Manchester group

Contact: Sue Dawson, 34 Mauldeth Road, Manchester M20 4WD. 0161 448 9205, manchester@victoriansociety.org.uk. Please do not send church consultations to this address - see the 'Contact us' page for details.

Thursday 20 November: Walter Crane: A Political Fairy Tale?

An illustrated talk by Helen Stalker, Assistant Curator Fine Art, Whitworth Art Gallery

At 7 pm for 7.15 pm at Friend's Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS

Cost: £5.00 per person.

The talk will be followed by a trip to the Crane Archive at the Whitworth Art Gallery - date to be announced at the meeting.

As a prolific artist, designer, writer and teacher, Walter Crane gathered a diverse array of ‘labels' throughout his life. His career spanned a range of medium including textiles, wallpapers, books, painting, murals and sculpture. This diverse output, however, was unified by a desire to provide a universal visual language generated by good design. Crane believed that a society starved of aesthetic beauty would degenerate into one of coarseness, degradation and brutality. His ambition, therefore, was to encourage unity and social elevation through shared visual pleasure.

Spanning Crane's career, the talk will present the imagery of this prolific and much-loved artist. Illustrated with a broad selection from the Walter Crane Archive, held by the University of Manchester, it will include Crane's early commissions as well as original drawings for his famous Toy Book illustrations, flower books and political cartoons.

The rich and varied subject matter of Crane's designs will be explored, bringing to life the fantastical imagery as well as revealing the stories behind their inspiration and production.

The Walter Crane Archive was purchased by the University of Manchester in 2002. It contains approximately 5,000 objects and joins an already significant collection of Crane's work held at the Whitworth Art Gallery and the John Rylands University Library.

Saturday 31 January 2009: AGM and Talk:

Driving Pevsner around Manchester in a black Morris Minor and the changes since 1967

Annual General Meeting and talk by Tom Wesley

1.45 pm-4.30 pm, Friends' Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS.

Free of Charge.

The AGM commences at 1.45 pm and the talk around 3.15 pm. The AGM is your opportunity to review the business of the Group and its finances as well as voting on the make up of the Committee. Agenda and minutes are available on request and at the meeting. If you would like to nominate someone for the Committee nomination forms are available on request from the Secretary.

Tom Wesley's talk will be about Nikolaus Pevsner's South Lancashire volume of the Buildings of England series which was published in 1969. During a five week period over Easter, 1967, he did all his visits for Liverpool, Manchester and "what might be called the non-countryside" in between. I drove him round the Manchester area in a never to be forgotten fifteen continuous days - Pevsner seemed not to know the concept of a week-end, nor did he need more than a few hours sleep. The talk will discuss Pevsner's working days and nights in Manchester and give some insights into why he says that "South Lancashire is the most difficult area I have ever had to describe." The talk will remind people of how different Manchester buildings looked to Pevsner forty years ago, under their thick black coating. During the last six years I have been helping with the revision of the West Riding Buildings of England volume and I will discuss the very different approach now used in the revisions. This recent experience has reinforced my respect, admiration and amazement at the achievements of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner.

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EVENT: Saturday 13 December

Lunch and a Look Around Victorian Chester

The day starts with lunch at the Albion Inn, Chester.  We have a three course lunch including coffee available and the menu is set out below.  All drinks (except coffee) are extra.  We meet at 12 noon for lunch at 12.15 pm.  You can check out the Inn at www.albioninnchester.co.uk. 

At 2 pm we will depart for walking tours of the city led by Graham Fisher, Chair of the Merseyside Group and leader of our John Douglas events and Peter Bingham from Chester Civic Trust.  We intend that the tours will cover the same ground but you will be split into two groups of 20. 

At around 3.30 pm we will be at Chester Cathedral where you can look round in your own time or take afternoon tea at the refectory at your own cost.  From there you can depart for your journey home.

We ask that you make your own way to Chester and to the Albion Inn.  Please note parking in Chester City Centre is very congested.  After the closing date we will send out confirmations of booking with a map of Chester city centre showing the Albion Inn and the Cathedral and details of the city centre bus and train timetables from and to Manchester and intervening stations. 

Lunch is limited to forty people - to be sure of a place please book early.  If you are not able to join us for lunch because we are full you may like to join the group at the Cathedral.  We are sorry but to keep the walking tours to a reasonable size, you will not be able to join the walking tour unless you are booked in for lunch.

Price is: £21.00 per person for lunch, the walking tour and all handouts.

Please request a booking form from the Secretary and complete and return it making your menu choices and attaching a cheque for £21.00 made payable to the Victorian Society.  The closing date for bookings is Sunday 30 November, but bookings will be taken in a first-come-first-served basis. 

Menu: CREAM OF VEGETABLE SOUP (all

Choice of:

1.  ROAST CHESHIRE TURKEY AND SAVOURY STUFFING SERVED WITH CRANBERRY AND APPLE SAUCE, CREAMED POTATOES AND FRESH VEGETABLES

2.  CHICKEN MADRAS CURRY SERVED WITH BASMATI RICE AND MANGO CHUTNEY

3.  BEEF AND MUSHROOM STEW SERVED WITH POTATOES AND FRESH VEGETABLES

4.  VEGETARIAN HAGGIS SERVED WITH POTATOES AND FRESH VEGETABLES

Choice of:

1.  CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH CUSTARD

2.  TREACLE TART WITH CRÈME FRAICHE

3.  CHEESE AND BISCUITS

COFFEE (all)