Arts4Kent is a fund-raising charity which raises funds for the arts by organising an annual programme of events in London and the South East, including art- and architecture-related walks, lectures, visits to art exhibitions, historic homes and buildings (many not normally open to the public) and also the occasional foreign trip.

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NEWS

Thank you so much for your support of recent events. Our visit to Leighton House last month sold out immediately and Ian Swankie’s walking tour around the City of London’s private parks and pocket gardens in June is so popular we have organised a second visit on the same day.

Booking is now open for our visit to Firle Place on Tuesday 1st July and there are still a few places available for the 3 day visit to Suffolk in September.

Details on how to book both are below.

Also we are delighted to announce that Antony Penrose will be talking to us about his mother, the photographer, Lee Miller and the making of the recent film Lee, staring Kate Winslet at the Kippington Lecture on Friday 24th October.

Other dates for the diary can be found at the bottom of this email.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

FIRLE PLACE

A private guided tour

Tuesday 1st July

Time: 10.30 for 11.00 am

Join us for a guided tour of Firle Place, the home of the Gage family for over 500 years. The Grade 1 Listed House contains an exquisite collection of art treasures including Old Master portraits by Van Dyck, Reynolds, Gainsborough and Zoffany. There is a curated ensemble of English and European furniture and a significant collection of Sevres porcelain.

Please note that much of the tour will be on the first floor of the house and access is via a wide staircase with a handrail (there is no lift).

We will assemble at the house at 10.30 a.m. Coffee and tea will be provided before the private tour which will begin at 11.00 a.m. The tour will last about an hour, after which you will be able to walk in the grounds.

Additional attractions in the area are the village of Firle and for keen walkers, Firle Beacon which has a paying car park with direct access to the South Downs Way. Firle is approximately 4 miles from the historic county town of Lewes.

TIckets: £35.00 per person

To join this visit please contact Veronica Knight at veronicaknight425@gmail.com

CONTACT VERONICA

SUFFOLK

A 3 NIGHT COACH TOUR BASED IN BURY ST EDMUNDS

Monday 22nd - Thursday 25th September

Join us for a wonderful tour around Suffolk visiting the Ickworth Estate, Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury, Long Melford, Flatford for a guided tour of Constable Country and The Munnings Art Museum in Lavenham. We are also very fortunate to have organised a private tour of Kentwell Hall which is in private hands and Audley End House and Garden.

We will be based at the historic 4 star Angel Hotel in Bury St Edmunds.

To receive a brochure with all the information about this wonderful tour, please contact Jane Johnson at jane.beaugie@me.com or 01580 447940

CONTACT JANE

ANTONY PENROSE: THE MAKING OF ‘LEE’

The Kippington Centre, Sevenoaks

Friday 24th October

Antony Penrose is the son of the American photographer Lee Miller, fashion model for Vogue and Vanity Fair, surrealist photographer, fashion photographer, war correspondent, combat photographer, and celebrity chef. He will take us on the behind-the-scenes story of the decade long journey to the release of the major feature film ‘LEE’, starring Kate Winslet.

The movie is based on Antony’s biography of his mother, The Lives of Lee Miller published in 1985. LEE is the final iteration, begun by Troy Lum, of the Australian company Hopscotch. Kate Winslet became a producer, shaping the movie as a result of the weeks she spent immersed in the Lee Miller Archives. She appointed the director, Ellen Kuras, screen writers Marion Hume and Liz Hannah and UK producer Kate Solomon, all of whom are women. LEE owes its integrity and authenticity to being a film about a woman made by women. Antony was closely involved with the production as Factual Consultant.

DATES FOR THE DIARY: OTHER EVENTS IN 2025

Friday 5th December - Penshurst Housekeepers’ Tour (a repeat visit of this popular tour)
Tuesday 9th December - Turner and Constable Exhibition at Tate Britain

RECENT EVENTS

WHICH ARTS4KENT MEMBERS HAVE ENJOYED

LEIGHTON HOUSE

April 2025

A sell out tour of the wonderfully eclectic home of Lord Frederick Leighton.

Angela, our Tour Guide, was excellent, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and thoroughly entertaining. The artefacts, whether paintings, sculptures or furniture together with the overall design of the house combined to give us an exceptional experience into the life of an absolutely extraordinary person.

To also experience a glimpse of Leighton as a Landscape Artist in the Exhibition Space was an unexpected delight after our Tour around the House.

‘I never knew the house was so beautiful; a gem!'

‘A wonderful experience and the house far exceeded my expectations’