Purley on Thames tour and tea 1st July 2022

St Mary’s Church, Purley on Thames – tour of the church, churchyard and hinterland
Friday 1st July – 2pm
£5
open to members and their guests
The tour will take about an hour and a half and will include a visit to the Marina next to the church. It will be split into two parts – inside the Church and the churchyard/Marina area.
After the tour we will enjoy a cream tea in the church hall.
FULLY BOOKED

 

Afternoon Tea and Fashion Show

Friday 3rd June 10am – 12 noon

AFTERNOON TEA AND FASHION SHOW

Delicate sandwiches and delicious cakes, amidst a parade of fashions from the seventy years of the Queen’s reign, courtesy of Project Purley – Purley on Thames’ local history society

3 – 5pm (doors open 2.30pm)
The Barn, Goosecroft, off Beech Road, Purley, RG8 8BW (disabled access and toilets, Inductive Looped hearing system)
Tickets £12 (includes afternoon tea) from Marjorie on 0118 941 8856
Pre-booking required

An afternoon of delicious nibbles, relaxing conversation and laughter, and glamourous and distinctive fashion. The Queen’s reign has seen an enormous array of fashion trends from the nipped-in waists of the early 50s, through the mini-skirts of the 60s, and flares and shoulder pads of the 70s and 80s. We celebrate them all and their designers and enjoy a nostalgic look back at the changing trends. Early booking recommended as there is limited seating.

Purley during the Queen’s Reign Exhibition

Thursday 2nd June 10am – 5pm
Friday 3rd June 10am to 12 noon

PURLEY DURING THE QUEEN’S REIGN EXHIBITION

An exhibition showing how Purley on Thames and the life of its inhabitants has changed during the last seventy years, organised by Project Purley and supported by individuals and organisations including Purley on Thames Women’s Institute, Purley Sustainability Group, Home Farm, Purley on Thames Cricket Club and Purley                                                                        Horticultural Society.

The Barn, Goosecroft, off Beech Road, Purley, RG8 8BW (disabled access and toilets)
Special parking arrangements in place off Goosecroft Lane on the Thursday
Free
No booking required – just turn up

Step back in time to 1952 and discover the changes that Purley and its inhabitants, young and old, have undergone since then – in words, images and objects.

View from New Hill to the Church, 1960s

See how changes in technology, transport and inventions have shaped the lives of the community and how the large scale sale of land has changed the shape of the village.  Discover the changes to our farms, the church, schools, shops, businesses and social and sporting organisations.  Find out how the environment has changed over the last seventy years and how life within both home and garden has altered substantially.
Refreshments are available all day Thursday – so when you’ve spent some time in the exhibition – why not relax afterwards with a cup of tea and slice of cake or a cream tea.

Rain or Shine February 2022: Around the World in 80 Days

The Rain or Shine performance has been postponed from December to February, due to continuing restrictions in numbers in the Barn.

25th February 2022:  Around the World in 80 Days

There will be two performances: a matinee at 14:30 and an evening performance at 19:00.

Tickets are available direct from the  Rain or Shine website, or their box office line 0330 660 0541.

It’s 1872

The Nightingale has struck again!  The famous art thief has stolen three paintings from museums around London and is now attempting to flee the country for the safety of foreign soil.

At the same time, Phileas Fogg and his new valet Passepartout are attempting to go Around the World in 80 Days in order to win a bet of £20,000.

But is that just a cover story to hide the dastardly escape of The Nightingale?  That’s what Scotland Yard’s finest detective, Chief Inspector Fix, believes and he will stop at nothing to capture our heroes.

Join Rain or Shine Theatre Company for a knock-about adventure full of mishaps, tomfoolery, British stiff upper lip, curious camels and lashings of comedy!

Suitable for audiences from age 6 to 106

Rain or Shine July 2021: She Stoops to Conquer

Rain or Shine Theatre Company  restarted performances for Summer 2021 with ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ on 23rd July 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the first big event in the Barn, but with the audience limited to 50, and the bar service table only.  It took some organising!

A few images from the event:

 

The performance was as good as always.

 

 

 

But setup was a bit of a headache!

 

 

Murder Mystery Play 18th December 2020 7:30 pm

On Friday December 18th at 7.30pm we are delighted to invite you to a Murder Mystery Play which will take place on Zoom.   This replaces the previously announced quiz, which will now be rescheduled for next year.

In a special performance, just for Project Purley’s members, Shinfield Players will perform “Family Fortunes”.  Guests are welcome if they will be on the same computer device.

The evening will last for approximately an hour and a half and will include a short break.  Obviously there will be a murder and after the crime has been discovered and you have had a chance to ponder the clues, everyone will have the opportunity to direct a question to the cast and to then, finally, to guess the name of the murderer.  I am sure there will be an opportunity for an informal natter before and afterwards.

Shinfield Players are kindly giving their services for free and instead, we will be making a donation from funds, via them, of £100 to Blood Bikes, Shinfield Players’ chosen charity of the year.  Blood Bikes are a volunteer-run charity who support the NHS by getting blood to the place where it is needed.  They have been going for over 50 years and the money I believe will go to the local Berkshire group.  Since Covid-19 reared its head, blood bikes have been in more demand than ever, but at the same time overnight their traditional fundraising avenues all but dried up – so they are a very worthy cause.

Please do come along with a festive drink and nibbles, if you would like to.

Sulgrave Manor trip – photos

A group of Project Purley members went to Sulgrave Manor on 21st May.  The Manor house was the home of George Washington’s great-grandfather.  The house is lovely, and has some beautiful features both inside the house and in the garden.

Highlights are the new tapestries in the main bedroom, created by embroiderers in the UK and the USA, and the amazing herb garden.

A few photographs from the trip:

 

 

 

 

Summer outing 1st August 2019 (date changed from 18th July)

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE TO 1st AUGUST 2019

Project Purley’s summer outing this year will be a guided tour of the Reading Abbey ruins and the Abbey Quarter, followed by a cream tea.  Our guide will be John Painter, who has been Secretary of the Friends of Reading Abbey since 2013, and who has also had a book published on the Abbey, so it is unlikely that any question will go unanswered!

The tour will take approximately 90 minutes, starting at 2:30 pm but for those who would rather not walk for so long, Forbury Gardens will be close by, with many benches available, and the tour group will return there before heading off for the cream tea.

The cost will be £10 per person – please contact Jean Chudleigh (jeanchudleigh@btinternet.com) to book your place.