Dear Members,
We held the last of our Autumn events last month and, with nights drawing in, I feel Winter is fast approaching.
Christopher Warleigh-Lack gave the second of his ‘Hidden Osborne’ tours on 11th October. Despite it being late in the season, he was able to take both groups up to see the wonderful view from the roof and everyone came away happy after his informative talk.
Kevin Shaw very kindly stepped in at the last minute when Sarah Lang was unable to give her talk on 17th October. He gave a fascinating talk on the Queens’ Consorts which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
At the beginning of this month Dr. Prosser gave an excellent talk, which was very well received. He spoke for an hour completely unscripted with lots of amusing commentary and some banter with Christopher Warleigh-Lack.
Members really enjoyed the two craft sessions on 18th and 25th October. Toby collected fir cones from the Grounds at Osborne and a member supplied lots of ribbon so we could make wonderful decorations for the Christmas Trees, which are now outside POQ. Whilst being creative, members enjoyed a chat and a drink; so it was a lovely social occasion. Friends of Osborne purchased these trees for Osborne. Please click here for pictures of the members of Friends making the decorations and decorating the trees. Friends of Osborne | Past events
Several members of Friends of Osborne attended the Remembrance Service at St. Mildreds on 10th November. One of our committee members laid a wreath on behalf of FoO.
Please click here for a photo: Friends of Osborne | Remembrance Service
Osborne have thanked us for several recent purchases. Friends of Osborne have bought several new costumes for use by the staff giving the guided Winter tours. Also, ‘fake’ food for the Dining Room at Osborne and Victorian Games for use by visitors at Swiss Cottage. Christopher has requested some quality A4 folders, which will inform visitors about items in many of the rooms in the House. We have also ordered some new V and A Terracotta flowerpots for the walled garden, which Toby requested.
From the 9th November to the 14th March (excluding between Christmas and New Year and February Half Term), access to the house will be by guided tour only.
Friends of Osborne members can attend the guided tours at no additional cost, by going onto the Osborne website. There will be some ‘walk up’ slots available, but if you want to visit over the Christmas period it is best to book beforehand. When booking, click on ‘Associated Organisation’ to get free admission to the tour.
Click here for links to Osborne website Events at Osborne | English Heritage
We have very kindly been given a 25% discount in the shop again this December from Wednesday 11th December to Sunday 15th December. Please show your membership card and photo ID when making a purchase.
Upcoming Events:
AGM and talk. All our members should have received the papers for the AGM. It is being held in The Terrace Restaurant on Thursday 21st November at 6:00pm. David Bailey and Christopher Warleigh-Lack are both going to give a talk on Osborne. Last year’s talk by David was very interesting as he talked about the huge number and variety of sites that fall under English Heritage management. Christopher will talk about the days when Osborne was a Convalescence Home, and for any members who have never been on one of Christopher’s ‘Hidden Osborne’ tours, they will find it fascinating.
David and Christopher will also be judging the photo competition. A large copy of the winning photo from each month will be on display and the overall winner will receive a bottle of champagne. The winner of the dog photo category will also receive a (dog related) prize! All entries will be displayed on a PowerPoint presentation for members to watch when they arrive for the meeting.
EH are providing refreshments. There is no need to order this beforehand (which I had previously mentioned may be the case) as this will be paid for by Friends of Osborne. We are also hoping that EH will provide some lighting, as many members do not like finding their way to the Terrace Restaurant in the dark.
Please click here for more information about the AGM and the papers including the attendance and proxy voting form. Friends of Osborne | Annual General Meeting
The AGM will be the last meeting for Friends of Osborne this year. We had hoped to organise a Carol Concert in the courtyard, at the end of December, but we do not have enough committee members to arrange it this year.
The Whippingham Tree Festival is on from Thursday 12th December to Sunday 15th December. People can visit St. Mildred’s Church to see the huge number of trees that will be displayed there from 11:00 to 15:00 on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and from 12:00 to 15:00 on the Sunday. Friends of Osborne will be displaying a tree.
The library is having a well overdue tidy up and overhaul. Over the winter, staff will be sorting the excess books and will be updating the current loan / returns policy. Ideally, Osborne want to make the library more accessible and inclusive for everyone. For those who are not aware, FoO merged their collection of library books with the Osborne library. It has been a massive job to merge the two and to weed out duplicate books. Osborne will be working closely with other librarians, FoO and volunteers to make sure the library is manned, and access is more readily available to everyone.
We hope that members may be interested in helping in the library, as used to be the case in the past. More updates about this will follow in the coming months.
I hope to see many of you at the AGM. If you are unable to attend, please fill in the proxy voting form; and for those who are attending please reply so we know how many members to cater for with refreshments.
Best wishes
Allison Rogers
Contact: Helen McComb, Secretary - secretary@friendsofosborne.org
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