong Kong and events are held in Hong Kong on a regular basis. The Society is run by Mrs Ali Huntrods, an ex-parent of two daughters at King’s, together with a committee made up of current parents, OKS and members of staff. We try to cater for a wide range of tastes and interests on the social, cultural and educational fronts and can assure you of a very warm welcome.
Cover images Main: Photo by Abandonalia. Licence CC-BY-SA 2.0 - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ Right (from top to bottom) Carmen Miranda: Public Domain; Spitalfields Market: Photo by Jonathan Cardy. Licence CC-BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0; Romeo and Juliet: Image courtesy of Fiery Angel Productions; Chelsea Physic Garden: Photo by Pottercomuneo. Licence CC-BY-SA 3.0 – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Normandy Landings and Bayeux Thursday 5th - Saturday 7th May
Dr Andrew Thomson who has taken the King’s Society on many excursions to the First World War Battlefields has organised a two-day visit to the beaches where the Normandy D-Day landings took place in World War II. We will stay in Bayeux, which will afford us the opportunity to visit the Bayeux Tapestry. As a brief guide, this trip will include visits to Gold, Juno and Omaha beaches looking at how the landings on 6th June 1944 took place. We will look at the remains of the German defences, and will be told why the fight was so hard in places. We will see a ‘swimming tank’ (an adapted Sherman tank) brought up from the seabed forty years ago and the remains of the Mulberry Artificial Harbour in the sea – the biggest and most impressive World War II remains in the area. We will also have the opportunity to visit Bayeux city’s Memorial to War Reporters (killed in action from 1944 to the present day). On our final day, we will have time for a stroll around the Saturday market in Bayeux before driving to Pegasus Bridge to hear the story of the glider troops who seized the canal bridge there at just 15 minutes after midnight, right at the start of D-Day. Number of places 15. This is now fully booked. Website booking not available.
Private tour, Colour Matters: Colour in Art at Tate Modern with Catherine McCormack from Art History UK Thursday 12th May 10.30am and 2pm
Tate Modern Café, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG In late 19th century France, the symbolist artist Gustave Moreau wrote ‘you must think through colour, have imagination in it. If you don’t have imagination, your colour will never be beautiful. Colour must be thought, described, imagined’. Later Matisse claimed that colour could only achieve its full potential if it became independent from the objects it depicted. On this tour, Catherine will explain to us the history and importance of colour in art and we will learn how colour – and the absence of it – can be a radical means of expression in its own right. We will look at works by the Fauves, including Matisse, Kandinsky, Rothko and much more. We will meet for coffee at the beginning of both tours in the Tate Modern Café where a table will be booked for us. Numbers of places (for both the morning and the afternoon tour) 15. Cost per person £26 which sum includes a donation to Tate Modern. Website booking available.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Thursday 19th May 7.30pm
Garrick Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0HH To conclude this inaugural season of Kenneth Branagh’s work at the Garrick Theatre, Branagh directs Romeo and Juliet which reunites the stars of his celebrated film Cinderella namely Lily James and Richard Madden in Shakespeare’s heart-breaking tale of forbidden love. It is the story of young love and the devastating tragedy that unfolds when tenderness and naivety is met with violence and pride. They are joined by Derek Jacobi who will play Mercutio. Number of places 20. Cost per person £65. Website booking available.
Dover Sea Safari Experience Saturday 21st May 12.30pm
Dover Sea Sports Centre, Esplanade, Dover, CT17 9FS We planned to run this last September but unfortunately had to cancel it at the last minute so in anticipation of this going ahead… A first for the King’s Society as we board the 10.5m Humber passenger RHIB speedboat, The Dover Explorer, for the exhilarating ‘Dover Sea Safari’ experience. Upon departing Dover Marina, when we will have a close-up view of the White Cliffs of Dover, our Sea Safari starts with the historic and everyday workings of Dover Harbour. Having obtained permission from Dover Port Control we will slip out between the huge cross Channel Ferries, exiting through the enormous granite faced harbour walls onward to Langdon Bay. From there we will continue to pass the beautiful old fishing villages of St Margaret’s Bay, Kingsdown, Walmer and Deal. We will be able to see the Castles and hear the tales of smuggling, the infamous Deal boatmen, Goodwin Sands and learn about the Deal Timeball Tower. All this before passing underneath the award winning Deal Pier and pushing forward the throttles to experience the feeling of blasting home aboard the largest RHIB speedboat on this part of the coast. Places limited to 12. Price per person £30. Website booking available.
A Guided Walk around Spitalfields with Blue Badge Guide Viv Haxby Monday 23rd May 10.45am
Whitechapel Tube Station, London E1 1BY Join Blue Badge Guide, Viv Haxby, for a stroll through this area in the east of London, rich in history. Edgy today, Spitalfields and Whitechapel saw extreme poverty in Victorian times giving rise to the horrific crimes of Jack the Ripper. We will hear about the waves of immigrants who have populated the area – from the Huguenot silkweavers of the 18th Century, to the Irish escaping the potato famines of the 19th Century, Russian Jews escaping the pogroms and the children of the Kindertransport fleeing Nazi Germany. This area abounds in street art and curry houses, and stunning Georgian architecture, which escaped the bombing of the Blitz. We will meet at Whitechapel Tube Station at 10.45am and finish at Dennis Severs’ House in Folgate Street, Spitalfields. This extraordinary house is a still-life drama and provides an insight into the lives of a family of Huguenot silk weavers from 1724. The house is open from 12pm-2pm on a Monday (last admission 1.15pm) and a typical visit lasts 45 minutes with a short introduction and costs £10... there is no need to book in advance. Places limited to 20. Price per person £10. Website booking available.
King’s Society Reading Group Friday 27th May 10.45am
Library This term we are going to meet to discuss Emmi Itäranta’s novel Memory of Water published in 2014. We are thrilled that Emmi has very kindly agreed to join us to discuss her extraordinary work of fiction that she wrote simultaneously in her native Finnish and
English. In 2007, Emmi joined the postgraduate programme of the University of Kent and begun writing this, her debut novel, as part of her Creative Writing course. Global warming has changed the world’s geography and its politics. Wars are waged over water whilst China rules Europe, including the Scandinavian Union, which is occupied by the power state of New Qian. In this far north place, seventeen year old Noria Kaitio is learning to become a tea master like her father, a position that holds great responsibility and great secrets. Tea masters alone know the location of hidden water sources including the natural spring that Noria’s father tends, which once provided water for her whole village. Emmi’s novel is a coming of age story full of emotional drama and wonderment. “A poetic and melancholy debut” The Guardian. Number of places 15. This event is free. Website booking available.
A Walk in and about the King’s School Saturday 11th June 10.30am
Lattergate Boardroom Peter Henderson, the School Archivist, will give a guided tour of the School buildings within the Precincts. There will be a mixture of history and the present day, with a closer look at some of the more interesting and unusual sites. In the words of William Gostling, in his 1774 Walk in and about the City of Canterbury, the tour is “designed not only to assist strangers in their searches after what is curious here, but to make the inhabitants sensible, that many things are so, which they may have seen over and over without taking notice of them”. The tour will last approximately 1½ hours. We will meet in the Lattergate Boardroom for coffee and pastries before we set off. Places limited to 20. There is no charge for this event but tickets should still be booked. Website booking available.
An Introduction to the Cathedral Archives and Library Wednesday 15th June 11am
Lattergate Boardroom The Cathedral Archives holds the historic records of the Cathedral, which date back to the 8th Century. Records in the Cathedral’s collection include the medieval charters of the Cathedral priory, historic maps, photographs, and fragments of medieval books. In addition to the Cathedral’s records, the Cathedral Archives holds the records of the City of Canterbury and the Diocese of Canterbury, as well as parish registers and records for the eastern part of the county. One of the most famous and popular documents is the Accord of Winchester, the 11th Century document, signed by William the Conqueror, which establishes the primacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury over the Archbishop of York. The Cathedral Library can perhaps be described as a ‘collection of collections’. Since the Reformation, a series of donations has formed the core of the holdings now in the Cathedral Library. These include books from some of the earliest European printing presses and are particularly strong in theology, travel, early medicine and natural science. Particular treasures include a collection of tracts relating to the anti-slavery movement and a number of 15th Century illustrated Books of Hours. Places limited to 15. Price per person £11. Website booking available.
Chelsea Physic Garden Tuesday 21st June 11am
66, Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HS Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, the Chelsea Physic Garden is one of Europe’s oldest botanical gardens. It was originally intended for the Society’s apprentices to study the medicinal qualities of plants. It is a celebration of the beauty and importance of plants and has become one of the most importance centres of botany and plant exchange in the world. The garden has a unique living collection of over 5,000 different edible, useful, medicinal and historical plants. We have booked a private tour followed by lunch for us all in the Tangerine Dream Café within the grounds of the garden. Ali will send out menus nearer the date to collate your choices. Places limited to 15. Price per person £26.50 to include a two course lunch excluding drinks). Website booking available.
The King’s Society’s Samba Saturday 2nd July 5.45pm
Lattergate Garden To celebrate the King’s Society’s 10th anniversary, all King’s Society members are cordially invited to The Society’s Samba … a party with a difference! With the forthcoming Olympics in Brazil in July, it is hoped that this party will give us a flavour of Rio in the Lattergate Garden enjoying Brazilian inspired cocktails and canapés. The food will be prepared and served by pupils from the King’s Week Kitchen and we will be entertained by the Samba Pelo Mar band, Whitstable’s Community Samba Band. The King’s Society committee are working hard to ensure that the Lattergate garden is transformed into a memorable party venue and we are confident that this will be a fun celebration and a fitting end to the King’s Society’s year! We hope as many King’s Society members as possible will be able to join us. The party will conclude in good time for those who wish to attend the Virtuosi concert in the Shirley Hall at 7.30pm or the first night of Romeo and Juliet in the Mint Yard at 7.45pm. If you would like to join us for this event please either book on line or let Ali know you would like to attend. Your tickets will then be sent to you as it is a ticketed event. Non-King’s Society members are of course welcome to join us but will be asked to pay an entrance fee of £10 per person.
King’s Society events are open to all members. Most events can be booked using the school’s online booking facility at www.kings-school.co.uk which is the easiest and most efficient way of booking tickets. If you are paying by cheque, it should be made payable to The King’s Society and sent to Ali at The King’s School, Canterbury, CT1 2ES. Please note, payment is required prior to an event as places cannot be guaranteed until payment has been received. If an event is full, it is always worth your name being put on Ali’s waiting list as spaces do often occur at the last minute.
Committee Members Manager: Treasurer: Parents:
Mrs Ali Huntrods Mr Andrew Bruce Mrs Caroline Bagshawe, Mrs Claire Burns, Lady Carr, Mrs Eloise Coulson, Mrs Frances Gerth, Mrs Alison Streeter
Staff:
Mrs Lisa Cousins, Mr Richard Ninham, Mrs Liz Worthington
Hong Kong Committee Members Parents: Mrs Rosanna Chan, Mrs Amanda Snow OKS: Mr Darrin Woo
For any King’s Society Enquiries re Membership and Events Please contact the King’s Society Manager Mrs Ali Huntrods Tel: 01227-595774 Email: ah@kings-school.co.uk Mobile: 07825 016282