The Limpsfield Decorative and Fine Arts Society
(LDFAS) is concerned with the cultivation, appreciation and study of the decorative and fine arts and with the provision of assistance towards the preservation of our artistic heritage. It is a member society of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS) and is affiliated to NADFAS East Surrey Area.

Lectures are presented monthly on a wide range
of topics by recognised experts in the decorative and fine arts.

Visits are arranged to places of historic, artistic and cultural interest. In many instances guides meet the group for an introductory lecture or guided tour.

Study Days are arranged from time to time, devoted to an in-depth examination of a specific topic or aspect of fine arts. The day usually comprises three lectures and lunch.

Tours of typically 3-5 days in either this country or Europe are also arranged from time to time.

Where we meet. St Peter’s Hall, Limpsfield, normally on the last Wednesday of the month, from September to June.

Membership. The Society is divided into two categories of membership – Afternoon and Evening.
Afternoon meetings commence at 2.30 p.m. followed by tea and biscuits.
Evening meetings commence at 8.00 p.m. with coffee served from 7.15 p.m.
The annual subscription is £35. Visitors, who pay a fee of £3.50, need to obtain advance permission from Ann Hollywood if they wish to attend.
Applications for Membership are welcomed. If you are interested in joining or would like more information, please contact either
Ann Hollywood, Chairman, 01883 712978 or Janet Brealey, Membership Secretary, 01883 715958

Programme
Art, architecture, archaeology, ceramics, furniture, furnishings, garden design, glass,
Historic Houses, museums, music, National Collections, silver, and tapestry.

2009

2010

9 September AGM at 8 pm followed by a short talk “Treasures of Dulwich College” to be given by Mrs Sylvia Berry, BA (Hons) in Humanities and Vice Chairman of Tandridge Arts Society for 20 years.

30 September Lecture. The art of Chagall and his stained glass windows (Frank Woodgate). This illustrated lecture will focus on his images and technique in painting and in stained glass and will include Tudeley Church, Kent where every window is by Chagall. 

7 October “Extra” All Saints’ Church, Tudeley, Kent. Visit and lecture on Chagall’s windows

14 October Visit. Clandon Park, Guildford, Surrey Tour and after lunch talk by the Curator of The Queen’s Royal Surrey Regiment Museum “Traditions and Silver”.

20 October Visit. Glyndebourne: Performance of Verdi’s Falstaff.

28 October Lecture. How is it made? A close look at silver (Dr Helen Clifford).
With her wealth of knowledge about silver (and gold) our lecturer will help us to understand the craftsmanship of the items we see in museums, antique shops and the home.

19 November Visit. The Royal Pavilion, Brighton Tour ‘behind the scenes’

25 November Lecture. Sèvres and other fine porcelains of Europe (Andrew Brunt)
As a former Head of Art History we welcome this lecturer to show the influence of French design on British, as well as other European potters, as they tried to create porcelain for themselves.

15 December *Lecture. Christmas cards, Valentines and postcards (Andrew Davies)
This seasonal illustrated lecture offers a historical glimpse at the development of printed cards. We shall discover also some personal and idiosyncratic messages people send each other, then and now.

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Download a pdf of the 2009 to 2010 programme.

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Synopses of Lectures from March 2009 onwards can be found here

Others to read-

"Museums under our noses - from medieval books to jet aircraft" by Mrs Celia Quarrington, BA (Hons) in Humanities with Classical Studies, founder member of Betchworth DFAS. Read

Pearls Before Swine - the Long History of a Royal Necklace (Jane Kelsall). This talk provided the opportunity to discover the allure of pearls and the ways in which they have been used as status symbols and items of great beauty. Read

11 January Visit to Maharajahs’ Exhibition, V&A Museum and lecture by Anne Howarth.

27 January Lecture. Nature in mediaeval art: birds, beasts, flowers and what they mean (Tim Porter). The Middle Ages seem like a strange world to many of us. We will be helped to understand the meaning behind the imagery of carvings, paintings, manuscripts and tapestries of the past.

12 February Visit. Van Gogh Exhibition, Royal Academy, London.

18 February Study Day. Art Deco with Anne Anderson (10 am) at The United Reformed Church, Oxted.

24 February Lecture. India: the Imperial legacy (Denis Moriarty)
Many of the images we will see are from the lecturer’s own collection. The British influence in India had its heyday in the Victorian and Edwardian era and included monumental buildings.

25 March Visit. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

31 March Lecture. Shakespeare’s Globe (Charles Beauclerk)
The new Globe Theatre on the South Bank aims to reproduce the experience of the theatre half a millennium ago. Shakespeare’s plays were written for a very different age from ours.

21 April Visit. Mediaeval and Renaissance Galleries tour and Horace Walpole Exhibition and/or Quilt Exhibition, V&A Museum

28 April Lecture. Capability Brown and Audley End (DrPatrick Conner)
The house was built to entertain Elizabeth I, but its extensive grounds were later landscaped by Lancelot (Capability) Brown. Such adaptations have become part of our expectations.

14-18 May Tour. West County and Wales

May (tba) Visit. Globe Theatre, London and afternoon performance.

26 May Lecture. The Great Twelve: Livery companies of London (Fenella Billington)
The London Livery Companies have a long and distinguished history. We will learn about the wealth, the skills and the government of the City of London over six hundred years or more.

Dinner (tba). Apothecaries’ Hall, London.

23 June Visit. Audley End House, Saffron Walden, Essex.

30 June Lecture. The pre-Raphaelites and Nineteenth Century opinion (Pamela Halford)
A hundred and fifty years ago the artists of the pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood shocked Victorian society, not only with their paintings, but their lifestyle. Now they are more acceptable to our taste.

* = Not the usual meeting day of the last Wednesday of the month.

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2008 archive.

Peter Ainsworth, MP for East Surrey presented the prizes in the Tandridge Primary Schools Art Competition, Limpsfield Decorative and Fine Arts Society. 18 of the 26 state primary schools in the Tandridge District submitted entries which were judged by Adrienne Parker, a local professional artist and James Carrett, Head of Fine Art at Oxted County School.
Click here to see the winning pictures.

SYNOPSES OF LECTURES AFTER MARCH 2009 CAN BE READ HERE