Gordon Russell was a design pioneer – a furniture designer, maker, calligrapher, entrepreneur, educator, and champion of accessible, well crafted design.

Located in his original workshop in Broadway, Worcestershire, the  Gordon Russell Design Museum  celebrates his life and work over a period of sixty years .

Richard Paice (1961), a trustee for the Museum, has kindly agree to host a group visit. The programme will be as follows:

Thursday 22nd May
Optional dinner at Russell’s for those wanting to stay overnight.

Friday 23rd May
10.30 am – Coffee in Russell’s on the High St.
11.00 am – Walk the 100 yards to the Gordon Russell Museum. The OAP entry charge is £4.50 which can be made as a gift aid donation
12.30 pm – Back to Russell’s for lunch
2.00 pm – Walk 300 yards to the Broadway branch of the Ashmolean Museum. The OAP entry is also £4.50.

Vera Farrants kindly organised a splendid outing to see the National Theatre production of  King Lear starring Simon Russell Beale.

In spite of the near instant sell out of the tickets for the matinee performance Vera was able to obtain 16 for our members.

Unfortunately a gentleman called Bob Crow got to hear of our plans and called a strike of tube workers for that very day. Undeterred by this and the rain whipped up by near gale force winds all of our party managed to take their seats on time.

We were then treated to a powerfully searching account of the tragedy that fuses the familial and the cosmic, the epic and the intimate. We all agreed that Sam Mendes’ production pondered every detail of the play with a fresh and imaginative rigour.

This was followed by a most convivial early dinner in the theatre’s Terrace Restaurant.

Hopefully Vera, who was ably assisted by Ron, can be persuaded to repeat the exercise in the not too distant future.

Peter Silverman
6th February 2014

The Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron facility. 13 Jesus old members attended one of the facility’s rare public open days on Saturday 9th November 2013.

Peter Silverman
12th November 2013

After assembling for coffee in the Ship Street Centre we set out on a tour of Oriel, the fifth college to be founded, in 1326.   Our guide was  Robert Evans, Emeritus Fellow of the College and until recently Regius Professor of History. Later we lunched at the Chiang Mai Thai restaurant on the High Street.

An extended review of the day’s event will be added shortly. In the meantime we are indebted to David Skyrme for these photographs.

“In June 2013 22 Old Members and partners visited Abergavenny. Why? We were in search of good fellowship, fine dining, and the tomb of the first Principal of the College. This quasi pilgrimage was curated by raconteur and historian Clive Jenkins (1966), whose ancestors are buried in the area”.  Read more of Stephen Walkers report.

You can also now read Clive’s history of the Marches of Wales.