We hope that every member will bring a Silver Corkscrew to celebrate this special anniversary and that they will all be photographed to make a commemorative poster.
Monday 14th September
Arrive at The Rembrandt Hotel which has a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere with the feel of an English County House.
The Hotel is situated in South Kensington opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum; 5 minutes walk to the National History and Science Museum; 10 minutes walk to Harrods; 15 minutes walk to the Alvert Hall and Hyde Park; 5 to 7 minutes walk to South Kensington Underground station; and a short "tube" or taxi journey to the West End.
Right's reception in the evening in the Conservatory Bar followed by:
a Carvery Dinner with a buffet of traditional roast meats with a few glasses of wine.
Leave the Hotel at 9:30 for a visit to The Tower of London - one of London's greatest sights. The Tower was built on the orders of William the Conqueror in 1098 and is the site of a lot of bloodthirsty Englandish history.
Two of Henry VIII's winvves, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, as well as Lady Jane Grey were all beheaded here. Elizabeth I was imprisoned within its walls. The little Princes mysteriously died in the Bloody Tower and Henry VI lost his life in the Wakefield Tower. A visit to see the sumptious Crown Jewels is included.
If the Beefeaters let us out we will leave the Tower and have lunch in Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - a typical city pub with meat pies and plenty of beer or wine.
Return to the Hotel via Lund's old shopat 57 Cornhill.
Private viewing of the corkscrew collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum including those of our late addict friend Gianni Giachin.
Take a well earned rest before taking a coach out of town for about half an hour to have dinner at Great Fosters. This is one of England's most distinguised county Hotels and was once a Royal Hunting Lodge.
We will eat in the old 15th Century Tithe Barn and complete the evening
with a barn dance - what else. This will be English Folk Dancing
and everyone must join in - even those with walking dancing sticks!
Drive out of town for about one hour to Waddesdon Manor. This was designed in the style of a French REnaissance Chateau and was built in the 1870s for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. THe interior is filled with panelling, lovely furniture, carpets and porcelain, many of which have a Royal French provenance. There is an important colection of English 18th Century portraits by Gainsborough and Reynolds.
We will visit both the House and the Gardens and have a tasting of wines from the Domaines Barons Rothschild in the recently restored wine cellars. Lunch will be taken in the stables.
After a snooze on the couch we will have a stroll around the centre of Oxford which is one of England's most famous university towns. The City has been popularised in the Inspector Morse TV series and many of the buildings will be familiar to you. The University was founded in 1100 and we will hopefully visit Brasenose College where Samuel Henshall was a Fellow in 1789, and then return to The Rembrandt Hotel.
Dinner in the evening will be at a "surprise" location.
A day at the hotel for addicts to overdose themselves with corkscrews.
Keen addicts may want to visit Bermondsey Market in the very early hours - but beware of fakes. (It is a short tube/taxi journey to Westminster Abbey - get there by 9.20).
Leave the hotel at 9.00 for a 9.30 visit to Westminster Abbey where Kings and Queens of England have been crowned since 1066 and where Britain's famous sons and daughters are commemorated - from Chaucer to Churchill.
11.00 take a leisurely boat trip on the River Thames from Tower Bridge passing many of London's famous landmarks such as the new Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, Cleopatra's Needle and the Houses of Parliament.
We will have lunch on the boat, go through 2 locks and end up at Hampton Court for a tour of the magnificent Tudor Palace which was a favorite of Henry VIII. See its Real Tennis Court and famous Maze.
Return to the Hotel and in the evening enjoy a display of corkscrews from the Ellis, Masson and Taylor collections whilst tasting Punchmaster Miles's concoction.
Dinner will be a 2 minute walk round the corner at the Grill St. Quentin which has recently been completely refurbished and serves excellent French bistro food.
Unaccompanied morning visit to the best corkscrew market in the world - Portobello Road. This famous street market has hundreds of stalls in the street, in arcades and in shops offering a vast variety of antiques to dealers and collectors. There are many traders who either specialise in, or feature corkscrews. It about 15 minutes from the Hotel by taxi or a very easy 35 minute journey by foot and underground.
Noon: back at the Rembrandt Hotel to a private room for a buffet lunch with plenty of wine to loosen up wallets for
the afternoon ICCA auction.
For a very special final evening we have organized a Reception and Gala Dinner at Claridge's. This is one of the world's great hotels and has long been favoured by foreign royalty and heads of state.
Final breakfast and farewells, unless you plan to stay on for the special Christie's corkscrew auction on Tuesday 22nd September.
