Thursday 20th November 2025
BARBARA ASKEW
King Charles III, King Charles II and King Charles I and their Artistic Tastes
DAY OF SPECIAL INTEREST
The Westwoods Centre, Bassett Road, Northleach GL54 3JQ
Thursday 20th November 20
We are delighted to welcome Barbara Askew to our Day of Special Interest.
Barbara Askew is a historian and has been a London Blue Badge Guide since 1988. She is a lecturer, examiner and course director on the Blue Badge Guide Training Courses. She is an acknowledged expert on Royalty and Windsor Castle. She is the only Blue Badge Guide accredited to guide the Albert Memorial.
In this Day of Special Interest, we examine the artistic tastes and art collections of three kings, King Charles I, King Charles II and King Charles III.
Without King Charles I’s passion for collecting, we would not have the Royal Collection, the largest privately-owned art collection in the world; without King Charles II, we would have lost the magnificent collection his father had amassed. King Charles III is the owner of the Royal Collection today.
DOORS OPEN AT 10.00 a.m. WHEN COFFEE AND FLAPJACKS ARE SERVED
This Day of Special Interest comprises 2 morning lectures and one afternoon lecture on the following topics:
10.30 a.m -11.30am THE ARTISTIC TASTES OF KING CHARLES I
The first talk is on King Charles I who purchased the fabulous art collection of the Gonzaga Dukes of Mantua. He engaged Rubens to paint the ceiling of the Banqueting House and he appointed Van Dyck as his court artist. However, in amassing his great collection he bankrupted England and alienated his people. Charles I was our most tragic monarch and yet he was also our single greatest royal collector of art.
11.30 a.m. – 11.55 a.m. BREAK FOR COFFEE/TEA AND BISCUITS
11.55 a.m. – 12.55 a.m. THE ARTISTIC TASTES OF KING CHARLES 11
The second talk is on Charles II. On being restored to the throne in 1660, Charles II’s first act as monarch was to recover as much as possible of his father’s magnificent collection of art. He received 28 paintings and 12 antique sculptures, the so-called "Dutch Gift”, from the States of Holland and realised that art could be used as bargaining chips in diplomacy.
During his reign he amassed over 1000 paintings and was instrumental in creating his own image as King. He transformed Windsor Castle into a magnificent Baroque Palace in the manner of his cousin King Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles and used art as a symbol of power.
12.55 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. CATERED HOT LUNCH
2.00 p.m – 3.00 p.m. THE ARTISTIC TASTES OF KING CHARLES III
The final talk is about King Charles III who is a keen artist and has painted watercolours since the 1970s. In 2000 he co-founded the Royal Drawing School to address the lack of observational drawing in art education and he has set up a traditional Skills Centre at Dumfries House. In 2018, in an exhibition marking his 70th birthday, he selected his personal top 25 historical works from the Royal Collection. King Charles III is our most culturally attuned monarch in over a century.
To be followed by a short Q and A session.
The cost of the day is £48 to include 2 x morning coffee/tea and a hot lunch. You may bring your own alcohol but there will be a small corkage charge payable to the Westwoods Centre.
Please CLICK HERE for the booking form.
Your place will be confirmed to you on confirmation of payment. This may take a few days as the Organiser does not have instant access to the bank account’
No refunds will be issued, but in the event of a member being unable to attend and if there is no waiting list, he/she may find a replacement who does not need to be a member of the Society. Please inform the Organiser if you are transferring your place to someone else, so a new booking form can be completed.
THERE ARE 56 PLACES FOR THIS DAY OF SPECIAL INTEREST, SO PLEASE BOOK EARLY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT! PLACES WILL BE ALLOCATED ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS.
BOOKING FOR OUR SOCIETY MEMBERS WILL BE RESTRICTED UNTIL MONDAY 6th OCTOBER. AFTER THAT IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE FOR MEMBERS OF OTHER LOCAL SOCIETIES TO BOOK.
In the event of circumstances beyond our control, the Arts Society Gloucestershire reserves the right to cancel or re-arrange this event.
Organiser: Georgie Hayward,
Tel: 07722 652886 and 01285 658235 (please do not leave a message on the landline) georgie@uppersidd.co.uk