Days of Special Interest

At Stretton on Fosse Village Hall, GL56 9SR

At the start of the 20th century Arthur Evans unearthed an entire civilisation on the island of Crete. Its impressive buildings, advanced social structures and political institutions, centred on the vast complex which he dubbed the ‘Palace of Minos’, showed that European civilisation was as ancient and sophisticated as that of Egypt. Illustrated with both slides and video, this DSI will examine the culture of the Minoans, including their fabulous frescoes, painted pottery, architecture, social structures and writing, and conclude by assessing the theories relating to the demise of these remarkable Bronze Age people. 

Session 1 Cretan myth and the Minoan palaces 
Session 2 Minoan culture: lifestyle, religion, art and writing 
Session 3 The Late Bronze Age eruption and the demise of Minoan Crete 

The day starts at 10am with coffee for a 10.30am start and finishes at approximately 3.15pm.
Cost (including coffee and lunch): Members £45, Guests £48

BACS payments to The Arts Society Blockley, sort code 30-95-75, account number 00088105. Please include the word ‘Kershaw’ as reference when paying by BACS
If you are unable to pay by BACS please send a cheque made payable to 
The Arts Society Blockley by 13 April 2026 to Valerie Reckitt, 7 Lavender Drive, Chipping Campden GL55 6EX. 
Please send your completed booking form (below) by 13 April 2026 to Naomi Brookes naomi.brookes@btinternet.com
34 Beceshore Close, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9NB   01608 652763  

At Stretton-on-Fosse Village Hall, 
GL56 9SR
 
The day starts at 10.00am with coffee for a 10.30am start and finishes at around 3.15pm

This wonderful river in France, often referred to as the River of Light, was a great influence on the 19th century artists and the development of Impressionism.  
From the luminescent estuary which first attracted them, to the area west of Paris which became known as the Cradle of Impressionism, Carole will give us three lectures following the course of the River; a travelogue with the Impressionists 
at its core, tracking the beginnings with open air painting through to the rise of recognition of this new wave of artists, introducing little known facts about them.  
Lecture 1: The Seine Estuary – capturing the 19th century imagination
Lecture 2: Belle Epoque Paris and the cradle of Impressionism to the west
Lecture 3: The Path to Success and the influence of the Oise on the next generation of artists we now call the Post Impressionists

Cost (including coffee and lunch): Members £45, Guests £48
BACS payments to The Arts Society Blockley, sort code 30-95-75, account number 00088105 Please include the word ‘Petipher’ when paying by BACS
If you are unable to pay by BACS please send a cheque made payable to 
The Arts Society Blockley by 14 October 2026 to Valerie Reckitt, 7 Lavender Drive, Chipping Campden GL55 6EX. 
Please send your completed booking form (below) by 14 October 2026 to Naomi Brookes naomi.brookes@btinternet.com
34 Beceshore Close, Moreton-in-Marsh GL56 9NB. 01608 652763