The Country Wife’ mural was commissioned as part of the Festival of Britain held in 1951, and after it was over, the mural was presented to the National Women’s Institute and hung in Denman College in Oxford until 2009.   By this time the mural required much needed restoration work and found its way to the NNA.  Our guide gave us an hour long talk explaining the damage that had occurred to the mural over the years and what is required to restore it to its former glory.  This was so interesting in explaining the methods used; chemical processes with cleaning;  having to take it apart bit by bit; finding a way to hang it for restoration which was no mean feat due to its size 4.5m x 5m.  This work will take a number of years before it is completed due to cost and the man-hours required.  In addition, other work is being carried out to restore Toc H Banners from all over the world and similar type projects.  I believe that even the men among the group enjoyed this visit and we would certainly consider revisiting.  
I was unable to take a photo of the mural, but was told by our guide to download a picture.  However, with permission from our guide in taking a group shot, I was able to get a snippit of it.

At 12.45 pm the group moved onto the Carpenters Pub in Burghclere, where we all enjoyed a very good lunch.  Looking for somewhere new to dine, we can strongly recommend the Carpenters. After lunch, we strolled down the road about 100 metres to visit Sandham Memorial Chapel reflecting the experience of the campaign in Salonika during the First World War.

​This austere but classic 1920's building belies the incredibly powerful images of one of the most important twentieth century artists Sir Stanley Spencer.

On Thursday 14th February we set off for our first AHA trip of the year.  The weather was just perfect, a glorious spring day with wall to wall sunshine.  Sadly, we should have been a group of 17 but due to illnesses we were nine.   However, this did not deter us from making the most of the day.
 
Our first visit was to the Control Tower at Greenham Common, near Newbury.  Considering this was only open as a Museum and a local community centre last year, it was a hive of activity for the time of year. 

​We then moved onto the Bell at Boxford for a light lunch before visiting Welford Park.  A prebooked tour of Welford House is available at specific times of the year.  The history of the site dates back to 1536 when King Henry VIII  kept the house as his hunting lodge.  The current owner, James Puxley, is a direct decendant of Sir Francis Jones, whose grandson Richard, had the present house built circa 1652. However, our aim was to visit the woodlands and gardens to see the wonderful display of snowdrops, and it is true “seeing is believing”.  The formal part of the gardens have a few sculptures, plus there is very interesting church in the grounds with a round tower and spire.

​Our visit came to an end with some taking tea at around 3.45pm, and as it was such a beautiful day some wound their way home via the North Wessex Downs, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
 
Once again, we were pleased to welcome two new members on their first AHA visit.