Sorry, due to coronavirus we have had to cancel this programme for 2020, and re-plan it to start in October 2021. All of you who have already signed up have been contacted, and we will email you again in the Spring with further information, and of course open bookings to any one else who is interested.

Contact : suecolinmills@yahoo.co.uk        

 London of the 21^st Century is irreversibly cosmopolitan, with a mix of cultures, religions and ethnicities. From 2000, the city boomed with new and exciting buildings: for the Millennium the O₂ opened, and later provided a concert and exhibition centre; and the Bankside Power Station was developed into Tate Modern, now counting about 5.8 million visitors a year.

The Docklands area continued to grow and the regeneration project extended from Tower Bridge to the Thames Estuary and was followed by more regeneration projects stretching west along the river Thames. The Eurostar moved to Stratford and  London became the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games with the main Olympic site in the Lower Lea Valley.

The Shard opened in 2013 and the area around it and London Bridge station was developed. London now has more than 40 theatres, two opera houses, and five symphony orchestras, plus an enormous number of fringe theatre companies, arts events, dance groups, musicians, stand–up comedians and performance poets.

In this, the final year of our History of London Through Its Artists & Craftsmen course we will be looking at the first two decades of this new century, but also glancing backwards at some of the artists and craftsmen that we have not yet managed to investigate and enjoy.  This course started in 2009 and has explored all shades of art, craft, artisans and social history which created this wonderful city.

DAY 1         LONDON’S FORGOTTEN RIVERS & CANALS. Lecturer Roger Butler

                   Afternoon visit:  A canal side walk  

DAY 2        LATE 20^th C  LONDON ARCHITECTURE. Lecturer Colin Davis    

                  Afternoon visit:    An architecture walk

DAY 3       FLEET STREET. Lecturer Geri Parlby

                 Afternoon visit:   tbc

DAY 4      MODERN JEWELLERY. Lecturer Andrew Prince

               Afternoon visit:   The Jewellery Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum

DAY 5     BIRTH & GROWTH of LONDON’S AUCTION HOUSES Lecturer Grant Ford

               Afternoon visit:   An auction house visit tbc

DAY 6    STAINED GLASS IN THE CITY OF LONDON. Lecturer Alexandra Epps

               Afternoon visit:   A walk in the City

DAY 7    THE QUEEN’S PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY. Lecturer Linda Collins

               Afternoon visit:     tbc

DAY 8    THE ROYAL MAIL. Lecturer John Francis

               Afternoon visit:   A visit to the Postal Museum & Mail Rail

DAY 9    21st CENTURY LONDON ARCHITECTURE. Lecturer  Colin Davies

               An architecture walk                    

DAY 10  THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE. Lecturer Nigel Bates

              Afternoon visit:  The Royal Opera House    

DAY 11  A LOVE LETTER TO LONDON! Lecturer Andrew Davies

             Afternoon visit:   A Bermondsey walk