Events

What follows is a chronological list of what is currently planned by way of visits to places of interest,  gallery talks, Behind the Scenes visits in the city, Saturday afternoon talks and special events where the Friends will have a presence.

We hope you will find things to interest you.

Please note: if you book online, the payment receipt from PayPal does not mean that you have secured a place.  The organizer receives a weekly update of such payments and will email you to advise when you have a firm booking.

Also, Behind the Scenes visits and gallery tours are usually restricted to groups of around 15.  If such an event attracts a larger number of applications, the organizer will try to arrange a second or further tour(s), which could be at a later time on the advertised day or on a later date.  If this occurs, the organizer will contact you to make the appropriate arrangements.

Located in the centre of Worcester near the cathedral, this museum tells the story of Worcester porcelain with the finest and most extensive collection of objects.

Please use the following form to book online:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Organizer: Carol Lear; carolear@btinternet.com; 0117 942 3610

Join Professor Danielle Schreve for the first Winter Lecture of the new series and explore the Ice Age Mammals on Mendip.
During the last Ice Age, rapid climate and environmental change led to a major reorganisation of the fauna of northwestern Europe.  Species were forced to move, adapt or face extinction.
For over fifteen years, Prof Schreve has been painstakingly excavating a new cave site in the Mendip Hills, which is yielding fascinating insights into how animals coped with these challenges.
Speaker: Prof Schreve holds the Heather Corrie Chair in Environmental Change in the School of Geographical Sciences at the University of Bristol.  Her research focuses on Ice Age mammals and encompasses many different aspects including evolution, extinction, palaeoecology and mammalian responses to climate change.

This Winter Lecture is available as either an in-person event or online.  Attendance is free, but you are invited to make a financial contribution.  To book a seat / register for an online link via the Museum website click here.

The Museum Winter Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends

Former headmistress of Redland High School, Caroline Bateson, has researched the Cossins family, who lived in the Palladian mansion that later became the school.

Please use the following form to book online:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Administrator: Catherine Dixon; blackrockcfd@hotmail.com; 01275 849200

A guided tour of the recently-refurbished concert hall to discover the social and architectural heritage of the building, which dates back to the middle ages.

Please use the following form to book online:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Organizer: Carol Ouvry; carol@ouvry.myzen.co.uk; 0117 302 1039
NB: Carol has recently moved and the address and landline number stated at the top of the booking form are incorrect. 

The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held on Saturday 19 October 2024 at the Studios, M Shed, Prince’s Wharf, Wapping Road, Bristol  BS1 4RN starting at 2.30pm.

Papers for the meeting were enclosed with the September newsletter and can also be obtained by clicking on the links below:

AGM 2024 Notice of meeting and agenda
AGM 2023 minutes 23 September
AGM 2024 Annual Report 2023-24
AGM 2024 Accounts

Once the formal business has been transacted we shall be given short talks by members of the curatorial staff; for details click on the following link:

AGM 2024 talks

The Friends granted funds to Kate Newnham, Senior Curator Visual Arts, to acquire a range of objects for Bristol Museum’s Japanese collection on her recent trip to Japan.  She will present the items to us in this talk.

Please use the following for for online booking:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Administrator:  Catherine Dixon; blackrockcfd@hotmail.com; 01275 849200

An opportunity to see some of the extensive material in this world-class collection which relates to the history of theatre in Bristol.

Please use the following form for online booking:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Administrator:  Sally Dore; sally.dore@cantab.net; 0117 942 2620

A chance to see the result of Salisbury Museum’s recent £5 million refurbishment with the creation of new galleries.  There is much else to visit close by as well.

Please use the following form for online booking:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Organizer:  Richard Avery; membership@friendsofbmga.org.uk; 0117 329 6656

A new Winter Lecture series is being put together.  Thursday 14 November has been assigned as one of the dates and details of subject, speaker and timings will be available soon.  Please check back at a later date.

The Museum Winter Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends

A concert and film screening at Bristol Beacon to celebrate the centenary of Bristol Archives.  A 100-piece orchestra will perform 100 minutes of music, telling the story of the city across the last 100 years.

Please use the following form to book online:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Contact:  Clive Burlton; cburlton@aol.com; 01934 832113

This house was the last Bristol home of Charles and Sarah Wesley and their three children before they moved to London in 1771.  Charles Wesley is known as the ‘Father of the English hymn’ and there are displays in the house relating to his work.  The rooms will be decorated in the style of an 18th century Christmas.

Please use the following form for online booking:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Organizer: Carol Ouvry; carol@ouvry.myzen.co.uk; 0117 302 1039
NB: Carol has recently moved and an incorrect landline number is given at the top of the booking form.

Although originally a Norman castle, Cardiff Castle is renowned for its neo-gothic Victorian apartments designed by William Burges.  These will be suitably decorated for Christmas on our visit.

Please use the following form for online booking:

For postal bookings, please use the form enclosed with the September newsletter.

Organizer:  Richard Avery; membership@friendsofbmga.org.uk; 0117 329 6656

A new Winter Lecture series is being put together.  Thursday 13 February 2025 has been assigned as one of the dates and details of subject, speaker and timings will be available soon.  Please check back at a later date.

The Museum Winter Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends

A new Winter Lecture series is being put together.  Thursday 13 March 2025 has been assigned as one of the dates and details of subject, speaker and timings will be available soon.  Please check back at a later date.

The Museum Winter Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends