No area of the British Isles has played a greater part in the history of western art than Cornwall.  This Special Interest Day will take an in-depth look at the wealth of art produced in the area, revealing some of the extraordinary characters behind the masterpieces, and the legacy of internationally-important art that continues to this day.  The day starts by exploring the story of how a small fishing village became the nucleus for rural realist painting in Britain.  The second lecture focusses on a new generation of artists, many settling in the Lamorna valley.  The final talk looks at how a once sleepy seaside village became the global centre for modern art.  The work of Dame Laura Knight as a war artist and painter of circus and ballet scenes will also be covered.

Our Speaker is Alison Bevan

She is an acknowledged expert on the Newlyn School.  Since graduating in History of Art from Nottingham University in 1986, Alison Bevan has worked mainly in public art galleries.  In 1999, Alison took up the role of Director of Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance.  It was here that she gained her expertise on the Newlyn and Lamorna artists' colonies.  In 2013 she was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Cultural Heritage in Cornwall.  From 2013 - 2024, Alison was Director of the Royal West of England Academy.  Now based in Chepstow and working as a freelance lecturer, curator and consultant, she is also Chair of Bristol Museums’ Oversight Board; a Fellow of the Museums Association, and an Honorary Research Fellow of the University of Bristol.

You can learn more by clicking here.  https://www.alisonbevan.co.uk/about-me

Venue:-  St Nicholas Methodist Church, Fore Street, Topsham

Timings:-

Doors open:-   10.00

10.30:-  The Newlyn School

Coffee Break lecture:-   1130

1200:-  The Lamorna Colony (1910 – 1940)

Lunch:-   1300

1400 :-  St Ives Modernism and beyond (1940 – today)

Finish:-  approx 3pm.

Cost:-  £38.00 to include lunch and refreshments.

A booking form can be found by clicking here.

This SID is now fully booked.

A waitng list has been established but please email the Sids Secreatry (sids@theartssocietytopsham.org.uk) before making any payment.

Picture courtesy of Wikipdiea

It is possible to ‘read’ the passage of time, movements, cultures and peoples in the architecture and art forms evident in many of our English country churches.  These lectures take us through four overarching eras. The pre-Christian era, through the arrival of the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans and onwards to the sixteenth century and the epoch changing Tudors was covered in the lecture referred to above. So, beyond the Tudors, we move into the establishment of a new Protestant England. Later the profoundly destructive changes of the seventeenth century Commonwealth era are followed by restoration and liturgical change. The largely forgotten Georgian period of church architecture is examined as church architecture that the Victorians forgot. In turn, the great period of church building and gothic revival of the Victorians and the associated innovations of the Oxford and Cambridge movements are examined in detail. Finally, there is a brief look at contemporary changes that have influenced and altered church buildings as the English country church continues to reflect the passing of the ages.

Our Speaker is Nicholas Henderson.

He was the our speaker at our AGM meeting in June 2026. As a result of his talk, members asked for more from him to complete the cycle of reading Country Churches. Here it is!

A graduate of Selwyn College, Cambridge, Nicholas trained for the Anglican ministry at Ripon Hall, Oxford. His doctorate from the University of Wales, Lampeter, is in Anglican Lay Ecclesiology based on studies in Brazil, Japan, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United States. Nicholas is a Vice President of ‘Modern Church’ (founded 1898) the oldest theological society in the Anglican Communion. He is also interested in the study of Anglicanism.

You can learn more by clicking here.

Venue:- Exeter Golf & Country Club

Timings:-

Doors open 1000

First Lecture 1030

Coffee Break 1130

Second lecture 1200Lunch 1300

Third lecture 1400

Finish approx 3pm.

Cost:- £38 to include lunch and refreshments.

A booking form can be found by clicking here.

The decades around the turn of the twentieth century were an exciting time for Scottish art. For much of the nineteenth century, Scottish art had a very particular character - certainly good, but rather conservative. The Glasgow Boys emerged on the scene in the early 1880s. There were Glasgow Girls too, helped not a little by the advent of a new forward-looking regime at the Glasgow School of Art. Then the four Scottish Colourists celebrated life and beauty in stunning colour. This Study Day will introduce many of the most important characters and their exciting and innovative works of art. The first lecture will explore how the group of young artists who became known as the Glasgow Boys. In the second lecture we discover the extraordinary blossoming of female talent in the same city. The final lecture will focus on the life and work of the four Scottish Colourists.

A handout accompanies the SID and you can read that handout by clicking here.

Our Speaker is Julia Marwood

Julia has loved looking at art since discovering the work of Gustav Klimt while teaching English in Austria as part of her German degree course. She spent the first part of her career teaching German, then did a Master’s in Teaching English at the University of Manchester, and went on to teach international students in the city. She became a tour guide at Manchester Art Gallery in 2015 and has loved spending all her time sharing her passion for art. She became an Accredited Lecturer of The Arts Society in 2020, specialising in Scottish art from 1880 and the art of Manchester. She and her astronomer husband love to travel around Europe and take every opportunity to visit art galleries wherever they go, but Scotland has always been their favourite destination!

Venue:- St Nicholas Methodist Church, Fore Street, Topsham.

Timings:-

Doors open:- 10.00

First lecture 10.30:- The Glasgow boys

Coffee Break: 1130

Second lecture :- 1200:- The Glasgow girls

Lunch:- 1300

Third lecture:- 1400 :- The Scottish Colourists

Finish:- 1500 approx.Cost:- £38to include lunch and refreshments.

Click here for the bookng form.

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.