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

Carole King Tapestry – Vocal Day

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’...

Musical Impressionism – From Dawn Till Dusk

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...

1685 – A Great Year for Music

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...

Mah Jongg – Chinese Traditional Way to Play

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...

West Country Railways

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...

The Genius of Metaphysical Poets

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...

1685 – The Three Masters

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.

A326 OU Empire Revision Course

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...

Oliver Cromwell: Saint Or Serpent?

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...

Nefertiti: Ancient Egypt’s Most Intriguing Queen

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...

Moorish Spain

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...

Saqqara: Egypt’s Most Important Ancient Necropolis

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...

Eggstra Special Floral Designs for Easter

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...

News From the Fronts: Verdun and Allied Planning for 1916

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...

Study Tour – A Cultural Adventure to Seville & Moorish Spain

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...

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

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.

Stumpwork Strawberries

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...

An Introduction to Chi Kung

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...

Classical Guitar Orchestra Weekend

A unique musical experience for classical guitarists of all ages and of varying abilities (but not complete beginners). The emphasis is on participation, with students working in a non-competitive and supportive environment. Parts of the orchestra range in difficulty from elementary (Grade 2) to advanced (Grade 8) and are allocated in accordance with each students’...

Berlioz & The Trojans

We will explore Berlioz’s greatest work, the epic grand opera Les Troyens (the Trojans) which was based on Virgil’s Aeneid, a work which stirred the composer’s soul deeply. The opera portrays the capture of Troy by the Greeks and the subsequent arrival of the Trojan survivors in Carthage. The ensuing tragic romance between Dido, the...

Looking Good Feeling Good

Our style needs to evolve as we age so if it’s been a while since you took an honest look at your colours and styles, this is the perfect opportunity to spend a relaxing day gaining input into what suits you and why. Realise your true potential with colours that suit your natural colouring and...

Book Club: Ours Are the Streets

Chinese Brush Painting – Summer Flower with Bird and Insect in Freehand Style

Flowers and birds have been popular subjects in traditional Chinese brush painting for over two thousand years. This course will focus on the basic skills of painting different kind of flowers, birds and insects in free hand style, such as: wisterias with swallow, peony with butterfly and Chinese lotus flower with dragonfly. The course will...

William the Conqueror and His Sons

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...

Sibelius: The Man and The Music

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...

Explore the River Axe

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...

Four Medieval Christians

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...

Boost Your German

Having even more than a basic knowledge and understanding of a language is extremely useful when on holiday, but not just then. Whether you studied German in the dim and distant past, or more recently, neither your age nor the amount of experience you may have in learning and using German is a barrier to...

Understanding Watercolour

Vincent Van Gogh said you needed twenty-seven heads to paint a watercolour, vowed to get to grips with the medium and then promptly dropped it. Is it any wonder? A big favourite with leisure painters and hobby artists, watercolour is both approachable and unintimidating, but takes a lifetime to master. This one day course will...

Concert with the Sacconi Quartet

The award-winning Sacconi Quartet will perform a programme of wonderful music: Mozart’s String Quartet in D major K499, Sibelius’s Moderato and Allegro appassionato and Schubert’s String Quartet in G major. The Quartet performs with style and commitment and is known throughout the world for its creativity and integrity of interpretation.