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    • Knuston Hall

      Knuston Hall

      Knuston Hall is a Grade II listed Adult Residential College in East Northamptonshire offering a comprehensive programme of study breaks, courses and lunchtime events.

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  • Promoting residential lifelong learning in the UK since 1983

    ARCA - short residential courses in the UK

Archive of (1) January - March | LeisureCourses.net - short courses & residential study breaks in great locations

  • Pattern Draft a Skirt and Sew

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    During this two day course you will learn how to make a block, then a pattern, followed by making up the skirt on day two. A very useful course for students who would like to learn how to make a pattern to fit themselves in order to create their own designs which will fit correctly...

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  • The Johann Strauss Family – A Tour of Britain

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    The Strauss (Waltz King) family were so numerous that it is sometimes impossible to be certain which one wrote which tunes. Father Johann was sufficiently astute to tour England with his orchestra cashing in on Queen Victoria's coronation celebrations. They gave concerts in a different location every night (except s) from August to November. We...

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  • What’s in a word: An introduction to English Etymology

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    The course aims to illustrate the English language through the development of its words. Tracing the antecedents and relatives of words from a dictionary and specialist sources will demonstrate contributions to the modern English vocabulary. The existence, development, and usage of English words will be examined through directed and assisted participant presentations and group discussions...

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  • Hadrian’s Wall and Imperial Rome’s Frontiers

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    From Augustus’ creation of an organised empire in the first century B.C., the limits were established and (apart from one or two extensions!) remained largely unaltered through four centuries. We will look at the early frontiers, how different provinces adopted different solutions, and the gradual increase in scale and complexity as external threats came to...

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  • Getting Beyond the Census – Bringing Your Family History Alive

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    This course will bring your family history to life. Where did they live? What did they do? Did they move? We will see how social history affected their lives, looking at the bigger picture. There will be a chance for you all to participate, share research and learning experiences with each other, get updated on...

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  • Still Life & The Landscape

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    This is a practical course using acrylic paint, drawing materials and collage. Artists as varied as Frances Hodgkins, Edward Wadsworth, Winifred Nicholson and Mary Fedden have been fascinated by the imaginative possibilities of still life in or against the landscape. Using mixed media in a variety of ways we will examine the contrasts and interesting...

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  • Bookbinding

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    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. Beginners will be introduced to the basic theory and techniques of bookbinding, while advanced students will be assisted in pursuing particular projects. All aspects of bookbinding...

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  • The Dartington Dream

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    In 1925 Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst embarked on the adventure of their lives, by purchasing the run-down medieval estate of Dartington Hall in Devon and turning it, within their lifetimes, into a flourishing centre for the arts and education with an international reputation. Discover the history of their staggeringly ambitious efforts to revitalise the crumbling...

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  • A326 OU Empire Revision Course

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    What better place to learn about empires than Dillington, the home of Lord North, the Prime Minister when Britain lost the US colonies?! This is a course for Open University A326 students. The objectives are: revision; preparing TMA06 and the EMA; and creating a supportive atmosphere. The course is based on lectures, films and discussions. No check will...

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  • 1685 – The Three Masters

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Kate Semmens, soprano, with harpsichordists Colin Booth and Steven Devine. To conclude this year's weekend course, a celebration of the three most famous Baroque composers, all born in 1685 - Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti. This concert will feature two beautiful double-manual harpsichords in addition to Kate Semmens’ radiant voice.

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  • The Genius of Metaphysical Poets

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    The seventeenth century witnessed an amazing flowering of a group of writers later known as the Metaphysical poets because they used the discoveries of explorers and the wealth of contemporary science to become metaphors for their emotions and spiritual journey. Of these many gifted poets, John Donne, George Herbert and Thomas Traherne are possibly the...

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  • West Country Railways

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    This course explores the archaeology and heritage of railways from Wiltshire to Cornwall. Brunel’s work is seen in the Box Tunnel, Dawlish railway, Royal Albert Bridge and spectacular viaducts. Abandoned lines are worth investigating, especially branches serving mineral and other industries. Case studies include the contrasting Liskeard and Caradon Railway, and the Somerset and Dorset...

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  • Mah Jongg – Chinese Traditional Way to Play

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Mah Jonng, also known as 'The Game of Four Winds', has been the Chinese national game for centuries. It is said that half the population of China can play this game. The beauty of the tiles, the variety of the rules, the Eastern tradition and culture in the playing make the game logical, competitive and...

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  • 1685 – A Great Year for Music

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    The three greatest figures in the world of baroque music were all born in the same year. Bach, Handel, and Scarlatti grew up in very different environments, and only the latter two ever met. So it is fascinating to explore how their careers developed in parallel, but on very different lines. Harpsichordists Steven Devine and...

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  • Musical Impressionism – From Dawn Till Dusk

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    During this weekend we will try to get inside the ‘feel’ as well as the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the Impressionism label in search of what it means in music. It’s not as easy to pin down as is the Impressionist Painting Movement. Debussy initially scoffed at the tag, but what did he and Ravel...

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  • Carole King Tapestry – Vocal Day

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Released in 1971, Carole King’s ‘Tapestry’ album topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks and remained on the charts for more than six years. Spend a day exploring King’s earthy, L.A. session-pop style and learning to sing tracks from this enduring music sensation including ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ and ‘I Feel the Earth Move’...

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  • Oliver Cromwell: Saint Or Serpent?

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Oliver Cromwell, the only commoner ever to become supreme head of a British state, has always produced deep divisions of opinion, between those who view him as one of the greatest of Britons, to those who see him as a usurper, tyrant and fanatic. This lecture is designed to show why Cromwell is such a...

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  • An Introduction to Chi Kung

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    An introduction to a gentle and effective exercise routine that stimulates all the energy channels, major organs, muscles, bones and joints. This course has been running several times a year for a number of years and attendees have been known to repeat the course to increase their knowledge and ability. It is aimed initially at...

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  • Stumpwork Strawberries

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Intricate strawberry designs have embellished embroidered textiles all through history, particularly in the Elizabethan age. This course will cover many different ways of working raised strawberries, together with their flowers, to build an attractive piece of work that could be made up into a scissors holder or needlebook. This course will cover a variety of...

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  • An Astonishingly Brief History of the Piano – From Bach to Boogie, From Ragtime to Rachmaniov, From Jane Austen to Jazz’

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Join Chris Howes for a whirlwind journey through pianos and their musical sounds - from the harpsichord and spinet to the concert grand. Our music includes the wit and wonder of composers and star musicians, including Franz Liszt, Jane Austin and her ‘square’ piano, Horowitz, Duke Ellington, Ravel and more.

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  • Study Tour – A Cultural Adventure to Seville & Moorish Spain

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Following on from the weekend Course, we pack our bags and head for the south of Spain and the unique city of Cordoba where we spend four nights in a hotel next to the great Mosque. We shall experience a rich and wonderful four days: two in Cordoba itself, the most 'Moorish' (still) of all...

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  • Eggstra Special Floral Designs for Easter

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Come along and join our enthusiastic and flamboyant tutor and create three sumptuous designs for Easter from seasonal flowers, foliage and materials to enhance your home and delight your family and friends. During the day there will be demonstrations and lots of hints and tips. You will be provided with a list of items to...

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  • News From the Fronts: Verdun and Allied Planning for 1916

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    As the Allied military chiefs assembled at Chantilly to discuss plans for co-ordinated offensives on Western and Eastern Fronts, the French position at Verdun had been rendered tenuous with the German capture of Fort Douaumont, keystone to the whole front. News from the mInor theatres was mixed but in Mesopotamia a British force was trapped...

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  • Saqqara: Egypt’s Most Important Ancient Necropolis

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    In this weekend course we will enjoy an in-depth exploration of one of Egypt’s most significant ancient sites – Saqqara, the necropolis of Egypt’s ancient capital Memphis. We will examine the architecture, reliefs, inscriptions, statuary and funerary equipment of the extraordinary tombs of pharaohs, nobles and sacred animals, dating from the Early Dynastic Period through...

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  • Moorish Spain

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    No era of European History was as remarkable or left as indelible a mark as Moorish Spain. The history, language, architecture, decorative arts, music, gastronomy, personality of the Iberian Peninsula owes so much to the civilization that occupied at least part of Spain for nearly 800 years. We shall follow the history of Moorish Spain...

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  • Nefertiti: Ancient Egypt’s Most Intriguing Queen

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Nefertiti is arguably the most famous queen of pharaonic Egypt. Her bust displayed in Berlin is iconic. She was the Chief Royal Wife of the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten (c1352-c1336 BC), and together they continue to fascinate. Intriguing changes appear in the art and religion of this period of Egypt’s history – peculiar representations of...

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  • Four Medieval Christians

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    What inspired medieval men and women to give their lives to God? We will examine the lives and writings of four very different individuals: St Benedict, Hildegard of Bingen, Francis of Assisi and Margery Kempe. Benedict’s Rule for Monasteries was a foundational text throughout the Middle Ages; Hildegard was a gifted abbess. In contrast, Francis...

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  • Explore the River Axe

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Spend a spring day with David Hunt in the valley of the River Axe in east Devon exploring some beautiful countryside and visiting unusual sites including the World War 2 defences. Our minibus takes us to places off the beaten track and (weather permitting) to some interesting views and excellent photo opportunities. Packed lunches and...

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  • Sibelius: The Man and The Music

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    Sibelius is one of the giants of music. In particular his seven symphonies are recognised among the towering achievements of western man, but they and other masterpieces were only created out of enormous struggle. Using both musical and visual illustrations we will explore the relationship between the man and the music as his remarkable career...

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  • William the Conqueror and His Sons

    Listed on February 18, 2016 by Dillington in Featured Courses

    The Battle of Hastings and William's Norman settlement which followed it were one of the great watersheds in English history. It was a period of revolutionary change but also some striking continuity with the Anglo-Saxon society and culture it was replacing. The reigns of his sons William Rufus and Henry I were to build on...

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