John Lewis Heritage Centre and Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham
Wednesday 24 February 2016 9am - 7pm
Meet on Piccadilly near the RA for coach
£87 (including coach, coffee, lunch, glass of wine, tea, cake). Friends only.
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Join fellow Friends for a day out in Cookham, as we privately visit the John Lewis Heritage Centre for a talk on the company’s history and textile collection, followed by a private tour of the Stanley Spencer Gallery.
Our visit to the John Lewis Heritage Centre begins with a presentation by their archivist about the history of the business, from its origins as a simple haberdasher’s shop in 1864, through its foundation in 1928 as an employee-owned business, and on to its post-war expansion. We then have time to explore the archive, which features over 30,000 textiles dating from the 1790s.
Sir Stanley Spencer RA, one of England’s best-known painters, was born in Cookham and lived there at various times during his life. After lunch at a local pub, we privately visit the nearby Stanley Spencer Gallery and take a guided walk around Cookham to see first-hand the places that inspired many of his finest paintings.