Tabley: The Friends of Tabley

TABLEY NEWSLETTER

July 2008

NEWS FROM THE HOUSE.
Jackie Wright resigned from her post of Assistant Administrator at the end of March to seek full-time work and the Trustees have appointed Elina Glenday in her place. Elina is from Finland and has a BA in Art History from the University of Helsinki as well as other qualifications. We welcome her and wish her success and happiness in the job.
The management of the Tabley Estate has passed from Smiths Gore to Knight Frank. There have been no developments to report on any change of ownership of Tabley House from the University of Manchester and none is expected imminently. The Trust continues to operate under the agreements signed in 1993, which are scheduled to last for a minimum of 25 years, together with the updated Memorandum of Understanding with the University mentioned in the previous News from the House. The University has nominated Professor Simon Gaskell, a Vice-President, to replace David Gordon as its nominated Trustee, thus ensuring representation and knowledge of Tabley at the highest level in the University. A new Trustee - Edward Hawke - has joined the Trustee Board.
The four paintings and other objects loaned by the Trust to the Manchester Art Gallery for their "Art Treasures in Manchester - 150 years on" exhibition have all been returned and very minor damage to one painting has been expertly repaired by the Conservator to the Art Gallery and her work approved by the Trust's Consultant Curator.
The Tea Room continues to flourish under Bev Maddock's management and is becoming a very popular venue for excellent light meals and teas on the four days in the week on which it is open.
The Tabley website - www.tableyhouse.co.uk - gives details about the House and the Collection and there is a new e-mail address - tableyhouse@btconnect.com - which is monitored by the Administration staff for messages.
FUTURE PROJECT.
Work is progressing to ascertain the final costings, the details of which will be given in our next Newsletter.

RECENT EVENTS.
The well attended Friends' Annual General Meeting was held on April 2nd, with Nick Payne in the chair. Following the AGM, David Shipway gave a very useful talk on the purpose and activities of the British Association of Friends of Museums (which includes galleries, stately homes etc) with a view to "The Friends of Tabley" becoming members - the cost of membership being £30.
On May 14th there was a fascinating, illustrated, talk given by John Benson from the Chester Archive Service on "Tracing your Ancestry." Over 50 members heard about the numerous ways of finding and accessing information on genealogy and John gave some interesting examples from the Leicester-Warren family. There were many questions asked, and John was also besieged with other enquiries during the wine and nibbles session, so we concluded that the event was a considerable success.
On June 18th, a total of 50 Friends and guests took part in a trip to Liverpool, organised by Helen Marsland, her first event for The Friends. We were entertained and informed by two splendidly eccentric speakers, first in the impressive St George's Hall and then in the Walker Gallery where Friends also had time to explore at leisure. A number of the Group opted to visit the Gustav Klimt exhibition at Liverpool's Tate Gallery on the Albert Dock and some energetic Friends, very impressively, managed to do both! The format of the visit, where there was both an organised framework but also freedom for members to pursue their own interests, was highly successful, and Helen was warmly applauded by members for her expertise in organising her first event so successfully. The loss of one member who disappeared and could not be found, caused some considerable anxiety but, later that evening, we were relieved to learn that she had safely made her own way home.
Our final event for the summer will be held on 23rd July, when Consort, a Cheshire-based choir will entertain us in the Gallery with an eclectic evening of song, ranging from the 15th to the 21st century. We are expecting everything from Elizabethan madrigals to Gershwin, and the provision of strawberries and bubbly in the interval should make for a really splendid summer's evening.

FUTURE EVENTS.
For the second half of the season, the Committee has arranged the following:
Tuesday, November 4th: The John Rylands Library & The Jewish Museum.
A coach trip to visit the John Rylands Library and the Jewish Museum in Manchester has been planned by Nicholas Payne. Firstly, we will visit the Jewish Museum on Cheetham Hill Road where there will be a guided tour which should prove to be of great interest as Manchester has a long history of Jewish life.
The coach will then make the short trip to the John Rylands Library where a sandwich lunch can be taken. The Rylands Library contains a marvellous collection of rare and antique books, some of which came from the Tabley House library. We visited the Library on a trip some years ago but, since then, the building has undergone a major restoration and modernisation. The coach will depart from Tabley House at 9.30am prompt and return home at 4.45pm.
Tuesday, 7th October 2008: Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum.
David Marten has arranged an excursion to Worcester to visit the world famous Royal Worcester factory which was founded in 1751. Friends will be aware that the Leicester's tableware, currently displayed in the dining room, was made on this site in Worcester. Under royal warrant, the factory later became known as Royal Worcester.
The coach departs from Tabley at 8.45am and we are expecting to arrive at about 11am. An introductory video featuring Henry Sandon will be shown after which a visit to the hand printing studio followed by a visit to the Museum is planned.
Lunch will be taken in the visitor's restaurant, the cost for which is not included in the price of the ticket. The arrangements are complicated as the restaurant requires notice one week prior to a visit, so would prospective travellers please contact Pat Sheppard on 01625 861 533 for details. After lunch there will be time either to return to the Museum, make a visit to the factory shop or see Worcester Cathedral which is nearby.
We depart from Royal Worcester at 4pm prompt - please note!!!
Tuesday, 9th December 2008 at 7.30pm: Carol Concert in the Chapel.
We will be holding our annual Concert with The Border Singers who will be presenting a programme of less usual carols. The format will be the same as that of previous years - congregational singing of the favourite carols, readings and carols from the choir. Wine and mince pies will be served afterwards in the Old Hall Room and we hope that the efficiency of our waitress/waiter service will continue to improve.
The Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and hope that the above programme will encourage you to book for as many events as possible.

Hope You Have Managed To Keep Dry!


Tabley House, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 0HB Telephone: 01565 750151 \| Fax: 01565 653230 \| Enquiries & Bookings

TABLEY NEWSLETTER July 2008 NEWS FROM THE HOUSE. Jackie Wright resigned from her post of Assistant Administrator at the end of March to seek full-time work and the Trustees have appointed Elina Glenday in her place. Elina is from Finland and has a BA in Art History from the University of Helsinki as well as other qualifications. We welcome her and wish her success and happiness in the job. The management of the Tabley Estate has passed from Smiths Gore to Knight Frank. There have been no developments to report on any change of ownership of Tabley House from the University of Manchester and none is expected imminently. The Trust continues to operate under the agreements signed in 1993, which are scheduled to last for a minimum of 25 years, together with the updated Memorandum of Understanding with the University mentioned in the previous News from the House. The University has nominated Professor Simon Gaskell, a Vice-President, to replace David Gordon as its nominated Trustee, thus ensuring representation and knowledge of Tabley at the highest level in the University. A new Trustee - Edward Hawke - has joined the Trustee Board. The four paintings and other objects loaned by the Trust to the Manchester Art Gallery for their "Art Treasures in Manchester - 150 years on" exhibition have all been returned and very minor damage to one painting has been expertly repaired by the Conservator to the Art Gallery and her work approved by the Trust's Consultant Curator. The Tea Room continues to flourish under Bev Maddock's management and is becoming a very popular venue for excellent light meals and teas on the four days in the week on which it is open. The Tabley website - www.tableyhouse.co.uk - gives details about the House and the Collection and there is a new e-mail address - tableyhouse@btconnect.com - which is monitored by the Administration staff for messages. FUTURE PROJECT. Work is progressing to ascertain the final costings, the details of which will be given in our next Newsletter. RECENT EVENTS. The well attended Friends' Annual General Meeting was held on April 2nd, with Nick Payne in the chair. Following the AGM, David Shipway gave a very useful talk on the purpose and activities of the British Association of Friends of Museums (which includes galleries, stately homes etc) with a view to "The Friends of Tabley" becoming members - the cost of membership being £30. On May 14th there was a fascinating, illustrated, talk given by John Benson from the Chester Archive Service on "Tracing your Ancestry." Over 50 members heard about the numerous ways of finding and accessing information on genealogy and John gave some interesting examples from the Leicester-Warren family. There were many questions asked, and John was also besieged with other enquiries during the wine and nibbles session, so we concluded that the event was a considerable success. On June 18th, a total of 50 Friends and guests took part in a trip to Liverpool, organised by Helen Marsland, her first event for The Friends. We were entertained and informed by two splendidly eccentric speakers, first in the impressive St George's Hall and then in the Walker Gallery where Friends also had time to explore at leisure. A number of the Group opted to visit the Gustav Klimt exhibition at Liverpool's Tate Gallery on the Albert Dock and some energetic Friends, very impressively, managed to do both! The format of the visit, where there was both an organised framework but also freedom for members to pursue their own interests, was highly successful, and Helen was warmly applauded by members for her expertise in organising her first event so successfully. The loss of one member who disappeared and could not be found, caused some considerable anxiety but, later that evening, we were relieved to learn that she had safely made her own way home. Our final event for the summer will be held on 23rd July, when Consort, a Cheshire-based choir will entertain us in the Gallery with an eclectic evening of song, ranging from the 15th to the 21st century. We are expecting everything from Elizabethan madrigals to Gershwin, and the provision of strawberries and bubbly in the interval should make for a really splendid summer's evening. FUTURE EVENTS. For the second half of the season, the Committee has arranged the following: Tuesday, November 4th: The John Rylands Library & The Jewish Museum. A coach trip to visit the John Rylands Library and the Jewish Museum in Manchester has been planned by Nicholas Payne. Firstly, we will visit the Jewish Museum on Cheetham Hill Road where there will be a guided tour which should prove to be of great interest as Manchester has a long history of Jewish life. The coach will then make the short trip to the John Rylands Library where a sandwich lunch can be taken. The Rylands Library contains a marvellous collection of rare and antique books, some of which came from the Tabley House library. We visited the Library on a trip some years ago but, since then, the building has undergone a major restoration and modernisation. The coach will depart from Tabley House at 9.30am prompt and return home at 4.45pm. Tuesday, 7th October 2008: Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum. David Marten has arranged an excursion to Worcester to visit the world famous Royal Worcester factory which was founded in 1751. Friends will be aware that the Leicester's tableware, currently displayed in the dining room, was made on this site in Worcester. Under royal warrant, the factory later became known as Royal Worcester. The coach departs from Tabley at 8.45am and we are expecting to arrive at about 11am. An introductory video featuring Henry Sandon will be shown after which a visit to the hand printing studio followed by a visit to the Museum is planned. Lunch will be taken in the visitor's restaurant, the cost for which is not included in the price of the ticket. The arrangements are complicated as the restaurant requires notice one week prior to a visit, so would prospective travellers please contact Pat Sheppard on 01625 861 533 for details. After lunch there will be time either to return to the Museum, make a visit to the factory shop or see Worcester Cathedral which is nearby. We depart from Royal Worcester at 4pm prompt - please note!!! Tuesday, 9th December 2008 at 7.30pm: Carol Concert in the Chapel. We will be holding our annual Concert with The Border Singers who will be presenting a programme of less usual carols. The format will be the same as that of previous years - congregational singing of the favourite carols, readings and carols from the choir. Wine and mince pies will be served afterwards in the Old Hall Room and we hope that the efficiency of our waitress/waiter service will continue to improve. The Committee would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and hope that the above programme will encourage you to book for as many events as possible. Hope You Have Managed To Keep Dry! Back to Friends of Tabley Return to Home Page
Tabley House, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 0HB Telephone: 01565 750151 \| Fax: 01565 653230 \| Enquiries & Bookings