Anniversary Summer Retreat 14-18 August 2017 We invite you to join us for an exclusive summer retreat at Cumberland Lodge, in the heart of Windsor Great Park, to mark our 70th anniversary in 2017.
Get away from it all this summer! Join us for an exclusive, four-night retreat in the heart of Windsor Great Park. Experience the distinctive elegance and charm of this 17th century, Grade II listed country house. Enjoy sumptuous dining, en suite accommodation in our historic bedrooms, and a varied daily programme of enlightening seminars, discussion groups, film screenings, tours, group outings, entertainment, Cumberland Lodge is celebrating 70 years as an educational foundation in 2017. In 1947, King George VI granted the use of Cumberland Lodge, which had historically been home to many of the Rangers of the Great Park, to a new kind of educational institution where people could meet to discuss and explore the moral and spiritual issues of the day. The St Catharine's and time to explore our beautiful parkland surroundings at your leisure. Meet new friends, hear from guest speakers, learn about the art and literature associated with Cumberland Lodge, and explore our unique history and heritage over four and a half centuries, from our early republican roots through to our royal connections and our last 70 years as a high-profile educational foundation and residential conference centre. Celebrating 70 years Foundation, as it was known in its early days, was the vision of Amy Buller, who had published the groundbreaking book Darkness over Germany in 1943, about her first-hand experiences of the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s. This book had attracted the attention of the King and Queen and Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) became patron of the new charity. Since 2003 our patron has been HM The Queen.
What to expect Entertainment will also include: A screening of The King s Speech, starring Colin Firth, in which our Chapel, Tapestry Hall and staircase all feature. Your four-night stay with us will offer a relaxed and varied programme of group activities, including: explorations of the life and work of our founder Amy Buller and her experiences in inter-war Germany; insights into our royal connections, past and present; tours of our eclectic art collection, featuring treasured works from the Royal Collection; and guided tours of the Royal Chapel and Valley Gardens. An evening of light music with Richard Furstenheim, Director of Music at the Royal Chapel A tutored wine-tasting by a sommelier from Fuller s Brewery. Special guests Over the course of the week we will be joined by special guests, including: Hugo Vickers Royal writer and commentator, and biographer of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Major David Rankin-Hunt Member of the Royal Household at St James Palace for 33yrs; adviser for TV series, The Crown Irina Bradley - the talented iconographer who was recently commissioned to produce two works of art for our Chapel Professor Kurt Barling - former BBC investigative journalist and documentary-maker; Professor of Journalism at the University of Middlesex London and author of the foreword to the 2017 edition of Darkness over Germany.
Programme Tuesday 15 August Amy Buller: The Inter-war Years Monday 14 August Join us at Cumberland Lodge on Monday afternoon for tea and coffee and settle into your en suite accommodation, ahead of a drinks reception and welcome in the evening, to make you feel at home. Get to know your retreat leaders and companions over a sumptuous dinner in our historic dining rooms, which were once the private dining rooms of Princess Helena (third daughter of Queen Victoria) and Prince Christian. Optional tours of the Lodge will be available after dinner and the bar and reception rooms will be open for those who prefer to relax and unwind. On our first full day we will explore the life and work of one of our founders, Amy Buller, who wrote the groundbreaking book Darkness over Germany in 1943, which in turn inspired Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother) to help create the educational foundation at Cumberland Lodge. We will be exploring Buller s experiences of leading delegations of British intellectuals to Germany in the 1930s, to challenge the rise of fascism, including her unlikely conversations with leading Nazi figures. We will be joined by the investigative journalist and broadcaster Professor Kurt Barling, who has been instrumental in bringing Darkness over Germany back to public attention, including a German edition last year and a new English edition in May 2017. There will be time to explore our surroundings in the Great Park after lunch (including Guard s Polo Club, The Long Walk and The Savill Garden), and a tutored wine tasting by Fuller s brewery, over dinner.
Wednesday 16 August Royal Connections Explore the royal connections of Cumberland Lodge over its four and a half centuries of history, with our special guests, the royal biographer and historian, Hugo Vickers, and former member of the Royal Household, Major David Rankin-Hunt. After lunch, enjoy an optional walk to the grounds of Royal Lodge where Prince Andrew resides, and a tour of the Royal Chapel where members of the royal family have worshipped for many years, with the Canon Chaplain of St George s Chapel and Chaplain to the Great Park, Canon Martin Poll. In the evening we will be screening the 2010 film, The King s Speech, starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Look out for the Cumberland Lodge Chapel, Tapestry Hall and staircase, which all feature in the film! Thursday 17 August Art and Landscape On Thursday, learn about the art connections of Cumberland Lodge. Enjoy an art history tour with a member of our staff, featuring a number of works from the Royal Collection, and meet the iconographer and visiting tutor at the Princes School of Traditional Arts, Irina Bradley. After lunch, enjoy a leisurely guided tour of the woodland pathways and exotic foliage of The Valley Gardens, on the shores of Virginia Water. After dinner there will be an evening of musical entertainment with Richard Furstenheim, Director of Music at the Royal Chapel.
Friday 18 August The Last 70 Years On your final morning at Cumberland Lodge, learn about the many artists, writers, philosophers and other public figures who have stayed here, from our Programme Director, Dr Owen Gower. T.S. Elliot, Stanley Spencer, Karl Popper, Gerald Finzi, John Heath-Stubbs, Peter Higgs, Iris Murdoch, Desmond Tutu, Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May and Kofi Annan are amongst just a handful of guests who have stayed at the Lodge since the educational foundation was established in 1947. Find out about our unlikely connections to Roald Dahl s muchloved children s story, The BFG, and how we have used them to inform our new programme of educational work with school children. Enjoy a final lunch on the lawn before departing at your leisure, during the afternoon. BOOKINGS Please book early to avoid disappointment! You can book online at: summer70retreat.eventbrite.co.uk 630 per room (single occupancy) 830 per room (double occupancy) Alternatively, please contact Deborah West, Executive Assistant to the Principal: 01784 497785 dwest@cumberlandlodge.ac.uk Cumberland Lodge The Great Park Windsor Berkshire SL4 2HP 01784 432316 cumberlandlodge.ac.uk Cumberland Lodge is a company limited by guarantee. Company no. 5383055 Registered charity no. 1108677