KEN'S WALKS and SOCIAL EVENTS - (20,000 Members)

Please note start time of 13.30pm. Enjoy London! Get out and see your City in the company of friends! Perhaps you have never been to this part of East London before? Now see a new part of London....now is your opportunity to check it out! Join us for a stroll along another stretch of the GRAND UNION CANAL from MILE END PARK TO LIMEHOUSE and then along the THAMES to TOWER BRIDGE. Walking and talking are two of life's great social activities. From Mile End tube station (Central Line) we take a leisurely freestyle stroll. Then we travel along the banks of the Grand Union Canal before turning right and alongside the River Thames, passing Old Wapping School, and onto Tower Bridge in time for a drink in the pub/bar at around 4pm. RISK WARNING:Please dress appropriately for weather conditions and carry a bottle of water and necessary medication. You need to be moderately fit for this walk and be able to walk for four miles without a break. In these walks we use; pavements, cross busy roads, public parkland, towpaths alongside water, other public paths, rights of way, bridlepaths, country lanes and other established paths and tracks through woodland, bush and countryside. Please only wear good sturdy shoes, preferably walking boots and take care as surfaces may be uneven, tree roots may protrude, there may be low overhanging branches and some paths are also used by joggers and cyclists and sometimes cars (country lanes). Some tracks may be muddy and slippery. On occasion wild,domestic and farm animals may also encountered. If you require insurance for these walks then you must arrange this yourself. As availability of toilets cannot be guaranteed en route, please ensure you arrive in good time in order to use facilities before the start. Unfortunately no dogs and children (under the age of 18) are permitted on these walks. PLAN B - Walking events should always be fun and have a Plan B - If the weather is wet, walking in the rain is no fun, therefore we may reschedule this walk, Check the event on Saturday morning for the latest weather update. Final decision will be taken at 10.30am. For Guests who don't hold the Ken's Events Membership card there is a £4 contribution for this event. You are recommended to take out the Ken's Events Card, (£15), as all walks and events are free with this card. All Ken's Events are subject to a disclaimer. Please click on 'Pages' button above or click here (http://www.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/pages/KEN%27S_EVENTS_DISCLAIMER/) to view disclaimer. Plan your journey, with TFL's Journey Planner (http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk/) The nearest train/tube stations are Mile End (Central line). KEN'S EVENTS also has a Facebook page and Twitter account. See http://www.facebook.com/Kens.events and http://www.twitter.com/KenEvents/ (http://www.facebook.com/Kens.events) When you arrive at the venue look for the 'KEN'S EVENTS' Flag/Sign pictured below.

Explore London! Enjoy London! Get out and see your City in the company of great friends! Join us for a leisurely Sunday afternoon 4.5 mile walk (new route) on mostly good paths with a little bit of mud from Fairlop Station (Zone 4 Central Line) as we explore Fairlop Waters Country Park which covers an area of 120 hectares (300 acres) and has a wide diversity of habitats including lakes and ponds, woodland and grassland which make it a haven for wildlife throughout the year. It also has the UK's largest man made boulder park (http://www.rockworks.co.uk/gallery/portfolio/46/) consisting of nine individual realistic boulders constructed in sprayed and carved concrete and provides a unique outdoor recreational facility with an extensive range of features and challenges that appeals to climbers of all standards and abilities. After the walk we shall visit the nearby New Fairlop Oak Pub (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-new-fairlop-oak) which takes its name from the oak tree planted on the green at Fullwell Cross in 1951 to celebrate the Festival of Britain. History The whole area was originally part of Hainault Forest and in the 1720's Daniel Day (a marine engineer from Wapping) inherited some property near Fairlop and with some friends collected the rents annually in July. He and his friends enjoyed a beanfeast under the ancient huge Fairlop Oak. By 1725 others joined in and the gathering took on the appearance of a Fair, with sales of gingerbread men, toys, ribbons, together with puppets, circus acrobats, wild beasts and other entertainments. It was said to be most respectable and well regulated, but by 1736 prosecution of stallholders for gaming and illegal sales of liquor took place. Day who felt most at home on the river, had been involved in several accidents when travelling by horse, mule, and coach, so he put wheels on a boat and with a team of horses to pull it, he travelled to the Fair in style accompanied by a band of musicians. In the 1750's over 100,000 people attended the Fair from all over London. In 1765 the local constabulary reported that "a great number of people met in a riotous and tumultuous manner selling ale and spirituous liquors to the great encouragement of vice and immorality. In 1793 the Fair was banned, but carried on again the following year. The mighty Fairlop Oak was rather abused and by 1805 many branches had fallen leaving a hollow interior in which several horses or cattle could shelter. People would often picnic inside the tree and light fires. One such fire caught the tree alight and it burnt for more than 24 hours. The gales in February 1820 brought "Fairlop" crashing down. Much more recently the area was an airfield used by the RAF in both world wars and then became gravel pits before being returned to nature. RISK WARNING:Please dress appropriately for weather conditions and carry a bottle of water and necessary medication. You need to be moderately fit for this walk and be able to walk for four miles without a break. In these walks we use; pavements, cross busy roads, public parkland, towpaths alongside water, other public paths, rights of way, bridlepaths, country lanes and other established paths and tracks through woodland, bush and countryside. Please only wear good sturdy shoes, preferably walking boots and take care as surfaces may be uneven, tree roots may protrude, there may be low overhanging branches and some paths are also used by joggers and cyclists and sometimes cars (country lanes). Some tracks may be muddy and slippery. On occasion wild,domestic and farm animals may also encountered. If you require insurance for these walks then you must arrange this yourself. As availability of toilets cannot be guaranteed en route, please ensure you arrive in good time in order to use facilities before the start. Unfortunately no dogs and children (under the age of 18) are permitted on these walks. The stroll lasts for about 2 1/2 hours, after which there will be a pub visit (New Fairlop Oak Pub) (http://www.jdwetherspoon.co.uk/home/pubs/the-new-fairlop-oak). On this ocassion there should be toilets on the station platform and also at Fairlop Waters Clubhouse near the beginning and end of the walk. Fairlop station is on the Hainault branch of the Central line. NB: If the weather is bad, please check this page to see if the walk is still on. Please note that there is a £4 nominal meetup organisers charge for this event for guests and those who do not hold the Ken's Event Membership Card. All Ken's Events are subject to a disclaimer. Please click on 'Pages' button above or click here (http://www.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/pages/KEN%27S_EVENTS_DISCLAIMER/) to view disclaimer. When you arrive at the venue look for the 'KEN'S EVENTS' Flag/Sign pictured below. KEN'S EVENTS (http://www.kensevents.co.uk/) also has a Facebook page and Twitter account. See http://www.facebook.com/Kens.events and http://www.twitter.com/KenEvents/ Please post no pre-event messages unless you are posting something relevant for the whole group.

Explore and Enjoy London! Get out and see your City in the company of great friends! Join us for an easy (flat) and Saturday afternoon walk through one of London's lesser known Parks starting at Sloane Square tube station, then moving along the King's Road, Chelsea, then south across the Thames to Battersea Park. Then we continue long the South Bank of the Thames to Westminster and the National Theatre, before finishing at a bar very near to Southwark Station (Jubilee Line), where the socialising can continue. Walking is one of life's great social activities. The stroll lasts for about 2 hours. Look for Ken with the Ken's Events/Meetup Flag, outside the station. WHAT IF THE WEATHER'S BAD - Walking events should always be fun - If the weather is bad, walking is no fun, and we may curtail or postpone the walk, therefore please check this page on the day. Please note that there is a nominal £4 meetup organisers fee for this walk except for those holding the Ken's Events Card. If you enjoy weekday and evening walks, then you should join Ken's Weekday and Evenings Walking Group. Click here for more information. (https://www.meetup.com/KENS-WEEKDAY-EVENING-WALKS/) Tell your friends you are going! https://secure.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/invite/ All Ken's Events are subject to a disclaimer. You must read this disclaimer before you attend this event. Please click here (http://www.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/pages/KEN%27S_EVENTS_DISCLAIMER/) to view disclaimer. RISK WARNING: In these walks we use; pavements, cross busy roads, public parkland, towpaths, other public paths, rights of way, bridlepaths, country lanes and other recognised paths and tracks through woodland, bush and countryside. Please only wear good sturdy shoes, preferably walking boots and take care as surfaces may be uneven, tree roots may protrude, there may be low overhanging branches and some paths are also used by joggers and cyclists and sometimes cars (country lanes). On occasion wild and farm animals may also encountered. If you require insurance for these walks then you must arrange this yourself. Unfortunately no dogs and children (under the age of 18) are permitted on these walks. When you arrive at the venue look for the 'KEN'S EVENTS' Flag/Sign. KEN'S EVENTS also has a Facebook page and Twitter account. See http://www.facebook.com/Kens.events

RSVP to see the 'JOHN RUSKIN: THE POWER OF SEEING' EXHIBITION at the EXTRAORDINARY TWO TEMPLE PLACE (FREE ENTRY to the house and the exhibition). See exhibition details below. Two Temple Place is the site of Lord Astor's magnificient neo-gothic castle. We will meet first from 3.00pm at ALL BAR ONE, 6 Villiers Street WC2N 6NQ, which is very close to Charing Cross and Embankment Stations. We will head off to the exhibition venue at Two Temple Place at 3.30pm sharp. THE VENUE-TWO TEMPLE PLACE (see details of the exhibition below) At the end of October 2011 a new art venue opened to the public, housed in one of London's most extraordinary buildings! The venue is one of London's hidden architectural gems, an extraordinary neo-Gothic mansion built by William Waldorf Astor on Embankment. It opens up one of London's very special, and almost unknown, places to the public. Built to elaborate specifications by William Waldorf Astor, later first Viscount Astor, in 1895 as his residence and estate office on reclaimed land following completion of the Victoria Embankment in 1870, Two Temple Place offers a unique location in the heart of central London, overlooking the River Thames. Exterior is portland stone, interior is a testament to the skills and expertise of some of the finest sculptors of the nineteenth century, and the building combines the grandeur of a state occasion with the intimacy of a party in a private house. John Loughborough Pearson, a pre-eminent figure in his profession, was the architect chosen by Lord Astor to build Two Temple Place. Unfettered by consideration of finance and emboldened by the full liberty of expression granted to him and materials and craftsmen of the highest quality at his disposal, he was able to create a building worthy of its distinguished owner. From the gilded weather vane in beaten copper of Columbus's caravel, the Santa Maria (pictured), perched high above the house to the meticulously carved stonework, the grilles and screens of ornamental ironwork, Two Temple Place embodies much of the outstanding workmanship and architecture of the late-Victorian period. The enchanting bronze lamp standards (pictured) flanking the base of the balustraded entrance steps, playfully representative of the marvels of electricity and telephone in the shape of two small boys, are a foretaste of the riches within. The staircase hall (pictured) illustrates the original owners love of literary characters to great effect. Access to the first floor appears to be guarded by Thomas Nicholls' resplendent mahogany carvings of the main protagonists in Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers perched imperiously atop the seven newel posts of the main staircase. Panelled in oak, complemented by a chimneypiece in paonazzetto marble and a floor of marble, jasper, porphyry and onyx laid in geometrical patterns, the hall itself is overlooked by a gallery of a further six statues with American literary associations, a frieze in rilievo of eighty-two characters from Shakespeare's Othello, Henry VIII, Antony & Cleopatra and Macbeth and ten pillars of solid ebony. The Great Hall, designed in the Renaissance style but essentially Tudor in plan, leads directly off the gallery and the room extends the whole length of the building on the river front, standing 35 feet high to the ridge and open to the roof, which is of hammer-beam type and a spectacular example of modern Gothic timber work, being all of richly carved Spanish mahogany. The east and west stained glass windows represent Swiss landscapes at 'Sunrise' and 'Sunset' and are the work of Clayton and Bell. The walls are immaculately panelled in irreplaceable pencil cedar and surmounted by a frieze in which a further fifty-four portraits of the heads of characters famous in history and fiction, have been modelled, carved in low relief and then gilded by the sculptor Nathaniel Hitch. Two Temple Place showcases publicly-owned art from UK regional collections and will bring the UK's regional riches to the capital city, emphasising not only the great cultural wealth of London, but that of the UK as a whole. The EXHIBITION : 'JOHN RUSKIN: THE POWER OF SEEING' Artist, art critic, educator, social thinker and true polymath, John Ruskin [masked]) devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge. To mark the bicentenary of his birth, a new exhibition produced by Two Temple Place, Museums Sheffield and the Guild of St George, will celebrate the legacy and enduring relevance of Ruskin’s ideas and vision. John Ruskin: The Power of Seeing will bring together over 190 paintings, drawings, daguerreotypes, metal work, and plaster casts to illustrate how Ruskin’s attitude to aesthetic beauty shaped his radical views on culture and society. The exhibition will showcase significant objects from Sheffield’s Guild of St George Ruskin Collection whilst also drawing on the rich collections of both regional and national public museums and galleries, including, The Ashmolean; Calderdale Museums; The Fitzwilliam; Gallery Oldham; The Ruskin Library, Lancaster; Leeds Museums and Art Gallery; Tate; Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village and the William Morris Gallery. Newly commissioned works including site-specific installations by Timorous Beasties and Grizedale Arts, a new moving image piece by Dan Holdsworth and contributions from artists Hannah Downing and Emilie Taylor will also feature, exploring Ruskin’s contemporary legacy. While enjoying the artwork, visitors will notice the impressive architecture of the building and it’s well worth spending some time exploring the elaborate interior of this Victorian mansion. This exhibition is a hidden gem. The MEETING PLACE: ALL BAR ONE After our visit to two Temple Place, we will continue the socialising and perhaps a drink and a meal (optional) at a local bar /restaurant. Today's Event is Free for holders of the Ken's Events Membership Card. Otherwise please note that there is a £3 nominal meetup organisers charge for this event for guests and those who do not yet hold the Ken's Event Membership Card. All Ken's Events are subject to a disclaimer. Please click on 'Pages' button above or click here (http://www.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/pages/KEN%27S_EVENTS_DISCLAIMER/) to view disclaimer. Tell your friends you are going! https://secure.meetup.com/LONDON-MEETUP-SOCIAL-GROUP-KENS-EVENTS/invite/ When you arrive at the venue look for the 'KEN'S EVENTS' Flag/Sign! KEN'S EVENTS (http://www.kensevents.co.uk/) also has a Facebook page and Twitter account. See http://www.facebook.com/Kens.events and http://www.twitter.com/KenEvents/ Please post no pre-event messages unless you are posting something relevant for the whole group.