The Society is not confined to meetings in Church House, but also arranges visits to local buildings and institutions, many of which are not normally open to the general public. The society also organises trips, at reasonable charges to cover costs, to places of historical interest further afield.
As a substitute for the cancelled visits in 2020, caused by the Covid-19 situation, our Programme Secretary compiled “What We Would Have Seen …” articles about all that year’s planned outings. You can read them by clicking here.
Because of the continuing Covid-19 situation, no visits were planned in 2021. Visits recommenced in 2022, when a full programme of outings was undertaken.
Visits in 2023 will take / have taken place as follows below. Starting times and venues vary. A Booking Form (supplied on membership renewal) must be returned to the Programme Secretary in advance, Places are normally allocated about a month prior to each visit. A charge applies to visits marked with an asterisk (*)
Details of the outings programme for 2024 will be published in the Society’s Newsletter which is made available to members towards the end of 2023.
Sunday 23 April at 2:00 pm
THE CHILTERNS AND WYMONDLEY ROAD – a walk with Keith Leaver.
Wednesday 26 April at 2:00 pm
* THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Piccadilly, London W1 – a guided visit with Dr Isabelle Charmantier.
(see additional note below)
Saturday 20 May at 2:00 pm
* THE DAVID PARR HOUSE, CAMBRIDGE – a guided visit.
(see additional note below)
Tuesday 23 May at 2:00 pm
HITCHIN PRIORY – a guided visit with Bridget Howlett and Liz Hunter .
Monday 5 June at 2:00 pm
BRITISH SCHOOLS MUSEUM AND COLLECTIONS – a special guided visit.
Sunday 25 June at 2:00 pm
HITCHIN QUAKER MEETING HOUSE – a guided visit.
Sunday 30 July at 2:00 pm
MINSDEN CHAPEL – a guided visit with Rachel Arnold.
(see additional note below)
Sunday 20 August at 2:00 pm
* ELSTOW MOOT HALL AND VILLAGE – a guided visit with Curator Clive Arnold.
Saturday 2 September at 2:00 pm
HOLY SAVIOUR CHURCH, HITCHIN – a guided visit with Alan Fleck.
Sunday 24 September at 2:00 pm
ROMAN PURWELL – a guided walk with Keith Fitzpatrick-Matthews.
Sunday 1 October at 2:00 pm
BENSLOW AND NETTLEDELL: a Victorian garden suburb? – a guided walk with
Bridget and David Howlett.
2023 Outings – an additional note:
The 2023 Programme above comprises the usual mix of visits. Most are self explanatory but a few need amplification – the Linnean Society visit (repeated as last year we were oversubscribed) will include a small display of items related to Robert Bentley, the influential but little known Hitchin botanist and member of the Society; the David Parr House is a very unusual sidelight on High Victorian church decoration and a practitioner of its art; Minsden Chapel is accessible only by a walk from Chapelfoot, and the visit to Elstow will include reference to Hitchin’s medieval links with the Abbey and to John Bunyan.
If you have any questions on what is planned please contact the Programme Secretary.