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We are very excited to invite you to our Afternoon Drinks in June at Bar Noé in the immersive Louis Vuitton Hotel pop-up. Bar Noé is a highly exclusive champagne and cocktail bar, inspired by Parisian aesthetic with a lively late-night atmosphere located in a trendy spot.
Amanda and Catarina invite you to come and meet up with other members for some great conversation, delicious drinks of your choice (your own tab) in these wonderful surroundings.
Please register your interest by booking a free ticket below, as numbers are limited.
If the tickets are sold out, please book a waitlist ticket, and the Activity Leaders will get in touch with you should a place become available.
Looking forward to seeing you again!
Please contact event coordinators Amanda Thompson and Catarina Granryd with any queries at cafesociety@kcwk.org.uk
Let's celebrate a wonderful year of events and gatherings that make KCWC such a special and fun club. We will also be saying a fond farewell and thank you to several Board members as they complete their term.
Please join us for a fabulous Summer Luncheon at the Sloane Club's private Roof Top Terrace Restaurant, Lila!
Welcome drink (Sommelier's choice)
A delicious two-course lunch:
Starter options
Main options
One glass of wine at lunch (Sommelier's choice)
Tea/Coffee with petits fours
✨ Entertainment to be announced, along with lovely company and a few special surprises throughout the afternoon.
This promises to be a relaxed, elegant and joyful occasion - a chance to reconnect with friends, celebrate the spirit of KCWC and enjoy the start of the summer season together in a beautiful setting.
✨Save the date and join us for this very special occasion - a highlight of the KCWC calendar! ✨
For any queries, please contact Event Organiser Patricia Marulanda at events@kcwc.org.uk
Join a relaxed Italian conversation group for those who would like to practise the language in an informal setting. Each session is inspired by a short article, providing a starting point for lively discussions about Italy and its culture.
Meetings take place at a café in central London.
A basic knowledge of Italian will help participants follow the discussion more easily, and make the most of the experience.
Come and enjoy speaking Italian in good company!! ☕
Please register to indicate your intention to participate in this meeting. For any queries contact event organiser Anna Bianchi at italian@kcwc.org.uk
Asian Arts & Global Cultures is very happy to announce a South Asian Odyssey Day! It will take you from the glamour of yesteryears to cutting edge contemporary art right here in London, as always, influenced by global cultures.
Kensington Palace (Part 1): We will begin our South Asian Odyssey with the glitz and glamour of the 'Princesses of Punjab' Exhibition at Kensington Palace. The exhibition unveils the impact of royal connections on the Indian Princesses from the Punjab during the British Raj. Explore their extraordinary lives, the impact of their Suffragette activism and their connections to Queen Victoria. We will also take the opportunity to visit the renowned Kensington State Apartments.
Paro Restaurant (Lunch): The next part of our South Asian Odyssey is lunch at Paro Restaurant where a huge array of Anglo-Indian dishes are proposed (own tab).
Hayward Gallery (Part 2): Then we will head to South Bank/ Hayward Gallery to see the world famous British Artist of Indian origin 'Anish Kapoor' who is renowned for tall sculptures such as The Orbit in The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park created for the 2012 London Olympic Games. At the Hayward Gallery Anish Kapoor's fantastic installations interact with Brutalist architecture & Contemporary British Art.
Both exhibitions will be led by experts specifically for our group.
Ticketing process:
#1 - Purchase a ticket on this (KCWC) site for a member ticket; and a guest ticket if needed.
#2 - Kensington Palace - please buy your own ticket on their website according to the category that suits you best for discounts. https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/visit/tickets-and-prices/
#3 - Hayward Gallery - Contact Roopa directly for discounted tickets of £7.50. Please note this offer is for the first 7 people to register for the South Asian Odyssey Day. Regular price is £22
Transportation: Meet at High Street Kensington station for Part 1 at the Kensington Palace. Then we'll go from High Street Kensington to Embankment station for lunch at Paro Restaurant and then the Hayward Gallery.
Timing:
11am to 12.30pm at Kensington Palace
1.15pm for lunch at Paro
3.45 to 4.45 at Hayward Gallery
If you have any queries, please contact event coordinator Roopa Girard at artsasiaglobal@kcwc.org.uk
Barcarolle Choir is an international and vibrant un-auditioned female choir with unique lunch time rehearsals. It takes its name from the Barcarolle musical genre from the “Contes d’Hoffman” composed by Offenbach that they sing in various occasions as their signature song.
The Choir was created in 2012 by the Music Director Katrine Reimers and a French amateur singer Helene Coste. Sam Evans took on the baton of Music Director in 2014 and added a pop/jazz repertoire group to the existing classical group within the choir. The two groups, now called Barcarolle Voices and Barcarolle Chamber, specialise in different styles of music, but often combine to sing certain songs, and together they retain the ethos of being one choir.
In 2020, Antonella Harrison became the new chair of Barcarolle and brought new energy and vision to Barcarolle. With her as chair, the choir has taken on new challenges and has had many wonderful experiences: from singing carols in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador in London, to performing in the stunning Cathedral in Orvieto, Italy in 2022 and to participating in singing competitions in Rimini, Italy in 2024 and in Wales in 2025. Barcarolle returned to Italy in spring 2026, for an international festival/competition in Lucca.
After 11 wonderful years with Barcarolle, Sam Evans handed over the reins of Music Director to Sam Chaplin in July 2025. Sam Chaplin successfully led Barcarolle choir in the Female Voice Competition at the Eisteddfod International Festival, in Llangollen, North Wales on 12 July 2025. In March this year, Sam conducted Barcarolle ladies in the Vox Lucensis International Festival in Lucca, Italy, where the choir gained a Silver Level III Diploma.
The Cost for this concert is £15 (£12 over 70). There is a two part ticketing process:
Step #1: Please use the normal KCWC ticket purchase process in the "Tickets" section below (there is no additional charge, but we need you registered for tracking and communication purposes)
Step #2: Please email the activity leader Maria Puleio at music1@kcwc.org.uk and she will forward you the link to use to purchase an actual ticket to the show.
For more than fifty years, Jonathon Porritt has been a leading voice in environmental and social justice advocacy, while also advising governments, businesses, and NGOs.
A highly respected author, Porritt maintains that it is still possible to avoid climate breakdown—but in Love, Anger & Betrayal, he warns that the window for action is rapidly closing. The book reflects on the recently disbanded Just Stop Oil movement, exploring both its controversial impact and the wider case for direct action. Porritt argues that many of the democratic rights we value today—including civil rights and women’s suffrage—were only achieved through civil disobedience and disruptive protest.
“Deeply uncomfortable but overwhelmingly necessary.” — Caroline Lucas, former leader of the Green Party
“A powerful reminder of the debt we owe to those whose passion and commitment challenge us to think differently.” — Tim Smit, Founder of the Eden Project
Interviewer: Claire Armitstead
Claire Armitstead is a British journalist and author, and former Associate Editor (Culture) at The Guardian. She is a prominent cultural commentator on literature and the arts, regularly appearing on radio and television. Claire also leads workshops and chairs literary events in the UK and internationally, and has judged major literary awards including the Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books, the PEN Pinter Prize, and the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
TICKETS: £25 online (£20 with our KCWC discount code)
Step1 - sign-up on this KCWC site to reserve a spot and indicate your interest.
Step 2 - contact the Activity Leader at eveningspeakers@kcwc.org.uk to request the link and KCWC Discount Code you will need to actually purchase the ticket through Kent House.
Doors open at 7pm, talk begins at 7:30pm
For any queries, contact Activity Leader Ina Messer at eveningspeakers@kcwc.org.uk
Join Floriana as she demonstrates how to prepare two dishes from the food tradition of the Campania region: spaghetti alla Nerano and parmigiana di melanzane.
Spaghetti alla Nerano is a pasta dish invented in the village of Nerano, on the Sorrento Peninsula, made with spaghetti, fried courgette, provolone del Monaco, Parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, garlic, basil, and salt.
Parmigiana is an Italian dish made with fried, sliced aubergine layered with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. The origin of the dish is claimed by the region of Campania (as well as Sicily and Emilia-Romagna).
Ticket costs £30.00 and includes demo, tasting and recipes. Please bring your own wine if you would like to enjoy some with your meal.
For any queries, please contact the organiser on foodies@kcwc.org.uk.
We would like to invite you to a special Jazz Friday Evening in central London.
The evening will feature the Lizzie Blissett Quartet.
Rising star vocalist Lizzie Blissett has been making waves on the Norfolk jazz scene in recent years, with appearances at the Norwich Jazz Club performing interpretations of music by Ella Fitzgerald, George Shearing, and many others. Born in Norwich, woodwind player Rob Milne studied Jazz at Middlesex University and has toured extensively throughout the UK and Europe. Together, they will perform Rob's arrangements of some of their favourite jazz standards, accompanied by piano and bass.
Only a few places available for this Jazz Evening on 17 July, joining Maria at the National Liberal Club.
Note: Please arrive at 7:00 pm for a 7:30 pm start
For any queries, contact event organiser Maria Puleio at music1@kcwc.org.uk
Join us for a look at some amazing contemporary botanical art and photography from around the world.
The exhibition, in its sixth year, is presented across three galleries - we will walk around the exhibition at our own pace (not a guided tour) and gather at the end for a coffee or light lunch in the area.
Tickets cost £6.00 or £10.00. Please purchase your own at the link below. RHS Members and Saatchi Gallery Members go free on production of a valid membership card. Pre-booking is not required with membership.
1- Book your ticket on the Saatchi gallery website for Tuesday 21 July at 11:00am:
https://www.saatchigallery.com/product/rhs-botanical-art-and-photography-show-2026
2- Please book a free ticket on this page to be included in KCWC communications about this event.
For any queries, contact the organisers on photography@kcwc.org.uk
Join Helen from Cook'd London as she demonstrates how to prepare a selection of fabulous Spanish tapas/pintxos, inspired by a recent trip to Girona and San Sebastian.
We will make a proper tortilla, jamón and manchego croquetas, gazpacho and helado con Pedro Ximénez.
Tickets cost £55.00 and include welcome coffee + Almendrados, demonstration, recipes + lunch.
Please book a free ticket here and email the organizer on foodies@kcwc.org.uk for payment instructions.
This is the first lecture in a two part series where Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe will look at Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), one of the most celebrated painters of the 17th century.
Rubens was a man of many skills, multilingual and highly intelligent. He worked for the rulers of Flanders, Spain, Mantua and England, employed both as a painter and as a diplomat. He was often under tremendous pressure from many of his patrons to produce multiple pictures for various schemes. He ran a large studio, creating paintings in huge quantities and of enormous size, yet without compromising on quality.
His paintings overflow with an exuberance and joy in life as he turned his eye to almost every subject during his career. As court painter, he created portraits, mythologies and massive schemes for palaces, as well as creating religious paintings for churches and convents. His domestic paintings – often made for his own enjoyment – include remarkable depictions of his family and the countryside he loved around Antwerp. The lectures will also look at the social context in which he lived – the values, customs and dress, as well as the joys and fears.
This lecture on the 23rd will cover his work in the court and church. (Part 1)
The lecture on 30th will cover him as a friend and family man. (Part 2)
Please come at 9:30 for a coffee or tea. The lecture begins promptly at 10:00 and we aim to finish by 12:15. Please remember it is a dress code at the club so please no jeans or trainers.
For any queries, please contact event organiser Susan Shriver at arthistory@kcwc.org.uk
Please join us for a session of unrehearsed reading/acting of the play "The Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie. We will continue with the play from the moment when Mr. Trotter enters the scene.
No prior acting experience is required, it is not about putting on a perfect play, but about spontaneous fun!
For this event, please buy a copy of “The Mousetrap” and bring it with you. There are various copies available second hand (google search). Alternatively you can buy a Samuel French Theatre Edition of the play for £ 10.99 from Waterstones (check availability online from their website) or other bookshops.
If you register as anonymous, you must please inform the activity leader of your name and contact details in order to be included.
For any queries, please contact event organiser Judith Neuling drama@kcwc.org.uk
This is the second lecture in a two part series where Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe will look at Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), one of the most celebrated painters of the 17th century.
The lecture on the 23rd covered his work in the court and church. (Part 1)
This lecture on the 30th will cover him as a friend and family man. (Part 2)
The fashion for all things Chinese – Chinoiserie – is a hallmark of grand 18th century British domestic style. Beyond lacquer furniture and porcelain, most noble residences had one room decorated with Chinese hand painted wallpapers.
First appearing for sale in 17th century London as part of the East India Company trade, these sumptuous papers portrayed exotic subjects in rich colourways. Birds and Chinese figures were stunningly depicted in detailed garden backdrops of sinuous trees, flowers and pagodas.
Learn about this luxurious, sophisticated decorating trend from V and A lecturer and Orientalist expert, Anne Haworth. Glorious Gardens will love this too!
For any queries contact Mary Narvell at antiques1@kcwc.org.uk
Following on from our two lectures in September, we will visit the National Gallery and look at some Ruben Paintings up close.
Meet promptly at 10:45 in the Sainsbury Wing - the tour will begin at 11am.
Please make sure you come to one lecture before you sign up for this event. Susan Shriver
Meet promptly at 12:00 in the Sainsbury Wing - the tour will begin at 12:15 pm.
Early bird opportunity!
Imperial College is running a 10 week Discovering Shakespeare course from October 2026. This is a KCWC initiative, and Imperial has provided us with an exclusive link to enroll now. The course will be advertised to the general public on Imperial's site in late April.
No prior experience required. This course is designed both for those who attended our Summer's Introduction to Shakespeare and who want to go deeper, and for those who are new to Shakespeare and wish to explore this world-famous writer.
Together, we will embark upon a broad survey of Shakespeare's work across both drama and poetry. Led by Dr Sarah James, an enthusiastic and welcoming tutor, we will look at individual texts in detail, and consider scenes from filmed productions. Each week will cover a different theme. There will be an emphasis on historical context, as we chart Shakespeare's responses to contemporary social, political and religious concerns. We will examine the radical and controversial aspects that surprised his original audiences, and consider his current place in English literature.
Lectures will take place on Mondays from 12 Oct to 14 Dec:
The Cost for the 10-week course is £162.
To Register: Email Event Organiser Jane O'Hara at literature@kcwc.org.uk She will send you the special Imperial College link just for KCWC members with our discounted rate along with the detailed course schedule. You will use that link to actually sign-up and pay for the course directly thru Imperial College.
For any queries, please contact Event Organiser Jane O'Hara at literature@kcwc.org.uk
The story of how the Côte d'Azur dazzled modern art's great innovators.
To Monet, it was like "swimming in blue air." To Braque, a "joyful revelation." Derain compared its cerulean hues to "sticks of dynamite . . . primed to discharge light."
The radiance of the French Riviera left an indelible mark on artists. It roused the imaginations not only of the 19th and 20th centuries' greatest painters - among them Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir and Klein - but giants of literature, cinema and fashion, whose works helped define the carefree glamour and eternal romance of the Côte d'Azur.
From the 1870's, the azure seas and sapphire skies of the French Riviera beckoned artists, writers, intellectuals and aristocrats searching for an escape from their drab and crowded industrial cities. What they discovered was the landscape of their dreams - one that propelled the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Modernists to new creative heights.
In these two lectures, Jo Rhymer will discuss the exhibition at the Royal Academy "Painting The French Riviera" from 2 October 2026 - 31 January 2027, which looks at how the French Riviera supported the rise of modern art - and later became a travel destination and film location that epitomised midcentury sophistication.
Immerse yourself, just as these artists did, in a Mediterranean paradise.
Please join us from 9:30am for coffee.
For any queries, please contact event organiser Susan Alloun at arthistory1@kcwc.org.uk
Our guest speaker for October is Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini, MBE, the founder and CEO of the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) in 2006.
Sanam has three decades of experience as a peace strategist working globally on conflicts, crises, violent extremism and peacebuilding with civil society, governments and the UN. Throughout her career, she has led groundbreaking initiatives in research, thought leadership, policy and practice relating to peacebuilding, human security and social cohesion. This includes being a civil society architect of the seminal UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, director of the Women Waging Peace Policy Commission in 2002-2004 with design and delivery of the first multi-country research initiative on the evidence of women’s contributions to peace processes encapsulated in her book, Women Building Peace: What They Do, Why it Matters (Rienner, 2007).
In 2011 she was appointed the first Senior Expert on Gender and Inclusion by the UN’s Standby Team (SBT) of Mediation Experts working in Somalia, Libya, Syria and Sudan among other countries. Since 2018, she has been an adjunct Professor at the Columbia University School of International Public Affairs (SIPA). From 2020 to September 2022, Sanam served as Director of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Centre for Women, Peace and Security, working to deepen links between scholarship, policy and practice as part of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. In 2024, Sanam became a Richard von Weizsacker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy. Sanam has served on numerous boards including the UK’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and Prevention of Sexual Violence Board, the Commonwealth’s Panel of Experts on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), and the Women Mediators Across the Commonwealth Steering Committee.
Her media appearances include Channel 4 News, CNN’s Amanpour, and Al Jazeera. She has published numerous articles in Foreign Affairs, Le Monde Diplomatique and the UK’s Observer. Sanam is host of the podcast, If You Were in Charge: People, Power and Possibilities currently in its third season, with guests Abigail Disney, Steven Walt and Professor Dame EJ Milner-Gullner. She was the recipient of the 2014 Washington DC UN Association Perdita Huston Award for human rights and the 2016 Greeley Peace Scholar at the University of Massachusetts. Sanam was awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2020 in recognition of her combined services to international peacebuilding and women’s rights. In 2022, she was the first Andrew Mellon Fellow at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US.
Tentative schedule for the day:
9:30am - 10:45am - Registration, tea/coffee, Activity Leader and vendor tables
10:50am - Members to take their seats in the auditorium
11:00am - Introductions
11:10am - Guest Speaker
12:05pm - Q&A
12:30pm - Meeting conclusion
For any queries, contact Katy Cooke at programmes1@kcwc.org.uk
The Day of the Dead is not intended as a sad or macabre day - it’s meant to celebrate your loved ones' lives and all the good they brought into the world when they were here with us.
Come and share happy memories whilst learning how to cook some Mexican dishes, then sit down to a simple feast and a spicy margarita (non alcoholic also available).
Ticket costs £60.00 and includes mini cookery demo, cocktails, recipes and sit down lunch.
Please book a free ticket here and contact the organizer on foodies@kcwc.org.uk for payment instructions.
To mark the opening of Tate Britain’s major exhibition on the 12th of November, Cindy Polemis delves into the lives of two of Britain’s most famous artists of the early 20th century: Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant - core members of the non-conformist Bloomsbury Group, the circle of British intellectuals and artists famed for their unconventional lives and intense partnerships. They were described by the American writer Dorothy Parker as ‘living in squares, painting in circles and loving in triangles’ and had a pivotal influence on the course of art, design and literature. Bell and Grant had an extraordinary artistic and emotional partnership which spanned more than fifty years which was to mark a crucial moment in the history of modernism in British art.
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