Tour of the Stanley Spencer Gallery and Cookham Village Walk, Berkshire

Thursday 10^th July 2025 10.30am

£39.50 per person to include 2 course pub lunch - Include your spouse/partner/guest when booking!

We are delighted to offer Society members a private tour of the Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham (https://stanleyspencer.org.uk/visit/) together with a guided walk of the village. Each part of the tour, led by knowledgeable custodians of the gallery, last approximately an hour, and the walk is a gentle stroll on the flat taking in several important Spencer locations, including the sites of some of his most well-known works.

Stanley Spencer CBE, RA (1891 – 1959) is a renowned British artist famous for his work particularly of biblical scenes depicted as if in his home village of Cookham. He trained at the Slade School of Fine Art and was a significant figure in British art between both World Wars, having himself served in WW1. A devout Christian, he drew on his personal experiences when painting.

The gallery’s Summer exhibition will be centred on Stanley Spencer’s unfinished work ‘Christ preaching at Cookham Regatta’, supported by the loan of works from the Tate and elsewhere.

The gallery has a lift and is accessible to wheelchair users and those with reduced mobility.

Following our tour and walk we will have lunch together at the Kings Arms on the High Street in Cookham. A two-course lunch of mains and dessert, together with tea, coffee or a soft drink is included in the overall cost, and attendees will be able to purchase alcoholic drinks of their choice from the bar. Further information on menu choices will be provided in advance.

For those arriving by car there is a small car park (with toilets) at the gallery, and other parking is available in the village and at the National Trust car park at Cookham Moor. Please use SL6 9SJ in your Sat Nav. For those using public transport the nearest mainline station is Maidenhead, with Cookham on the Maidenhead-Marlow branch line. Taxis should be available at both Maidenhead and Cookham. Bus no 37 (towards High Wycombe Bus Station) stops at the Memorial in Cookham which is approximately 400 yards west of the Gallery. We recommend that you verify your specific travel requirements nearer the time.

Please support your Society with a donation: as a charitable organisation, The Haileybury Society relies on gifts and donations from its members to enable it to deliver its obligations. If you would also like to consider a donation to the Haileybury Society to help with our costs in organising this event, you can add a donation from the drop-down menu.