London Group events, July – December 2017 Dear Fellow Alumni, Here are our events for the second half of 2017. There is the usual mix of visits, walks and talks, together with a concert and two very different theatrical experiences. I do hope that you will be able to take part in at least some of these. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of the London Group and we are marking the occasion with an evening dinner cruise on the Regent’s Canal. This should be a really special celebration, not to be missed. Our visits include the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, the Cinema Museum, St Bride’s Fleet Street, the Supreme Court and two very interesting buildings in Woking. There is another visit to the Globe Theatre, to see a new production of King Lear, and, in complete contrast, a chance to see a musical version of Young Frankenstein, based on the hilarious film by Mel Brooks. The LPO concert.at the Royal Festival Hall includes Beethoven’s Eroica symphony. We have two walks, one along the Boat race towpath and the other a historical Suffragettes walk in central London. The AGM talk this year is by Dr Celia Caulcott, UCL Vice-Provost for Innovation and Enterprise, who will speak on the work of her department and the global impact of UCL. The other talk is by me on the history of London’s water supply. This year’s Annual Dinner will be held in the Louis XVI style Dining Room of the Naval Club in the heart of Mayfair. Subscription renewals It will be the start of a new Group Year on 1st July, and we very much hope that you will wish to renew your subscription. You may already pay by Standing Order, but if not, please include your subscription (£15 waged, £10 unwaged or retired) when you apply for tickets. With best wishes, Yours sincerely,

John Gregory (Chemistry 1959)

UCL Alumni London Group Events, July - December 2017

Contact: John McKenzie (Administrator), 51 Clifford Road, Barnet, Herts EN5 5PD (020 8447 1396) 1. Tuesday 11 July, at 7.00 pm. Prime-mover: Jim Parkin (Chemistry 1959) Group 20th Anniversary Dinner Cruise Evening dinner aboard ‘My Fair Lady’. Come and celebrate twenty years of the UCL Alumni London Group cruising along the Regent’s Canal through Primrose Hill, Regent’s Park, London Zoo and Little Venice returning to Camden Lock. Welcome aperitif and three course dinner (Pear with feta cheese and apricots, Fillet of lamb, and Eton mess, or vegetarian options) plus coffee as you glide through a visual smorgasbord of heritage, drama, scandal, explosions and crime, with a hint also of a unique musical cabaret. Embarkation at Walker’s Quay, Camden Lock, 250 Camden High Street NW1 8QS, returning by 10.30 pm. Stepped access required.

£55 (excluding drinks with meal, cash bar available). Minimum number 35. 2. Tuesday 1 August, at 10.45 am. Prime-mover: Maggie Smith (Geography 1970) Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace Our visit explores “Canaletto and the Art of Venice”, the summer exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery. We begin with tea or coffee, followed by an introductory talk about the exhibition by a Royal Collection Trust expert. The Royal Collection contains the world’s finest group of works by Venice’s famous view painter, Canaletto (1697-1768) and this exhibition presents a spectacular selection of 18th century Venetian art, with Canaletto’s greatest works shown alongside works by other contemporary artists working in Venice. After the talk, you are free to enjoy the exhibition at leisure using a complimentary audio tour.

£24. Maximum number 30. 3. Monday 7 August, at 11.00 am. Prime-mover: Jenny Dunn (Statistics 1962)

Walk: the Boat Race towpath This August, we will be walking along the Thames towpath with Caroline Macmillan following the annual Spring Oxford and Cambridge 4 mile and 374 yards (or 6.779 km) boat race route from Putney to Mortlake. Caroline will recount the race's history as well as pointing out some fascinating places overlooking the river, including the site of a former furniture depository, a famous tapestry factory and several breweries, as we walk along. Lunch will be taken at a pub overlooking the river en route Please note that suitable footwear should be worn for this event as the towpath could be a little muddy in places if there has been any recent rain, and that the cost of refreshments is not included in the price.

£14. Maximum number 25.

UCL ALUMNI LONDON GROUP

4. Monday 14 August at 7.30 pm. Prime-mover: Jenny Dunn (Statistics 1962)

Globe Theatre: ‘King Lear’ King Lear has three daughters but no sons. Boldly he makes a decision to divide his kingdom among his children but fails to anticipate the consequences of his actions. His generosity is cruelly repaid and Lear finds himself adrift, wandering homeless and destitute. As he comes to realise the false values by which he has lived, he finally encounters his own humanity. The tempestuous poetry in King Lear is shot through with touches of humour and moments of heart-rending simplicity, as the notion of familial love is questioned and torn apart. Best known as Artistic Director of Shared Experience for 22 years with numerous credits including RSC and National Theatre, Nancy Meckler brings her charismatic style to the Globe for the first time. Our booked seats are some of the best and are all under cover.

£46. Maximum number 20. 5. Wednesday 13 September at 6.00 pm. Prime-mover: John Gregory (Chemistry 1959)

A brief AGM followed at 6.30 pm by a talk from Dr Celia Caulcott, UCL Vice-Provost: “UCL: London’s Global University and its impact on London and the wider world”

UCL is the cornerstone of the university sector in London. The largest London research-intensive university, in the top ten in the world, with students and staff from over 150 countries, and an impact that stretches from the discovery of new medicines through the redesign of city space to shaping aspects of the UK constitution. As a university community – staff, students, alumni – we have a reach that is both intensely in London, and yet stretches across the world. Dr Celia Caulcott is a highly experienced practitioner of innovation and enterprise, having worked in the biopharmaceutical industry, with the Wellcome Trust on the human genome project, with a variety of biotech small and medium enterprises (SMEs), particularly focusing on applied genomics, and more recently in the industrial biotechnology sector, where she was Executive Director for Innovation and Skills at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Now, as UCL Vice-Provost (Enterprise and London), she will reflect on the impact of UCL as London’s Global university, and how we can all support and enable this. In particular she will explore how the work of her department will enhance the impact of UCL, by supporting the building of partnerships with the wider community and developing our contribution to innovation ecosystems.

£13, including wine and snacks. Maximum number 60.

6. Wednesday 20 September, at 2.00 pm. Prime-mover: John Gregory (Chemistry 1959)

A visit to the Cinema Museum, SE11 4TH London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex. It is set in historic surroundings in Kennington, close to the Elephant & Castle, on the site of the old Lambeth workhouse where Charlie Chaplin went as a child. The Cinema Museum houses a unique collection of artefacts, memorabilia and equipment that preserves the history and grandeur of cinema from the 1890s to the present day. The Museum is culturally very important to the history of movies and shows how things have changed over the years. Our visit will include a guided tour of the museum and a short film show.

£13. Maximum number 30. 7. Friday 22 September at 1.00 pm. Prime-mover: Janet Kitchen (French 1964)

St Bride’s, Fleet Street

St. Bride's Church, Fleet Street is also known as the Wedding Cake Church due to the innovative construction of its steeple, or the Cathedral of Fleet Street, reflecting its close association with the Press. It is a fine example of Christopher Wren's genius as an architect in rebuilding London's City churches after the Great Fire of London. We shall gather at 1pm to enjoy one of the regular lunch-time concerts lasting about 45 minutes (free entry with voluntary retiring collection), then at 2.15pm we shall be taken on a private guided tour. The church is the eighth on the site, tracing its history since Roman times, and our tour includes special access to a Charnel house and bone collection beside the crypt. There will be time at the end of the tour for a self-guided visit to the collection of ancient artefacts and printing memorabilia on display in the crypt.

£12. Maximum number 20. 8. Tuesday 10 October at 11.00 am. Prime-mover: John Bonham

Suffragettes Walk This walk will start from Trafalgar Square and head through Westminster. It will include seeing Admiralty Arch, the Citadel, Horse Guards Parade, the back of No.10, Whitehall, various major Whitehall buildings, Caxton Hall, Parliament Square, and the Houses of Parliament to finish at the statue of Mrs Pankhurst. The guides will be in period costume and the reaction to their rallying cries in Parliament Square usually creates 'interest from the tourists' and sometimes the Police! You are welcome to bring your 'Votes for Women' banners with you. We will hear how these remarkable ladies doggedly pursued their right to vote. You will hear about the hardships they went through, especially starvation and forced feeding. Many of the characters of the day, such as Winston Churchill and Herbert Asquith, come into the walk.

£15. Maximum number 25.

9. Saturday 14 October at 3.00 pm. Prime-mover: Ian Senior (Economics 1974)

Garrick Theatre: ‘Young Frankenstein’, the musical Legendary filmmaker and comedian Mel Brooks who produced the brilliantly funny The Producers brings his classic film comedy Young Frankenstein to life on stage in an all-singing, all-dancing musical collaboration with Tony-award winning Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman. The show is at the Garrick Theatre, one of those co-owned by Nica Burns (Laws 1976) who gives us excellent seats at a special rate. As usual after the show there will be a glass or two of wine in a private room where we hope to meet one or two members of the cast. NB. Booking closes on Friday 1 September.

£54. Maximum number 45. 10. Wednesday 1 November at 6.30 pm. Prime-mover: Jim Parkin (Chemistry 1959)

Talk: “2000 Years of Water Supply in London”, by Prof John Gregory John Gregory is Emeritus Professor of Water Chemistry at UCL and has had a long career of teaching and research in the area of water quality and water treatment. His talk will give an overview of ways in which Londoners have been supplied with water, from Roman times until the present day. Topics will include medieval conduits for bringing spring water to the City, construction of the New River in the 17th century, water-borne cholera in Soho in 1854 and the formation of the Metropolitan Water Board in 1902.

£13, including wine and snacks. Maximum number 60. 11. Wednesday 8 November at 7.30 pm. Prime-mover: Janet Kitchen (French 1964)

London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall War and (troubled) peace are the themes of this evening's concert, conducted by Alain Altinoglu, which opens with Tchaikovsky's exuberant 1812 Ouverture, reflecting his joy at Napoleon's defeat in Russia. Schumann's only Violin Concerto follows with the outstanding young violinist, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, as soloist. The evening concludes with Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, the Eroica, the original dedication to Napoleon scratched out angrily when Beethoven learnt that his former hero had abandoned the ideals of liberty and equality. There will, as usual, be a chance to meet for a pre-concert meal at Italian restaurant Azzurro, at a special discounted rate for our group.

£25. Maximum number 30.

12. Friday 17 November at 2.00 pm. Prime-mover: Belinda Tincknell (Psychology 1973)

The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court plays an important role in the interpretation and development of the law, making decisions that are relevant to everyday lives and that help shape our society. It hears civil cases from all parts of the UK, and criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The court also hears ‘devolution issues’: matters which raise questions of constitutional importance about the exercise of devolved powers. Cases are generally appealed from a lower court where there is sufficient uncertainty about how the law should be applied and what precedent the lower courts should follow in future. The Justices decide which cases they will hear depending on the extent to which they raise ‘points of law of general public importance’ (cf. the implementation of Brexit!). Tours of the Grade II* listed building are led by an experienced member of court staff and take approximately an hour. There is an interesting permanent exhibition providing an insight into the work and history of the court, as well as the history of the building itself. Adjacent to this is a small café serving a range of refreshments and also souvenirs. The building is fully accessible, but it is helpful for staff to know in advance if anyone has special requirements, such as impaired mobility or hearing.

£12. Maximum number 25. 13. Friday 24 November at 11.30 am. Prime-mover: Kate Wickson (Classics 1972)

The WWF Eco Building and ‘The Lightbox’, Woking

We will be visiting two new buildings either side of the Basingstoke Canal in Woking, approximately 10 minutes’ walk from the station. Our first stop is to visit the Living Planet Centre, home to WWF UK, built in 2013. This state-of-the-art building demonstrates the very latest in sustainable building techniques. It is an attractive and airy space well worth exploration and explanation. The tour gives an insight into what makes WWF’s home one of the most sustainable buildings in the UK and what it is like to work within it. We then cross back over the canal to ‘The Lightbox’, the new museum and art gallery for Woking. There we will have lunch in their café (sandwich selection and a drink) before our guided tour of the museum and introduction to the current exhibition: ‘Turner in Surrey’. This exhibition explores JMW Turner’s art produced in travels around this part of England, and includes several loans from the Tate.

£23. Maximum number 20.

14. Friday 1 December at 7.00 pm. Prime-movers: John Bonham and Janet Kitchen (French 1964)

Annual Dinner, at the Naval Club, W1J 5NS The London Group's 2017 Annual Dinner will be held at the Naval Club, a listed building in the heart of Mayfair, once the home of the Earl of Chatham, younger brother of William Pitt the Younger. It was a private home until 1946, when the RNVR Officers Association purchased the freehold and the RNVR Club moved in from their former premises on Pall Mall. In 1954 it was designated as a War Memorial to the RNVR, whose Roll of Honour, containing the names of the 6,200 RNVR Personnel killed in World War ll, takes pride of place in the Entrance Hall. The house was listed in 1987 with particular reference to the Grand Staircase and the First Floor Louis XVl style Dining Room, where our Dinner will be served, following a reception in the fine oak-panelled Bar on the Ground Floor. The ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival, a three course dinner with coffee and mints and a glass of port to follow. Wine with the meal is not included, but will be available for purchase from the cash bar.

£82. Maximum number 70.

Travel assistance Are you put off attending some events because of the difficulty of getting there? Alternatively, do you often drive to an event with a couple of spare seats in the car? Please tick if applicable – I am usually willing to offer 1 or 2 seats when driving to an event I would be grateful for travel assistance when going to an event Prime-movers The Organising Team consists of the Officers, the Administrator and a variable number of ‘prime-movers’. These are people who take responsibility for organising (but not administering) events of their choice, guided and supported by the Team. Prime-movers attend monthly evening meetings at UCL which last about 60 - 90 minutes. They plan the events, prepare simple budgets, and ensure that the events happen. The Administrator and the Alumni Office provide support. If you would like to become a prime-mover, either for a particular event that you have in mind, or for one suggested by the Team, please let us know. The Team is an enthusiastic group, which is why its members find it enjoyable as well as making a worthwhile contribution to UCL. Please give a brief description of a proposed event, or any other comments you may wish to make about the London Group -

TICKET APPLICATION FORM 2017

* cancellations before 20th November will be refunded subject to an administration charge of £5 per head.

We cannot normally make a refund for unwanted tickets unless we can fill your place from a waiting list. The number of places for most events is limited: we allow two weeks for requests to arrive by post, and then if an event is oversubscribed its tickets are allocated by ballot (then 2 tickets maximum). Payments by BACS are welcome: use sort code 56-00-31 and account 69861137, but please wait for confirmation of the amount owed before making your payment. If paying by cheque, please make cheques payable to ‘UCL Alumni London Group’ – either one signed blank cheque (with upper limit) for us to fill in according to your allocation, or one cheque for each requested event (only to be presented if you are allocated tickets). Payment method: BACS Cheque FROM: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Email: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Return to: John McKenzie, 51 Clifford Road, Barnet, Herts EN5 5PD (j.mckenzie@ucl.ac.uk)

ticket price

number wanted

tickets cost

1 Dinner cruise Tue 11 Jul £55 2 Queen’s Gallery Tue 1 Aug £24 3 Boat Race Walk Mon 7 Aug £14 4 Globe: King Lear Mon 14 Aug £46 5 AGM + talk Wed 13 Sep £13 6 Cinema Museum Wed 20 Sep £13 7 St Bride’s Fri 22 Sep £12 8 Suffragettes walk Tue 10 Oct £15 9 Young Frankenstein Sat 14 Oct £54

10 Talk: ‘London’s Water Supply’ Wed 1 Nov £13 11 LPO at RFH Wed 8 Nov £25 12 Supreme Court Fri 17 Nov £12 13 WWF + Lightbox Fri 24 Nov £23 14 Annual Dinner at Naval Club * Fri 1 Dec £82

Total cost £

UCL Alumni London Group – payments by BACS

After our brochure of events is issued, we wait two weeks for ticket requests to arrive, then if necessary run a ballot. Please wait to be informed of your allocation: this will show the total amount owed, to be paid by BACS. BACS payments should be made to Sort Code 56-00-31 and account 69861137. Annual £15 or £10 subscriptions can be paid on their own in a similar way, or may be included with ticket payments in a single total payment.