Events for 2025

Study Day at Thirsk Hall and Sion Hill Hall

Wednesday 25th June 2025, 10:30am - £68

This visit will begin at Thirsk Hall, Thirsk, at 10.30 am. The hall has been the home of the Bell family since 1723. It was extended by John Carr in 1770 and is currently the home of Bill, Daisy and their three boys. Our guided tour of the house will be led by historian Dr Helen Metcalfe and entry to the recently created Sculpture Garden is included. Of particular interest in the house is a collection of furniture supplied by Gillows of Lancaster in the 1760s. A buffet lunch will be served at 12.00, after which we will depart to reconvene at nearby Sion Hill Hall at 14.30.

Sion Hill Hall is neo-Georgian mansion designed in 1912 by Walter Brierley of York. It was one of the last great Yorkshire houses to be built before the Great War and stands in five acres of landscaped and restored gardens. Inside is a fine collection of antiques and works of art. Our tour will be led by Sion’s owner, Michael Mallaby. It will last approximately 90 minutes and will include a break for tea and biscuits about half-way through.

This is a self-drive event and places are limited to 26 members. The cost for the day is £68 per person, to include admission to both houses, a buffet lunch and tea.

Booking for this event is now closed. 

Study Day at Lady Lever Art Gallery and Sudley House

Wednesday 23rd July 2025 - £60/£50

This study trip focusses on the outstanding collection of furniture amassed by William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme, and installed in his purpose-built museum at Port Sunlight, in 1922. As well as furniture by Chippendale, Mayhew and Ince and many others, the Lady Lever Gallery houses an internationally important collection of Victorian paintings, including early and late Pre-Raphaelite works together with masterpieces by Frederick, Lord Leighton and Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema. Our tour will be led by the Liverpool Museums’ Decorative Arts Curator Nicola Scott.

From Port Sunlight we will travel across the Mersey to Sudley House, the 19th century home of the Liverpool merchant George Holt and his family. Originally built and furnished entirely by prominent Liverpool firms, and with a large number of its original furnishings and paintings remaining, it also houses a collection of 19th century furniture and paintings belonging to Liverpool Museums and Galleries. Our curator-led tour will last about an hour.

The cost of this day is £60. This includes coach travel, entry and tours of both venues, but not lunch, which will be taken at the Lady Lever Art Gallery Café. Alternatively, members may use their own cars, in which case the cost is £50.

Booking for this event is now closed.

Study Tour in Devon 

22nd - 25th September 2025 - £695 / £795

This year’s autumn study tour will be based at the Ilsington Country House Hotel in Devon. It is a four star family run hotel set in glorious countryside on the edge of Dartmoor. Our visits will include Berkeley Castle, Saltram House, Buckland Abbey, Ugbrooke, Great Fulford, Powderham Castle and Tyntesfield. Coach travel from Ilkley, Otley, Leeds and Cheltenham is provided; alternatively, members can self-drive and meet us en route at the locations suggested. Full details of the tour can be found in our newsletter. 

Please note that the itinerary may be subject to minor changes and that although we endeavour to reimburse members if unable to attend, it is important that you are adequately insured.

The cost of this tour is £695 per person sharing a double room or £795 for a single occupancy. This includes all
coach travel, dinner, bed and breakfast at Ilsington Country House Hotel, all admission fees and guided tours,
three lunches and a cream tea. A deposit of £100 is required by 31 May 2025 and the balance of £595 for a
person sharing a double/twin room and £695 for a single occupancy will be payable by 1st July 2025.

Booking for this event is now closed.