Adult Courses

2019 will see another new set of destinations. As before, you will be taken off the beaten track to areas defined by, or possessing, a unique set of characteristics and a wealth of evidence of human occupation over the last five thousand years. Each day, you will hear about events, places, buildings, monuments, people, geology and topography, which combine to make these...

During the week, you will enjoy five different walks across the beautiful Wiltshire countryside around Marlborough. From the chalk grassland of the highest parts of the Wiltshire Downs to the lush valley of the River Kennet and through the ancient oak forest of Savernake, the scenery is varied and stunning. Along the way, we will pass a number of ancient sites...

This year, you have another chance to discover a selection of interesting and inspiring private gardens. Travelling around the scenic Wiltshire countryside with your tutor, you will visit lovely gardens that are rarely open to the public. In the company of the owner or head gardener, you will learn the ideas behind the planning and planting of each garden, what grows well...

The medieval parish churches of England are easy to visit and study. Most of the churches around Marlborough are not grand, but have a lot of charm and much historical and architectural interest. Looking at a different set of churches from previous years, you will acquaint yourself with the chief features of these buildings and their different architectural styles. This course will...

Wiltshire is remarkably rich in relics of prehistory. A different aspect of the past will be explored each day following brief introductory slide presentations. You will look at earthworks, tombs and the remains of temples from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age within a 20 mile radius of Marlborough and speculate on the mysteries of these ancient cultures and...

You will visit five different nature reserves in Wiltshire that show the extensive range of habitats in the county. All are classified as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and some are European Special Areas of Conservation. You will learn how they are managed for both wildlife and people, plus see some of the special flora and fauna that live there. The visits...

On this course, you will look beyond the superficial attractiveness of the enduring and ubiquitous Georgian architectural style. The significance of the Italian Renaissance and The Grand Tour will be assessed and you will explore the Italian origins of the Georgian style and its subsequent evolution. You will encounter the protagonists and discover many architectural triumphs and a few failures too. Most...

Some of the finest gardens in the country can be found in Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. On this course, you will visit a selection of these Glorious Gardens, some open to the public, others private, but all with wonderful design and planting. On the way, you will drive through the beautiful countryside of the Marlborough Downs, the Vale of Pewsey and the...

Explore hilltop sites on ancient trackways with magnificent views, including hill forts dating from the Iron Age and nine white horse hill figures. Discover their history amid beautiful scenery and summer wildflowers, with hopefully the bonus of catching a glimpse of some wildlife too. Travel will be by minibus, followed by a walk of one to five miles. Be prepared for...

With the art world showing little change in its policy of peddling the same, it is timely to push to the fore another ten individuals, who are, at the very least, outstanding exponents in their field and, at best, examples of true genius. Their work will often overlap and express the changes and upheavals taking place politically, culturally and geographically during...

In the largely undocumented days between the departure of the Romans and the settlement of England by Saxons, Angles and Jutes, a dyke, with its ditch facing north, was constructed across the Wiltshire Downs. Long stretches of the eastern bank of this wall, named by the Saxons 'Woden's Dyke' or 'Wansdyke' survive, running across the open expanses of the Marlborough Downs. During the...

Perhaps no other century can claim to have developed so many architectural styles as the 20th century. From the disparate forms presented by the last vestiges of Beaux Arts and Art Nouveau, Modern Architecture soon developed. This term covers many forms such as the International Style, De Stijl, the Bauhaus, Expressionist Architecture, Constructivist Architecture, Art Deco, Totalitarian Architecture, Brutalism, Post-Modernism and the strangely...