Surrey U3A
Study days are open to all U3A members and guests are very welcome. The days start at 9.30am with registration and run from 10.00am to 4.00pm. We now offer hybrid events so that members who wish can view the study days from home. Including coffee / tea and biscuits, each event costs £12 for members, £7 for virtual attendance and £15 for guests. Prior booking is necessary and attendees should bring a packed lunch.
Study days 9.30am to 4.00pm
Friday 18 September 2026:
The Bayeux Tapestry: Its Creation and its Interpretation*
Imogen Corrigan BA MPhil FRHistS FRSA, Lecturer on Medieval History
Friday 16 October 2026:
World Affairs in the Middle East and Africa: Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Nigeria
Steve Bird, Lecturer on Military History and Current Affairs
Friday 20 November 2026:
The Music and Satire of Gilbert and Sullivan*
Bernard Lockett, Gilbert and Sullivan Society
Friday 19 February 2027:
Lunar Exploration: Past, Present and Future
Professor Craig Underwood, University of Surrey
Friday 19 March 2027:
Developments in AI and Use of AI in the U3A Movement
Russell Whitworth and others
*Includes a performance by pupils of the Yehudi Menuhin School
For further information and to book your place, contact Denise Dobbs, Booking Secretary, U3A
07964 798791 / surreyu3astudyday@outlook.com
Claremont &
Oxshott Arts Society
The Society meets on the second Wednesday of the month. Each meeting commences at 2.00pm with a short musical recital by a pupil from the Yehudi Menuhin School.
Lectures begin at 2.30pm. Doors open at 1.30pm.
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Gardens as Fine Art
Timothy Walker
In 1882 Gertrude Jekyll urged gardeners to ‘remember that in a garden we are painting a picture’. This talk not only looks at how to exploit colour when designing a border, but it also looks at the ways in which a border is different from a painting. Contemporary works by Rothko and Jackson Pollock have evolved in parallel with ideas about what a border should look like.
Wednesday 14 October 2026
The Three Great Game Changers of 19th Century Opera
Jamie Hayes
In the 19th century, Verdi, Wagner and Puccini revolutionised the art form in very different ways — romantic heart-breakers of La Traviata, mystery and magic of The Ring and tear jerkers of Tosca and La Bohème. Enjoy their remarkable journeys, together with highlights of great opera productions which have graced the world’s opera houses.
Wednesday 11 November 2026
The Astors
Andrew Hopkins
The Astors were a family of philanthropists and collectors. In England in the 1920s and 1930s Cliveden was at the centre of the social and artistic elite. In America the Astor family’s largesse was legendary, including setting up the New York Public Library. The star of the 20th century was Brooke Astor, who donated throughout her long life, dying at 105.
Wednesday 9 December 2026
In the Frosty Season: How the Romantics invented Winter
Annalie Talent
The coldest month of the year inspired a surge of interest among the Romantic writers and artists of the 19th century. From William Cowper and the warmth of the fireplace, to Caspar David Friedrich and the sublimity of the winter landscape and Henry Raeburn and his iconic skating scenes, we will learn why they were so keen on the frosty season.
Wednesday 13 January 2027
Faber & Faber
Toby Faber
The founder’s grandson tells the story of the publisher Faber & Faber, and of the art used on its books, from its beginnings to the present day.
Wednesday 10 February 2027
Shocking Schiaparelli
Alexandra Epps
Elsa Schiaparelli is seen as the undisputed queen of fashion of the Roaring Twenties and her artistic collaborations with many of the surrealist artists of the day such as Dalí, Cocteau and Giacometti were groundbreaking. Hats like lamb cutlets or high heeled shoes, pockets like drawers, buttons like lips and eyes, and legendary dresses including the iconic lobster dress worn by Wallis Simpson for Vogue. Schiaparelli wanted to shock, and she did!
To book, contact Frances Lonsdale: chairmanclaremontoxshott@gmail.com
The Arts Society, Surrey Area
The Arts Society, East Surrey Area is a leading arts charity widely acknowledged for its valuable contribution to art education and heritage conservation. Members enjoy high-quality and wide-ranging lectures, special events and volunteering activities.
For further information, please contact: info@theartssocietysurreyarea.org.uk
2026
Friday 13 November 10.00am-1.00pm:
I know it so well: Musicals and their inescapable hit songs
Dr John Snelson will give two lectures tracing musical theatre from its beginnings to the present day. We may even want to sing along and tap our toes as we explore the ways in which many of the songs have become part of popular culture.
Tickets: £30 including coffee