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, £12 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
2026
Friday 20 February:
The National Gardens Scheme
Presented by Clare Bevan
Friday 20 March:
Global Warming & Your Grandchildren’s World
Presented by Dr Colin Summerhayes & Prof Jan Zalasiewicz
Friday 17 April:
Current Threats to UK, NATO and European Security
Major Gordon Corrigan, Military Historian
Friday 15 May:
Truth, Lies, Risk and Reason*
Philip Harris, Emeritus Professor of Physics, University of Sussex
Friday 19 June:
300 Years of English Theatre: From the Rise of the Elizabethan Playhouses to the Fall of Oscar Wilde*
Giles Ramsay
*Includes a lunch-hour recital by pupils of the Yehudi Menuhin School. Details of the performance will be circulated to attendees for information, before the day when possible.
For further information and to book your place, contact Denise Dobbs, Booking Secretary, U3A
07964 798791 / surreyu3astudyday@btinternet.com
Claremont &
Oxshott Arts Society
We hope you will enjoy the lectures this season when we look forward to hearing from our lecturers, all of whom offer a wealth of knowledge and expertise. If you wish to bring a guest, the suggested donation is £10 for all guests.
The Society meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 2.15pm.
Doors open at 1.45pm.
2026
Wednesday 11 February:
The Pre-Raphaelites
Sarah Ciacci
Wednesday 8 April
The Artists who Outwitted the Nazis
Matthew Wilson
Like the code breakers of Bletchley, artists were among the unsung heroes of WWII. The British Middle East Command Camouflage Directorate deceived the Germans in North Africa. They inspired other units like the US ‘Ghost Army’ which played a crucial role in the Allied push for victory following D-Day.
Wednesday 13 May
London’s Lost Department Stores
Tessa Boase
London’s sumptuous Victorian and Edwardian department stores changed the capital — and seduced shoppers with temptation in these new ‘cathedrals of desire’. From shoppers to shopgirls, publicity stunts and window dressing, this is a fascinating slice of social history with wonderful period images.
Wednesday 10 June
The History of American Art in 25 Iconic Works
Mary-Anne Mancio
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in America, we explore 25 works including Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Dorothy Lange’s Migrant Mother and Hopper’s Nighthawks in a talk tracing the history of America through paintings, sculpture, land art and photographs.
To book, contact Patricia Corben
01932 240505 / pcorben@talktalk.net
The Arts Society, East Surrey Area (ASESA)
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.
Please contact us at: info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk
Not a member of The Arts Society yet? Join any of our 14 societies in the East Surrey Area.
Check out the nearest society to you at: https://theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk
2026
Friday 8 May at 10.00am:
Lecturer: Dr Jonathan Foyle
Dr Jonathan Foyle is a presenter of numerous television series including BBC4’s Henry VIII: Patron or Plunderer? and BBC2’s Climbing Great Buildings. He lectures frequently on a range of art-historical topics. He brings teaching experience as a former Course Director for the University of Cambridge Summer Schools and is an Honorary Professor in Conservation at the University of Lincoln.
A Paradise Garden: The Meaning of Medieval Plants in Art
Have you noticed how many medieval paintings are set in May? The language of plants evolved over the centuries to create a lexicon of creation that paved the way to Paradise, a perennial early summer where all the flowers and all the fruits emerge at the same time- but each tells us something different. We explore paintings, tapestry, manuscripts and sculpture to re-learn a lost language.
The Nature of the Beast: Animals in Medieval Art
Animals were central to medieval arts: we find birds, reptiles, mammals, insects and fabulous creatures in sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, tapestries and even wax seals. But what were the artists trying to tell us through the animals they portrayed? This talk explores a lost artistic language, to discover that the behaviours and legends of creatures enabled us to learn about ourselves.
Tickets £30 for the two lectures, plus coffee on arrival and at coffee break.
For further information, contact info@theartssocietyeastsurreyarea.org.uk