LeisureCourses.net – short courses & residential study breaks in great locations

The Roman Army in the West Country

During this day course we will examine why the Roman Army was deployed to the West Country, the role, tactics and distribution of Roman forts, and the different types of Roman soldiers and their equipment. The tutor will bring a range of equipment that is representative of archaeological artefacts found in the West Country including...

Let there be light… and there was light

Light is essential for life and growth, so during this creative writing day we shall compare mankind's early belief in its origin with today's theory of the Big Bang. We also use light to describe insight, spiritual revelation and the search for knowledge. We shall use music, study and paintings of light in all its...

An Introduction to Russian Language and Culture

Russian is a Slavik language. It is becoming an increasingly popular language to learn in Western countries these days since the end of the Cold War and an interest in Russian culture. The course will help you learn the Cyrillic Russian alphabet and its origins. You will learn basics of writing, reading and common phrases...

Bookbinding – Crossed Structure Binding

This course is intended for all levels from the complete beginner to the more experienced and will take place in a studio that is well equipped for general bookbinding. This course will focus on a technique of non-adhesive binding used widely on the Continent. A useful and flexible style using either paper, leather or leather...

Victorian Artists, Their Models & Muses

From Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Elizabeth Siddal, to Lord Frederick Leighton and Dorothy Dene, the work of many Victorian artists was influenced by their models, many of whom became their muses, mistresses or wives. In this course we will investigate the often complex relationships between Victorian artists and their models and celebrate the spectacular works...

Kinky Ukuleles

The songs of ‘The Kinks’ will be the focus for this innovative ukulele workshop run by Sally Vaughan who has delivered a number of popular ukulele courses at Dillington House over the past 2 years. When Ray Davies of ‘The Kinks’ penned his 60s classics he often cited influences from the music hall days of...

Family History Research Day: Using Dillington’s Computers or Your Own Laptop

If you have hit a brick wall in your family history research or simply need a few pointers in the right direction, this one day workshop will provide you with the opportunity to come along and carry out your own research, whilst receiving guidance and advice from the tutor. A computer will be provided or...

Much Ado About Nothing: Deception, Darkness & Dogberry

‘I have deceived even your very eyes’. We will explore, through reading and analysis, one of the most popular of Shakespeare’s comedies, Much Ado About Nothing. We will focus on the central theme of deception in the play: in particular the benevolent deception which supports the love story between Beatrice and Benedick, and the malevolent...

Romanesque, Art, Architecture & Design

The Romanesque period represents the first truly European wide international style, since the fall of the Roman Empire. Its spread alongside the expansion of the Roman Catholic Church is no coincidence, as both the Catholic faith and the nascent political ambitions of new nation states combined to create a heady mix of militant Christianity, politics,...

Mediation and Mindfulness

A course designed for beginners, and for anyone wanting to refresh their own practice. We will look at how traditional meditation is now ‘mainstream’, formulated as Mindfulness by Jon Kabat Zinn et.al., and used therapeutically in many social contexts. We will have short periods of silent practice with different meditation supports, starting with the breath...

Recorder Short Course

This is an ensemble course for upper intermediate level recorder players. We shall play as a large conducted ensemble, exploring music in many different styles and from all periods of music from the sixteenth to the twenty-first century. The music to be studied will utilise all sizes of recorder, from descant to contrabass. Students are...

AA316 – Open University Nineteenth Centrury Literature Revision

This course is designed specifically for Open University students studying AA316 and preparing for the examination. Its purpose is to revise and consolidate the work that has been done on the nineteenth-century novel, and to examine ways of turning that work to the best effect in the examination. Skills of close analysis will be practised,...

An Introduction to Designing Your Own Garden

This classroom based course, which runs over three consecutive s, provides an opportunity to improve and refresh your garden with support and help from a professional garden designer. You will learn, step by step, how to redesign your own plot. The course will begin with basic principles and go on to consider choosing the right...

Book Club: The Go-Between

Paper Making and Literature

Using rags, old books and new ideas, make handmade paper with a literary theme. Authors like Wordsworth, Tennyson, Shakespeare, Ruskin, Dickens and Beatrix Potter (to name a few) will be our inspiration. Inventive and highly personalised papers will be created with flowers, cloth, rope, old books and lots of words and poetry!

Britain’s Industrial Heritage

This course showcases aspects of Britain’s rich industrial heritage, from Cheshire to Aberdeen, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and the Isle of Man. Typical sites include textile mills, water and wind mills, railways, canals, mines, limekilns, cement works, breweries, maltings, salt works and ports, but often the smallest industries are the most fascinating. There is a field visit...

A300 – Open University Twentieth Centrury Literature EMA Preparation

This course is designed specifically for Open University students studying A300 and preparing for the End-of-Module Assessment (EMA). Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for detailed analysis of the relevant texts, as well as full discussion of theoretical issues and approaches to writing and structuring the extended essay. There will also be a chance...

Ancient Egyptian Treasures in Oxford and Cambridge

The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge house two of the finest collections of Egyptian antiquities in the UK. In this day course will explore a wealth of ancient Egyptian material, examining highlights of these two wonderful collections from the Predynastic Period (4th millennium BC) through to the Roman Period (2nd century...

Figure & Portrait Drawing in any Medium

Beginners and those of all levels of experience are welcome on this day of drawing or painting from a professional life model, clothed and posed in everyday, familiar settings, including observation of the human head. Students are invited to bring any materials they prefer. Demonstrations and studies in proportion, tone and colour will support individual...

News From the Fronts: Focus on the Battle of Jutland

While the Battle of Verdun ground on, the Allies built up resources for major offensives on the Eastern Front under General Brusilov and a coordinated Anglo-French offensive astride the River Somme. At sea the German High Seas Fleet sought a conclusive engagement in the North Sea. Thus came about ‘Der Tag’ - the culmination of...

What’s New on the Internet for Family Historians?

Are you just using a few family history websites and not finding anything new? This course is your chance to widen your search and find out about the many new sites family historians can benefit from to further their research. Jane will present an up to the minute review of websites you can use both...

Beethoven and the Archduke Rudolph

Beethoven’s wide-ranging list of compositions offers endless opportunities for discovery. Our weekend will feature a variety of music written for or dedicated to his favourite patron, the Archduke Rudolph, including concertos, chamber music, piano sonatas and the great Missa Solemnis. There will be visual and musical illustrations, as well as a performance of the celebrated...

Coleridge and His Circle in Somerset

This study day will explore the emerging Romantic sensibility and the poetry and politics of the 1790s. The focus is on Samuel Taylor Coleridge, particularly the inspiration he drew from the local landscape and from his friendship with Dorothy and William Wordsworth during their shared years in Somerset. We shall look at the four ‘conversation...

Intermediate Acoustic Guitar Day

This course gives acoustic guitar players the encouragement to explore more challenging material and techniques using a wide range of musical genres. Add blues to your Bach? Or Bach to your blues? Then join the many who have enjoyed playing and learning in a relaxed atmosphere. Our comprehensive study pack contains material in standard notation...

Gold, Amber & Bronze: The Meaning of Objects

When precious metals and materials are discovered, archaeologists have to interpret their meaning and context. This course focuses on the variety of Prehistoric objects that are found in funerary contexts, in hoards and isolated chance finds. It will explore how archaeologists explain and give meaning to objects. Do grave goods reflect a person’s status in...

Britain & Ireland After The Romans

What happened to Britain after the Romans left? Was there genocide, ethnic cleansing or cultural assimilation? ‘Britain and Ireland after the Romans’ will examine the tumultuous changes that occurred from the fifth century onwards that ultimately gave birth to the separate English and British speaking communities of Britain and Ireland.

Silk Painting Big & Bold

Silk painting is an accessible and hugely enjoyable medium, which is suitable for all levels of ability. This course is suitable for experienced silk painters and for complete beginners. It starts with an introduction to the basic techniques including; gutta, wet-in-wet and salt effects. However most of the course will be devoted to participants own...

Restoration to Revolution England 1660 – 1688

After twenty years of civil war most people looked to a return to ‘normalcy’ after the Restoration of Charles II in May 1660, yet the ‘Restoration Settlement’ settled very little. This course will explore this exciting period in English history. We will consider such topics as the Popish Plot and the Exclusion Crisis, the emergence...

Illustrations from the Edge – The Art of Exploration’

A sumptuously illustrated talk about the work of six British ‘expedition artists’ who travelled with some of the world’s great explorers from the C18th to C20th. You will see wonderful illustrations by William Hodges, David Roberts, Edward Wilson, Thomas Moran, Thomas Baines and Conrad Martens, accompanied by Brian’s stunning images from 5 continents. A true...

Drawing Skills for Garden Designers

This one day workshop is for those who wish to improve their presentational skills for illustrating garden designs. It would suit anyone who has an interest in or has studied garden design and wants to make more of their drawing skills. You do not need to be good at drawing to find this course interesting...