Friday Evening Dining
2022-07-29 18:30 - 23:00 (Europe/London) | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
The Club is open for Dinner on Friday Evenings with service between 6:30pm and 8:00pm. End the week the right way with a delectable meal from our chefs in the surroundings of your Club.
You can book a table for Friday Evening Dining through reception – 0151 709 7770 / reception@theathenaeum.org.uk.
On the last Friday of the Month newly joining Proprietors are invited to attend a special reception in the Library at 6:30pm to sign their share in the historic 1809 share register. All members are welcome to attend these receptions and are encouraged to stay for dinner. If you have not yet signed the register and would like to attend one of these signing receptions please contact reception.

Liverpool American History Walking Tour
2022-07-30 10:30 - 13:30
The Athenaeum, a historic and emblematic city centre venue, and ArtsGroupie CIC, a prominent Liverpool arts organisation, have teamed up to provide monthly walking tours and events starting Summer 2022.

Join us at the Liverpool Pier Head, outside the Cunard Building (the River Mersey side), 10.30am 30th July, as we explore Liverpool’s historic links to America.
From the city’s darkest history, like its abominable role in the transatlantic slave trade, to its illustrious music & culture exports; Liverpool’s connections to the United States run deep.
The two-hour tour ends with a three-course lunch at the Athenaeum.

Kitty Wilkinson's Liverpool Walking Tour
2022-09-03 10:30 - 15:00
The Athenaeum, a historic and emblematic city centre venue, and ArtsGroupie CIC, a prominent Liverpool arts organisation, have teamed up to provide monthly walking tours and events starting Summer 2022.

Travel back to Victorian Liverpool and discover key locations inhabited by local heroine Catherine “Kitty” Wilkinson.
Liverpudlian legend, Kitty, was an Irish immigrant who lived in the city’s slums; she overcame all adversity to become a pioneer of hygiene and ran the country’s first public washhouse and baths.
Starting at St. George’s Hall, this two-hour will take you around the city, ending with afternoon tea at The Athenaeum.

Remembering Frank Doran MBE
2022-09-27 12:00 - 15:30
We remember Proprietor and former Lord Mayor of the city Frank Doran MBE, at a memorial lunch to celebrate his life and contribution to the Liverpool City Region.
Join us on Tuesday 27th September from 12:00pm in the Newsroom for a reception drink ahead of the call for lunch at 12:30pm.
Included within the ticket include reception drink, two glasses of wine, a three course lunch and a £10.00 donation to the Beacon Counselling Trust, a charity dear to Frank’s heart. During the occasion we will also be running a raffle in aid of the Beacon Counselling Trust, and we hope to raise as much as possible in Frank’s name for this important cause.
Book your place now through the Members’ Area or with the Concierge – 0151 709 7770/concierge@theathenaeum.org.uk.
The menu for the event can be found below, please advise of any dietary requirements upon booking.
Starter
Smoked Haddock Fishcake
Pea Puree, mustard butter emulsion
Main course
Roast Pork Loin
Kauffman cabbage, baked apple, cider and sage cream sauce, roast new potatoes
Baked Broccoli and stilton crepe(v)
Buttered Spinach, roast new potatoes
Dessert
Chocolate Torte
Cherry compote, white chocolate sauce

Moneytools Presents
2022-09-27 19:00 - 21:00

Literature Group: What's My Line?
2022-10-04 14:00 - 15:00
What’s My Line?
For the October meeting we are asking members to come armed with a favourite quotation or two. Many thanks for the idea to Mike Shankland, who explains the concept:
I love the quote from Act 3 of The Merchant of Venice:

“Here are a few of the unpleasantest words
That ever blotted paper.”

Nevertheless, we all have lines which chime with our lives, growing in significance as the years pass. A chat up line I first used at 18 still works for me!

“Hade we but world enough and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.”

And when I was a kid Horatio got my attention:

“Lars Porsena of Clusium,
By the Nine Gods he swore
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.”

I didn’t know a Tarquin from a penguin but I was caught up in the drama, and we all agree with Jane Austen: ‘The sooner every party breaks off the better’, and with Saul Bellow: ‘If I am out of my mind it’s all right with me.’
Now I won’t quote any more ( and these aren’t necessarily my favourite quotes) but would you like to bring a ‘mighty line’ or two and explain briefly what they mean to you?
If you are very brave you could write the quote on a piece of paper and the group could try to guess who chose that example.
Just a bit of autumnal fun!

The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize
2022-10-22 18:30 - 23:30
We are delighted to announce The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 will be taking place on Saturday 22 October 2022, in association with The Royal Northern College of Music.
Six Opera stars of the future will perform for Members and guests with the winner being awarded The Sir David Maddison Opera Prize 2022 and the designation of Athenaeum ‘Artiste In Residence’ for the next 12 months.
Join us between 6:30pm and 7:00pm in the Newsroom for a drinks reception ahead of the contest which will commence at 7:00pm. There will be an interval during which a two-course supper will be served in the Dining Room whilst the Judges’ deliberate. Following dinner attendees will return to the Newsroom for the prize giving and reprise performances of the winner and runner up in the contest
You can book tickets now via the Concierge or the Members’ Area of the website for just £35.00 per person and are available on a first come first serve basis.
We are indebted this year to the generosity of several Athenaeum Proprietors for very kindly providing sponsorship for the event, HH Judge David Hodge QC and Mr David Holdsworth.
There now follows biographies of the RNCM Students contesting for this year’s Sir David Maddison Opera Prize, as well as the menu and itinerary for the event.

Sarah Winn

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Winn, recently completed her Graduate Certificate in Music Studies at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the conservatorium studying under the guidance of Dr Margaret Schindler (Doctorate in Musical Arts). Upon the completion of her degree, Sarah was awarded the Linda Edith Allen award for having achieved the highest performance grade in her year level and the Doreen Ord & Lyceum Club Prize for Classical Voice.
During her time at the conservatorium, she has performed the roles of Béatrice in Berlioz’s Beatrice et Bénédict, the Chinese Cup and The Dragonfly in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Aloès in Chabrier’s L’etoile, The Publican’s Wife in the world premiere of Paul Dean’s Dry River Run and covered Ramiro in La finta giardiniera. She performed excerpts from Puccini’s La rondine (Suzy), Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Purcell’s Fairy-Queen.
Most recently she performed the role of Der Komponist in the Royal Northern College of Music’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos, where she was also a finalist in the Joyce and Michael Kennedy award for the singing of Strauss and the Frederic Cox award.
Engagements include performing as a guest soloist with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra in the Brisbane Sings concert (2020), the Alto solo in Handel’s Messiah (2019) with the Queensland Choir and Sinfonia of St Andrews and as a guest soloist in the Noosa Alive Concert with the Noosa Orchestra (2019). She performed in Opera Queensland’s production of Peter Grimes during the Brisbane Festival (2018), as a guest soloist with the Queensland Choir (2018) during their Brisbane concert series and the Alto solo in Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Queensland Conservatorium Chorale (2018).
Sarah is very excited to be in her second year at the Royal Northern College of Music, completing a Master of Performance. This is generously supported by the Alice Orrell and A&N Kendall Award as well as the Maurice and Jean Buckley Award.

Joe Ashmore

Joe is a first-year masters student on the Vocal Studies and Opera programme at the Royal Northern College of Music, generously supported by The South Square Trust, where he obtained a first class honours degree at undergraduate level.
During his undergraduate degree, Joe took three chorus roles in RNCM operas, Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’, Handel’s ‘Theodora’ and Massenet’s ‘Cendrillon’ which was nominated for best opera in the Manchester Theatre Awards. He was also cast as Mistrust in RNCM’s production of ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ by Vaughan-Williams in Spring 2019, directed by Jonathan Cocker and conducted by David Parry. Joe was also ‘Highly Recommended’ in the prestigious James Martin Oncken Song Prize. Most recently, Joe sang the role of the Witch of Endor in Handel’s ‘Saul’ as a guest soloist of the Academy Choir, Wimbledon, alongside renowned bass-baritone Christopher Purves.
In December 2021, Joe made his Bridgewater Hall debut with the RNCM Songsters when performing in a pre-concert performance of Scandinavian music. In March this year, Joe performed in a concert with the Songsters and Chamber Choir for International Women’s Day. Joe was also selected to represent the RNCM as part of a chorus travelling to Bergen, Norway to perform the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s Magnificat in April. Joe returned to the opera stage in June when he performed the role of Propser in Offenbach’s ‘La Vie Parisienne’ as part of RNCM Opera Scenes.

Sarah Prestwidge

Sarah Prestwidge is a young aboriginal Australian Soprano, studying a Master of Music at the Royal Northern College of Music, with a full ABRSM scholarship. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Education) from Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she was awarded numerous awards for her excellence. Sarah is also the recipient of the Marten Bequest Travelling Scholarship from the Australian Council for the Arts and a Tait Memorial Trust Awardee.
Sarah’s operatic highlights include, Arsena in The Gypsy Baron, Purran-Murnin in Buckley (Premier), Madam Herz in Der Schauspieldirektor, and Barbarina in Le Nozze Di Figaro. She was also looking forward to performing the roles of Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore and Tytania in Midsummer Night’s Dream throughout 2020. Since moving to the United Kingdom Sarah has performed Mrs. Paskova/Chocholka in The Cunning Little Vixen and Controller in Flight (RNCM), as well as The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute with Woodbridge Opera and Mrs. Anderssen/Nordstrom in A Little Night Music at Buxton Opera where she was a Young Artist this year. In the final year of her Master’s degree at the RNCM Sarah performed the roles of Zerbinetta in Ariadne Auf Naxos and Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro.
Sarah has sung in orchestral works including, Orff’s Carmina Burana as a soprano soloist and Cheetham’s Eumeralla. She has also performed extensively for corporate events such as, Merivale Sydney, Mandarin Oriental Hotels, Holland America Line, International Towers Sydney, the Australian Rural Fire Brigade and those at the Utzon Room of Sydney Opera House.
Over the years, Sarah has been mentored by Deborah Cheetham at Short Black Opera, where she has worked as a Soprano and Music educator. From 2018 to 2020, she was also a Young Artist in Pacific Opera, during which time she was awarded a Prue Kennard study grant. In 2019, Sarah studied in an intensive program with Bel Canto Opera, Munich, which was generously sponsored by the Wagner Society NSW. Since moving to the United Kingdom, Sarah has enjoyed working at Buxton Opera as a Young Artist and being involved in workshops with Opera North and British Youth Opera, of which she successfully auditioned for.
Additionally, Sarah is a trained classroom Music teacher with proficient/qualified teacher status and an experienced singing teacher.

Olivia Tringham

Originally from Merseyside, Olivia is a Soprano currently studying with Linda Richardson at the Royal Northern College of Music. At the RNCM, Olivia played Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, La Suora Infermiera in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Sally in Barber’s A Hand of Bridge, Fanny Price in Dove’s Mansfield Park and Prima Donna in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. This year she has also performed opera scenes from Verdi’s Falstaff and Britten’s Turn of the Screw, was a finalist in the Frederick Cox Competition 2022 and has been chosen for a number concerts, such as the world premier of Wrigglesworth’s Magnificat with the Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, Norway. Olivia has a natural draw to character driven music and particularly enjoys tackling musically challenging repertoire.
Professionally, Olivia was a 2021 Buxton International Festival Young Artist, performing as Mrs Segstrom in A Little Night Music by Sondhiem and in a range of concerts. Olivia was also due to be a part of the Wexford Festival Opera 2020 Chorus with a step-out role in Catalani’s Edmea and roles in their pocket operas, but this festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. In summer 2022, Olivia will Join Grange Park Opera for Verdi’s Otello, The Flying Dutchman by Wagner, Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and the Excursions of Mr Broucek by Janacek.
During the pandemic, Olivia founded the independent opera company ALLO Opera, with the aim of giving Young Artists performance opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic. ALLO Opera have produced a series of recorded virtual Galas, opera scenes and a live, fully staged version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni recorded in July 2021, in which Olivia played Donna Elvira. ALLO Opera has built an online community of young artists and are trying to re-write the way that young artists portray themselves online. www.oliviarosetringham.co.uk

Camilla Seal

Praised for her ‘unaffected simplicity’ (Classical Source) and ‘velvety mezzo’ timbres (The Telegraph), Camilla made her debut at Buxton International Festival as Prince Charming in Viardot’s Cendrillon prior to her most recent season at Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Chorus).
​She graduated with Distinction from her Masters at RNCM in 2022, studying under Jane Irwin and Michael Harper, with the support of Help Musicians. There, she was the First Prize recipient of the Betty Bannerman Award for French Song (2022), the Brigitte Fassbaender Award for Lieder (2021) and the Creative Innovator Award (2021).
​Her other operatic roles include creating Bella in Smail’s new work, Blue Electric (Tête à Tête; Playground Theatre); Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (RNCM); Mrs. Nolan in Menotti’s The Medium (RNCM); Mary in Tavener’s Mary of Egypt (King’s College Chapel, Cambridge) and scenes as Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen (Morley Opera); Jemmy in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell (Morley Opera); Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Morley Opera); Don Ettore in Haydn’s La Canterina (RNCM); Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel (NOS Short Course).
​As a collaborative performer, she founded the devising ensemble, the New Renaissance Collective in 2018 and has co-created and performed in productions including Beaten Gold and an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Venus & Adonis.
In concert, she has performed recitals for Manchester Song Festival, Clonter Opera and a rich variety of baroque repertoire with HM Sagbutts and Cornetts, Polyphony, the European Union Baroque Orchestra and Musica Antica.
​Camilla came to music at an early age, signing with the cross-over group, Angelis, under Sony BMG. She studied English at Girton College, Cambridge and then Social Inequality at LSE where she published articles for Classical Music magazine on freelance music making. She is also a keen aerial artist and a member of the Salon Collective, where she trains in Meisner’s acting method.
James Holt

James has recently completed postgraduate studies at the Royal Northern College of Music where he was generously supported by the Ann Driver Trust and the Alice Orrell and the A&N Kendall Award, where he studied under Peter Alexander Wilson. Previous engagements include Nym (Cover, Sir John in Love) with British Youth Opera, Schaunard (La Bohème) and Marchese D’Obigny (La Traviata) with North Wales Opera Studio, Die Perückenmacher (Ariadne auf Naxos) with RNCM Opera, Marchese D’Obigny (La Traviata) with Hampstead Garden Opera, Burgesses Chorus (Peter Grimes) with Bergen National Opera and as a member of the French Acting Chorus (Silent Night) with Opera North. James has also performed several roles within opera scene programmes including, Ford, Harekin, Steward, Guglielmo, Die Notar and Henry. This summer James was a member of Buxton International Festivals Young Artist Programme and was also invited to take part in a years mentorship scheme with Opera North shadowing the full-time chorus.

Itinerary
6:30pm for 7:00pm: Drinks reception in the Newsroom
7:00pm: Concert
8:15pm: Interval – guests make way to Dining Room for dinner
8:30pm: Two-Course Dinner served
9:30pm: Guests make way to the Newsroom
9:45pm: Prize finale
10:15pm: Fin – Newsroom bar open
11:30pm: Last orders
12:00am: Club closes

Menu
Main Course
Roast breast of Guinea Fowl
Boudin Blanc, Pear and Tarragon
served with Buttered Greens and Ventreche Ham
Pommes de Terre Sables
Dessert
Pear Cheesecake
White Chocolate Sauce

Athenaeum Film Nights Presents Captain Blood (1935):
2023-02-22 18:30 - 22:00
The next classic film showing is Michael Curtiz’s ‘Captain Blood’ (1935). Based on Rafael Sabatini’s novel of the same name, the story follows an imprisoned doctor and his fellow prisoners who escape their cruel island captivity and become pirates in the West Indies. All screenings will be preceded by a one-course supper and have an intermission with snacks served during the film.
£15.00 per person.

New Members Welcome Evening & Newsroom Buffet:
2023-02-24 18:00 - 21:00
On the last Friday of the month we welcome new Proprietors as they sign the historic Share Register.
A drinks reception will take place in the Reading Room from 6:00pm ahead of the signing at 6:30pm. A curry buffet will follow in the Newsroom from 7:00pm.
Open to all members, a great opportunity to meet more of your fellow members.
£15.00 per person.

Presidential Dinner: 'Why Biodiversity Matters', Dinner with Dr Richard Lane OBE
2023-03-01 18:30 - 23:00
Biodiversity is all around us, sometimes closer than you think. We are in a ‘biodiversity crisis’ and losing biodiversity at a rate comparable to the past mass extinctions of the past. In this talk Dr Richard Lane OBE examines why we should take this crisis so seriously from biodiversity’s significant impact on our health and well-being, agriculture and food security to the stability and resilience of the ecosystems in which we live. Alongside self-interest, there is a wider issue of how we share the planet.
Dr Richard Lane OBE is a scientist whose career has had two themes – biodiversity research and the health of developing countries. He has had a lifetime interest in what was once just called ‘Nature’. He has travelled extensively in tropical countries, researching how insect borne diseases are transmitted and advising governments on disease control then funding global health research at the world’s largest medical research charity. He returned to the Natural History Museum in London as Director of Science, one of the leading institutes exploring the biodiversity of planet Earth. Most recently he has been developing science museums in Asia and the Middle East.
Join us in the Newsroom from 6:30pm for a reception drink ahead of Dr Lane’s presentation at 7:00pm. Three course dinner will follow at approximately 8:00pm
£30.00 per person.

Liverpool Salon Presents: Practical Utopias
2023-03-02 18:30 - 22:00
‘Practical Utopias’ is the latest in a series that takes the theme of utopia as a way of exploring possibilities of building other, better, societies while reflecting on the shortcomings of our own.
Join Kevin Bean, Heather Alcock and Mick Owens to talk about three idiosyncratic practical utopias: the Chartists’ Land Plan, Port Sunlight and the 2012 Olympic Park.
The discussion begins in the nineteenth century, a particularly fertile time for social experimentation in England, with a look at two very different attempts at improving the lives of working men and women in a rapidly industrialising economy: the Chartist Land Plan, with its vision for extending democratic rights to working men and Port Sunlight, one man’s vision for an ideal factory town built in an arcadian and utilitarian form. Coming right up to date, we look at the Olympic Park regeneration as a promised transformation in East London from post-industrial dystopia to family friendly utopia.
Can practical development and planning bear the weight of political visions and dreams of perfection? What compromises have to be made between pragmatism and utopianism or between freedom and social engineering? Are utopian dreams suitable mechanisms for political transformation or distractions from ‘real politics’? Can they deliver all the benefits that they promise or are they always doomed to disappoint?
Speakers
Kevin Bean
Kevin worked as a lecturer in Irish Politics at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool for eighteen years and continues to work as a writer and researcher. His interests include the history of British Labour movement and he is the author of The New Politics of Sinn Féin (2007). He writes on British and Irish politics in a variety of magazines, newspapers, and books as well contributing to radio and television discussions on these issues.
Heather Alcock
Heather is a PhD researcher at University of Liverpool, studying the global value of Port Sunlight as a heritage site and influential utopian settlement. Heather has twenty years’ experience in the research, analysis, adaptive use, restoration and sustainable management of listed buildings and conservation areas in the USA and UK. Her current research has supported Port Sunlight’s bid to the United Kingdom’s Tentative List for World Heritage Site inscription.
Mick Owens
Born and bred on the Wirral, Mick worked for the Mayor of London, where he played a senior role in planning and development, including in the preparation for the 2012 London Olympic bid. Now a researcher, writer and lecturer, his new book, Play the Game, captures the drama of the Olympic bid and tells the story of the regeneration in the words of those involved.
The Liverpool Salon has been hosting public discussions around philosophical, political and cultural topics on Merseyside for over seven years. Join us at Liverpool’s historic Athenaeum club for Practical Utopias, the second in a new series of public conversations that take utopia and dystopia as themes for exploring the possibilities of building other, and better, societies, while reflecting on the shortcomings of our own.
The talk is available to Members for £8.00 per person.
Want to continue the conversation over a post-event dinner? The Dining Room will be open for pre-bookings following the event, book your place now via the Concierge (concierge@theathenaeum.org.uk), three-courses are available for £25.00 per person.

Theatre Group Visit—The Beekeeper of Aleppo
2023-03-04 14:30 - 17:00
Theatre Group Visit—The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Saturday 4th March, 2:30pm at the Playhouse Theatre
Due to the proximity of the date no group bookings discounts are available. Please book individually at the Box Office and perhaps meet your friends for a light lunch at the club, or refreshments after. . .
The theatre group is looking to begin regular Saturday matinee visits bookable through the Concierge with discounted tickets available to members. Look out for more news on this very soon!

International Women's Week - Sreepur Village
2023-03-06 11:00 - 15:00
In 1990 Ruby Porter, MBE visited Sreepur Village, which is the only project in Bangladesh offering safe haven and livelihood training to single mothers and their children. Ruby was shocked by the primitive accommodation and conditions of the village where there were 600 children and 100 destitute mothers. At her own expense, she returned with seven suitcases of threads and fabric donated by members of the Merseyside Embroiderers’ Guild. Since that first visit, Ruby has returned to the village 47 times! She has raised money to develop sewing rooms, weaving sheds and to provide vocational training for mothers and girls to work in the local garment industry. Sreepur Village is becoming increasingly well known for empowering mothers and their children; transforming their lives with independence, confidence and dignity, giving them hope for a brighter future. Ruby’s work is now being continued by her daughter Janette.
This fundraising event includes a talk by Ruby’s daughter and Sreepur trustee, Janette Porter. There will also be an exhibition and sale of artworks including textile, embroidery and paintings, a sales table, raffle and a 2-course lunch. £25 per person. To book for this event please contact Dr Michelle King, or liaise with the Concierge.
This event is being co-hosted by the Athenaeum, Liverpool Exchange Rotary Club and Merseyside Expressive Stitchers’ Group (formerly Merseyside Embroiderers’ Guild).

The Alexandrians of Merseyside Annual Dinner
2023-03-10 19:00 - 22:30
Our friends at the Alexandrians of Merseyside have once again kindly extended the invitation to their annual dinner to or members. This year Mrs Hilary Green, local author, will be giving a talk titled ‘Women Agents who worked with the Special Operations Executive during World War II’. Hilary will also have some of her books available for purchase on the night. Bookings are to be made through Mrs Jan Atkinson of The Alexandrians—Alexandrians.liverpool@gmail.com . Tickets includes three course dinner, limited table wine, port and coffee. This dinner is Black Tie.
£50.00 per person.

At The Heart of the City Centre: Liverpool BID Company - Lunch with the Liverpool Exchange Rotary
2023-03-16 12:30 - 15:30
Liverpool City Centre is the economic hub of the whole City Region. The Liverpool Business Improvement District (BID) is a powerful, independent voice representing the interests of a varied community of business organisations. They are committed to working together to ensure that the City Centre continues to progress while providing the best possible trading and working environment for its occupiers. Katie Bentley, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications at the BID, will outline how office, retail, leisure and accommodation businesses across the City Centre and wider area benefit from a range of additional services over and above those funded through the rates and council services and will introduce the BID Company’s exciting 2023 plans to attract new investment, support the visitor economy and maintain the public realm.
Athenaeum members and their guests are welcome to attend. We assemble from 12:30 in the servery, with lunch at 1pm and the talk commencing at 2pm. The lunch comprises two courses plus coffee/tea. The cost for lunch is £15-50 per person, payable at the event on account, by cash or a cheque to ‘The Athenaeum’. Bookings can be made through Patricia Torpey of the Liverpool Exchange Rotary, or through the Concierge desk.

Friday Evening Dining, St Patrick’s Day Dinner
2023-03-17 18:30 - 20:00
The dining room is open on Friday evening’s unless otherwise advertised. Book a table between 6:30pm and 8:00pm and start the weekend right with a delectable three course meal at your Club. Join us for a special Irish theme Dining evening to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Advance booking required, a la carte menu available. £24.00 per person for three courses.

A Tour of Ten—Distilleries of Scotland, Whisky Tasting with Proprietor Ian P. Knowles
2023-03-18 18:00 - 21:00
Join Proprietor and whisky connoisseur Ian Knowles as he takes you on a journey to 10 different Scotland distilleries. You will traverse the whisky cluster classification and taste a whisky from 10 separate locations, all chose for their unique nose and palate. Each whisky will be paired with a spoon full or small parcel of food that has been lovingly crafted with note comparing advise from Ian. Each one chosen to complement each whisky to heighten the experience of this, most loved Gaelic ‘Aqua Vitae’.
This will be the first and hopefully one of many events in the club and once we get a feel for the types of whisky experience that people want to have. Our journey can be composed to suit all travelers…
£45.00 per person

Athenaeum Film Nights Presents Irish Night:
2023-03-22 18:30 - 22:00
The next classic film showing is our customary Irish Night. Attendees will vote on the night on which Irish related film will be shown. All screenings will be preceded by a one-course supper and have an intermission with snacks served during the film.
£15.00 per person.

The Annual Dinner of The Athenaeum
2023-03-24 18:30 - 22:30
Members and guests are invited to attend the premier event in the Club calendar, the Annual Dinner. Join the President, Dr Robert Huxley, for a champagne reception in the Newsroom from 6:30pm before dinner at 7:30pm. We are delighted to welcome Professor Michael Parkinson CBE as principal speaker. A supplementary wine flight with paired wines is available for £15.00.
This event is black-tie.
£50.00 per person, £15.00 wine flight available

New Members Welcome Evening & Newsroom Buffet:
2023-03-31 18:00 - 21:00
On the last Friday of the month we welcome new Proprietors as they sign the historic Share Register. A drinks reception will take place in the Reading Room ahead of the signing at 7:00pm. A buffet of Indian Curry will follow in the Newsroom from 7:30pm. Open to all members, a great opportunity to meet more of your fellow members.
£15.00 per person.

’More Than One Way To Skin A Wombat’, Dinner with The President, Dr Rob Huxley
2023-04-05 18:30 - 22:00
On Wednesday 5th April The President will be hosting a dining evening talking about some interests of his own.
When scientists get old many take an interest in the history of their subject and write about the giants on on whose shoulders their work rests. Expect an introduction to the brave, ingenious and sometimes quirky characters who faced dangers and disasters in their attempts to collect and describe the fauna and flora of the South Seas!
Guests will be gathering in the Newsroom from 6:30pm for a drinks reception ahead of the talk at 7:00pm. Dinner will follow the talk and q&a at approximately 8:00pm.
£30.00 per person

Dinner & Discussion with the Chair & President
2023-04-11 18:00 - 22:00
Open to all Proprietors, this event is an opportunity to dine with the President (Dr Robert Huxley) and Chair (Mrs Carol Madeley), who will update, answer questions and get feedback from the Proprietorship as the Institution progresses through its strategic work. Three course dinner included with table wine.
£20.00 per person

Joint Meeting: Literature Group and Library & Archives Group
2023-04-13 17:30 - 20:30
In April and June we will be having joint meetings of the Literature group and the Library & Archive Group. Both are centered on interesting books from our library and both will take place at 5.30.pm with a two course, reasonably priced, meal afterwards. You will be able to book the meal through the members’ website. You can, of course, come to the talk and not the meal.
The first of these sessions is about T S Eliot’s The Waste Land and the unusual and probably valuable edition we hold in the library. Recently a visiting student examined this book and made an important discovery….Find out more on Thursday 13th April at 5.30.
Supper bookable following the talk, £15.00 per person

Friday Evening Dining, A Taste of Spring
2023-04-14 18:30 - 20:00
As we move into the next season, it seems only appropriate that the next in the ‘Taste of’ series follows suit with the brigade treating us to a banquet of all the tastes of ‘Spring’. Table bookings taken from 6:30pm until 8:00pm
£24.00 per person

The Presidential Quiz
2023-04-20 18:30 - 20:00
Bring your brains and quiz comrades to a special quiz night hosted by the President! Enjoy a light buffet in the Newsroom before working the grey matter! With grand prizes and good company, this is a light hearted evening for all to enjoy.
£10.00 per person

(Almost) St George’s Day Lunch
2023-04-22 12:30 - 15:30
We celebrate St George’s Day a day early with a delicious banquet in the Dining Room. Join us in the Newsroom from 12:30pm for reception drinks before a 4 course lunch including a selection of English cheeses and biscuits. White and red dress encouraged!
£35.50 per person

New Members Welcome Evening & Newsroom Buffet:
2023-04-28 18:00 - 21:00
On the last Friday of the month we welcome new Proprietors as they sign the historic Share Register. A drinks reception will take place in the Reading Room ahead of the signing at 7:00pm. A buffet will follow in the Newsroom from 7:30pm. Open to all members, a great opportunity to meet more of your fellow members.
£15.00 per person.

The Presidential Outing: Dining With Distinction on the East Lancashire Railway
2023-05-31 10:00 - 18:30
Join us for a two-course lunch on this heritage railway steam hauled through the Irwell Valley from Bury Bolton Street Station to Rawtenstall. We will be seated and fed in the polished paneling, luxurious furnishings, and crisp linen of a Pullman Car. “…some of the best fine dining in Manchester, with food to rival the best restaurants in Lancashire”.
Guests should gather in the Newsroom for light refreshments for 10:00am before we will be collected at 10.30 am from close to the Club and driven to Bury to board our train at 12.45 returning to Bury at around 4.00pm . We will allow some time for people to visit the transport museum, have a drink in the renowned Trackside Bar on the station or visit Bury Market for its famous black puddings .We will leave for home around 5.30pm arriving back at the Club around 6.30pm For more information on the ELR see https://www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk/
There are limited spaces available for this outing, with bookings handled on a 1st come 1st served basis. Deadline for bookings is Monday 20th March, at which point your monthly account will be charged for payment. It is not possible to offer refunds for cancellations after this date. The dress code is casual.
£70.00 per person inclusive of meal and travel

Theatre Group - I, Daniel Blake
2023-09-23 14:00 - 18:00
Join the theatre group for an enthralling rendition of the Ken Loach film: I, Daniel Blake.
Tickets from £26, to be collected from the Concierge in advance
Why not visit the club before or after the showing for a bite to eat?

Cheap & Cheerful Lunch
2023-09-27 12:30 - 16:00
It’s all in the name – a light hearted sociable lunch at the Club.
Join us from 12:30pm in the Newsroom for drinks and special wine offers ahead of a two course lunch in the Dining Room at 1:00pm.
Menu
Smoked haddock and leek fishcake
Petite pois, butter sauce
Mixed leaf and parmesan salad
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Lemon meringue trifle
