POTTERS BAR U3A - Local, Regional and National Events and News

I have added a few of Barnet U3A's future trips to our website. This is a collaboration with Barnet U3A, who have advertised some of our trips when we have difficulty selling the last few seats.

If you want to order a U3A diary for 2011 then send a cheque for £1.90 to Head Office. Postage is included in the price.

The Card Makers Forum will be selling their cards to raise money for their charity before and after every monthly meeting.

In 2010 we have planned to walk the New River Path in three stages, and we have now completed the first two.
The approximate length of the final stage will be between 9 and 10 miles with stops being taken to highlight points of historical interest.
The date for the last stage of the walk is the 9th October and it will be a full day. There will be short breaks for refreshments and a picnic lunch.
The terrain is flat but stout walking shoes are advisable, as it may be muddy in places. Public transport will be used to get to and from the beginning and end of the walks.
The list for this walk is now closed, but if you would like to go on a waiting list then use the Contact us link.

REPORTS FROM MEMBERS

1. A Visit to Burghley.

On Wednesday 11th August we set off on a beautiful sunny day, and two hours later we were sitting in the George Inn in Stamford, Lincs, enjoying delicious coffee and hand-made biscuits. Word rapidly spread among us to say that a visit to the “Ladies” was a must! We soon saw why, (and you can too, by going to the "Picture Gallery" page). The walls were each painted with beautiful scenes in the style of Botticelli, the only difference being that this artist’s Venus sat beside her scallop shell wielding a hairdryer! Naturally I just had to ask the men in our group if they were as lucky with their toilet facilities, but apparently theirs were much more restrained!
We then had a while to enjoy the olde-worlde atmosphere of Stamford before going off to Burghley House in time for lunch in the Orangerie.

Burghley House was designed by and built for William Cecil, Lord Burghley, in 16thC as a palace commensurate with his importance as Principal Secretary and Lord Treasurer to Elizabeth 1. The house was 32 years in the making, built from local Northants limestone. Lord Burghley’s elder son was created Earl of Exeter, and his descendants have lived at Burghley ever since. John, the 5th Earl, made several long journeys throughout Europe, buying up hundreds of paintings and statues, and commissioning tapestries and furniture. He employed many foreign and English craftsmen to make Burghley into one of the most spectacular houses in Europe.
The painted ceilings and walls are fabulous examples of perspective and trompe l’oeil, and the tapestries, carpets and furnishings are equally impressive. The Earl and his wife died leaving huge debts but fortunately the large part of their collections survive at Burghley for our pleasure today.

The house has been visited by many kings and queens over the centuries, and, I am sure, rivalled any royal palace. It originally had 448 acres of land but took another 1000 acres in 18thC which was all re-landscaped by Capability Brown. Nowadays we have the Gardens of Surprise, full of concealed fountains, statues and grottoes, and the Sculpture Garden which contains mainly contemporary sculptures.
The cost of managing and preserving Burghley is met by revenue generated by the estate, not least by the famous Horse Trials.
There was so much to see and learn about Burghley that I’m sure that, like me, many of our party are planning to return again soon to this truly magnificent treasure house.

Finally,our guide regaled us with some interesting stories. The one I liked best was about the men who did all the intricate plaster work on the ceilings. He said that in those days they had no inhibitors to stop the plaster hardening too quickly to be worked into delicate birds and flowers etc. so the men mixed the plaster with wine to gain extra time, and at the end of the day drank what was left, giving rise to the expression “to get plastered”!!!

Marion Cant

2. The 'Combined History Groups' Summer Outing

This year, after the excellent talk in May about the history of St Pancras Station, we decided to go and see for ourselves. In July, we had the thrilling experience of exploring this fascinating station, re-opened in 2007. A wonderful marriage of old and new, with an exciting buzz all around, everyone rushing here and there, poised on the brink of who knows what new adventure! We admired the statue of Sir John Betjeman who had a major role in saving the station. At the south end of the upper level of the station is Paul Day’s 9 metre high 20 tonne bronze statue depicting a couple locked in an amorous embrace, intended to evoke the romance of travel. I think the general feeling among our group was that the statue would have been easier to appreciate if it had been half the size, given that it is in a fairly cramped and busy site. However, the frieze round the bottom was extremely detailed and interesting, illustrating many aspects of the history of travel.

After lunch in one of the many restaurants in the station, we made our way to the London Canal Museum, a short walk away behind King’s Cross Station. It is a former warehouse on the Regents Canal Battlebridge Basin, built in 1862 by a Swiss immigrant, Carlo Gatti, who imported ice from Norway. The blocks of ice arrived at the Limehouse Docks, and were then transported to King’s Cross on canal boats where the ice was stored in two wells 42 feet deep. We all gazed into the depths of the one remaining on view, finding the idea of importing ice all that way quite amazing until we mulled over the thought that then there was no central heating, no exhaust fumes from cars and planes, and no global warming.

Outside we gazed at the Basin where all sorts of boats are moored, including a 21 ft “pusher tug” called Bantam lV restored as an exhibit, and inside, the museum shows the history of London’s canals, the life of the families working the waterways, lifesize mock-ups of the stables for the working horses and a restored narrowboat, the “Coronis” which you can enter and experience the ingenious items designed and frequently beautifully painted to make the cramped living quarters more bearable. Families worked these narrowboats as recently as the 1960s, travelling to and from London and Birmingham with their various cargoes.
Then it was back to King’s Cross for the boring old modern train to Potters Bar.

Marion Cant

GROUPS NEWS

Another new course of 'Basic Computer Lessons' will be started in October. These will be held in Potters Bar and take place on either Monday or Tuesday mornings, (yet to be decided). There are sufficient people already enroled on this class, but you could add your name to a waiting list.

Interest has been shown in starting a second Shakespeare group. There will be a preliminary meeting held on 16th September. Venue not known at this time.

Similarly, on 16th September, a meeting will be held to determine if there is sufficient interest in starting up a group for members who wish to write short stories and poetry.

The Dancing for Fun group has changed its name to Movement to Music. It will still meet on Friday mornings.

The Nordic Walking group has three vacancies.

A new course of 'Basic Computer Lessons' will be started in September. They will be held in Southgate and take place on Tuesday mornings

A new group, Appreciating Architecture, will be starting on 21st September. If you are interested, then use the 'contact us' link and I will get your name added to the list.

It is not too late to join the groups which have recently been started, ie. Wine Making and Tasting; and Enjoying Stage Musicals, Operas, Operettas, Film and DVDs. If you are interested then Contact us, or put your name on the lists at the monthly meeting.

See the "Groups" page if you are interested in joining a group. All the current vacancies are registered there. If you do not see a group that you are interested in, but would like to pursue a new hobby, why not speak to the Groups Coordinator. It may be possible to get a new group of the ground.

REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES THEN LEAVE YOUR NAME AND TELEPHONE NUMBER, USING THE CONTACT US LINK.

Last revised 19th August 2010