SEPTEMBER - Fifty members boarded a coach on a rather miserable morning with rain and high winds (which fortunately soon abated), en route for the Docklands Museum. By the time they reached their destination the clouds were beginning to break up and the sun could be glimpsed from time to time. Handing out entry tickets Social Secretary Annette told us they were valid for a year and may be used time and time again. The museum is housed in No. 1 Warehouse, one of Britain's oldest warehouses. Originally used to store an enormous range of commodities imported from around the world, it now presents 2,000 years of history of London's river, port and people from the arrival of the Romans to the present day. The warehouse has been beautifully and sympathetically restored and as well as wonderful old brickwork has a wealth of huge original beams (many of them up to 18 inches wide). Members were urged to start on the third floor and work their way down, but it was soon apparent that there was so much to see that  a second visit would be necessary to appreciate more of the displays which are truly quite breathtaking in their diversity of interesting artifacts and tableaux. 

Members had a bite to eat then boarded the coach to be taken to Pall Mall to enjoy a tour of Clarence House, the London Home of the Queen Mother, now occupied by Prince Charles. Although the coach had to drop us off some way from the Mall it afforded members the opportunity to enjoy a gentle ten-minute walk around Buckingham Palace and onto The Mall. By this time the weather had developed into a pleasant autumnal day with clear blue skies. The party was split into three groups for timed guided tours around the house which, after being processed through an airport-style security check, proved to be very interesting and members were reminded by the tour guide that we were entering somebody's home, not a museum. (Report: Brian Leith)