Friends excursions: National Liberal Club
Wednesday 5 April 2017 2.30 - 4pm
Meet at National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Pl, London SW1A
£25
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Booking and attending Friends excursions and events
Established by W. E. Gladstone in 1882, the National Liberal Club is the home of British Liberalism. Friends of the RA are invited to tour this private members' club designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse RA.
This Friends tour will be led by club archivist and former Liberal MP Michael Meadowcroft. Friends will hear about the club’s history and some of its most notable political and literary members, including Winston Churchill and H.G. Wells. The tour will have a particular focus on the club’s art collection, which contains portraits of prominent Liberal figures by artists such as Walter Sickert and Ernest Townsend.
Friends will also have an opportunity to examine the interior architecture, which includes wonderful Victorian Leeds Burmantofts Pottery tilework manufactured by Wilcox and Co. The architect, Alfred Waterhouse RA, famously also designed the Natural History Museum. His work here extended to designing the club's furnishings, even down to the fireplaces and dining room chairs.
This event will also take place on 17 May.