Study Breaks

Study Breaks for 2024

Title: THE TUDORS IN SURREY.

DATE: 13-17 May 2024.

Staying at The Holiday Inn, Sutton, Surrey – the hotel has an indoor swimming pool and there is paid parking.

COST: Student Single occupancy room £586
shared room £418 (if there is someone available to share with you).

Guide Single occupancy room £480
Shared room £330 (if there is someone available to share with you).

Breakfast and a 2-course evening meal with soft drink are included. Lunches are NOT included.

There will be an additional individual cost for a bus fare and train to Hampton Court depending on people’s bus or train passes.

STUDY BREAK LEADER: Judith Lobendhan, assisted by Janet Whapples.

Please note that a reasonable degree of fitness is needed to walk around venues and travel by public transport.

Nearest station (about ¼ mile away): Sutton, Surrey.

Proposed program

  • Monday evening – Introduction by Judith and brief synopsis of Tudor presence in the area
  • Tuesday morning – visit Whitehall historic museum. Return to hotel for free time. After dinner, a Tudor concert with Oliver who plays his clavichord and sings. (or afternoon concert and free evening).
  • Wednesday – Travel by train to Hampton Court with guided group tour of royal tennis courts. Evening lecture and concert on Tudor music, Tudor instruments, and interactive session.
  • Thursday – Visit Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club with a 2–3-hour special tour. Late afternoon or evening lecture by Professor Jerry Brotton on the various aspects of the Tudors. Evaluation and fun quiz.

If you have any queries about this Study Break, please contact Janet on 01664 668841

To book on this Study Break please contact Isobell Phillips on 07731 867931 or email
Isobell Phillips

Please send your non-refundable deposit of £50 to Isobell. Final payment MUST be paid by 25 March to secure your booking. The hotel will not hold rooms after that date and will release them for general sale, so rooms cannot be guaranteed after that date.

Cheques should be made payable to Add-venture In Learning and sent to
Isobell Phillips
2 Holly Drive,
Pen-y-Fford,
Chester CH4 0NE

BACS payments to Lloyd’s Bank sort code: 30-00-01, account number 02904643
with reference stating your name and reason for payment, e.g Tudors.

Please let Isobell know if you are paying by BACS. Alternatively, if Isobell is unavailable contact Mary Goodlad on 0114 2492023, email
Mary Goodlad


Study Breaks for 2024

SOUTH WALES HERITAGE, from the Romans to present day: Monday 9-Friday 13 September

The cost of the coaches on this study break is being covered by a very generous grant from the Lottery Common Fund for Wales. This together with reasonably priced accommodation will make it a bargain break not to be missed.

You will need a reasonable degree of fitness to get around the sites we are visiting and keeping up with a busy schedule.

Leader: Barbara Rickitt.

Staying at Hebron Hall, Dinas Powys near Cardiff. By train to Cardiff then change to the line towards Barry. The accommodation is a short walk from the station.

This is a Christian Conference and Retreat Centre. We will have the whole of Grace House to ourselves with lecture room, sitting room, dining room and somewhere to make our own drinks. There are twenty-four simple but comfortable rooms with 3 accessible rooms on the ground floor and a lift to the 1st floor. As there are 24 rooms it might be necessary for some people to share if our numbers are over that. Many rooms have multiple beds or bunks but no-one will need to have a top bunk as it caters for fifty people. All have ensuite shower rooms except 2 which have their own bathrooms across the corridor. It is set in 7 acres of grounds.

Please note that unfortunately alcohol is not permitted anywhere on site. But there is a pub in the village.

Cost: Student: single room £310.

                          shared room £287 per person.

Guide: single room £230.

Shared room: £207 per person.

Included is Breakfast, a packed lunch, a 2-course dinner, and all outings.

Proposed program:

Visit Big Pit closed coal mine. Experience the sounds and atmosphere of a real coal mine. Take a trip down the mine (guide dogs not permitted underground). Explore the whole interesting site including the miner’s baths and personal artefacts. There is also a very realistic recreated mine experience above ground.

Visit the Medieval Ship project at Newport. The ship has been raised from the dock bed and stored ready for reconstruction. The ship had been trading between Britain, Spain, Portugal and France. Hear about its rescue and handle pieces of the original wood.

Visit Roman Caerleon and the Roman Legion Museum and handle reconstructed artefacts. Visit the Roman Baths where one is filled with water, and soak up the atmosphere of where the soldiers and their families would have relaxed.

Visit St Fagans National Museum of History. This huge outdoor site stands in the grounds of St. Fagans castle. It houses over 50 historic buildings from all over Wales, including a school, church, Workmen’s Institute, a pub, shops and a farm. There are also craft workshops, blacksmith, clog maker, miller and woollen mill. We hope to see some of these craftsmen at work. A private session to handle artefacts is being arranged.

The Royal Mint Experience: Learn about the coins, and medals being made that go to many countries in the world as well as the UK.We hope to arrange some interesting talks in the evenings.

BIRDWATCHING IN NORFOLK – Karen is currently working on arranging a 3-night birding trip to Norfolk on 19th October. This would be limited to a small group of enthusiasts.

Staying at a hotel near Snettisham, which is well located for the main event – the bird spectacular, when millions of waders are forced off their feeding grounds by the rising tide. This noisy event occurs at daybreak, so you would need to get up and out very early. In addition, there would be visits to other bird reserves on this part of the Norfolk coast. More details and price to follow.

To book on the Study Breaks please phone or text Isobell Phillips on 07731 867931 or email phillipsisobell@yahoo.ie.

A £50 non-refundable deposit is required at the time of booking and full payment must be made 6 weeks prior to the Study Break (unless stated otherwise).

Cheques should be made to Add-venture in Learning and sent to Isobell Phillips at

2 Holly Drive

Pen-y-ffordd

CHESTER CH4 0NE

Or, by BACS to Lloyds Bank sort code 30-00-01 account number 02904643 with a reference stating name and reason for payment. Please let Isobell know that you are paying by BACS.