The Athenaeum Liverpool

Presidential Dinner
2018-06-29 19:00 - 23:00 (Europe/London) | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Further details TBC.

Arts Group
2018-06-26 14:00 - 15:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
John McClenaghen. Painter. Tuesday 26th June 2018 at 2:00pm
‘My work explores the phenomena of time and change within the landscape. I am interested in painting’s ability to relate experience by drawing parallels between the action of weather upon the land and the action of colour and mark upon the canvas. The main focus of my practice is in painting and drawing, something that began when I was a student at the Glasgow School of Art.

I tend to return to the same places again and again as I try to establish a relationship with the space through drawing and painting it over time.’

John McClenaghen studied at the Glasgow School of Art he is currently Programme Leader for the BA Fine Art, Photography and Film in the School of Creative Arts, Glyndŵr University.

Dinner with RLPO Chief Executive
2018-06-22 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
RLPO Dinner, Friday 22 June 2018. £25.00 per person

On Friday 22 June, we are joined by the Chief Executive of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Eakin, in addition to Ian Bracken and Hilary Browning, two cellists in the RLP, at a special dinner, which will also be the last event of Sir David’s Presidential Calendar. We hope that you will be able to join us on that evening to congratulate Sir David on what has been a most enjoyable year!

6.30pm: Arrival Drinks in the Newsroom.
7.00pm: Ian Bracken and Hilary Browning, two of the cellists in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, will give a short performance. Then there will be a talk by Michael Eakin, the Chief Executive of the RLPO, following which Ian and Hilary will give another short performance.
7.45pm (approximately): Dinner.
After dinner: A talk by Ian and Hilary.
Main Course

Boudin of poached chicken, peas a la francaise, streaky bacon, tarragon cream
Served with Panache of vegetables, Parisiene potatoes

Dessert

Strawberry Tart, crème pattissiere

Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting Evening
2018-06-20 18:00 - 22:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Our next informal wine tasting will take place on Wednesday 20 June at 6pm. It will be a truly sparkling occasion with 3 different Champagnes tasted blind and in competition with 3 other sparkling wines. Russell will be providing charcuterie and cheese to accompany the fizz. As applies on these occasions, the wines will be available to order by Members at a discount rate. The cost for the evening is £20 per head and the dress code is smart casual. Numbers are limited so book early to avoid disappointment.

Folk Evening with Ellie Gaynard and George Boomsma
2018-06-14 17:30 - 19:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
FOLK EVENING with Ellie Gaynard and George Boomsma – 5.30 p.m. Concert on Thursday 14th June 2018 in the Newsroom. Bar open. Retiring collection.
Ellie Gaynard is a freelance violinist and violin teacher based in Manchester. She was classically trained and received degrees from the University of Manchester and the RNCM, but grew up surrounded by Celtic folk music. Ellie works with numerous orchestras, chamber ensembles and bands throughout Manchester, Liverpool and London, and is the musical director of Bellow Theatre company, based in Hull. She regularly attends Irish folk sessions and plays for ceilidhs and festivals.
George Boomsma is a progressive folk musician from Northallerton, North Yorkshire. George’s effortless vocals and sensitive guitar playing evoke an intimate atmosphere that silences even the rowdiest of crowds. After George’s highly regarded debut album, released back in Summer 2016 comes his highly anticipated sophomore album, ‘Do Something With The Night’ which was released February 2018.He has supported artists such as ‘Natty’, ‘The Travelling Band’ and ‘Skinny Lister’, been played on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music playlisted and performed at Latitude Festival 2016 on the BBC Introducing stage.
George and Ellie began playing together whilst studying at the University of Manchester, and have performed and recorded both as part of the band Tangletree, and as a duo, for six years.

The Film Group
2018-06-13 14:00 - 16:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Guests will be treated to two films in Junes “Classic Film Group”
SAFETY LAST (USA 1922)
Dir. by Fred Newmayer.
Starring Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davies.
This is a silent film, with titles and a good music track, but it is EVEN NOW one of the funniest films you can see. Harold is a young man from the country, who goes to the Big City to make his fame and fortune, and ends having to climb up a skyscraper.

Also THE PLANK. 1967, UK.
A slapstick comedy following the misadventures of two builders who require a floorboard. Written and directed by Eric Sykes, it includes most of Britain’s top comedians at that time, including Tommy Cooper, Jimmy Edwards, Roy Castle, Jimmy Tarbuck and, of course, Eric Sykes.
Although not strictly a silent film, it is unusual in having little dialogue. Instead, the film is punctuated by grunts, other vocal noises and sound effects.
Apropos of nothing, the plank itself was sold at auction in December, 2011 for £1050.

Literature Group
2018-06-06 14:00 - 15:30 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Details to Follow.

Restaurant Dining Evening
2018-05-25 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Our first ‘Restaurant’ evening of fine dining will be held on Friday 25 May. There will be options at every course, priced individually in a la carte style. As well as our standard wine list, there will be specially selected fine wines on offer, at least one white and one red, priced in line with the Club’s competitive rate. The dress code for the evening will be smart casual. It is to be hoped that, come the autumn, such an event will become a regular monthly fixture.

Service between 7:00pm and 8:30pm.

Library And Archive Group
2018-05-24 17:30 - 21:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Finding Things: Catalogues, Collections etc.
6.30 pm informal supper (reservation required)

Dinner with His Honour Simon Tonking
2018-05-18 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
We are fortunate that His Honour Simon Tonking will be joining us on Friday, 18th May, to speak to us after dinner. Again the time is 6.30 for 7.00 and the dress code is lounge suit. Simon is a recently-retired Circuit Judge, and will dispel many of the mysteries surrounding the sentencing process in criminal cases in England and Wales. He is eminently qualified to do so. A former Resident Judge and Recorder of Stafford, he also spent many years with the Judicial College teaching newly-appointed judges how to do the job, and he is one of the authors of the manual used by all Crown Court judges when conducting trials and passing sentence.
I can promise you that his talk will be witty and informative, and that it will not be legalistic. I heard him deliver it to an appreciative invited audience at a packed Lichfield Cathedral. He will tell you amongst other things about the different purposes of sentencing, which do not always sit easily together; the various forms of sentence which can be passed; the factors taken into account when deciding what sentence is appropriate; the extent to which judges and magistrates receive guidance on what sentence to pass; the practical effect of life sentences; the factors governing the release of prisoners (particularly topical in the light of the Warboys case); and the effectiveness of imprisonment in relation to rehabilitation and re-offending.
So come along for an enjoyable evening and enhance your knowledge at the same time. Mind you, given the subject-matter, you’d better behave yourselves!

Third Thursday Networking
2018-05-17 17:30 - 20:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom

Architecture Group
2018-05-17 16:00 - 17:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
The Albert Dock,
Architectural Gem and Jewel in the Crown

Time: 4 PM Thursday, 17 May 2018
Venue: Athenaeum Library, followed by discussions in the Newsroom.
Presented by: David Roscoe, Athenaeum Vice President
Those that attended the last architectural group meeting on “Lighthouses” which ended with the festive gathering in the Newsroom will be well aware of the fine fare on offer from our new menu and the conviviality it generated. The Doppler ganging of our architectural presentation with the Third Thursday Networking event is proving to be a winning combination.
Our next meeting promises to reach greater heights as Athenaeum vice president David Roscoe presents the background story and lesser-known history of Jesse Hartley’s architectural masterpiece. The Albert Dock was the world-class event of its day that changed the fortunes of the city and impacted world trade. Often referred to as the Jewel in the Crown of our visitor economy, it is the centre-piece of our UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest group of Grade 1 listed buildings in the country. This not to be missed event will be well attended so get to the library early and pencil in your diary for the follow-on carousing that extends discussions into the elegant Newsroom with the enhanced hospitality now on offer.
David Roscoe is Chairman of Gower Street Estates, the management company of the Albert Dock
Proprietors may recall that they were promised a “virtual pub crawl” from Ken Pye at the last architectural meeting. Unfortunately, for personal reasons Ken had to postpone his architectural carousing and we were illuminated by Jim Bellew’s presentation on lighthouses. The good news is, that those with a thirst for knowledge on Liverpool’s watering holes can fill their cups of curiosity at the history group meeting at 2 o’clock on 16 May when Bob Thurlow will speak on “Inn Liverpool” a history of some of Liverpool’s pubs. Cheers!

History Group Meeting
2018-05-16 14:00 - 15:30 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Bob Thurlow will speak on”Inn Liverpool” a history of some Liverpool pubs.

Dinner in Memory of Frank Moran, John Cook & Ian Fisher
2018-05-11 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
We have recently and most regrettably lost three Past Presidents of the Athenaeum, namely Frank Moran, John Cook and Ian Fisher. On Friday 11th May at 6.30 for 7.00 pm there will be a dinner in their memory. The dress code will be lounge suits.
Thursday 10th May would have been Frank’s 90th birthday, and though it has not been possible to organise the dinner on that date, we are only one day out. His family tell me that that they much approve, and that Frank would much have approved of the Athenaeum’s holding such a dinner. Russell has kindly devised a menu that would have been to Frank’s liking, namely crayfish salad with quails’ eggs and brandy and peppercorn Marie Rose; breast of guinea fowl with peas and bacon served with seasonable vegetables and potatoes; and tarte au citron with raspberries. A string quartet composed of members of the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra will entertain us, which is appropriate as John was a cellist with this orchestra and Ian was known to love chamber music.
Frank’s family live in the south of England and will not be able to attend, but Judith Fisher will be there, and I hope that Suzanne Cook will be present as well. Please join us if you can for what, although tinged with sadness, is intended to be a warm and celebratory occasion.
MENU
Starter
Crayfish salad with Quails eggs
Brandy and peppercorn Marie Rose
Main Course
Breast of Guinea Fowl with Peas and Bacon
Served with Seasonal vegetables and potatoes
Dessert
Tart au Citron , raspberries
Tea, Coffee & Mints

The Film Group
2018-05-09 14:00 - 17:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
“On the Town” (1949)
On the Town – three sailors have 24 hours’ shore leave in New York. Gabey (Gene Kelly) falls in love with “Miss Turnstiles”, a woman on an advert and the three man race around New York trying to find her. Starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra, the film was directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and also choreographed by Gene Kelly. The music is by Leonard Bernstein and Roger Edens. It was adapted from a Broadway stage musical of the same name, but most of Bernstein’s music was dropped from the film, because Edens disliked the majority of Bernstein’s score, considering it too complex and operatic. As a result Bernstein boycotted the film.

The film was made in 1949 and was filmed in technicolor. It is also notable for having a combination of studio and location filming, which is brave when shooting a musical. The weather can affect the shooting schedule and the sound!. The film is full of well known songs, such as New York, New York and won the Oscar for Best Music-Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Enjoy this lovely piece of nostalgia.

The Literature Group
2018-05-02 14:00 - 17:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Mr Brian Gill, will be giving a talk on ‘Shakespeare and Alchemy’.

Athenaeum Film Nights - The Producers
2018-04-25 18:15 - 22:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
‘The Producers’ (1967 Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder)
‘Producers Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom make money by producing a sure-fire flop’.
We begin about 6.45pm with a one course supper and go into the ‘cinema’ by about quarter to eight. All our films have a suitable intermission and we empty out no later than ten o’clock.

(Please note this date has been moved from the 11th April)

Bluecoat Afternoon Tea
2018-04-24 13:00 - 16:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Artist Talk – Lynda Roberts
Tuesday 24th April 2018
Location : The Athenaeum, Liverpool (Church Alley).
Time: 1pm to 4pm
Tickets : £12.50 each (includes tea, sandwiches & cakes at The Athenaeum, Liverpool).
Lynda makes multi media colleges as a personal visual record of places she has visited both here and abroad. In her recordings of our built environment, colour and texture are important elements providing layers to be visually explored by the viewer. Textile focal points are partially integrated to elaborate statements made in paint. She has captured Liverpool landmarks such as The Palm House.
A traditional afternoon tea in the grand setting of The Athenaeum will follow the talk.

Dinner with Sir John Timpson CBE
2018-04-20 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Friday 20 April, 7:00 for 7:30pm, £25.00 per person.

We are very fortunate to be joined for dinner on 20th April by Sir John Timpson CBE. He founded the well-known chain of Timpson shops, of which there are now over 1,300, and which provide shoe-repairing, key-cutting and many other services. It has been his policy, for which he has been widely commended, to offer employment in his shops to ex-prisoners.

He is a man of many parts. In addition to his business activities he and his wife have raised five children of their own and remarkably have fostered some ninety others over a period of thirty years. He has a weekly column in the Daily Telegraph and has written books on business management and a variety of other subjects, including ‘How to Ride a Giraffe’ and ‘How to Play Golf Quickly’. He has been a governor and trustee of several different schools, a trustee of the charity ‘Childline’ and a Master of the Pattenmakers’ Company. He makes regular television and radio appearances. He was knighted for his services to business and to fostering.

His talk promises to offer a fascinating insight into his life and times. There is likely to be high demand for places at this dinner, and it is suggested that members book early to avoid disappointment.
Menu

Starter
Pressed ham and cheddar terrine, apple sauce and gherkins

Main Course
Breast of chicken stuffed with sage and leek, sauce champignon
Served with a panache of vegetables and garlic roasted new potatoes

Dessert
Peach Belini Cheese Cake, raspberry puree

Presidential Event
2018-04-20 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Further details to Follow in the New Year.

Arts Group
2018-04-20 14:00 - 15:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
‘James Dickson Innes : ‘Beauty Most wild’, a talk by Professor Rhiannon Evans MBE
Athenaeum, Liverpool, April 20th 2018 2pm.

J D Innes was a Welsh painter (1887-1914) and a close friend of Augustus John. In his short life he painted landscapes in Wales and France of extra-ordinary power and originality.
Bio
Professor Emeritus Rhiannon Evans MBE is former Pro-Vice Chancellor at Edge Hill University in Lancashire. Her three retirement projects ( all completed) were transcribing and publishing her mother’s war journals, walking around the coast of Wales and setting up an annual prize for young poets.

The Film Group
2018-04-18 14:00 - 17:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
‘United 93’ – United 93 is a 2006 biographical drama- thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Paul Greengrass, that chronicles events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11 attacks of 2001.

Joint Meeting of The LMI and The Athenaeum (At the LMI)
2018-04-12 18:00 - 22:00 | Liverpool Medical Institution, 114 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, L3 5SR, United Kingdom
Memoirs of the only NHS Consultant to Command the Trauma Hospital in Afghanistan.

Colonel Glynn Evans VR, is a charismatic speaker and has some tales from his time in Camp Bastion. The LMI is a splendid building full of beautiful paintings and artefacts. If you have never visited it, now is your chance. Come early for the welcoming drinks so you can have a look around. The lecture is free, but if staying for dinner (recommended!) its £25. Casual dress. Drinks reception is at 6pm, lecture is at 6.30pm. Dinner is main course and desert, usually from 7.45 to 9pm.

Book Via Members’ Area or through Reception.

Out of Africa II
2018-04-10 12:30 - 16:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
“Out of Africa II” By Eva Cookey
Enjoy a specially prepared West African meal and a presentation on the success of last year’s efforts to provide books for the Groves Library in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Come and see where your books and money went!
It’s quite a tale
Tuesday 10th April 2018-02-27 at 12.30 in Wine Servery
£25, including donation to the Library funds.
Book now.

New Members Informal Dining
2018-04-06 19:00 - 23:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
New Members Informal Dining: Friday 6 April – Service between 7:00pm and 8:30pm. £25.00 per person

We are pleased to announce the next New Members Informal Dining Evening has been scheduled for Friday, 6 April. You can book your place now via the Members’ Area or with reception.

New Member’s Informal Dining evenings are what they say—Informal! A perfect opportunity to sign the share register. There are no speakers—just good food, company and wine. You may wish to bring along family and friends with you or join one of our larger club tables; please specify this upon booking. Spaces on these larger tables are subject to availability.

After dinner, those who have recently joined the Club *** or have not yet signed the register will be invited to a special signing ceremony in the Committee Room where you will add your name to the historic Share Register which dates back to 1809. Signing the register is an important part of the joining process and cements your name in an important part of Liverpool history.

Informal Dining’s are an ever popular event with a limited capacity, book your place now to avoid any disappointment

The Literature Group
2018-04-04 14:00 - 17:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Mrs Jutta Hesketh – ‘Cecil Day-Lewis’
Cecil Day – Lewis CBE, Poet Laureate 1968-1972
Jutta Hesketh will be talking about one of the great authors and poets of the C20th.
Day – Lewis (an Anglo -Irish author) also wrote crime stories under the pseudonym of Nicolas Blake.
Do join us in the Library on Wednesday 4th April 2pm.

Athenaeum Annual Dinner
2018-03-23 07:00 - 22:30 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
The most prestigious event in the Athenaeum Calendar, book you place now as spaces are filling up fast. Full details will follow shortly. This event is black tie. A reception drink is included in the ticket price, wine packages will be available during the evening.
Starter
Beetroot cured Gravadlax, goats cheese mousse, beetroot puff, walnut and pea cress

Main Course
Roast Fillet of Beef, Game and spinach en croute, red wine sauce
Served with Carrots and Thyme butter new potatoes

Dessert
Salted butter Caramel Opera

Cheese
Selection of English and Continental cheese
Biscuits and Grapes

Architecture Group
2018-03-22 17:30 - 19:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
Architecture belongs to us all
David Brazendale’s excellent publication launched last week, “The changing face of A City” features the drawings of James Brierley prior to a period of momentous change. Following the extraordinary growth of the town in the Georgian era, the Victorians swept away public buildings, houses and streets to replace them with many of those structures we are most proud of today. As we see new buildings rise, old structures find new lives and familiar landmarks disappear we should realise that we are once again going through a transformation. The built environment is where we live, work and play. It’s where we drive our cars; ride our bikes and walk our dogs – or use our bus passes! So what legacy will we leave to those that follow us?
The Athenaeum Architectural Group is being reformed to address that question. We intend to explore all aspects of architecture, from the functional design of our infrastructure to the fabric and fantasy of our urban furniture. Everybody’s got an opinion, whether it’s a “caricatured carbuncle” or a “vista of virtual veracity” – one man’s pile of bricks is another man’s noble edifice. So, bring your opinions, your pride and your passion and join the exploration of our regions past, present and future.
In our kick-off meeting at 1730 on 22 March we’ll examine the radical difference between form and function that exists between architects on land and at sea. Cammell Laird have probably created more buildings in our region than anyone else. And we’ll feature just one example of a currently operating vessel that predates the Royal Liver buildings. To assist us we’ll have John Pope, a qualified naval architect/marine engineer with Braemar Group and we’d be delighted to have some land-based architects to keep us honest.
Our following meeting on the 19th of April will feature an old friend, the mercurial Ken Pye, who will take us on a virtual pub crawl around the splendour of some of our Victorian watering holes. Put it in your diary now. This is not something you can get on Catch-up!

The Film Group
2018-03-21 14:00 - 15:30 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
“True Grit” – starring John Wayne and directed by Henry Hathaway. A young girl (Kim Darby) hires an aging US Marshal , Reuben “Rooster” Cogburn (John Wayne) to bring in the murderer of her father, Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), because she has heard that Cogburn has “true grit”. Assisted by a young Texas Ranger, Le Boeuf, (Glen Campbell), who is also seeking Chaney, the three set out on the trail together. Wayne was awarded Best Actor for his portrayal of Cogburn, despite his misgivings, because the part was outside his comfort zone. This was the only Oscar Wayne was awarded for a performance.”

Athenaeum Film Nights- Irish Film Night
2018-03-14 18:15 - 22:00 | The Athenaeum Liverpool, Church Alley, Liverpool, L1 3DD, United Kingdom
As we near St Patrick’s day, March’s Film Night is the ‘Irish Film Night’. The audience will vote on which film with an Irish connection they wish to watch. A one course supper will be served prior to the showing, with sweets and refreshments available during the interval. Guinness is optional!
We begin about 6.45pm with a one course supper and go into the ‘cinema’ by about quarter to eight. All our films have a suitable intermission and we empty out no later than ten o’clock.

Main Course
Irish Stew with Clonakilty white pudding
Soda Bread

Dessert
Choc Ice and sweets
