bristol1904

Wildlife Photographer of The Year

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 19:01:23 GMT

Snappers and the Wildlife Photographer of The Year Exhibition.

Tuesday 20 ^th January 2026

When a bitterly cold wind is tearing through the streets of our beautiful city, there is no greater pleasure than diving into a doorway and emerging somewhere warmer and more exotic. This is precisely what twelve Snappers ( members of the Photographic Group of Bristol 1904 Arts ) and one brave guest did on Tuesday, 20 January 2026 , when they launched their photographic year with a visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition , hosted by Bristol Museum for the 61st time.

Through the lenses — and rather more talented eyes — standing before the 100 stunning photographs, the Snappers found themselves momentarily wandering the African savannah, the jungles of Asia, the Florida swamps, tropical seas, and a bewildering array of other extraordinary places.

As usual, the exhibition left the group caught between amazement and mild despair. Inspired by the images, yet simultaneously convinced they would never produce anything remotely close to that standard — including several photographs taken by 10-year-olds — morale took a predictable hit!

Following a highly scientific straw poll, the group eventually agreed that the standout image was the one depicting fish hunting fish, who were, in turn, being hunted by a seabird. Proof, if any were needed, that in nature, someone is always having a worse day than you.

Taken from the Bristol Museum website:

Step into the breathtaking beauty and raw power of nature with Wildlife Photographer of the Year – the world’s most prestigious photography exhibition, now celebrating its sixty-first year.

This globally acclaimed showcase features 100 awe-inspiring images that reveal the hidden stories of our planet’s wildlife and comes to Bristol from the Natural History Museum in London.

Selected from over 60,000 entries submitted by photographers of all ages and backgrounds from 113 countries and territories, these photographs are more than just stunning visuals – they are windows into the complex, fragile, and magnificent ecosystems we share. From intimate glimpses of rarely seen animal behaviour to sweeping landscapes that stir the soul, each image invites you to reflect on your connection to the natural world.

Annual Remembrance at '1904'

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 11:11:30 GMT

Annual Remembrance Tribute at Bristol 1904 Arts

A panel of artwork created by member artists in the 1940's+ depicting themes from the world wars.

As you might be aware, every Wednesday during our season, our members enjoy a concert of Entertainments that might include classical, jazz or contemporary music, singing, poetry & recitation, magic performance etc. A fun night together with fellow members and accompanied by an art display of works produced and painted on the night.

But we reserve the Wednesday night before Remembrance Sunday , in more sombre reflection, to honour and pay tribute to those in the armed forces in particular, that - for our tomorrow, they gave their today ! We decorate our Performance Hall with red poppies and we display period artworks of our past members to remind and inspire the gratitude we owe to those who were so unselfish and that made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Chairman for the evening is always one who has themselves served in our armed forces in the past and who can represent - those who have died ore were injured on our behalf.

We open our evening with the Last Post played by a bugler and following The Tribute read by the Chairman, the bugler sounds the Reveille and so the evening continues - mostly themed around the Remembrance observance.

To view a short video reel of the evening - CLICK on the image of the Evening Programme below.

Recent Artist Sketches @ '1904'

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 10:17:32 GMT

It is art to conceal art from the latin: Ars est celare artem

Yes, it's about time and even overdue that I post some of our artists' work.

You might know that our BRISTOL 1904 ARTS Club has many facets to it. Naturally the painting and even now sculptural art is one of the big features of our club ... but also Performance Art and many Activity Groups feature highly.

On Wednesday nights during our (October to end April) season, the Artists who we call Red Feathers are set a task to complete a sketch painting generally within a limited 2 hour period. The theme of the painting for the night is set by the evening's Chairman.

Last Wednesday (29th October, 2025) our Chairman set as his theme subject: " Ars est celare artem " which translates as: It is Art to conceal Art . And one of our cheeky artists, in his sketch above, poked some fun at France's recent embarrassing Art theft from the Louvre when the theme may well have had a specific message for The Louvre itself !!

The slide carousel above presents some of the painting sketches of the evening!

We hope you enjoy them and of course if you want to know more about us, contact our Secretary, Jonathan Bird or if you wish to explore membership contact our Membership Warden, Connor Williamson .

Our Friends at BAOS

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:01:09 GMT

We are supporting our friends at BAOS (Bristol Amateur Operatic Society)

We have only recently started our new season here at BRISTOL 1904 ARTS and on the first night, Wednesday 1st October, 2025, we were delighted and thrilled to have BAOS (Bristol Amateur Operatic Society) come and perform for us ... to kick off the season.

They played four pieces from their new show, "BAOS Underground" , highlighted above and just everyone loved every minute of it.

Details of the show are in the brochure/flyer above and you can get a larger view by simply clicking on the image.

We've had BAOS perform for us before and it's always a delight. We both go back a long time, as some of our Entertainer Members where themselves BAOS members and performers. On a sad note, one of our oldest members, Rod Young died very recently - who had performed with BAOS back in the day and BAOS dedicated one of their songs to him in tribute.

I do encourage you to attend the BAOS show - it's going to be spectacular!

University of Bristol’s Botanical Gardens

Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:46:12 GMT

Snappers visit the University of Bristol’s Botanical Gardens on 17th June 2025

Before taking their customary summer break, seven Snappers (1904's Photographic Group), Barry Agar, Jonathan Bolgar, Roger Bonner, Brian Chan, Tony Lavelle, Paul Main and Bob Pigott, along with Ruth Bolgar and Margaret Pigott visited the University of Bristol’s Botanical Gardens just off the Downs. The group enjoyed a few hours of sunshine as they wandered the many trails and paths through this wonderful little gem that borders the Downs.

The gardens contain more than 4,500 plant species from such diverse climates as steamy tropical jungles to frozen tundras. There is even a prehistoric area full of brooding tree ferns and mosses. The Chinese garden is a delight with dragonflies skimming the surface of its lily pond, clumps of tall, gently waving bamboo, intricate woven pergolas and a chromium statuette shining brightly.

The gardens surround ‘The Holmes’, a large residential house, which was built in 1879 in the 'Arts and Crafts' style. It was used as a base for top US Army generals during the planning of the Normandy landings in 1944.

The Snappers will resume their monthly meetings on Tuesday, 16 ^th September, in the Upper Studio, 10:00 - 12:00. All members of 1904 are welcome to join us. Drop in for a cup of coffee and a biscuit and view our images.

If you are interested in enjoying the social club/society environment of like minded folk in the Arts & Entertainment and including fun activity groups, including the Snappers Group, Walkers Group, Classic Car Group (The Oilies), Cultural Expeditions Group, Bird Watching then why not contact our Membership Warden, Connor Williamson at: membership@bristol1904arts.org and join us on a Wednesday evening (no cost) from 7pm when our season resumes on 1st October, 2025 so you can see for yourself what we are about and to enjoy an evening of quality Art and Entertainment.

Meet the Author

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:45:34 GMT

A thought provoking talk by Charles Cordell preceded the Book-Signing.

Bristol 1904 Arts - English Civil War presentation by Charles Cordell.

CHARLES CORDELL, is a writer with experience as a soldier and diplomat on the ground in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, the Sahel and West Africa. He has seen humanity at its best, its worst and its most desperate. His writing draws on his time spend in the fraying margins of civilisation, as well as a long study of the Great Crisis of the 17th century.

Brilliant English Civil War day in Bristol - walking and talking about the Storming of Bristol in 1643 and signing copies of The Keys of Hell and Death that tells the story.

Huge thanks to the Red Lodge staff, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and Bristol 1904 Arts for hosting the event in an iconic, contemporary venue - the Red Lodge - Bristol's hidden Elizabethan gem where Prince Rupert actually received the parliamentary hostages at the time.

It was wonderful to see the Great Oak Room come alive with all the fantastic re-enactors from Colonel James Wardlaw's Regiment of Dragoons and SMG James Carr's Regiment of Foote of the Sealed Knot.

Thanks to all that came along to join us there. History, living history and historical fiction in a wonderful venue - what more could you want?

Second Photographic Exhibition

Fri, 17 May 2024 12:26:28 GMT

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Bristol Councillor Paul Goggin appreciates the Snappers’ work.

Second Annual Photographic Exhibition

26th April - 5th May 2024

The BRISTOL 1904 ARTS ’ photographic special interest group, known as ‘The Snappers’, welcomed 532 visitors to their 2nd annual Photographic Exhibition. This ran in parallel with the BRISTOL 1904 ARTS ’ 113th Annual Paintings Exhibition.

The photographic exhibition contained the work of twelve photographers and consisted of 76 printed photographs as well as a further 76 images displayed through a rolling slide show on two screens. The subject matters ranged from portraits, studio-arranged images; land and seascapes; wildlife; cityscapes, abstracts, documentary and similar.

Visitors showed interest in where many of the differing images had been taken; how much post-capture manipulation was used; what sorts of cameras and equipment were involved and some background information about the individual photographers.

There was also some lively debate as to whether photography should be considered an art form as well as, how the thorny issue of artificial intelligence is impacting photography.

Another hot topic was just how good the camera facility on smartphones is and how long it will be before the smartphone supersedes the DSLR. This is where DPIs came into the conversations, smartphones with their mere 72 DPI and the limitations this imposes when wanting to increase the size of a print.

Following the very positive and supportive range of comments made by so many of the exhibition’s visitors, the Snappers are already thinking ahead to 2025 and their 3rd Annual Exhibition!

Annual Founders' Service 2024

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:38:40 GMT

Annual Founders' Service held at The Lord Mayor's Chapel

On Sunday 18th February, 2024 we celebrated our enlightened '1904' forefathers who founded our BRISTOL 1904 ARTS Club, all those years ago, with an annual Church Service held at the Bristol Lord Mayor's Chapel starting at 3:15pm followed by a smashing English "Afternoon Cream Tea" party in our Performance Hall around 4pm.

We were honoured to have the Lord Mayor, Councillor Paul Goggin himself attend as well as His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant Mrs. Peaches Golding OBE CStJ and we were very pleased that both also kindly extended themselves to join us afterwards for an afternoon tea in our Performance Hall, that you see above.

The service itself was again this year conducted by the Rev. Richard Pendlebury MBE DL and attended mostly by members and their family. At the service we took up a collection, that I'm pleased to report was over £500, for the charity the Rev. Pendlebury, is most passionate about - the Room 13 Art Project - a school based, Art Studio dedicated to the pupils of Hareclive School in Hartcliffe helping disadvantaged kids to develop aspiration, confidence and self esteem in a safe space and that also encourages creativity, independent thinking and learning; both strengthening curriculum learning and teaching these little ones about working in teams and other life skills. Very important goals, I'm sure you will agree!!

The service was all about giving thanks to our forefathers for establishing our club and seeking a blessing to be always able to continue to foster the skills and crafts of Art and Performance Art in the future, in an atmosphere of friendship and respect.

And we look to continue this service annually ... so until next year !!

Snappers Seeking Inspiration

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:48:34 GMT

Snappers at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition.

The "Snappers" of course, are the photographic group within Bristol 1904 Arts - a dedicated group of 12-14 individuals.

It has become a tradition that the Snappers kick off their year with a visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. The morning of Tuesday 16th January 2024 loomed sunny but very cold, however, the arctic like temperatures did not deter 8 hardy Snappers and 4 partners as they made their way to the Bristol Museum. This stunning exhibition was established in 1965 making this the 59th year.

“The Snappers viewed with differing levels of awe 100 winning photographs culled from 49,957 entries into the competition by photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries.

The images displayed showcase the Earth’s extraordinary diversity and highlights the fragility of wildlife on our planet. The winning images were chosen for their creativity, originality and technical excellence.” (Paraphrased from the Bristol Museum’s website)

Such visits are a source of inspiration to the Snappers. They highlight the need for patience, perseverance and technical knowhow. They also demonstrate aspects of luck, that is, being in the right place, at the right time, with a camera ready to go and cat like reflexes as nature explodes before you.

Many of the images on display were captured in this way and the observing Snappers could only dream of experiencing just such an encounter.

An excellent start to another happy Snapping year.

Bristol Ensemble perform at '1904'

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 09:22:43 GMT

A small section of the Bristol Ensemble delight us with an evening of exquisite classics

On Wednesday evening (22Nov23) we had a real treat with the Bristol Ensemble!

Unlike the usual Wednesday evening when we might have a variety of 4 or 5 performances in the evening; this time we had a full evening concert from a small section of our friends at Bristol Ensemble (BE). Simon Kodurand, Artistic Director at BE on violin lead a performance of three sections with two intervals inspired with the notion of music being fundamentally intertwined with classical art

and science.

He opened the performance with a sonata in Bmin from Francesco Veracini, the Italian baroque composer and violinist - a work in 4 movements. This was followed by a JS Bach sonata in Amaj for violin and harpsichord - unusual for a sonata not to include the cello as a baseline.

We believe that this was the first time that we actually had a harpsichord being played in our Performance Hall. It was an unusual colour green set against the conservative black colour of our two grand pianos on our platform stage - but such a sweet and melodic tone!

In the second part of the concert, the Bristol Ensemble played a beautiful duet for Violin and Cello in Fmaj by another great Italian composer of the late 18C, Felice Giardini and then a French sonata by Jean-Joseph de Mondonville.

And in the final part, we had a folly variations composition by Arcangelo Corelli simply called La Follia.

Ahead of our Wednesday evening performances, a big part of our raison d'etre is to have our artists paint a sketch to a theme set by the Chairman for the evening. With the presence of the Bristol Ensemble it was no surprise then that the artistic challenge subject was simply: "Ensemble".

Now many of the artists of course had compositions of a musical, string ensemble we are familiar with in the Bristol Ensemble but others created some "outside-the-box" works including a fashion ensemble, kitchen utensil ensemble and even some abstracts.

I love them all !!

Well done Artists and well done Bristol Ensemble !!

Snappers at The Steam Museum, Swindon

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 11:44:05 GMT

The Snappers Meet Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Daniel Gooch

On Tuesday 21st November 2023 nine Snappers (the Photography Group within BRISTOL 1904 ARTS ) and one guest visited the birth place of the Great Western Railway.

The Steam Museum in Swindon brings alive the majesty and grandeur of the railways of old. At the same time it amply showcases the brilliance of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Daniel Gooch his Superintendent of Locomotive Engineering at the Great Western Railway works.

The museum is housed in one of the sheds that 150 years ago throbbed with extremes of energy as 14,000 highly skilled workers produced two gleaming engines along with an average of 250 pieces of rolling stock every week. Every component that made up these giants was manufactured on site. All aspects of this vibrant industry were vividly brought alive for the Snappers as they moved through a series of beautifully arranged tableaux that illustrate the many differing stages of the process. The carpenter lovingly turning a piece of timber into a rib for a carriage; the lady riveters enduring the heat of the furnace and battering of the hammer on undefended ears; the store man keeping track of a huge stock of parts.

The Snappers could almost feel the heat, steam, soot and sweat as the museum attempted to capture and portray the very essence of the pride of bygone days.

Then our Snappers were in a room with several of the majestic gleaming behemoths that symbolise the industry, commerce and transport that put the Great in Britain. These exhibits of power and grandeur are kept at their magnificent best by gangs of enthusiastic volunteers who turn up regularly to ensure that the magnificence does not fade. It was gratifying to see and hear school groups being exposed to these marvels of yesterday thus ensuring that the magic of steam will prevail. Each Snapper was fervently hoping that his meagre skills would do justice to what had gone before.

The Snapper photographers retired to a nearby eatery for lunch where the discussions were full of memories of snorting, hissing, belching, thundering locomotives wending their way through the Snappers’ own boyhood locations.

Then it was time to return to Bristol, a city that is no stranger to the genius of Brunel and his fellow railway engineers. Some of the group did this by boarding a descendant of the recently viewed beauties. It still travelled on rails laid on the very same railway track beds that Brunel surveyed and laid out all those years ago.

Great men; a great day; a great memory.

Don't forget to checkout our website - you might be interested in one or more of our fun Activity Groups as well as the primary Art and Entertainment features of our BRISTOL 1904 ARTS members' club!

Knights of Magic - Magic Show Event

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 22:11:20 GMT

This was a "Knight of Magic" not to forget!

BRISTOL 1904 ARTS in conjunction with our friends and associates at THE BRISTOL SOCIETY OF MAGIC put on a hell of a show at our Performance Hall over two nights. The first night was primarily for '1904' members and family and the second night was for visitors and guests.

There were in essence two parts to the magic show; a display of close-up magic performed by a variety of magicians, separately in two of our artist studios and then in the main hall we had several acts of BIG magic performance on our platform stage.

And wow! ... it was a knockout!! On the one hand fantastic illusion, trickery, sleight of hand, mystery, gobsmacking befuddlement and then on the other hilarious and madcap tomfoolery, corny gags, comedic storylines - just such a great night out!!

And of course there was plenty of audience participation which also helped make the night. The whole show was slick, amusing, bewildering all at the same time.

This is the third year we've run this event ... if you missed it ... look out for it next year in the October/November timeframe.

NOT TO BE MISSED !!

'Snappers' go to Jail!!!

Tue, 23 May 2023 11:45:38 GMT

Bristol 1904 Arts Photographic Group - 'Snappers' go to Jail!!!

On the morning on the 16th May 2023 five intrepid Snappers entered Shepton Mallet Prison.

For a brief moment it looked as if not all five would re-emerge! See the photograph above. This could not truly be described as an enjoyable experience but was certainly an interesting and sobering experience for the photographers. Mind you it was far more traumatic for the earlier inmates as the following quotation tells us;

“Many who went in healthy are in a few months changed to emaciated, dejected objects. Some are seen pining under diseases, expiring on the floors, in loathsome cells, of pestilential fevers, and the confluent Smallpox Victims, I will not say to cruelty, but I must say to the inattention of the Sherifs, and Gentlemen in the commission of peace. The cause of this distress is, that many prisons are scantily supplied, and some almost totally unprovided with the necessaries of life.”

— John Howard’s report to Parliament, 1773

Visits to the treadmill; execution cells; long drab corridors ensured that it was a very reflective Jonathon Bolgar; Roger Bonner; Tony Lavelle; Davina Hockin; and Martin Woodhead that retired to a nearby bright and cheerful cafe to revive their somewhat dampened spirits with mugs of hot coffee and hearty lunches.

Jim Mearns reaches 105!!

Tue, 23 May 2023 10:15:29 GMT

Retired Entertainer (Blue Feather) Member Jim Mearns reaches 105 years old !!

It's just simply incredible!!

We all joined Jim at his recent birthday party; Bristol 1904 Arts members and other friends where we were joined by Jim's wife Margaret (a youngster some 40 years his junior, mind) and Jim's daughter and son. There was an official photographer from the St. Monica's Trust also present to witness this fabulous and extraordinary occasion.

Last year I reported on Jim's 104th and so it looks like I've set myself up for an annual event for the years to come !! There's no stopping this guy!! And he's such a lovely fellow - full of beans and interested in all that is going on around him.

St. Monica's Trust and fellow active Blue Feather, Stuart "Fingers" Potter (wonderful jazz pianist) had organised the birthday party you see here and it's not often that you'll witness slicing into a "105th" Birthday cake - that's for sure !! ��✨

We salute you Jim !!

Snappers’ 1st Photographic Exhibition

Mon, 22 May 2023 23:17:27 GMT

Snapper's First Photographic Exhibition - 28th April to 7th May, 2023

Over nine days, 28th April to 7th May 2023, 436 people and one dog visited the 1st Photographic Exhibition organized by the Bristol 1904 Arts Society’s photographic group colloquially known as ‘The Snappers’.

The exhibition contained work of eleven photographers and consisted of 54x 10”x8” photographs, 6x 16”x12” photographs and a rolling slide show of a 50 further images. The photographs ranged from portraits, studio arranged images, land and seascapes, wildlife, cityscapes and others to give a broad range of subjects.

Visitors showed a lot of interest. They enquired as to where many of the differing images had been taken, how much post capture manipulation was involved, what sort of cameras where used, and some background information of the individual photographers. Unfortunately, nobody recorded what the dog thought of the photographs!

Following the very positive and supportive range of comments, made by so many of the exhibition’s visitors, Snappers plan that this will become an annual event.

Superchargers & White Horses in Wiltshire

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 19:38:12 GMT

Bristol 1904 Arts "Oilies" Run on 18th April 2023

The "Classic Car" group of '1904', known to us all as the "Oilies", had a fun run in Wiltshire on 18th April.

On a glorious spring day 24 Oilies set off from near Chippenham to explore the Wiltshire Downs in 12 beautiful old cars. They (mostly) followed the plan set out by Oilie Member and '1904' Joint Sec. Jonathan Bird through leafy lanes and on past picture-perfect cottages, travelling deep into this easily but unfairly by-passed county. There are 8 of the curious and mostly 18/19 ^th Century follies called “White Horses” scattered over the chalk slopes of the Wiltshire Downs and the route passed 6 of them. Some are resplendent and unmissable and some not easily spotted or rather neglected, perhaps “Brown Donkey” would be a better description of one or two.

The real discovery, though, was that there are some of the most exciting and enticing driving roads in the country out there. Long swooping curves, high almost straight stretches, and sudden tricky bends, with hardly any traffic. So, some safe fun could be enjoyed by those who like to drive, as well as marvellous wide vistas. The road went through the middle of Avebury Stone Circle in a fashion uninhibited by any planning law but allowing a close view without paying a penny for entrance.

Ending after Melksham’s maze of ring road roundabouts, the Oilies and their old girls were invited into a huge barn of million-pound supercars: Mclarens, Ferraris, Zagato Aston Martins and even a Koenigsegg! The 1904 Classics held their own and all had succeeded in completing the 75-mile route. The Oilies and guests were rewarded with a slap-up meal and a good old chin-wag amongst the billionaire’s playthings.

Some more photos of the day can be seen below ...

Maybe you too might enjoy the fun of being an Oilie as a member of Bristol 1904 Arts ?

'1904' FIRST Photographic Exhibition

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 09:38:22 GMT

Preparing the 1904 'Snappers' 1st Photographic Exhibition 29th April - 7th May 2023

Preparations for the first BRISTOL 1904 ARTS Photographic Exhibition are in full swing.

" The Snappers " is the fun name for the Photography Interest Group at BRISTOL 1904 ARTS and they will hold their first public Photographic Exhibition in parallel to the Annual Paintings Exhibition - full details of both HERE .

Selection of images to be physically produced was completed some weeks ago. These were then turned into a series of physical photographs. The majority in a 10” x 8” format with a selection of six being 16” x 12”. During the March monthly Snapper’s meeting, seven members gathered in the Upper Studio to mount the physical photographs.

The physical photographic exhibition will be supported by way of a continuously rolling digital presentation of another 60 images.

Now the Snappers eagerly await the 28th April when their photographic skills, hard work and dedication to their art form will be unveiled to the '1904' membership and from 29th April to the wider general public.

So come on down and take a look - we look forward to welcoming you!

IRISH NIGHT @ '1904'

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 17:06:35 GMT

Coming up to St. Patrick's Day - we had "IRISH NIGHT" on Wed 15th March.

Well, I don't know what madness comes over me this time of year but I feel compelled to dress up like this ... and even worse I got my wife, also a 1904 member, to do the same. (Top picture). �� But I suppose it's all part of the 'craic' on Irish Night!

And the Chairman elected for Irish Night, was longstanding member, Vince Watts who says his Irish credentials are that his mother came from Skibbereen in County Cork, Ireland.

Supporting Vince on the night was Eithne Noonan who performed an Irish Reel dance on the platform (stage), Vince's wife Mary Watts who recited a poem from WB Yeats and on the far right was Jeremy Watkins , one of our established Entertainer members, went on to perform some classic Irish songs with his powerful, baritone voice, including: "Trottin' to the Fair", "Danny Boy" and "The Star of the County Down".

As a note of interest: The words of Danny Boy were written by the great Edwardian lyricist and poet, Frederic Edward Weatherly - who was a member of our Society all that time ago. Interesting!!

Then we also had our Entertainer member Graham Smith play great Irish jig, reel and hornpipe tunes on his fiddle (oops sorry ... violin!) - accompanied by Mark Lee who was in the lead role as our Duty Pianist for the night.

And finally we had Scottish Accordionist, Ian Watt , play some Irish traditional songs and dance music to round off the evening!

What a night!!

Annual House Dinner at Bristol 1904 Arts

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 01:27:36 GMT

The Annual House Dinner is the premier formal dinner event in the BRISTOL 1904 ARTS calendar.

The Annual House Dinner is the premier formal dinner event in the BRISTOL 1904 ARTS calendar - Black Tie, naturally. An opportunity to scrub up, look our best and enjoy great dining, in fabulous company and great entertainment.

To start, we organised a drinks reception in the amazing and historic Oak Room of the Red Lodge for our Top Table invitees, who included amongst others, the Queens Representative, the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol - Mrs. Peaches Golding ; the Lord Mayor of Bristol - Mrs. Paula O'Rourke and her husband consort Colm O'Rourke ; the Bristol High Sheriff Ms. Alex Raikes and CEO of the organisation SARI (Stand Against Racism & Inequality); our guest Principal Speaker - Jaideep Barot, Head Master of the Bristol Grammar School ; Master of the Antient Society of St. Stephen's Ringers - Robin Shellard ; our own President - Timothy Chambers and our Chairman - Michael Newstead .

After a starter of rich Tomato and Basil Soup, I had the Honey-Glazed Chicken Supreme with Madeira Sauce - with a wide selection of vegetables and dauphinoise and roast potatoes. (There were vegetarian options also available). And then a very delicious dessert of Burnt Lemon Tart with Plum Compote followed by a cheese course and coffee. Makes my mouth water just recalling it all, again!!

Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening was our Past President, John Bedford with his ever smooth delivery. And as part of the event we had a draw for four very fine paintings by our Red Feather Artists.

As I mentioned our guest Principal Speaker was Mr. Jaideep Barot, Head Master of the Bristol Grammar School (a former Physicist, Investment Banker and now teacher!) - ostensibly speaking on the fundamental value of the Arts in Education but also purposely reviewing ChatGPT AI (Artificial Intelligence platform) to make his points and concluding that human Art in Education is the one thing that will differentiate humans from and in an artificial intelligence world now and in the coming future.

Entertainment was provided after the dinner by our own Blue Feather Entertainers, Steve Price (our Entertainments Warden) , Graham Smith and Jonathan Price - performing a variety of classical music, modern and traditional folk dance including Celtic and Bluegrass dance music roots.

Afterwards we were complimented by our VIP guests and members alike on the fantastic presentation of food, delightfully professional entertainment and the ambience that is unique to our main hall with all its wonderful artefacts and curiosities.

Thank you to all our VIP Guests, our Entertainers, Catering and all the many others that contributed to make it a joyeous and happy occasion.

And we get to do it all again, next year!

WELSH NIGHT @ '1904'

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 20:22:50 GMT

This was "Welsh Night" - celebrating Wales' St. David's Day.

Every Wednesday evening during the season (Oct - May), BRISTOL 1904 ARTS provides an evening's entertainment and art for its members. But the national days are always special and celebrated on the Wednesday closest to the national patron saint. And last night it conveniently fell on the actual date of St. David's Day , for our Welsh members.

And what could be more Welsh than a choir and part of our "Chorus" provided the solution by singing three distinctly Welsh numbers: Dafydd Y Gareg Wen (David Of The White Rock) – sung in Welsh, Sospan Fach (One Little Pan) – sung in Welsh and an old favourite We’ll Keep A Welcome – sung in English.

Another feature of the Welsh Night was the recitation by our resident Welsh Actor, Poet and Raconteur, Chris Torpy, of a number of Dylan Thomas poems including " The October Wind ", the lyrical " Fern Hill " and an extract from " Quite Early One Morning ".

And our '1904' artists, were not to be left out by any means! The subject theme for the night, set by the Chairman for the evening, Gareth Rees (top photo-centre), was “Old Land of my Fathers “ (the Welsh national anthem title, in English). And so the artists provided their own tribute to the Welsh members amongst us, with images of Wales including Rugby shirts, Daffodils, historical coal mining pits, Castles and Mountains and Traffic back to Wales!! ��

See the lovely portfolio of painting sketches, done on the night, below.

These painting sketches are also up on our Instagram site. Go to: https://www.instagram.com/bristol1904arts/

so that you can see them in much better detail.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! to you all!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 11:30:45 GMT

Snappers Annual Curtain Raiser:

Visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition - M-Shed

It has become customary that the Snappers ( Bristol 1904 Arts Photographic Group ) kick off their annual calendar of meetings and photoshoots with a visit to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition held at the M-Shed.

This visit reinforces to the members just how versatile the camera is. It also brings home just how tenacious one has to be to capture that perfect image. Or indeed how pure luck often plays a huge part in securing a mind blowing image. It is also inspirational for the photographers as they commence another twelve months of their own attempts to capture that WOW moment.

On the freezing cold but bright January 17th morning seven Snappers and one spouse made the visit. Roger Bonner; Peter Jones; Michael Hollyhead; Bill Phillips; Tony Lavelle; Martin Woodhead; Jonathan and Ruth Bolgar all met in the M-Shed Coffee Shop for a brief planning meeting and a much needed hot coffee or hot chocolate prior to entering the exhibition.

Further information is provided by the M-Shed's own website :
Wildlife Photographer of the Year captures the breath-taking diversity of the natural world.

From fascinating animal behaviour to remarkable species, 100 powerful photographs illustrate the precious beauty of our planet.

The images shine a light on stories from all over the world and convey the impact of human activity in ways that words cannot.

Now in its 58th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world. Launching in 1965, today the competition receives entries from over 90 countries all over the world.

Winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence by a panel of international experts.”

Don't forget to checkout our website - you might be interested in one or more of our fun Activity Groups as well as the primary Art and Entertainment features of our Bristol 1904 Arts members' club!

'1904' visit the Ken Stradling Collection

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 15:47:52 GMT

The Cultural Expeditions Group visited the Ken Stradling Collection & Design Centre

On Tuesday November 22nd 2022 ten BRISTOL 1904 ARTS members visited the Ken Stradling Collection and Design Study Centre, on Park Row, a stone’s throw from the Red Lodge. Just next to where the famous Princess Theatre used to be.

We had an excellent presentation from the curator revealing fascinating aspects of good interior design. Afterwards we enjoyed a fine lunch at the Flour House opposite the University of Bristol Theatre Collection.

The Stradling Collection is a remarkable collection of 20th and 21st century design and applied arts. It contains almost 2000 pieces of ceramics, glass, furniture and decorative objects. This extraordinary collection grew out of retail buying for a design shop – the Bristol Guild of Applied Art. The link is the home and the things we use and enjoy in it; from furniture to contemporary glass and ceramics. The gallery features changing displays from the Collection, or artworks created through the learning programme; sometimes the Ken Stradling exhibitions feature both. See: https://stradlingcollection.org/

The Collection holds important examples of modernist furniture by Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer for the Bristol manufacturer PE Gane. Crofton Gane was a passionate advocate of Modernism in the 1930s and was instrumental in introducing the style to the British public

Ken Stradling MBE honorary MA (Bristol) was a Bristol Grammar School educated Bristolian who became the Managing Director of the Bristol Guild. See: https://stradlingcollection.org/about-us/ken-stradling/

Paul Main, 1904 Cultural Lead

In Memoriam: George "Johnny" Johnson MBE DFM

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 16:43:40 GMT

A tribute to our Honorary Member, Johnny Johnson (RIP) - a true hero - a true legend!

Our genuinely esteemed Honorary Member, Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, MBE DFM , forever to be remembered as The Last Dambuster , died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday 7th December shortly after his 101st Birthday.

Hear his incredible story, here: bit.ly/3AFNPjV

Many members, past and present, will remember his stunning talk to the club, delivered as he did, without notes, on 3rd September 2014, held at St Mary Magdalene church because the structural repairs to our Performance Hall over the summer had not been completed. As Johnny mounted the platform, William Agnew played the Dambusters' March, timing it perfectly to coincide with the showing of an excerpt from the film depicting the attack on the dams and a returning Lancaster. 185 tickets were sold, and proceeds were split between our fabric fund and 617 Squadron Benevolent Fund. It was an exceptional morning.

The Minutes show Johnny first visited our Performance Hall in the Red Lodge in Park Row (Bristol City Centre) on the evening of 5th March 2014 when our then Chairman, Michael Brooks' subject for the artists was aptly entitled ‘The Winners’ . He was of course afforded the privilege of visiting the studio while the Red Feather Artists were painting.

To commemorate the visit, RF Pat Shipsides painted Johnny’s aircraft. ‘T’ for Tommy attacking the Sorpe Dam. One of just 3 copies was presented to Johnny that night and the depiction is so accurate that his daughter Jenny said, ‘When he goes, that’s the piece of his many items of memorabilia that I want to keep’. The painting was hung in his home at Westbury Fields and later in his room in the John Wills House. The original, signed by Johnny, hangs in the BRISTOL 1904 ARTS main Artist Studio - this is the painting you see above.

When Johnny was appointed an Honorary Member in 2015, William Agnew reprised his playing of the Dambusters March again which touched Johnny greatly. Regrettably, there is no official photograph of the occasion.

Johnny Johnson's proudest moment was his private audience with the late Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle - which lasted some 40 minutes compared to the usual allocation of 20 minutes and the Queen later in November 2017 personally presented him with his MBE.

A lovely, genuinely modest man and a true National Treasure has left us.

RIP Johnny Johnson.

University of Bristol Theatre Collection

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:34:29 GMT

A BRISTOL 1904 ARTS Cultural Event - Visiting the University of Bristol Theatre Collection

On Thursday December 1 ^st 2022 ten '1904' members, lead by Dr. Paul Main (Convenor of 1904's Cultural Expeditions Group) visited the Bristol University Theatre Collection, just a stone’s throw from the Red Lodge - home of BRISTOL 1904 ARTS .

We had an excellent presentation from the curator revealing fascinating aspects of the history of the Bristol Theatre Royal.

Afterward we enjoyed a fine lunch at the Flour House opposite the Theatre Collection. For '1904' members: if anyone would like to see some of their wonderful collection please contact Paul Main .

The Theatre Collection is one of the world’s largest archives of British theatre history and Live Art. It was founded in 1951 to support the establishment of Drama as an academic discipline in the UK and has grown to become one of the world’s leading collections relating to the history of British theatre and live art.

The Theatre Collection comprises over 140 named collections and archives, including actors and collectors Raymond Mander and Joe Mitchenson. It also holds artworks, audio visual material, costumes, designs, set models, playbills and programmes of this most ephemeral of art forms.

The collections are particularly strong from the late 18th century onwards and document life both onstage and offstage, providing a unique insight into theatre and live art, their creative processes and broader cultural contexts.

For more information, please checkout the University's YouTube video, linked HERE

Scottish Night @ Bristol 1904 Arts

Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:29:43 GMT

And the night belonged to Blue Feather and former Entertainment Warden, Andy McLaren, who chaired the evening in full and mighty Scottish attire.

So is it a sin to play jazz on a night devoted to the Scottish patron saint? Then if so, we sinned big time with our own '1904' Strollers Band! It was a great session with many of the your favourite jazz classics played and the guys were on fire with the bonus of guest flute and saxophone player, Gareth Williams!!

But later on, in deference to the fine heritage of Scottish traditional music we had Steve Price (the current Entertainment Warden) on banjo, James Heming on drums and Ian Watt on his magnificent accordion - bringing us on a musical voyage through the glens and highlands of Scotland.

Besides members, we had some 10 visitors on the night and you could feel enjoyment they were having on such a special night.

Green Feather Supper

Sun, 06 Nov 2022 16:59:01 GMT

A key event on the Bristol 1904 Calendar!

Around this time every year, about a month into our new season, BRISTOL 1904 ARTS has one of its key events in the calendar, we call the Green Feather Supper . The Society's Green Feathers are the General Members as distinct from the Entertainers (Blue Feathers) and Artists (Red Feathers) .

It's all just part of the fun of being a member: dressing up, a fine meal (humbly called a supper!), a few drinks, entertainment and each others good company.

And not to be missed is our quirky tradition of the "Calling for the Cheese" at the end of the meal and the subsequent, "Procession of the Cheese" and of course ... there's a silly '1904' song to go with procession, sung to the tune of The Quartermaster's Stores with more dressing up for those carrying the cheese ....

The Cheese is always stilton with grape and celery accompaniments and the main meal has reverted this year, to the old tradition of "Boiled Silverside of Beef" with Carrots and other veggies and Piccallilli Pickle. Believe you me ... it tastes much, much better than it might sound. (And Vegetarian options, of course, are available).

Same again next year, please !!!

'1904' Walkers Group in Tetbury

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:37:00 GMT

A recent Walkers Group visit to the countryside around Tetbury.

What a lovely little market town is Tetbury.

On a very pleasant day we gathered up and set out from the historic Great Market House building, you can't miss, right in the centre of Tetbury. We passed by the Parish Church (St. Mary the Virgin) which can be seen from miles around in the countryside!

Walking through the country roads and through the fields on a lovely day, chatting with our fellow walkers, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the marvellous views ... what could be better? Oh yes, it's the lunch of course!! ��

And we had our lunch (always the best part of the walk, in my view) at The Ormond at Tetbury. Good food, efficient service and great atmosphere.

Another enjoyable Walkers Group adventure.

Don't forget to checkout our website - you might be interested in one or more of our fun Activity Groups as well as the primary Art and Entertainment features of our Bristol 1904 Arts members' club!

Bristol Male Voice Choir at '1904'

Sun, 23 Oct 2022 11:53:58 GMT

The Bristol Male Voice Choir was a huge hit at Bristol 1904 Arts!

BRISTOL 1904 ARTS was delighted to host a public performance event with the Bristol Male Voice Choir (BMVC) last Friday - so we had both '1904' members as well as non-members from the public attending.

Notwithstanding the full compliment of the choir was not on stage, they put on one hell of a show and unexpectedly for us there was a surprise double performance by the Accompanist Clair Hiles and Musical Director Jo Scullin , jointly playing on the Bechstein Grand Piano, as an additional treat. Just marvellous!

The show opened with the very up-beat "When the Saints Go Marching In". Overall, the music and songs performed covered a broad palette covering Choir classics, Sea Shanties, Musicals, Classical and Jazz and finishing off with the rousing "You'll Never Walk Alone".

The BMVC has been a stalwart in the musical life of Bristol for 54 years with its contribution to fund-raising for c harities and with it s high standards of performance singing . Tours and visits have taken the choir to the USA (Singing in the Carnegie Hall, New York), Canada (Singing in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), France, Spain, Poland, Austria (Vienna Cathedral), Germany and also competing in the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival many times. They have sung in many Bristol venues, at weddings, anniversaries, Christmas and commemorative occasions, not only in English but also Welsh, German, and Italian.

To find out more about the BMVC checkout their website at bristolmvc.org.uk or follow BMVC on Facebook.

'1904' hosted by Bristol Museums Webinar

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 00:00:14 GMT

Bristol 1904 Arts to feature in a Lunchtime Talk - Bristol Museums Cultural Webinar discussion

BRISTOL 1904 ARTS is delighted to participate in a cultural and historic review discussion in one of the Bristol Museums' feature Lunchtime Talk webinars. This will be hosted by Karen Garvey, the Engagement Officer of Museum Events, part of the Bristol City Council's, Bristol Culture & Creative Industries initiative - a group showcasing Bristol's proud achievements and capabilities in creative and artistic endeavours.

The format is an illustrated talk on the history, aims and activities of Bristol 1904 Arts from its foundation in 1904 to the present day and will use the modern media of a Zoom Webinar to which all members of the public and interested persons are invited.

The Bristol 1904 Arts speaker is Michael Newstead , a longstanding member and current Chairman of the Society as well as being its Curator and a person well versed in its history, lore and artefacts - guaranteed to be an interesting presentation!

The Lunchtime Talk webinar will take place by Zoom Webinar between 1pm and 2pm, Thursday 17th November, 2022 . The webinar is Free of Charge but you need to book your place beforehand, as soon as possible, by going to the following link:

BOOK MY PLACE

and follow the instructions.

We look forward to having you at this fantastic event and thank Bristol Museums' Karen Garvey for this opportunity to present our wonderful Society, under its new name of Bristol 1904 Arts - a landmark institution in Bristol for over a hundred years!

Snappers Visit Ashton Court Mansion

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 12:25:39 GMT

Interesting "behind the scenes" expose of the renovations

The Photography Interest Group of Bristol 1904 Arts - known colloquially as " The Snappers " had a rare opportunity to view and photograph behind the scenes at Ashton Court Mansion.

Ashton Court has been the site of a manor house since the 11th century, and has been developed by a series of owners since then. From the 16th to 20th centuries it was owned by the Smyth family with each generation changing the house. It was used as a military hospital in the First World War and as an army transit camp during the Second World War. In 1946 the last of the Smyth family died and the house fell into disrepair before its purchase in 1959 by Bristol City Council.
(Reference: Bristol City Council’s official website)

Whilst the ground floor still retains much of the grandeur of past years and is a popular events and conference venue, the upper floors are quite a different story. Renovations that were started several years ago have now stalled due to lack of resources, leaving the majority of the rambling structure unusable.

On Monday 3rd October 2022 seven Snappers; Jonathan Bolgar; Bob Pigott; Bill Phillips; Peter Jones; Martin Woodhead; Michael Hollyhead; and Roger Bonner, had a unique opportunity to go behind the once elegant façade for a photoshoot in the now derelict parts of the mansion.

It was a ‘hard-hat’ experience with the exploring photographers gingerly moving from ruined room to ruined room as they worked their way up into the roof space. Some of the more intrepid actually went out on the roof. All in all it was an interesting ’back stage’ expose of this externally familiar landmark of which many Bristolians will have differing memories.

Cultural Events- from PEN to PRINT

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:01:34 GMT

A talk and presentation on Typography and ancient books development.

The leader of our 1904 Cultural Events & Excursions group, Dr. Paul Main invited a local expert, Gordon Young, to present his topic "From PEN to PRINT" to a group of interested members. This took place at one of our art studios in our Red Lodge home.

The presentation and talk covered many aspects of typography and its place in an historical context. He described the story of evolution from the scribe to the printed document and how some typefaces such as Roman and Italic won over against the Gothic typefaces which owe their derivation from the ancient church manuscripts.

The talk was made the more interesting with Gordon bringing many valuable books and document items to display and to illustrate the evolution and development of typographical techniques.

Gordon is a great presenter and you could see the passion and interest he had in the subject and how he was able to convey that to his audience.

Gordon, of course, is also well known to us in another capacity as being very involved in the several Cultural Event walks linked to the many Commemorative Plaques in the Clifton and Hotwells areas celebrating the lives of historical Artists, Scientists, Engineers and other historical figures.

Thank you Gordon !!

We're Making the News !!

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:31:02 GMT

... in the Bristol Post article dated 13th September, 2022

In an article written by Eugene Byrne for the Bristol Post , Eugene tells about our name change to Bristol 1904 Arts from the former "Bristol Savages" and he provides quite a comprehensive historical background to our club's foundation in 1904 and our developments over time.

While our original name of Bristol Savages was innocent enough back then (perhaps romantically naïve) but over recent times took on a more sinister interpretation - and it was indeed time to change to a new name that clearly represented who we are: BRISTOL being our focal point, 1904 representing our foundation and long history and ARTS representing both the fine arts and performing arts - the main function and purpose of our members' club.

And the article also refers to the many other activity aspects of our club including: our several formal dinners, our Annual Exhibition of Paintings (pictured above), our activity groups such as the Classic Car Group, Walkers Group, Photographic Group etc. that sets us apart from your regular art clubs and groups.

And in an illustration of how far we've come, Eugene rightly refers to our latest venture in hosting an Exhibition of African Art ( which is still currently running at the time of writing - up to the 25th September, 2022 ) - an exhibition called "Abolition is Now!" by The World Reimagined Group - see top image, for details.

Read the full Bristol Post article HERE

Checkout our short YouTube video HERE

US Jazz Quintet "Frog & Henry"

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 15:27:00 GMT

US Jazz Quintet "Frog & Henry" smashed it at their '1904' performance on Friday 02 Sep, 2022

This Frog & Henry New Orleans/Louisiana styled jazz group filled our hall to top capacity - with their sultry vocals and impeccable musicality. They're currently touring the UK's South West and were being put up by one of our own '1904' Blue Feather entertainers, Andy Leggett , himself an excellent sax and clarinet jazz player - who contacted me to know could they arrange to do a gig in our hall.

And it all happened very quickly - just 8-days between getting Andy's call to getting this very talented group on our platform stage and with a full house too. Both members and outside guest visitors attended. And Andy himself got to play some numbers with the band, too!!

Frog & Henry absolutely loved the acoustics of our hall and marvelled at the unique and iconic fixtures and antiquities and paid us the ultimate compliment; saying it was the best gig they'd done on tour and we tentatively have them booked in to perform again in April 2023. Already looking forward to that ... stay tuned!!

In the mean time checkout: www.FrogandHenry.com and FrogandHenry.bandcamp.com and

watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qS9yBTgYPGQ and https://youtu.be/VTyT_2Wzw1I

The (Snappers') Quenington Report

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 09:58:09 GMT

Snappers visit Quenington Fresh Air Sculpture Exhibition

As you might know, the Snappers are the Photography Interest Group of Bristol 1904 Arts.

A visit to Quenington has become a firm favourite in the Snappers' calendar. The pandemic created a break in the biennial cycle but on the 14th June, 2022, 12 Snappers and friends were again able to make the journey into the beautiful Cotswolds. It was a glorious day weather-wise and the camera shutters were working on overtime. Jonathan and Ruth Bolgar; Roger and Lorna Bonner; Bill and Jenny Phillips; Graham and Tegwen Evans; John Stone and Elizabeth; Tony Lavelle and Martin Woodhead all made the most of the bright sunshine; shadows; the blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds; the magnificent trees, shrubs and flower beds as backdrops for their photographs of the wide display of innovative works of art that were skillfully displayed to enhance the natural surroundings.

Extract from the exhibition flyer: ‘Fresh Air Sculpture is a biennial sculpture exhibition held in the expansive organic garden of The Old Rectory in the Cotswold village of Quenington and affords a unique opportunity to see a creative mixture of traditional , modern and cutting-edge sculpture in a stunning outdoor setting. The Old Rectory gardens offer vast lawns, joined by a bridge over the River Coln, hidden walkways through trees, pagodas and around tennis courts, beautiful flower and vegetable plots and large impressive green houses.’

Photographs courtesy of Jonathan Bolgar and Lorna Bonner.

Lord Mayor Opens our Exhibition

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:34:26 GMT

Our Bristol Lord Mayor opens the Bristol 1904 Arts, 111th Annual Exhibition of Paintings.

02 June, 2022:

John Bedford (President) welcomes visitors to the opening of the Bristol 1904 Arts 111th Annual Exhibition of Paintings and we are delighted that Bristol's new Lord Mayor, Cllr. Paula O'Rourke performed the official opening ceremony and she had some encouraging and upbeat words to convey about our event and Society - to the extent she purchased a piece of art herself !!

Thank you Lord Mayor!

The Exhibition finishes on Sunday 12 June at 4:30pm, so there's just a few more days to go ... so do come down and have a look at some marvellous works of Art.

The Exhibition is FREE of charge and you might just pick yourself up a bargain piece of art for a very reasonable price, as the Lord Mayor herself has done!!

https://www.Bristol1904Arts.org/Exhibition

The '1904' Annual House Dinner

Mon, 16 May 2022 14:33:18 GMT

And a most excellent dinner it was too ...

The Annual House Dinner is a key event in the Bristol 1904 Arts calendar. Shame then we missed our Centenary Dinner and even what we were calling our Centenary +1 Dinner, due to that dastardly COVID ... so you can imagine the anticipation when finally we could celebrate our House Dinner, very recently.

After a starter of Smoke Salmon Pillows with Lobster and Crab served with Rocket Leaves and Marie Rose Dressing we enjoyed a main dish of most beautiful Dijon Roasted Rack of Lamb stuffed with Mint Mousse served with a Red Wine Jus and Crushed Herb New Potatoes and accompanying vegetable selection ... mmm good; makes your mouth water, doesn't it?

Our Master of Ceremonies for the evening was the ever suave and entertaining David Baker. As part of the event we had a draw for two very fine paintings by our Red Feather Artists; Tim Wilmot (a Harbour Boat Scene) and Michael Long (a Landscape).

Our top table included amongst others, the Queens Representative, the Lord Lieutenant of Bristol - Mrs. Peaches Golding ; the Deputy Lord Mayor of Bristol - Andrew Varney and his consort Cllr. Jos Clark ; CEO of The Beacon - Ms. Louise Mitchell , the landmark Concert Hall in Bristol and facilitator of the Bristol Music Trust; our guest Principal Speaker - Sir John Royce ; President of the Grateful Society - Prof. Bhupinder Sandhu ; Master of the Antient Society of St. Stephen's Ringers - Judge James Patrick ; our own President - John Bedford and Chairman - Michael Newstead .

Entertainment was provided after the dinner by our own Blue Feather Entertainers, Michael Lunts - performing one-man show theatricality and song with piano, reminiscent of days of Noël Coward and for something completely different and more up to date; Steve Price on guitar singing country and soft rock songs.

At last the Annual House Dinner we had been waiting for and so marvellous to see it go so well.

Thank you to all our VIP Guests, our Entertainers, Catering and all the many others that contributed to make it happen.

ENGLISH NIGHT - on 20th April, 2022

Mon, 16 May 2022 11:07:13 GMT

A Celebration of Englishness ...

Just like the Irish Night, Welsh Night and Scottish Night before it and ahead of St. George's Day and HM The Queen's Birthday, of course '1904' had it's English Night - reported earlier on Instagram and other social media.

And in the Chair compering the evening in our club was the quintessentially English, Dr. Jonathan Bird who is one of our society's Joint Secretaries.

He was supported by Mark Blackmore (left) and Nigel Stafford (right) during the evening.

No surprise, the painting sketches by the artists and the evening's concert entertainments reflected everything English and the audience members and guests got off to a rousing start by singing "Jerusalem" which you can view by clicking the link below:

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AiPJAfpPRjBP5UdYZff6EVBZ5igm?e=Psca6r

. . . it's only 2 minutes long, so have a listen.

A great and fun evening!

www.Bristol1904Arts.org

Celebrating Jim Mearn's 104th Birthday

Sun, 15 May 2022 22:25:24 GMT

What a legend - this Blue Feather (Entertainer Member) !!

About 30 of us today had the distinct pleasure of attending the 104th birthday party of our oldest member (by a long margin) - Jim Mearns! What a legend he is.

He doesn't perform now but back in the day he was what we call a Blue Feather i.e. an Entertainment Member - a fine tenor and we played some of his earlier recordings at his party.

He was with his wife Margaret by his side and several of his Blue Feather colleagues paid tribute to Jim by performing at his party.

He was in top form and we're looking forward to his 105th celebration!!

Thank you Jim and great to see you looking so well.

__________________________________

Don't forget our Bristol 1904 Arts Open Day on this coming Saturday - 21st May 2022 - be entertained and be curious to what our Club is all about ... see: https://www.bristol1904arts.org/whats-on and don't forget our 111th Annual Exhibition of Paintings , daily between Friday 3rd June to Sunday 12th June, 2022 ... see https://www.bristol1904arts.org/exhibition

51st Blue Feather Supper @ '1904'

Sat, 26 Mar 2022 15:44:45 GMT

A Celebration by our Entertainer Members aka "The Blue Feathers"

With blue feathers strewn on blue table cloths it was time for the "Blue Feathers" (the entertainer members) and friends to have their night out. This is a celebration highlighting the work of the many members who entertain the Society's other members with their music, singing, jazz playing, recitation, magic shows etc.

Here we were, all dressed up to the nines with our bow ties at a jaunty angle and the ladies looking divine.

With the recent spike in Covid-19 cases and consequently with some members exercising extra caution we were reduced in numerical quantity but you might say not in quality.

We had a fabulous evening notwithstanding, with a great meal and fabulous entertainment on the night and everyone had a good time.

Bristol 1904 Arts - IRISH NIGHT

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 17:51:46 GMT

Having the 'craic' on Irish Night

So we recently celebrated 'Irish Night' down at Bristol 1904 Arts - just before St. Patrick's day. And in the Chair, as compere, we had a bona fide Irishman, Arthur Noonan - Joint Secretary of Bristol 1904 Arts. He suitably bedecked himself in national costume �� as you can see.

Also supporting Arthur on the night were Scotsman Ian Watt (also playing the accordion), Englishman Tony Beckingsale and Welshman Chris Torpy - there you go; an Englisman, an Irishman, a Scotsman and a Welshman but no punchline, I'm afraid.

Everyone enjoyed the Irish 'craic' on the night and to get a taste of the shenanigans, have a look yourself a short video at the following link:

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AuhZLkS3eGoFkMB1-SiB6XMDmU7k5A?e=8SAj4H

Enjoy!!

A Taste of TWO Piano Jazz

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 13:39:53 GMT

Two of our great jazz pianists come together for a session.

At one of our recent Wednesday Evening Art and Performance concerts, two of our longstanding Entertainer Members (we call them 'Blue Feathers') - Stuart 'Fingers' Potter and Alan Spedding joined forces, at short notice, to give us a session of "Two Piano Jazz" - yeah !! With Stuart (left) on the Bechstein grand piano and Alan (right) on the Bleuthner grand.

Alan also provided the jazz vocal. A little taste ... a little flavour of the session is recorded on the link below, for you.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AuhZLkS3eGoFkMRII8aHwYDVMZHidw?e=SJCBtC

Enjoy!

'1904' Avian Group @ Steart Marshes

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:38:50 GMT

Our Avian Group (Bird Watchers) travel to Wetlands at Steart Marshes.

On 24th February. members of the Avians visited the Wildfowl & Wetlands Steart Marshes site in Somerset at the mouth of the River Parrett. We were 25 in number and visited three of the available hides. The hides are necessary facilities in view of the weather, which was made up of strong winds augmented by rain and occasional horizontal hail. Nevertheless, 29 bird species were seen between us.

Lunch afterwards was enjoyed at the recently re-opened and much to be recommended Malt Shovel pub off the A39 east of Cannington.

Walkers Group Feb Foray to Painswick

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 11:43:49 GMT

Another great walk with our '1904' Walkers Group!

Another great walk with our '1904' Walkers Group ("the February Foray") - this time to the lovely little Cotswold town of Painswick, about an hour's drive from Bristol.

St. Mary's Church in Painswick has the most extraordinary feature of having 99 carefully maintained Yew trees in the Church and graveyard. A sight to be seen and to walk through.

The walk also took in the Rococo Gardens, about a kilometer outside the town, a major visitor attraction, particularly at this time of year to see the abundance of snowdrops in the gardens. And the Rococo Gardens have their own hedge maze - a bit sparse at the end of Winter but surely quite a-maze-ing by Spring and Summer, I'm thinking.

And the walk wouldn't be complete without our smashing lunch; this time at St. Michael's restaurant, serving delicious food by the Romanian owners.

Checkout our our Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bristol1904arts/ for a little video covering the walk. Enjoy!

Welsh Night at Bristol 1904 Arts

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 20:52:52 GMT

A Night of Total Welshness ...

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus!

Bristol 1904 Arts celebrated "Welsh Night" on Wednesday, 2nd March - the closest evening to St. David's Day on 1st March. From the opening Welsh anthem sung with passion by three of our Welsh Entertainment Members (aka Blue Feathers) - to the reading of Dylan Thomas and the several Welsh Folk Songs - you were almost Welsh for the night.

In the top photo we have our Chairman, Jonathan Price - a classical pianist at our '1904' Club who compered the evening, together with his three supporters. Jonathan, by his own admission, other than his surname, only had the vaguest of Welsh credentials but we didn't care ... the night was fun!

And in the main photo we have Blue Feather, Chris Torpy, in his 80th year and with 100% Welsh credentials reading an excerpt from Dylan Thomas', "The Outing" ... the story of a summer outing, by charabanc (old style coach) to Porthcawl ... as seen through the eyes of a young boy with his uncle and friends in what is really a thinly disguised pub crawl. And the way that Chris read it, with his melodious Welsh accent, even with different voices for the different characters ... well you could just listen to him forever! A remarkable storyteller and narrator.

And interspersed with all of that we had some Jazz and Magic performances and of course our traditional viewing and critique of the Artist Sketches.

Another great evening at Bristol 1904 Arts!

Celebrating our Founders' Day

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 14:44:30 GMT

An Annual Church Service on our Founders' Day followed by an Afternoon Tea

Every year we celebrate our Founder's Day with a Church Service in the Lord Mayor's Chapel (in Park Street, Bristol) that thanks God for the wonderful gift of Music, Art and the Companionship and Fellowship that goes with it.

We also thank our enlightened Founders' that created our Society in 1904 to make all this happen for us, all that time ago.
Both the current Lord Mayor, Cllr. Steve Smith and HM the Queen's High Sheriff of Bristol, Susan Davies very graciously attended our ceremony. The ceremony also included a choir from Bristol 1904 Arts with additional voices of member's wives and partners - a wonderful and spiritual occasion for all.

Following the Church Service, we battled the recent stormy weather, to get back to our '1904' hall to enjoy a prepared afternoon tea with, as Enid Blyton might have said: with lashings of cream and jam!!

Until next year ...

'1904' Snappers visit M-Shed Exhibition

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:03:39 GMT

Snappers visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition.

The Snappers (the '1904' Photographic Group) visit the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the M-Shed Museum, in Bristol on 15th February 2022.

For several years now the Snappers have kicked off their year with a visit to the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition that is always a feature of the M-Shed’s annual programme. This year the visit was delayed until February as there was a hope that the pandemic rules governing indoor activities might be a bit more relaxed. Unfortunately, the new date coincided with a day of incessant rain as such many of the visiting group arrived quite soggy in body but not in spirit.

The M-Shed website invites you to:

“Gaze through the lens of some of the world’s best wildlife photographers and marvel at the beauty of our planet. From curious underwater species to majestic soaring birds, immerse yourself in this year’s most remarkable nature photography and photojournalism. 100 powerful photographs tell the story of a planet under pressure, giving us a deeper understanding of the issues facing nature and the actions we need to take to protect it.

Now in its 57th year, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind showcasing the world’s most astonishing sights. Launching in 1965 when it attracted just 361 entries, today the competition receives 49,000 entries from all over the world. Each exhibited image has been selected by a panel of international experts and the winning images are selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence.”

During the post viewing coffee session the Snappers voiced their admiration, likes and dislikes, favourite images, and individual thoughts towards wildlife photography in general. However; the overriding consensus was for the high degree of excellence displayed in the collection.

The nine intrepid Snappers were: Bob Pigott; John Stone; Peter Jones; Tony Lavelle; Roger Bonner; Bill & Jenny Phillips; and Jonathan & Ruth Bolgar.

Bristol 1904 Arts - Walker's Group

Fri, 04 Feb 2022 16:39:02 GMT

A January Jaunt in and around the town of Monmouth!

One of the additional groups within the '1904' Club is the Walker's Group and we aim to organise a group walk monthly or so.

They're always great fun, sociable, not too strenuous and most importantly finish with with a nice lunch, typically in a country pub.

In this walk, our "January Jaunt", we all met up in Monmouth by the Monnow Bridge Gate and had a jolly jaunt around Monmouth town and by the river Wye.

The lunch was actually in the White Horse pub in the nearby town of Staunton - highly recommended, by the way!! ��

Check our little video montage at: www.instagram.com/p/CZj3DMqvS9-/

Snappers visit the Arnolfini Gallery

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 13:25:42 GMT

On Friday 14th January 2022, six of the Bristol 1904 Arts photographers (we call ourselves " the Snappers ") kicked off their new year with a visit to the Arnolfini Gallery to view ‘ Coming up for Air ’ a Retrospective of Bristol born photographer Stephen Gill’s work.

“The exhibition brought together new previously un-exhibited work, alongside works from other iconic series including Hackney Flowers, Buried, Talking to Ants, Night Procession, Pigeons, Coexistence and Coming up for Air. Also featuring the first UK presentation of images from award winning photographic series and book The Pillar , the exhibition explores Gill’s sense of place, traversing the flea markets and towpaths of Hackney Wick in London, to his current rural surroundings amidst the Swedish countryside” - as per the Arnolfini Website.

Covering two floors of the gallery the exhibition ensured that there was no shortage of images to view. However, the general consensus of opinion amongst the Snappers was that quantity does not necessarily equate to quality. But as with all art forms they are well aware that liking any particular form of art is subjective.

The visiting Snappers were: Jonathan Bolgar; Roger Bonner; Bill Phillips; Peter Jones; Tony Lavelle; and Geoff Wright.

A Covid Cautious - Yuletide Dinner

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 10:45:40 GMT

Another great Dinner Event in the '1904' Calendar.

Well this is a NEW item on the Bristol 1904 Arts social calendar ... kind of ... as it replaces what we used to call Ladies Night. As we have a growing band of women members, we "re-purposed the night", as the new business jargon might say.

Our venue hall looked resplendent in the wonderful decorations provided by a former President, Red Feather Artist, Mark Blackmore with a subtle theme of the Twelve Nights of Christmas - and predictably that was sung on the night with tables having their own verse(s) to contribute.

A Dinner with duck on the menu was a delightful and refreshing change - the whole meal was a delight.

And then the compering, 4 separate piano performance sessions each with different and contrasting styles and genres and the whole company and atmosphere made the whole night a treat and a welcome introduction to set off the coming festivities of Christmas.

As they say ... you had to be there!

Scottish Night at Bristol 1904 Arts

Fri, 17 Dec 2021 00:33:22 GMT

At Bristol 1904 Arts we celebrated Scottish Night on Wednesday 1st December, 2021

On our Wednesday program night of the 1st December, we celebrated "Scottish Night" and all things Scottish. This was the closest night to St. Andrew's day.

The platform stage and surrounds were suitably decorated with Thistle and Saltire iconic of Scotland and of course our Chairman for the evening was a Scot, Blue Feather (Entertainer) Ian Watt who himself entertained us with a variety of Scottish airs and dance tunes on his fabulous accordion.

A great lively night.

Later on, in the new year we'll have Welsh Night (~St. David's Day), Irish Night (~St. Patrick's Day) and finally English Night on the Wednesday close to St. George's Day.

REMEMBRANCE ...

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 21:32:04 GMT

Bristol 1904 Arts conducts it's annual Remembrance Event.

Bristol 1904 Arts conducted it's own annual Remembrance Event at our last Wednesday evening meeting, 10th November, 2021.

This poignant event included a bugler to sound out the Last Post, followed by a poppy wreath placing and Remembrance ceremony before a bugle reveille. Fittingly, our meeting Chairman for the evening was a retired Army Colonel member.

As Chairman for the evening his subject for our Red Feather artists was "Reflection" - a very apt subject; to remind us all to reflect on the sacrifice made by so many, in the past that we could live and enjoy the freedoms that we have today!

Some of the 2-hour Artist sketches you see here underline the "Reflection" theme so very well. Take time to reflect yourself and enjoy the paintings.

Bristol 1904 Arts @ Bristol Open Doors Days

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 10:34:25 GMT

Bristol 1904 Arts pulled off a spectacular 2-day event !!

Well our participation in Bristol Open Doors went swimmingly. Many packed events. We are delighted - this represents a great start to a rejuvenated Bristol 1904 Arts .

There were talks, magic performance, tours of our unique Club venue, painting demos, music performances ranging from classical, to jazz, country folk and accordion playing.

Lots of audience engagement from young and old which we were very happy about and a number of Membership enquiries, too!

Let’s do this again!

Don’t forget our next outing will be our 110th Annual Exhibition of Paintings 23-30 Oct, 2021 .

This Exhibition of Paintings will be open to the public. FREE Entry - See you then! ��

Visit to the Bristol Photo Festival 2021

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 15:33:05 GMT

1904 Snappers (our photographic group) visit to the Bristol Photo Festival 2021

On a very hot sweltering morning, 20th July, four Snappers and one partner, visited the four photographic exhibitions currently being hosted by the Bristol Museum. Jonathan and Ruth Bolgar, Roger Bonner, Davina Hockin and Tony Lavelle made up the intrepid group.

The four exhibitions viewed, form part of the Bristol Photo Festival that is a new and innovative festival celebrating the power and diversity of photography. It commissions and produces national, international solo and group exhibitions in a biennial festival, alongside an ongoing programme of talks, events, workshops and training.

The Snappers enjoyed, but also had their critiques, of the photos with a general agreement that the exhibits on display were not all to Snappers standards ... perhaps we are not too bad after all?

The exhibits represented a wide variety of life.

‘Island Life’ provides snapshots of life around post-war Britain by the Martin Parr Foundation ;
‘Lips Touched With Blood’ is a series of black and white images highlighting the iniquities of colonialism along with some stunning portraits of Africans by Sarah Waswa a Kenyan photographer ;
‘Beyond the Frame’ is a series of photographs that offers a post-colonial perspective on the paintings from the 18th century is presented by Heather Aguepong, Jessica Fairbrother and Lua Ribera ;
‘Ghanaian Modernism’ is a series of photographs from James Barnor that reveals aspects of the early Afro/Caribbean society in Britain as well as some of the first coloured photographs taken in Ghana.

The cool interiors of the museum was a welcome relief from the external unrelenting heat. To fully investigate the full range of photographs on view, was an exercise in 3-D map reading, around the many differing floor levels and myriad corners and corridors of the rambling museum building, as some images were located in distant corners and recesses.

Our Snappers (Photographic) Group

Sun, 23 May 2021 15:09:56 GMT

Snappers at Severn Beach - first field trip in quite a while!

The 20th May saw five Snappers take the opportunity of the easing of lock-down restrictions to visit Severn Beach for a photographic session.

Jonathan Bolgar, Roger Bonner, Peter Jones and Bob Pigott caught the train from Bristol and joined Martin Woodhead in Severn Beach for a few hours of photography and a lot of verbal catching up.

Despite regular monthly meetings through Zoom this was the group’s first physical meeting since September 2020 when they had made a similar excursion to Portishead Marina.

The very inconsistent May weather cooperated with the exercise and the day passed without any showers. Although the four railway travellers did get quite damp as they walked to their respective points of departure in the early morning.

Unfortunately it was a little overcast throughout the actual time spent on photography. Thus the sky was quite bland. However, the first and second Severn Crossings, the incoming tide, the huge skies and distant Welsh hills provided dramatic back drops for photographs of children on the beach, solitary fishermen hunched expectantly over skyward pointing rods, and huge driftwood logs stranded on the rocks and foot path.

All in all it was a very convivial way for the Snapping stalwarts to ease themselves back into the comradeship that photography offers.

Culture Group - Pandemic Notes

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 12:37:03 GMT

Thoughts on Cultural Activities during this Pandemic Period.

Many national institutions have upped their online presence during the Covid-19 pandemic. The National Portrait Gallery ( https://www.npg.org.uk/ ) has done this and it is a real treasure trove .

This is very important for the NPG as it is closed for refurbishment until Spring 2023. It is currently Women’s History month so articles/pod casts ranging from Emily Bronte to Sarah Gilbert (Oxford vaccine) via Mary Seacole (Crimea War).

Please explore this brilliant website if you are interested in portraiture and/or history.

Dr. Paul Main - Convenor and Leader of BRISTOL 1904 ARTS Cultural Activities Group.

Tea with the Lord Mayor, if you don't mind!

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 23:12:59 GMT

This is the Annual Founder's Day Event

From a year ago in February, 2020 before the nasty pandemic, we celebrated our Founder's day service, as we do annually, at the Lord Mayor's Chapel, in Park Street (Bristol). Afterwards we were delighted to serve afternoon tea to the Bristol Lord Mayor, Ms. Jos Clark and her Consort, Stephen Williams, at our meeting place and venue we call the Wigwam, part of the Red Lodge in Park Row.

We've got a swanky new Bar Area

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 23:09:27 GMT

A big investment made to upgrade the bar area!

Yes, I guess it was well overdue! But if there is any good news out of the Covid-19 Lockdown, it's that we've had the time and opportunity to design, commission and have the new bar installed.

This very much adds to the ambience of our "Wigwam" Events and Meeting Hall.

Created in a dark oak wood, it is designed to merge in sympathetically with the other dark woods surrounding it.

There will also be facilities to serve tea and coffee and serve light snacks - especially around lunch time - where we are aiming in the future to perhaps have lunch time talks, musical and other events.

The new bar now, really does look "the business"

Well, we're back !!

Sun, 21 Feb 2021 23:04:19 GMT

Formerly known as Bristol Savages, we are now proudly Bristol 1904 Arts.

Formerly known as Bristol Savages - after lots of reflection and consultation both externally and within, we've changed our name after 116 years to Bristol 1904 Arts . A NEW name that reflects our home base " Bristol "; our origins in " 1904" and what we are about, " Arts ".

The new name simply says it all.

At the same time, going forward, we will welcome ladies to our membership. Ladies were always a big part of our society, with two set piece dinners in the annual schedule, involvement in the Interest Groups e.g. Walkers, Golf, Avian groups as well as the open "Let's Talk" mornings, Art Classes etc. Historically, when the society had up to a five year waiting list for entry there seemed not to be the urgency to admit women, at the time.

But times have changed and we hope to attract independent women members as Artists (Red Feathers) , Musicians & Entertainers (Blue Feathers) and general members (Green Feathers) as well as perhaps some interested spouses of existing members.

We have commenced decommissioning some of the more historically masculine elements of our Society and Club, such as the trophy animal heads and ancient weaponry to make our events and premises more welcoming for all.

So indeed WELCOME TO ALL!