WELCOME TO THE ARTS SOCIETY WIRRAL
Elizabeth Gordon 28th November 1934 - 19th March 2024
Many Wirral Arts Society members will remember Elizabeth who joined our Society in 1973, was Chairman from 1978 to 1981 and then went on to become joint President with Doreen Lewis then on Doreen’s death our President.
Elizabeth was born in Hampshire. She gained a BA in History at Cambridge then qualified as a barrister. She met her husband Stephen when both worked for Unilever in London. They married in May 1962 near Salisbury. Stephen came from a Wirral family. He was also involved with NADFAS, becoming Area Chairman for a time. They moved to Parkgate, Wirral in 1971 with their three daughters, Virginia, Harriet and Olivia (Polly).
Elizabeth joined the Ellesmere Port and Neston Magistrates’ Bench in 1973 and went on to be their Chairman when the Ellesmere Port and Chester benches amalgamated. Among her myriad interests she was instrumental in the renovation of St. Thomas’s, the mariners’ church on Parkgate Parade. Elizabeth and Stephen are still remembered locally: Elizabeth riding her bicycle round Neston and with her Scottie dogs walking and chatting on the Parks Field.
When Stephen’s health began to deteriorate in September 2018, they reluctantly left Hydestyle House and moved south to Sutton Scotney near Winchester to be closer to their daughters. Stephen died on 25th January and Elizabeth less than six weeks later on 19th March 2024.
1st April 2024
Hello Everyone,
I do hope that you have all enjoyed a very Happy Easter by the time you read this month’s letter. Whatever weather we actually have will not, I hope, have interfered with your plans too much. As I write this, it is sunny, though cold. Of course, we also have the coincidence of the clocks going forward on Easter Day this year.
I know this is dated 1st April, so I also hope you have escaped any April Fools Day jokes, apart from the usual ones in the newspapers.
Our thanks, from all the Committee for the very good attendance at the AGM on the 18th March. As you know, we do try to be as brisk as possible, as we know you are looking forward to hearing from our speaker. The most difficult part, from my own point of view, is saying goodbye to longstanding and hardworking members of the Committee, to whom we owe so much. Of course, it is also a great pleasure to greet and introduce our new volunteers whom, we hope will enjoy their time with your Committee.
This time, Lois Oliver, on the subject of
Berthe Morisot: Une Finesse Fragonardienne.
proved to be well worth waiting for. Many of you mentioned how much you had enjoyed the beautifully illustrated lecture. Clearly, an artist of great stature of whom we should know far more, and the presentation which compared her work with the influences from an earlier century was much appreciated.
On 15th April we have a complete change of subject, when David Wright gives us
A Brief History of Wine
As I hope you agree, our Programme Secretaries work tirelessly to provide us with a most varied array of speakers and subjects.
Now more than two years have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the death and disaster there has sometimes seemed forgotten in all the other horrors and wars throughout the world. How cruel the contrast seems between the experiences of so many people suffering great harm, and our pleasant lives here.
My sincere good wishes
Yvonne Woodhead
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The Arts Society Wirral members meet monthly to hear, from a varied programme of inspiring lectures given by top experts in their fields. Regular tours, outings and visits throughout the year complement the lectures.
In addition, the Volunteer programme, open to all members of our society, includes Church Recording, involvement with local young people by way of the Young Arts Group, Archiving for a number of organisations together with the development of Church Trails for children