Monthly Archives: May 2025

A lovely visit to Hall Place – May 2025

On a beautiful Saturday a group of us enjoyed a thoroughly memorable and enriching visit to Hall Place, a stunning Tudor house nestled in the heart of Bexley. The trip was a great success, marked by lovely weather, excellent company, and a wealth of historical insight

Our group arrived in the morning and was warmly welcomed by the friendly and knowledgeable tour guides. Their enthusiasm and deep understanding of Hall Place’s rich history set the tone for the tour ahead.

We began with a guided tour of the house, which proved to be both fascinating and engaging. The guides shared a great deal of interesting information, from the architectural evolution of the Tudor mansion to stories of its former residents and wartime use. Every room had a tale to tell, and the group was captivated throughout.

Following the house tour, we had time to wander through the beautifully maintained gardens. The grounds were in full bloom, and the sunny weather made for a particularly pleasant stroll. The formal gardens, wildlife areas, and riverside walks were all highlights, offering plenty of photo opportunities and peaceful moments.

Midday, we gathered at the lovely on-site café, which provided a relaxing spot to rest and enjoy a selection of drinks, cakes, and light lunches. The café’s setting, overlooking the gardens, was the perfect backdrop for good conversation and laughter with great company.

The combination of an interesting historical setting, excellent tour guidance, beautiful surroundings, and wonderful companionship made this visit a truly memorable one. The group left Hall Place feeling enriched, refreshed, and keen to return.

This trip to Hall Place was a great success and highly recommended by all who attended. It was a perfect blend of culture, nature, relaxation, and social connection — a model for future outings.  If you would like to learn more about Hall Place, click here.

Meeting our MP – Our May 2025 meeting

We welcomed our MP Janet Daby to our May meeting.  It was really interesting and moving to hear about Janet’s life and how she came to be an MP. It’s was good to know that someone with her experiences of social work and work on behalf of children, as well as of motherhood, is in… Continue reading

Behind the scenes at Coolings garden centre – April 2025

              We spent a lovely, sunny and warm afternoon at Coolings hearing the inside story of one of our favourite garden centres.  Ian was a friendly and informative guide introducing us to his colleagues as we toured the glass houses and learned how the business developed into the business… Continue reading

A stunt filled evening – Our April 2025 meeting

We enjoyed an insight into the world of stunts at our April meeting with a talk by professional stunt woman Lucy Allen. After a dramatic opening compilation of some of her work, Lucy shared her personal journey into the world of stunts drawing on her experience as an exotic dancer, circus performer and actor before… Continue reading

A visit to Bexley Brewery – April 2025

    As a contrast to our annual vineyard pilgrimage, a group of us journeyed to Bexley Brewery to learn more about brewing and to sample some beers.   Despite the inauspicious surroundings (industrial estate in Erith), we had an excellent time in the company of our fine hosts, Cliff and Jane, who run the brewery.  … Continue reading

An evening of meditation – Our March 2025 meeting

We enjoyed a very calm and restful evening with Nicola Stuart, a Meditation Teacher, trained and accredited by The British School of Meditation at our meeting in March.  Nicola described her route into meditation and explained how it can help us deal with the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety.  Nicola then delivered a very… Continue reading

A trip down memory lane – March 2025

We had a lovely trip to the Museum of Brands and their exhibition Adwomen in March.  Following an introductory talk about the museum and exhibition we were left to explore.  Highlights were the exhibition which linked nicely to the the talk given at the April 2024 meeting by Lizzie Broadbent, and the Time Tunnel where… Continue reading

Baking with Ed – February 2025

We cannot thank Ed Baker enough for offering us this workshop in his bakery in Campshill Road to celebrate Real Bread Week. When we arrived, we were offered hot sausage rolls (the best pastry ever) and there were three different flavours (the favourite with us was the one with fennel) and the Portuguese custard tarts… Continue reading