The Royal Oak Foundation

Zoom | Essex: England’s Quiet Corner
2025-05-28 17:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom Meeting
Bourne Mill, Essex ©National Trust Images/Megan Taylor
Join Royal Oak for a captivating digital tour of Essex, a county rich in history, natural beauty, and architectural treasures. Led by tour guide Rob Smith, we will explore this southern, low-lying region, home to one of England’s longest coastlines, ancient forests, and charming villages. We will explore Colchester, Britain’s oldest recorded town, where significant Roman ruins—including a Roman wall—offer a glimpse into the past. Nearby, picturesque Bourne Mill, originally built as a fishing lodge, was later transformed into a 72-bucket watermill that produced the high-quality woolen cloth for which 17th-century Essex was famous. Just a short walk away, visitors will find some of the area’s most celebrated inns and pubs. We will venture to Paycocke’s House, a stunning Tudor merchant’s home adorned with intricate woodcarvings and paneling—an enduring testament to the wealth generated by Essex’s prosperous cloth trade. However, no area highlights the outstanding natural beauty of Essex as Blackwater Estuary. This important coastal area is the oldest recorded battlefield in England. Copt Hall Marshes are a remote producing farm along the estuary with an incredible breeding area for birds and waterfowl. Northey Island, a remote tidal island—the single largest block of saltmarsh in Blackwater—is the closest you will get to true Essex wilderness and home to many protected bird species. Travel with us digitally as we explore this quiet county, highlighting incredible areas of natural beauty.
Tickets: $30 members*; $40 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Essex: England’s Quiet Corner
2025-05-29 12:00 - 2025-06-30 12:00 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

NYC | Printing Presses at Bowne
2025-05-31 16:30 - 18:00 | Bowne & Co. Stationers, 211 Water St, New York, NY, 10038, United States
Step back in time as we visit Bowne & Co., a unique New York gem that brings the art of letterpress printing to life. Located at the South Street Seaport Museum, this historic print shop continues the centuries-old tradition of small-batch printing, using original equipment from the museum’s collection. Printing was central to the economy as every business and transaction required receipts, bills, advertisements, and certificates, and printers like Bowne & Co. filled those needs. Established in 1775, the original Bowne & Co., Inc. was one of the city’s oldest printing firms. Today, its namesake carries on this legacy, producing beautifully crafted letterpress prints visiting authentic 19th-century techniques. During our visit, a Bowne & Co. designer will demonstrate the process of setting and locking up limited-edition designs, highlighting some of the more eccentric pieces from the museum’s printing and graphic arts collection. The experience includes a look at the museum’s collection of historic printing equipment in action, culminating in the chance to print your own creation to take home.
Location: Bowne & Co. Stationers, 211 Water St, New York, NY 10038
Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

CANCELED - NYC | Revealing Forgotten Stories through Conservation
2025-06-03 18:15 - 20:00 | NY
This in-person program has been canceled. You can register for the recording at: https://www.royal-oak.org/event/zoom-rental-revealing-forgotten-stories-through-conservation/
The National Trust cares for over 500 historic places, many of which have been central to defining moments in history. Yet, beyond the famous places and historical figures that remain touchstones of our cultural legacy, the Trust also cares for a vast collection of over one million objects. As the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio has become a pioneering hub for the preservation of the NT’s collection, it is no surprise that conservators have made new discoveries about NT objects through close observation and technical study. Conservation projects span a remarkable range—from some of the Trust’s smallest yet most iconic treasures, like the plate of ham featured in Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice, to large-scale, multi-disciplinary undertakings such as the restoration of the upholstered Dolphin Chairs from Ham House. These efforts have not only preserved but also identified and revealed original surfaces and colours once thought lost. Our conservators’ work continues to deepen understanding of art history, revealing everything from previously unnoticed alterations in Jacob Tintoretto’s The Wise and Foolish Virgins, c.1546, at Upton House to fresh evidence of Claude Monet’s working methods in Charing Cross Bridge (1902) at Chartwell. In her in-person NYC lecture, Emma S. will update ROF members and friends and speak about new and upcoming conservation projects at the ROF Studio. She will also describe some of the hidden stories uncovered by conservators that have added new layers of significance and interest to objects in the NT’s collection.

Zoom Rental | Revealing Forgotten Stories through Conservation
2025-06-04 12:00 - 2025-06-30 23:30 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
The National Trust cares for over 500 historic places, many of which have been central to defining moments in history. Yet, beyond the famous places and historical figures that remain touchstones of our cultural legacy, the Trust also cares for a vast collection of over one million objects. As the Royal Oak Foundation Conservation Studio has become a pioneering hub for the preservation of the NT’s collection, it is no surprise that conservators have made new discoveries about NT objects through close observation and technical study. Conservation projects span a remarkable range—from some of the Trust’s smallest yet most iconic treasures, like the plate of ham featured in Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice, to large-scale, multi-disciplinary undertakings such as the restoration of the upholstered Dolphin Chairs from Ham House. These efforts have not only preserved but also identified and revealed original surfaces and colours once thought lost. Our conservators’ work continues to deepen understanding of art history, revealing everything from previously unnoticed alterations in Jacob Tintoretto’s The Wise and Foolish Virgins, c.1546, at Upton House to fresh evidence of Claude Monet’s working methods in Charing Cross Bridge (1902) at Chartwell. In her lecture, Emma S. will update ROF members and friends and speak about new and upcoming conservation projects at the ROF Studio. She will also describe some of the hidden stories uncovered by conservators that have added new layers of significance and interest to objects in the NT’s collection.

Dallas | Flaming June: The Making of an Icon with Patrick Monahan
2025-06-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Meadows Museum at SMU, 5900 Bishop Blvd., Dallas, 75205, United States
Frederic Leighton, Flaming June, 1895, Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico
Join us in Dallas, TX.
In-person Only!
Lord Leighton’s Flaming June, now on view at the Meadows Museum, is heralded as a masterpiece of Victorian painting. Yet, its path to recognition was far from straightforward. Created in 1895, during the twilight of the Victorian era, the painting quickly fell into obscurity. By the mid-20th century, it had vanished from public view—until its astonishing rediscovery in 1964, hidden behind a fireplace in a Clapham house set for demolition. Through a most unexpected sequence of events, the painting’s fame was rekindled, and today it is a highlight of the collection of the Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico, known as the “Mona Lisa of the Southern Hemisphere.” Join Patrick Monahan—advisor to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, and contributor to Country Life and Vanity Fair—as he unravels the extraordinary transatlantic journey of this iconic painting, from forgotten relic to one of the world’s most beloved artworks.

Patrick Monahan is a writer and independent art advisor, specializing in British paintings, drawings, and sculpture from the eighteenth century to the present. A native New Yorker, he is consulted by collectors and museums on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Museo de Arte de Ponce, Puerto Rico. His written work appears in Country Life and Vanity Fair, as well as in the exhibition catalogue “Flaming June: the making of an icon,” Leighton House, London, 2016. He holds an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge as well as a BA from the University of Chicago, both in art history. He lives and works in New York City, with regular visits to London.

Thursday, June 5th
Location: Meadows Museum at SMU
In-Person: 6:00pm (CT), Lecture will be followed by a reception
Tickets: Free to ROF and Meadows Members; $15 for non-members

Zoom Rental | Gardens of Glass
2025-08-28 12:00 - 2025-12-30 12:00 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
Trelissick Garden, Cornwall
With the global expansion of 17th-century European trade networks, plant collecting became a matter of both economic and intellectual interest in Britain. Exotic fruits and flowers were prized as prestigious displays of wealth and refinement, fueling an obsession with horticulture among the elite. The fascination began with pineapples and soon extended to citrus trees; a trend particularly championed by King William III. By the late 18th century, a glass house or ‘greenhouse’ was an architectural mark of a gentleman’s garden, even if it was only to grow delicate fruits such as apricots or peaches. John Goodall, Architectural Editor at Country Life, will trace the rise, fall, and revival of Britain’s historic glasshouses, exploring their cultural significance and the renewed interest in their restoration today.
John Goodall – Architectural Editor – Country Life
John Goodall has been architectural editor at Country Life since 2007 and has contributed to CL since 1994. He is the author of several books, including English House Style: From the Archives of Country Life and The English Castle (2011). English Castle received numerous accolades: the 2011 Alice Davis Hitchcock Medallion and the 2013 Historians of British Art Book Prize (pre-1800). The work also received the G. T. Clark Prize for 2007–2012. He read history at Durham University and took an MA and Ph.D. in architectural history from the Courtauld Institute of Art. In 2003 he joined English Heritage as a senior properties historian. He had written several guidebooks for both English Heritage and the National Trust. He acted in 2007 as series consultant for the BBC 1 series How We Built Britain. Other projects include contributions to the photographic book The English Cathedral by Peter Marlow. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2001. Goodall is a patron of the Castle Studies Trust, a UK registered charity founded in 2012.
Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom | Gainsborough House & Exhibition: Masterpieces from Kenwood
2025-09-25 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Meeting
Reopened in 2022 after a transformational refurbishment, Gainsborough House in Suffolk is the National Centre for the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). The house combines the artist’s childhood home—a Grade I, 18th-century merchant brick town house—with new exhibition galleries and facilities. The house holds the world’s largest single concentration of Gainsborough’s work and presents the artist’s life and legacy through dynamic exhibitions. Emma Boyd, the Keeper of Art and Place, will take us on a virtual tour, showing remaining parts of the old house including the hall and oak doorway dating back to the 16th century. She will describe the history of the house (which stayed in the artist’s family until 1792) and illustrate the current exhibition, Masterpieces from Kenwood:The Splendour of British and French Painting (May 9–October 19, 2025). The show features 18th-century masterpieces by both British and French artists, including Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, Angelica Kauffmann, and François Boucher. These masterpieces, on loan from Kenwood House and collected by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847–1927), are displayed alongside the work by Gainsborough. Ms. Boyd will show these outstanding paintings and reveal how Gainsborough’s art fits within the broader context of the artistic work created by his British and French contemporaries.
Tickets: $25 members*; $35 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Gainsborough House & Exhibition: Masterpieces from Kenwood
2025-09-26 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
Reopened in 2022 after a transformational refurbishment, Gainsborough House in Suffolk is the National Centre for the artist Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). The house combines the artist’s childhood home—a Grade I, 18th-century merchant brick town house—with new exhibition galleries and facilities. The house holds the world’s largest single concentration of Gainsborough’s work and presents the artist’s life and legacy through dynamic exhibitions. Emma Boyd, the Keeper of Art and Place, will take us on a virtual tour, showing remaining parts of the old house including the hall and oak doorway dating back to the 16th century. She will describe the history of the house (which stayed in the artist’s family until 1792) and illustrate the current exhibition, Masterpieces from Kenwood: The Splendour of British and French Painting (May 9–October 19, 2025). The show features 18th-century masterpieces by both British and French artists, including Sir Joshua Reynolds, George Romney, Angelica Kauffmann, and François Boucher. These masterpieces, on loan from Kenwood House and collected by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh (1847–1927), are displayed alongside the work by Gainsborough. Ms. Boyd will show these outstanding paintings and reveal how Gainsborough’s art fits within the broader context of the artistic work created by his British and French contemporaries.
Tickets: $25 members*; $35 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom | Feeding the City: London’s Iconic Food and Drink Factories
2025-09-29 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom Meeting
London was the largest city in the world during the 19th century, with an appetite to match. As the city’s population exploded, food and drink needed to be produced on an unprecedented industrial scale. In response, sprawling factories sprang up across the capital, churning out everything from biscuits to gin. Some of these London historic food sites remain active today, while others have been repurposed, leaving behind only traces of their industrial legacy. Through this fascinating virtual tour, Rob Smith will take us back to London’s flavorful past as he explores the food factories that helped feed the population of the metropolis. We will explore the story of the Lyle’s Golden Syrup factory in Silvertown—founded in the 1880s and operating today—producing its famous syrup in the world’s oldest branded packaging. We will learn about McVities in Harlesden, home to beloved British biscuits like the Digestive and Jaffa Cakes, and we will explore what became of Gordon’s Gin distillery, once a powerhouse in Clerkenwell. We will also virtually visit the former Sarsons’ vinegar works in Bermondsey, whose towering vats now house creative studios. Rob will reveal what life was like for the factory workers, the production innovations that shaped their industries, and the legacy left by these factories that shaped London’s culinary and urban history.
Tickets: $30 members*; $40 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Feeding the City: London’s Iconic Food and Drink Factories
2025-09-30 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

Zoom | British Abroad: The Grand Tour
2025-10-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
For young men of the 18th-century English social elite, extended travel for pleasure on the Continent came to be seen as an essential component of a well-rounded education. The Grand Tour also served as an important social marker for noblemen and aristocratic gentlemen who had completed their English schooling but were not yet old enough to assume control of their estates. The conventional Grand Tour was generally limited to France and Italy, although some ventured further afield to Switzerland, Germany, or the Low Countries. In his lecture, historian Jeremy Black MBE will explore the experiences of those who undertook the Grand Tour. Using private diaries and personal letters, he will present a fresh perspective on how British aristocrats experienced their travels—from accommodations, transport, food, and souvenirs (such as artworks and sculptures brought back to fill country houses) to entertainment expenses, tipping, and gambling or drinking money. He will also address the hazards faced by travelers, including the dangers of war, illness (sometimes fatal), carriage accidents, and crime. Dr. Black will focus on the realities of the journey, moving beyond the idealized version often portrayed in literature and history. Finally, he will discuss how the Grand Tour shaped both its participants and broader British culture.
Jeremy Black MBE, is a renowned English historian and former Professor of History at the University of Exeter. He graduated from Cambridge and did postgraduate work at Oxford. A prolific author and lecturer, he has written over 100 books, with a particular focus on 18th-century British, European, and American political, diplomatic, and military history. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Philadelphia.
Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | British Abroad: The Grand Tour
2025-10-08 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

NYC | All Aboard!: Dining in Transit
2025-10-09 15:00 - 16:30 | The New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10036, United States
Join us for a guided tour of the Dining in Transit exhibition at the New York Historical Society as we explore the golden age of travel through the lens of food and menus. This docent-led tour will trace how ocean liners, luxury trains, and early commercial airlines used fine dining to elevate the passenger experience and also build early 20th-century brand loyalty. We will discover how French chefs, holiday menus, and elegant tableware helped define travel culture while viewing an array of objects—from fascinating souvenir menus and promotional recipe books to collectible dishware. Our tour also will shed light on complex labor histories, including the Pullman Company’s recruitment of formerly enslaved Black men as cooks and waiters. We will also explore the strict physical criteria airlines previously considered when hiring female flight attendants. Tour highlights include a dazzling selection of vintage menus from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, midcentury railroad and airline recipe books, and insig hts into the evolving food trends that shaped meals at sea, on the rails, and in the air.

Please contact Aliza at 212-480-2889 x200 or zoom@royal-oak.org for registration.
MEETING PLACE:
The New York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West
Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

NYC | Modern Aristocrats: Ancestral Houses and Their Stories
2025-10-22 18:15 - 20:00 | The General Society Library, 20 W. 44th Street, New York City, 10036, United States
The history of England and the British people is inextricably linked with the stories of its leading aristocratic dynasties, and the seats they have occupied for centuries. These houses have survived great wars, economic upheavals, and at times scandal and tragedy. James Reginato, writer-at-large for Vanity Fair, will showcase several of his favorite British stately homes, in England, Ireland, Italy, and the Caribbean. He will tell the behind-the-scenes stories and also illustrate their interiors—such as Broughton Castle, home of the 21st Baron Saye and Sele and The Grove in Oxfordshire, home of Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lady Pamela Hicks. Mr. Reginato will then join architectural historian and editor George McNeely to discuss the history of these aristocratic families and their country houses. They will also answer questions about how these modern stewards and new generation of aristocrats keep these stately homes going in high style.
James Reginato has been a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair since 2009. He has landed rare interviews with some of the world’s most elusive individuals in their extraordinary homes including Bunny Mellon, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales), Highness Prince Karim, the Aga Khan and others. A contributing editor of Sotheby’s Magazine he has also served as Editor-at-Large for Architectural Digest. His work appears in WSJ, Town & Country, The Financial Times and W Magazine where he was previously the Features Director. Mr. Reginato received a B.A. from Columbia University. He is the author of Growing up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty. His first book, Great Houses, Modern Aristocrats, on which his lecture is based, presents an intimate look at some of Great Britain’s stateliest houses and the families who live inside them.
George McNeely is an architectural historian, editor, and charity auctioneer. He graduated from Princeton University and has an MBA from Columbia Business School. He was Vice President for Strategic & International Affairs at World Monuments Fund until 2016. Previously, he worked for 15 years at Christie’s Auction House as a Senior Vice President in Business Development. He regularly lectures about the history of art and architecture, the art and auction market, and cultural heritage preservation.
Online ticketing is now closed. Please call 212-480-2889 x200 to purchase tickets by phone or tickets can be purchased at the door.
Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Modern Aristocrats: Ancestral Houses and Their Stories
2025-10-23 12:00 - 2025-12-31 23:30 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
The history of England and the British people is inextricably linked with the stories of its leading aristocratic dynasties, and the seats they have occupied for centuries. These houses have survived great wars, economic upheavals, and at times scandal and tragedy. James Reginato, writer-at-large for Vanity Fair, will showcase several of his favorite British stately homes, in England, Ireland, Italy, and the Caribbean. He will tell the behind-the-scenes stories and also illustrate their interiors—such as Broughton Castle, home of the 21st Baron Saye and Sele and The Grove in Oxfordshire, home of Countess Mountbatten of Burma and Lady Pamela Hicks. Mr. Reginato will then join architectural historian and editor George McNeely to discuss the history of these aristocratic families and their country houses. They will also answer questions about how these modern stewards and new generation of aristocrats keep these stately homes going in high style.
James Reginato has been a writer-at-large for Vanity Fair since 2009. He has landed rare interviews with some of the world’s most elusive individuals in their extraordinary homes including Bunny Mellon, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales), Highness Prince Karim, the Aga Khan and others. A contributing editor of Sotheby’s Magazine he has also served as Editor-at-Large for Architectural Digest. His work appears in WSJ, Town & Country, The Financial Times and W Magazine where he was previously the Features Director. Mr. Reginato received a B.A. from Columbia University. He is the author of Growing up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty. His first book, Great Houses, Modern Aristocrats, on which his lecture is based, presents an intimate look at some of Great Britain’s stateliest houses and the families who live inside them.
George McNeely is an architectural historian, editor, and charity auctioneer. He graduated from Princeton University and has an MBA from Columbia Business School. He was Vice President for Strategic & International Affairs at World Monuments Fund until 2016. Previously, he worked for 15 years at Christie’s Auction House as a Senior Vice President in Business Development. He regularly lectures about the history of art and architecture, the art and auction market, and cultural heritage preservation.
Tickets: $20 members*; $30 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom | Meeting Churchill: Personal Encounters
2025-10-28 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
The Churchills at breakfast at Chartwell, Kent ©NT/Anthony Lambert
In his ninety years of life – an incredible span reaching from the autumn of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1874 to the rise of the Rolling Stones in 1965 – Winston Churchill had encounters with the most extraordinary range of people. From Gandhi to Albert Einstein; HG Wells to Charlie Chaplin; Ethel Barrymore to Maria Callas; Harry S Truman to Joseph Stalin to Queen Elizabeth II. Churchill is remembered best as an inspirational war leader and a young army adventurer. But his vividly rich life also encompassed friendships with – among many others – a Bolshevik ambassador, artists like Walter Sickert, actors like Laurence Olivier and poets like Rupert Brooke. Through the eyes and recollections of all these people, one starts to glimpse and understand new depths in Churchill: his character, his passions, his follies –not to mention his amazing propensity for bursting into tears at the slightest provocation!
Sinclair McKay writes for the Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday and The Spectator. He is a literary critic for the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. He has published extensively on Bletchley Park and codebreakers in his books, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, and Bletchley Park Brainteasers. Among his other books include Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness (2020) and Meeting Churchill: A Life in 90 Encounters (2023). His upcoming book St. Petersburg: Sacrifice and Redemption in the City That Defied Hitler, is due to be released in October 2025.

Sinclair McKay writes for the Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday and The Spectator. He is a literary critic for the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. He has published extensively on Bletchley Park and codebreakers in his books, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, and Bletchley Park Brainteasers. Among his other books include Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness (2020) and Meeting Churchill: A Life in 90 Encounters (2023). His upcoming book St. Petersburg: Sacrifice and Redemption in the City That Defied Hitler, is due to be released in October 2025.
Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Meeting Churchill: Personal Encounters
2025-10-29 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States
The Churchills at breakfast at Chartwell, Kent ©NT/Anthony Lambert
In his ninety years of life – an incredible span reaching from the autumn of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1874 to the rise of the Rolling Stones in 1965 – Winston Churchill had encounters with the most extraordinary range of people. From Gandhi to Albert Einstein; HG Wells to Charlie Chaplin; Ethel Barrymore to Maria Callas; Harry S Truman to Joseph Stalin to Queen Elizabeth II. Churchill is remembered best as an inspirational war leader and a young army adventurer. But his vividly rich life also encompassed friendships with – among many others – a Bolshevik ambassador, artists like Walter Sickert, actors like Laurence Olivier and poets like Rupert Brooke. Through the eyes and recollections of all these people, one starts to glimpse and understand new depths in Churchill: his character, his passions, his follies –not to mention his amazing propensity for bursting into tears at the slightest provocation!
Sinclair McKay writes for the Daily Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday and The Spectator. He is a literary critic for the Daily Telegraph and The Spectator. He has published extensively on Bletchley Park and codebreakers in his books, The Secret Life of Bletchley Park, The Secret Listeners, and Bletchley Park Brainteasers. Among his other books include Dresden: The Fire and the Darkness (2020) and Meeting Churchill: A Life in 90 Encounters (2023). His upcoming book St. Petersburg: Sacrifice and Redemption in the City That Defied Hitler, is due to be released in October 2025.
Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom | Gardens in Jane Austen's Works
2025-10-29 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
This program will be rescheduled for a later date.
With the rise of the English landscape movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, gardens became a reflection of taste, fashion, and social ambition. The sweeping designs of Capability Brown and the picturesque visions of Humphry Repton reshaped the countryside, while at the same time, an expanding global plant trade introduced new flowers and shrubs into Regency gardens. These developments were more than aesthetic—they carried cultural, economic, and even political significance, shaping the very spaces Jane Austen and her contemporaries inhabited. Molly Williams, author of Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels will trace the history of these gardens and the plants that filled them, revealing how horticulture and literature together illuminate Austen’s Regency world.

Molly Williams is the author of Jane Austen’s Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels; The Junior Plant Lover’s Handbook: A Green-Thumb Guide for Kids; How to Speak Flower; Taming the Potted Beast: The Strange and Sensational History of the Not-So-Humble Houseplant; and Killer Plants: Growing and Caring for Flytraps, Pitcher Plants and Other Deadly Flora. Molly is a Gates Cambridge scholar and PhD student at the University of Cambridge, where she studies nineteenth century literature and horticulture. She is an avid houseplant collector, gardener, florist, and teacher of many things, including creative writing. If you would like to reach her, she’s probably in a greenhouse somewhere, or you can visit her Instagram — @theplantladi.

CLICK HERE to Purchase the Book!

Zoom Rental | Gardens in Jane Austen's Works
2025-10-30 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

Zoom | Glassware, Stone and Beer: Lambeth’s Lost Industry
2025-10-30 13:00 - 14:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
Delve into the rich but often overlooked industrial past of Lambeth, once a thriving hub of craftsmanship and production along the Thames. Guided by Richard Watkins, this virtual tour explores the legacy of the industries that once defined the South Bank—from the artistry of Coade Stone, a remarkable artificial stone used in architecture across London, to the decorative ceramics of Doulton’s, and the bustling activity of the Lion Brewery, where barrels of beer once flowed toward Westminster. Using historical images, maps, and surviving landmarks, we’ll trace how this stretch of riverfront evolved—from a landscape of workshops and kilns to one of cultural institutions and modern redevelopment.
Tickets: $30 members*; $40 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Glassware, Stone and Beer: Lambeth’s Lost Industry
2025-10-31 12:00 - 2025-12-31 23:30 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

Zoom | 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the Collections of the National Trust
2025-11-04 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
©National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
The National Trust looks after more than 40,000 pieces of dress or costume, including objects of national significance. Some pieces belonged to people who lived or worked in the Trust’s historic houses, while others belonged to unknown individuals. From luxurious attire to practical everyday working clothes, the NT’s assemblage contains examples of women and men’s fashions, children’s clothing, and accessories. While the collection represents 500 years of fashion trends and innovation, it also offers something more intimate than just evidence of material survival; it is a repository of the life traces of tens of thousands of people. Emma Slocomb, Senior National Curator of Dress and Textiles at the National Trust, will introduce her new co-authored book 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the National Trust Collections (Fall 2025). Informed by new research and photography, she will share a selection of the most significant collection items—from the opulence of the Tudor period to the tailoring of the Windrush generation. She will explain how the way people dressed reflected their social power, political tastes, and personality. Finally, she will delve behind the scenes, illustrating the work of the Textile Conservation Studio team.
Emma Slocombe is the National Trust’s Senior National Curator for Dress and Textiles and has been a curator at the National Trust since 2006. Her principal interests lie in early modern textiles, furnished interiors, and histories of textile recycling and repurposing – subjects on which she has published widely. She is currently leading projects that explore the manufacture, exchange and repurposing of a broad range of dress and textiles. Recent publications include ‘Textile Transmissions: Repurposing church vestments in the Reformation’ (National Trust Cultural Heritage Magazine, Autumn 2023) with Professor James Clarke (Exeter University). She also co-leads research into ‘Histories of Childhood’ with Professor Sian Pooley (Oxford University), and authored ‘Fashion at Play: An 18th century doll at Dudmaston Hall’ (National Trust Cultural Heritage Magazine, Spring 2024).
Tickets: FREE for members*; $15 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the Collections of the National Trust
2025-11-05 12:00 - 2025-12-31 23:30 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

Zoom | Arts & Crafts Connections: The Yeats and Morris Families
2025-11-06 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
Standen House, West Sussex ©National Trust Images/James Dobson
Two of the most influential artistic families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the Morris’ of England and the Yeats’ of Ireland have rich and fascinating connections. Their relationships offer a compelling window into the shared ideals of the Arts & Crafts movement. At one time the families were neighbours in London and their proximity created personal ties which helped shape Irish and British arts, design, and cultural identity. The earliest link between the families might have been when John Butler Yeats sketched William Morris during his lecture at Dublin’s Contemporary Club in 1886—a fleeting encounter that marked the beginning of deeper artistic and ideological connections. Lily Yeats learned embroidery under the tutelage of May Morris and went on to produce exquisite work for Morris & Co. The influence of Morris’ philosophy is especially evident in the founding of the Dun Emer Guild in 1902 by Elizabeth and Lily Yeats and Evelyn Gleeson. This women-led cooperative sought to revive traditional Irish handicrafts. The sisters’ later enterprise,Cuala Industries, further revived Irish culture through utilizing fine printing and embroidery. Jessica Fahy will trace this incredible creative legacy that bound the two families together. She will illustrate beautiful examples of the Yeats sisters’ works and examine how their collaboration with Morris’ ideals shaped an international vision of art that was both socially purposeful and aesthetically enduring.
Jessica Fahy is a freelance art historian. She sits on lecturer and guide panels for the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Gallery and UCD School of Access and Lifelong Learning. She gives both private and public talks and tours across Ireland and abroad. She is active online covering all areas of Western Art from the 14th century to the present day. She is a regular contributor to RTÉ Radio 1 arts show Arena. She has a MLitt in Art History from UCD where she also received her undergraduate degree. She completed her MA in Italian Renaissance Art at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London in 2007.
Tickets: $15 members*; $25 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Arts & Crafts Connections: The Yeats and Morris Families
2025-11-07 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

Zoom | From Castles and Cathedrals to Chalk Downs: West Sussex
2025-11-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Zoom Meeting
The ruins at Nymans, West Sussex ©National Trust Images/Clive Nichols
West Sussex is a picturesque county, rich in historic towns, grand estates, and stunning National Trust properties. Stephen Benton will lead us on a captivating virtual journey through its varied landscapes and cultural landmarks. Our tour will include a “visit” to Chichester, a cathedral city, and continue to Arundel, known for the magnificent castle, owned by the Dukes of Norfolk, and charming streets. We will also explore West Dean, a historic estate with beautifully restored gardens nestled in the South Downs—formerly the home of poet and Surrealist artist Edward James. Throughout the tour, Stephen will highlight favorite National Trust sites including 17th-century Petworth House, containing a world-class art collection and a 700-acre park; and Uppark, a 17th-and 18th-century house remarkably restored after a 1989 devastating fire. We will also look at the atmospheric ruins and gardens at Nymans as well as the interiors and gardens at Standen, one of the finest examples of Arts & Crafts architecture and interiors. Finally, we will explore the dramatic landscapes of Devil’s Dyke and the rolling hills that provide West Sussex its timeless character.
Tickets: $30 members*; $40 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | From Castles and Cathedrals to Chalk Downs: West Sussex
2025-11-14 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Recording, Virtual, New York, NY, 10036, United States

NYC | Extravagant to Elegant: Dining at the English Table (1900-1938)
2025-11-17 18:15 - 20:00 | The General Society Library, 20 W. 44th Street, New York City, 10036, United States
©National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
King Edward VII was on the British throne as the 20th century swept into England. Already 59 years old, the new monarch continued the late Victorian fashion for considerable material consumption and fine dining. Faster modes of transport, along with the spread of the British Empire, gave rise to the availability of exotic foods served at the English table. Transatlantic marriages also brought American wealth into the dining rooms of aristocratic households. The result was a decade of lavish dining on a grand scale, with a complex series of courses using specialized tableware and expensive decorations. In this lecture, Dr. Sarah Coffin will explain how this elaborate dining method was expressed in the fashionable hotel restaurants in London, as well as in the country houses of the Edwardian elite. She will mark the transformation of British dining culture from the Edwardian era through the interwar years—when the table became both a canvas for creativity and a symbol of changing times. She will discuss how WWI brought about dining changes as well as the introduction of new materials—such as stainless steel. She will illustrate how the increased use of the motor car led to fancy picnic baskets for fashionable feasting outside. Finally, she will discuss the changes in the 1930s that brought modern dining elegance outside the dining room.
Sarah Coffin is a decorative arts and design consultant, curator, and lecturer. She has extensively researched and explored the interaction of culinary design and history. From 2003-2018, Sarah Coffin was Senior Curator and Head of the Product Design and Decorative Arts Department, at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Museum. Previously she worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Metropolitan Museum, NYC prior to becoming a Vice President and Decorative Arts Representative at Sotheby’s. Her tenure at Cooper Hewitt included her curation of the exhibition Feeding Desire: Design and Tools of the Table, 1500-2005, which explored the significant role of flatware and cutlery as design objects that impacted social mores and cuisine. Her other curated exhibitions (and authorship of exhibition catalogues) include The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s; Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels; and Rococo: The Continuing Curve, 1730-2008 among others. She has taught and/or lectured at NYU, George Washington University, Yale, Bard Graduate Center, and Parsons School of Design, as well as to numerous museum and private groups.
Tickets: $35 members*; $45 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account

Zoom Rental | Extravagant to Elegant: Dining at the English Table (1900-1938)
2025-11-18 - 2025-12-31 | Zoom Webinar, Virtual, United States
©National Trust Images/Andreas von Einsiedel
King Edward VII was on the British throne as the 20th century swept into England. Already 59 years old, the new monarch continued the late Victorian fashion for considerable material consumption and fine dining. Faster modes of transport, along with the spread of the British Empire, gave rise to the availability of exotic foods served at the English table. Transatlantic marriages also brought American wealth into the dining rooms of aristocratic households. The result was a decade of lavish dining on a grand scale, with a complex series of courses using specialized tableware and expensive decorations. In this lecture, Sarah Coffin will explain how this elaborate dining method was expressed in the fashionable hotel restaurants in London, as well as in the country houses of the Edwardian elite. She will mark the transformation of British dining culture from the Edwardian era through the interwar years—when the table became both a canvas for creativity and a symbol of changing times. She will discuss how WWI brought about dining changes as well as the introduction of new materials—such as stainless steel. She will illustrate how the increased use of the motor car led to fancy picnic baskets for fashionable feasting outside. Finally, she will discuss the changes in the 1930s that brought modern dining elegance outside the dining room.
Sarah Coffin is a decorative arts and design consultant, curator, and lecturer. She has extensively researched and explored the interaction of culinary design and history. From 2003-2018, Coffin was Senior Curator and Head of the Product Design and Decorative Arts Department, at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Museum. Previously she worked at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Metropolitan Museum, NYC prior to becoming a Vice President and Decorative Arts Representative at Sotheby’s. Her tenure at Cooper Hewitt included her curation of the exhibition Feeding Desire: Design and Tools of the Table, 1500-2005, which explored the significant role of flatware and cutlery as design objects that impacted social mores and cuisine. Her other curated exhibitions (and authorship of exhibition catalogues) include The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s; Set in Style: The Jewelry of Van Cleef & Arpels; and Rococo: The Continuing Curve, 1730-2008 among others. She has taught and/or lectured at NYU, George Washington University, Yale, Bard Graduate Center, and Parsons School of Design, as well as to numerous museum and private groups.
Tickets: $20 members*; $30 non-members
*Membership discount applied automatically when logged into your Royal-Oak.org account
