Downe House
- web site: www.downehouse.co.uk
- telephone: +44 (0)1635 200286
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Parisian Museums and Sore Feet!
The UVI Art Historians enjoyed a busy few days in Paris during the November exeat 2007. It was an opportunity to enhance their studies on the ‘Architecture, Design and Philosophy of Museums and Galleries' by comparing a variety of different public museums. However, much more of Paris ' sights were seen than originally planned because of the transport strikes! Below are some of the girls' impressions …
“Having experienced the new speedy train from St. Pancras we arrived in Paris , and from that moment on we were plunged headfirst into French culture. We visited many museums including the Pompidou, Orangerie, Rodin Museum , Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, as well as Notre Dame and Montmartre 's Sacre Coeur.”
“My favourite museum was the Pompidou Centre because of its amazing inside-out architecture. I particularly liked the contemporary art in this museum, and I enjoyed the maze-like gallery space, finding nice surprises around each corner …”
“Despite the amount of walking we did, it did make the trip in an odd way, as we really got to see Paris in its glory. My favourite gallery was the Orangerie; I loved the unusual shape and simplicity of the main galleries, and the enormous canvases by Monet were awe-inspiring.”
“The Rodin Museum made a huge impression on me, and was completely different to any other museum we visited. I began by going round the beautiful gardens which were filled with large bronze sculptures, hidden along the paths. On entering the building I was struck by the huge windows with sunshine flooding in, onto a mass of marble sculptures: the brilliant white of the marbles and their glowing, fleshy feel was exaggerated beautifully.”
“The walk back from the Rodin Museum was particularly memorable as our progress, and the traffic's, was stopped by police, as we were passed by Sarkozy and his considerable entourage. We hoped he was on his way to deal with the transport strikes …!”
“The Musée d'Orsay was an amazing building, especially the main room. I loved the fact that it had the architecture of an old train station, and the art in there was also very impressive and extremely famous.”
“I enjoyed the walking most of all; this was a chance to really take in the Parisian culture and atmosphere, which was, for the record, flamboyant and glamorous … for the most part!”
Contributions from: Lara Bampfylde, Harriet Cherry, Posy de Walden, Victoria Madeley, Louise Thompson, Elizabeth Turnor, and Araminta Wieloch
Dan Cruikshank - 'Adventures in Architecture'
Dan is a leading expert on architecture and historic buildings and a regular presenter on the BBC. He is best known for his popular series Britain's Best Buildings and Around The World in 80 Treasures; and for his appearances in Under Fire and What The Industrial Revolution Did For Us. Dan's latest series, Adventures in Architecture has recently screened on BBC 2.
Pupils from Downe House have walked the 300km (200 miles) from Downe House to Salcombe in Devon to raise awareness and funds for Cancer Research UK's vital research. The girls arrived wet and tired, but triumphant, after a gruelling 16 day march which took them acorss fields, rivers and along the coastal path.
The competition is open to all students in Year 12 and essay titles are set by Corpus Christi. Poppy will be attending the Prize Giving on 3 July.
Annie entered her design for her AS Level Product Design Resistant Materials coursework and has been selected as one of the 20 finalists. She will take her project and portfolio to the Finals, which will be held at Dulwich College in London on 20 June 2008.
Sunday, 10 August 2008
Performances at 11am and 6pm at 'The Dell', the outdoor performance space in the RSC Centenary Gardens, bordered by the river and Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Bring a picnic, all welcome!
2nd - 4th May in the Performing Arts Centre
‘Times' writer Mary Ann Sieghart gives Summer Term Medley Lecture
Newbury's MP, Richard Benyon, visited Downe House on 25th April speak to thePolitics Society about his work in the House of Commons and the constituency.
Congratulations to Emma Powell (U5) who was selected for NYT's highly acclaimed acting course.
On Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th March, Downe House hosted a charity fashion show. The events were organised by Rosie Fortescue, Georgiana Haig and Celia Thursfield, in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust, raising a total of just over £5,500.
Gillian Clarke, renowned poet, who has written poetry and prose for children and adults, visited Downe House on Sunday, 16 March. Her poetry reading began with her first publsihed poem 'The Sundial' and the audience were immediately impressed by her passionate and erudite ideas......
Diane Louise Jordan, businesswoman and one of the most popular presenters of BBC One's Songs of Praise, gave a talk and answered questions about how her faith influences the way she conducts her own business life and on matters relating to business ethics and corporate social responsibility more generally.
If you missed House Drama, or would like to see your daughter's performance again, a professional Double DVD recording by Kingsbridge AV Limited of all five productions will be available to order at a cost of £22.50 each.
Click here to find out how to order
This Trust was established in November 2006 as part of the agreed resolution of the OFT's recent investigation.
The objects of the Trust are to:
There are three criteria for eligibility:
For further details go to <Joining Downe> and click on <Scholarships>