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You are here Members Meetings & Social Programme

Our programme of meetings and presentations is designed to focus attention on important local conservation and historical issues. We investigate emerging “good practice” and stimulate debate about matters affecting the quality and attractiveness of the town. We also organise seminars and study tours to enable us to learn from the experience of other historic towns.

All meetings, unless otherwise stated, are held in the Verona Suite at the Falcon Hotel, Chapel Street,                   Stratford-upon- Avon. Guests pay £5 to attend the talk (refundable if taking out membership). Afterwards there is an opportunity to meet the speaker and enjoy a free glass of wine.

If you have any queries, comments or suggestions for future speakers or events or
 if you require transport to any meeting or social event

please don’t hesitate to EMAIL or telephone 01789 269183

Jean Clymer, Programme Secretary

Please scroll down the page for details of the meetings and events

Click Here to download a copy of the members programme card

Members Meetings 2012/2013
Monday
17 September 2012
7.30 pm

To open the Society’s new season of talks, The Mayor of Stratford-upon-Avon, Councillor Keith Lloyd, will describe his vision for the town during his year of office.
This will be followed at 7.45pm by

Clive Henderson, Inland WaterwaysAssociation

Clive, who is Chairman of the Inland Waterways Association, will talk about the history of the canal and its impact on Stratford's development, its restoration and its potential for the future. He will also talk about taking part in the Jubilee Thames River Pageant.

Monday
15 October 2012
6.15pm

Managing Historic Towns – How Civic Societies can help

 Les Sparks, Chairman of MADE’s Design Review Panel,is a formerChief Planning Officer for Birmingham and for Bath. He also chairs the Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands Committee, the Ironbridge World Heritage Site Steering Group and the Bath Urban Regeneration Panel. He will focus on a recent project for Cheltenham Borough Council which identified priorities for the Civic Society and the private sector to support the Council in managing the historic environment. He will also cover the setting up of the Historic Towns Forum and preparing management plans for Bath and Ironbridge World Heritage sites.
Monday
12 November 2012
3.00pm
Shakespeare's Mutual Friend

 In the bicentenary year of Charles Dickens's birth, Roger Pringle, former Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, will talk about the several visits which the novelist paid to Stratford, his involvement in helping to secure the Birthplace for the nation, and how his experience of the town featured in his writing.



Monday
19 November 2012 6.15pm

Royal Shakespeare Company – What’s in it for Us?

 Nigel Hugill, Chairman of the Royal Shakespeare Company, will look back at the contribution of the World Shakespeare Festival to the Cultural Olympiad and assess its civic value. As Executive Chairman of Urban and Civic, a major brownfield development company, and Chair of the urban think tank, Centre for Cities, he will also consider the relationship between the town and the RSC and the contribution cultural organisations can make to towns such as Stratford.

Monday
11 February 2013
3.00pm

Putting Us in the Picture

Mairi Macdonald retired in 2010 as Head of Local Collections at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and has an extensive knowledge of its archives. She will look at the history of Stratford through pictures, from the Romans until the end of WWll.

Monday
18 February 2013
6.15pm

Cars versus Pedestrians – Sharing our streets

David Ubaka is an architect and urban designer and was until recently Head of Urban Design for Transport for London. He heads his own practice, ‘Placemakers’ and will discuss how to create well designed streets and achieve a better balance between vehicles and pedestrians. He will share case studies drawn from his wide experience of promoting and developing shared spaces and traffic calming scheme.

Monday
18 March 2013
6.15pm

Places and Spaces - Designing for people

Lucy Musgrave runs her own practice, ‘Publica’ and will draw some lessons from the creative work she does with developers and with community groups to create and improve public spaces. She will cover how to reconcile conflicting perspectives on the way places change.
Monday
15 April 2013
7.30 pm

Forest in the making

Carole Longden will explain the vision of Felix Dennis for the Heart of England Forest: how it started, where it is now and his plans for the future.

Monday
13 May 2013
7pm

AGM

Guest speaker to be confirmed
Members Social Events and Visits 2012/2013

Friday
7 September 2012
11am

Visit to the workshop of sculptor, James Butler

Further details to follow.

Friday
14 September 2012
2pm

Guided tour of Ashorne Hill

A guided tour and talk about the history of Ashorne Hill including its role during WW2.

£5 to include tea & cakes. Further details to follow.

Saturday
6 October 2012
12.30 pm

 Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway Fish & Chip special

there will be an opportunity to board the train for a leisurely Saturday afternoon ride through the Cotswold countryside. 
The train departs from Winchcombe station at 1pm . 
Ticket price to include lunch (vegetarian option available) and unlimited travel that afternoon is  £18. 
Although tickets are provisionally reserved on behalf of the Stratford Society,  GWSR are now under pressure to release them as they have other parties who would like to book.
The GWSR was named Heritage Steam Railway of the Year 2011.

Thursday
18 October 2012

 Visit to Sherborne Church

Further details to follow.

Friday
7 December 2012
7.30 pm

 Christmas Party

Tickets £12 each. Further details to follow.

Thursday
16 May 2013		 Visit to Broughton Castle
 Further details to follow.
Tuesday
11 June 2013
2.30pm		 The Countess of Harrowby will host a private tour of her gardens at Burnt Norton, inspiration for TS Eliot’s ‘The Four Quartets’.

Further details to follow.

5 July 2013

Chairman’s Summer Party 2013

Further details to follow.

Falcon Hotel
Chapel Street
Stratford-upon-Avon
01789 279953
The car park at the Falcon Hotel is Pay & Display and operated by a third party.

 To take advantage of free parking when attending a Stratford Society event at the Falcon it is necessary to inform Reception of your car registration number on arrival.   

 You will need to do this on each occasion you attend.