BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//The Oscar Wilde Society - ECPv6.15.17.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Oscar Wilde Society REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:19940101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220625 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220626 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142220Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132904Z UID:3429-1656115200-1656201599@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:A Visit to the House Beautiful for OWS Members - 25 June 2022 DESCRIPTION:Please see the email sent by the Membership Secretary to OWS members on 24 May 2022 for details. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/a-visit-to-the-house-beautiful-for-ows-members-25-june-2022/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20220328T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20220328T200000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142206Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3427-1648494000-1648497600@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Wilde and his Irish connections (Joint event with NLC Irish Circle) DESCRIPTION:When Henry James met Oscar Wilde in Washington in 1882\, he confessed to the young Irish man who was causing such a stir in America\, that he was “nostalgic for London.” “Really?” Wilde replied. “You care for places? The world is my home.” Oscar Wilde was an internationalist who valued the richness of diversity\, language and culture. Yet\, as George Bernard Shaw remarked so astutely: “It must not be forgotten that though by culture Wilde was a citizen of all civilised capitals\, he was at root a very Irish Irishman\, and\, as such\, a foreigner everywhere but in Ireland.” \nWilde spent most of his adult life in England and produced all but his earliest poetry there. After he was released from prison\, in 1887\, he retreated into self imposed exile in France. Yet Ireland was his birthplace\, his touchstone\, and his home during his formative years. So just how Irish was Oscar Wilde? How did his nationality inform his ideas and output? How embedded was he\, if at all\, in the vibrant Irish community of artists\, thinkers and writers who called London home during the 1880s and 1890s? \nBiographical Note\nEleanor Fitzsimons is a writer and researcher who lives in Dublin\, Ireland. Her biography Wilde’s Women: How Oscar Wilde was shaped by the women he knew (Duckworth\, 2015) was widely and favourably reviewed. Eleanor is an honorary patron of the Oscar Wilde Society and a member of the editorial board of society journal The Wildean. She has worked as a television researcher for the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ\, and was a contributor to BBC documentary The Importance of Being Oscar\, first broadcast on BBC2 in April 2019. \nTickets:\n1) Talk only: Free to attend in person at the NLC (Zoom invite will also be sent to all members to join virtually)\n2) Talk and two-course dinner: £32.50 – STRICTLY Members only \nShould you wish to stay for dinner\, you need to book your place by sending an email to both: bookings@nlc.org.uk AND binoederv@btinternet.com \, specifying whether you are booking for the Talk Only (Free)\, or for the Talk and Dinner (£32.50). Also let us know if you have any dietary requirements. Once your place is confirmed\, you will be asked to call NLC office on 02079680912 to make the payment. \nPlease note that places for dinner are very limited\, so book early to avoid disappointment. \n  URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/wilde-and-his-irish-connections-joint-event-with-nlc-irish-circle/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20211015T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20211015T220000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142205Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3425-1634324400-1634335200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual Birthday Dinner at the National Liberal Club (OWS & NLC members + their guests) DESCRIPTION:After over a year of lockdown\, we are delighted that our annual birthday dinner at the National Liberal Club is back again. This year\, however\, we are proud to announce that our event will take place at the prestigious ‘Gladstone room’\, which is the main dining room of the National Liberal club\, with fantastic views of the Thames and the London Eye.\nThe event will be for our members (+ their guests)\, and members of the National Liberal Club. Bookings will be taken in the order that payment is received.\n\n\nIt is our pleasure to announce that the special guest this year will be our most recent Honorary Patron\, actor and writer Neil Titley (who is also a member of the NLC). Neil will speak\, after dinner\, about ‘Rambling On – 40 years with Oscar’ and tell us about his travels and adventures whilst performing and touring his one-man Oscar Wilde show\, Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes. Those who have previously heard Neil’s witty stories will know that we are in for a treat. Neil will also be signing copies of his book ‘Under Ken Wood: The Story of a London Pub’\, which is the funniest guide to Hampstead you will ever find.\n\n \n\n\nMembers will also be delighted to know that our Honorary President\, Gyles Brandreth\, the esteemed British actor\, broadcaster\, writer and former politician\, will be giving the toast to Oscar and the Society in the Smoking Room at 7.15 pm prior to dinner. He will be also signing copies of his new autobiography ‘Odd Boy Out’ for those who wish to purchase copies. \n\n\nWe are also having a book sale to raise funds for the society. Books have been kindly donated from dear members of the society\, including our beloved late Honorary Patron\, and member of the NLC\, Jonathan Fryer.\n\n\nWhen booking\, please let us know of any dietary requirements.\nCost: £75 per person for the drinks reception and three-course dinner with wine.\n\n(Payment by PayPal is preferred to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk or by cheque payable to the Oscar Wilde Society sent to our Events Secretary Geoff Dibb (his address should be in your latest issue of Intentions)\n\n\nIf you have any questions please contact Geoff. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-birthday-dinner-at-the-national-liberal-club-ows-nlc-members-their-guests/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20210903T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20210903T200000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142205Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3426-1630695600-1630699200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:The 31st Annual General Meeting (AGM) - Members Only DESCRIPTION:The AGM will again be held online on Zoom. This will be an excellent opportunity for members who are usually unable to join us to take part and we look forward to welcoming as many Society members as possible. The Zoom link will be mailed a few days prior to the meeting.\n\nAGENDA\n\nWelcome and introductions.\nApproval of the minutes of the previous AGM.\nChairman’s report.\nHon. Secretary’s report.\nHon. Treasurer’s report.\nMembership subscriptions for 2021/2022.\nWebsite and social media.\nThe Wildean.\nOther publications.\nElections for the Committee for 2021/2022.\nElections of Honorary Officers of the Society for 2021/2022:\nHon. Secretary\nHon. Treasurer\nChairman\nAppointed members for 2021/2022.\nMembers’ comments and questions.\nClose of Meeting.\n\nWe welcome new committee members to help to run the Society. Nominations for the Committee must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society. If you do not know other members well enough to approach them\, the Committee will help. Please apply to the Hon Secretary Vanessa Heron. She would be delighted to help you or to answer your questions.\n\nWe look forward to welcoming you. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/the-31st-annual-general-meeting-agm-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20200926T110000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20200926T150000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142203Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3422-1601118000-1601132400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Visit to Leighton House and Linley Sambourne’s House DESCRIPTION:We will be visiting two wonderful artists’ houses in Kensington: Lord Leighton’s Palace of Art in Holland Park and the house of Punch cartoonist Linley Sambourne which has been preserved as a time- capsule of the complete aesthetic interior. Leighton’s magnificent house\, with its fountain playing in a tiled court that could have come straight from the Arabian Nights\, was one of the great artists’ houses and has recently been splendidly restored. Linley Sambourne – whose caricature of Oscar Wilde as a sunflower will be familiar to members – created a perfect aesthetic interior whilst satirising aestheticism for Punch readers. Sambourne’s granddaughter Anne\, Countess of Rosse\, founded the Victorian Society at a dinner party in the house and presented the house to the Society\, ensuring its preservation. \n\n\n\nAdmission to both houses will cost £22 or £20 for students and over-60s. The guided tour of Leighton House will begin at 11.00 a.m. The tour of Linley Sambourne House will be self-guided as the rooms are too small for large parties. We can arrive at Linley Sambourne House at any time after 2.00 p.m. and take ourselves around. Lunch will not be provided\, but there are many eating places in the area. If the weather is fine\, we can enjoy a packed lunch in the garden of Leighton House. \nPayment by PayPal is preferred to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk and if you do use this means of payment\, please email Geoff Dibb so that he definitely has your booking. Alternatively ask Geoff for the address to send a cheque made to The Oscar Wilde Society. \nImage from Time Out URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/visit-to-leighton-house-and-linley-sambournes-house/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20200424T084500 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20200424T100000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142204Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3423-1587717900-1587722400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Curated Visit to The Aubrey Beardsley Exhibition DESCRIPTION:We are delighted to announce that the joint curator of the Aubrey Beardsley Exhibition\, Dr. Caroline Corbeau-Parsons\, has offered to give the Society a guided tour of this important exhibition. This will be out of hours so that we can experience the exhibition peacefully! \nThis is the largest exhibition of Beardsley’s drawings for 50 years and the largest display of his original drawings in Europe since the seminal 1966 exhibition at the V&A\, which triggered a Beardsley revival. \nThis exhibition will cover Beardsley’s intense and prolific career as a draughtsman and illustrator\, cut short by his untimely death from tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five. Beardsley’s charismatic persona played a part in the phenomenon that he and his art generated\, so much so that the 1890s were dubbed the ‘Beardsley Period’. \nOver 200 works will be on display including his celebrated illustrations for Oscar Wilde’s Salomé\, Le Morte d’Arthur and Lysistrata. It will also show artworks that were key inspirations for Beardsley\, including Japanese scrolls and watercolours by Edward Burne-Jones and Gustave Moreau. \n\n\n\nIn order to be out-of-hours\, we will meet at the early time of 08:45 a.m. at Tate Britain (staff entrance – a map will be supplied) and the tour will begin promptly at 09:00 a.m. Dr. Corbeau-Parsons will be with us for one hour and then members can remain in the exhibition when it opens to the public at 10:00am at no further cost. This is a significant saving on the usual cost of entry. \n\n\n\nPlease do not be late on the day. It will not be possible to gain entrance after our group has gone into the exhibition because we are using the staff entrance and being met there by Dr Corbeau-Parsons \nThis curated visit will be limited to 20 members and guests. To book your places please contact Geoff Dibb. \nPayment by PayPal is preferred to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk and if you do use this means of payment\, please email Geoff as well so that he has your booking. If you prefer to pay by cheque made to The Oscar Wilde Society\, contact Geoff to know the address to post it to. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/curated-visit-to-the-aubrey-beardsley-exhibition/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20191011T193000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20191011T223000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142202Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3420-1570822200-1570833000@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual Birthday Dinner (National Liberal Club) DESCRIPTION:We are delighted to announce that the Society’s Honorary President\, Gyles Brandreth\, will be our guest and after-dinner speaker. We will be meeting and dining in the David Lloyd George Room and\, because this is our major event and is always popular with members and their guests\, early booking is recommended. \nWhen booking please inform of any dietary requirements. Cost: £75 per person for the drinks reception and three course dinner with wine. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-birthday-dinner-national-liberal-club/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190927T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190927T203000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142203Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3421-1569610800-1569616200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting DESCRIPTION:We will meet in the foyer of this company office just before 7.00 pm. This is an excellent opportunity for old and new members to get acquainted and we would be particularly pleased to welcome newly joined Society members. \nAGENDA \nWelcome and introductions \n\nApproval of the minutes of the previous AGM\nChairman’s report\nHon. Secretary’s report\nHon. Treasurer’s report\nMembership subscriptions for 2019/2020\nWebsite and Social Media\nThe Wildean\nOther publications\nElections for the Committee for 2019/2020\nElections of Honorary Officers for the Society for 2019/2020:\nHon. Secretary\nHon. Treasurer\nChairman\nAppointed members for 2019/2020\nMembers’ comments and questions\nClose\n\nWe welcome new Committee members to help to run the Society. Nominations for the Committee must be proposed and seconded by members of the Society. If you do not know other members well enough to approach them\, the Committee will help. \nPlease apply to the Hon. Secretary\, Vanessa Heron. She would be delighted to help you or to answer your questions. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-general-meeting/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190720T114500 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190720T170000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142202Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3419-1563623100-1563642000@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Summer Lunch\, Oxford (Members and their guests) DESCRIPTION:Magdalen College recently told the Society that the date they offered is no longer available due to building works. We have found a delightful Victorian pub nearby – The Cape of Good Hope – Iffley Road\, The Plain\, Oxford\, Oxfordshire\, OX4 1EA\, which has offered us a private dining room. \nCost is £43 per head and includes a three-course lunch\, Pimms for the reception and a glass of prosecco for the toast. Other drinks to be purchased from the pub. \n  \nPROGRAMME \n \nVisit the Robert Ross Memorial Collection at University College\, guided by the College Librarian Elizabeth Adams before lunch. Lunch will be held in a private room at The Cape of Good Hope\, just over Magdalen Bridge. Our after-lunch speaker is Daryl Green\, the Librarian from Magdalen College\, who will introduce us to the Magdalen College holdings of Oscar Wilde materials and then escort us on a curated tour of Wildean materials in their collection and the Making History: Christian Cole\, Alain Locke and Oscar Wilde at Oxford Exhibition. \n\n\n\n\n  \nTIMETABLE \nMeet at University College at 11:45\n Visit Robbie Ross Collection to 12:30 \nWalk to Cape of Good Hope – arrive 12:45\nPimms reception – approx. 30 minutes \nLunch to 3:00 – Speaker Daryl Green \nVisit Magdalen Exhibition 3:30 – 4:30 \n\n\n\n  \nPayment by PayPal is preferred to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk and if you do use this means of payment\, please email Geoff so that he definitely has your booking. Alternatively send a cheque made to The Oscar Wilde Society to Geoff at: 29 Oxford Road\, St. John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/summer-lunch-oxford-members-and-their-guests/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190706T140000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190706T170000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142201Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3418-1562421600-1562432400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Guided Walk\, Tite Street\, Chelsea DESCRIPTION:Meet on Sunday 6th of Julyat 2 pm at the Embankment end of Tite Street. \n\n\n\nDevon Cox\, Society member and author of the wonderful study of Tite Street\, The Street of Wonderful Possibilities\, will lead us on a guided tour of Tite Street where Wilde\, Whistler and Sargent\, amongst many others\, lived in the nineteenth century. We will walk (slowly!) up Tite Street and Devon will inform us of the rich history before us. When we get to the northern end we will walk to a local pub for a well-deserved rest at about 3:30pm. This walk is limited to 25 people so early booking is encouraged. \n\n\n\nPayment by PayPal is preferred to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk and if you do use this means of payment\, please email Geoff so that he definitely has your booking. Alternatively send a cheque made to The Oscar Wilde Society to Geoff at: 29 Oxford Road\, St. John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/guided-walk-tite-street-chelsea/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190524T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190524T230000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142145Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3410-1558724400-1558738800@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Robbie Ross Celebration Dinner (members and their guests only) DESCRIPTION:In conjunction with the Savile Club and to be held in the Clubhouse at 69 Brook Street\, London W1K 4ER \nA dinner in celebration of the 150th birthday of Robert ‘Robbie’ Ross\, man of letters\, devoted friend\, erstwhile lover and literary executor of Oscar Wilde and mentor to the poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen; with speeches by Ross’s biographer\, Jonathan Fryer; the President of the Oscar Wilde Society\, Gyles Brandreth; and a reading by actor Edwin Thomas\, who played Robbie in Rupert Everett’s film The Happy Prince. \n \nCost: £57 including wine. Payment by PayPal preferred to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk or else by cheque made payable to The Oscar Wilde Society and sent to John Stratford at 9 Rosehip Way\, Bishop’s Cleeve\, Cheltenham GL52 8WP. \nDress code: elegantly casual\, no jeans or trainers. Gentlemen are required to wear a collared shirt and jacket but a tie is not mandatory. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/robbie-ross-celebration-dinner-members-and-their-guests-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190302T113000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190302T133000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142145Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3411-1551526200-1551533400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Guided Visit to the Oscar Wilde Temple DESCRIPTION:Twenty years in the making\, The Oscar Wilde Temple is an immersive work of art and secular space honouring Wilde\, one of the earliest forebears of gay liberation\, whilst commemorating LGBTQ+martyrs and those lost to the AIDS crisis. For this exhibition\, the entirety of the gallery\, a Victorian former chapel\, has been dramatically transformed to create an environment that celebrates Oscar Wilde. \nThis is a FREE event.\nIf you are coming\, please email Geoff. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/guided-visit-to-the-oscar-wilde-temple/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20190202T120000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20190202T153000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142144Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3409-1549108800-1549121400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Author's Lunch with Michèle Mendelssohn\, writer of 'Making Oscar Wilde' DESCRIPTION:We shall meet at 12:00 pm for 12:30 for lunch at ‘Obica’ restaurant. \nThis Italian restaurant is an attractive venue where an excellent lunch is served; we were last there for Gyles Brandreth’s author’s lunch in 2017. \nAll members and their guests will be very welcome. \nThe last date to book a place is 19 January 2019. \nThe meal will be £57 per person inclusive of Prosecco and wine. The private dining room has limited space\, so places will be allocated in order of payment\, preferably by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk or by cheque (made to The Oscar Wilde Society) to Geoff Dibb at 29 Oxford Road\, St John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB. \nPlease state if you would like the vegetarian option. \nOur speaker is Michele Mendelssohn. She is a literary critic and cultural historian. She is Associate Professor of English Literature at Oxford University. \nMaking Oscar Wilde reveals the untold story of young Oscar’s career in Victorian England and post-Civil War America. Set on two continents\, it tracks a larger-than-life hero on an unforgettable adventure to make his name and gain international acclaim. ‘Success is a science’ Wilde believed\, ‘if you have the conditions\, you get the result.’ \nMaking Oscar Wilde reveals the untold story of young Oscar’s career in Victorian England and post-Civil War America. Set on two continents\, it tracks a larger-than-life hero on an unforgettable adventure to make his name and gain international acclaim. ‘Success is a science’ Wilde believed\, ‘if you have the conditions\, you get the result.’ \nAny questions\, please contact Geoff. \nTo quote our President Gyles Brandreth:  ‘You may not think there is new stuff to learn about Oscar Wilde\, but there is—as this book proves. Michele Mendelssohn has succeeded in throwing new light on Wilde’s remarkable American lecture tour. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written\, this is a valuable addition to Wildean scholarship.’ URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/authors-lunch-with-michele-mendelssohn-writer-of-making-oscar-wilde/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20181114T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20181114T220000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142144Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3408-1542222000-1542232800@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:The Oscar Wilde Quiz (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:The Lady Violet Room at the National Liberal Club will be the venue for the second Oscar Wilde Quiz. Those who competed in the last one in March 2015 will know how fiercely competitive some of the Society members are\, and we hope this will be an equally entertaining and very social evening. \nTeams of four will compete for a special aesthetic prize. Neil Titley will be Quizmaster and Michael Seeney will keep the scores and has written the more fiendishly difficult questions. \nWe are promised plenty of questions of a more general nature\, linked to Oscar Wilde\, as well as some which will really challenge your Wildean knowledge. \nFood and drink (bar snacks) will be available to purchase while you rack your brains\, and you can either plan a team of four or we will match people up on the night. \nPayment is preferred by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk. If paying by PayPal\, please email Geoff to inform him. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/the-oscar-wilde-quiz-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20181020 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20181021 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142130Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3407-1539993600-1540079999@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Last Day of Classic Spring Season DESCRIPTION:Please join us for the very last night of Dominic Drimgoole’s Classic Spring Season of the plays of Oscar Wilde\, This is the first time in the history of the London stage that a theatre has been dedicated to the work of one author for a whole year – even Shakespeare has never been paid that compliment. So let’s make the last night of The Importance of Being Earnest a night to remember\, with an efflorescence of green carnations in the auditorium of the Vaudeville Theatre. You can book here. \nAny questions\, please contact Geoff. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/last-day-of-classic-spring-season/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20181019T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20181019T220000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142129Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3405-1539975600-1539986400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual Birthday Dinner (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:7 pm Smoking Room for Reception Drinks\nfollowed by\nDinner at 7:30 pm in the Lady Violet Room \n  \nUnfortunately\, our guest and after-dinner speaker for the evening\, Dominic Dromgoole\, has informed us that he will not be able to speak to us after the meal. This is disappointing news. But we are extremely happy to be able to announce that Matthew Sturgis\, the author of the latest and much awaited biography of Oscar Wilde (Oscar: A Life) is able to be our guest that evening and tell us about his book and his insights into Wilde’s life. We are certain that this will make it a very pleasant and informative evening for us all. \nWe are sorry that we have had to make changes at this late stage but we hope you understand that it was beyond our control. If you have booked already and this change makes you wish to cancel then please contact Geoff Dibb. \nThe dinner includes drinks as well. When booking\, please indicate if you require a vegetarian meal or have any other dietary requirements. \nPayment is preferred by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk\, or by cheque made to (The Oscar Wilde Society) to Geoff Dibb at: 29 Oxford Road\, St John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB.\nIf paying by Paypal\, please inform Geoff. If you have any questions\, also send them to him. \nThe private dining room has limited space\, so places will be allocated strictly in order or payment. In order to finalise details with the National Liberal Club the last date to book a place is 4th of October. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-birthday-dinner-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20180906T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20180906T210000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142128Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3404-1536260400-1536267600@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:Save the date. More information will be posted soon. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-general-meeting-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20180721T120000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20180721T170000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142127Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3403-1532174400-1532192400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Annual Summer Lunch at Magdalen College (Members & their guests) DESCRIPTION:12:15 pm for Pimms or fruit juice in the Chaplain’s Quad\nfollowed by\nLunch at 13:00 in the New Rooms \nLunch will be followed by a talk by Dr Anne Anderson: Inventing Oscar: George Du Maurier and Oscar Wilde. \nUpon noticing Wilde and Du Maurier\, at an exhibition of his works\, Whistler is said to have quipped: ‘Which of you two discovered the other?’\n‘We have both discovered you’\, was Wilde’s retort. Du Maurier certainly referenced both Whistler and Wilde in his cartoons\, through Maudle the painter and Jellaby Postlethewaite the poet. Conversely it has been suggested Wilde based his aesthetic persona on Du Maurier’s caricatures. But when did Du Maurier discover Wilde? Although Wilde’s features disappear just as suddenly as Maudle and Postlethwaite from the pages of Punch\, the prose vitroil reaches a peak with his American tour. Mr Punch certainly ‘discovered’ that Wilde made a good copy. \nIn order to keep costs down and responding to members’ comments\, the lunch will have two pricings: \n\n£66 per person with fruit juice in the Quad and table water with the meal\nOR £76 per person with Pimms in the Quad and wine with the lunch\n\nPlease note: drinks are not available to by on the day at Magdalen. \nWhen booking\, please indicate which pricing you want and please say if you require a vegetarian meal or have any other dietary requirements. \nThe private dining room has limited space\, so place will be allocated strictly in order of payment. In order to finalise details with Magdalen the last date to book a place is 5 July. \nPayment is preferred by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk\, or by cheque made to (The Oscar Wilde Society) to Geoff Dibb at: 29 Oxford Road\, St John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB.\nIf paying by Paypal\, please inform Geoff. If you have any questions\, also send them to him. \n  \n  URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/annual-summer-lunch-at-magdalen-college-members-their-guests/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20180525T193000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20180525T210000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142112Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3402-1527276600-1527282000@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Oscar's People: A Conversation Piece (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:Portraits of three Wilde confederates: James McNeil Whistler\, Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree\, George Bernard Shaw with Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde \nNeil Titely is familiar to many in the society for his Oscar Wilde one-man show ‘Work is the Curse of the Drinking Classes’ as well as his book The Oscar Wilde World of Gossip and his blog detailing the trials and adventures of touring around the world being Oscar. \nNeil has written a new conversation piece\, set in a Parisian cafe. which imagines Oscar Wilde in conversation with Whistler\, Shaw and Beerbohm Tree. \nSince the CAA is a private club\, Neil is not able to sell tickets in advance\, but suggests a donation of £10 per person\, on the night\, to cover the costs. Attendance will be by prior booking only as seating is limited. Please email Vanessa to book a place. \nWe expect this to be a popular event\, with member of the Shaw and Whistler societies also invited\, so you will receive a confirmation if you have a place. We have been unable to locate the Tree Society. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/oscars-people-a-conversation-piece-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20171013T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20171013T220000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142111Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3399-1507921200-1507932000@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Birthday Dinner at The National Liberal Club (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:Drinks at 7 pm in the Smoking Room for a 7:45 dinner in the Lady Violet Room. \nThe National Liberal Club is a wonderful venue and a place visited by Wilde himself when he dined here\, as you can\, too. \nOur guest speaker will be Dr Rebecca N. Mitchell\, Senior Lecturer of Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Birmingham. Rebecca is currently co-editing Wilde’s Unpublished\, Incomplete\, and Miscellaneous Works for the Oxford English Text edition of the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. \nRebecca will outline the issues which arise in the editorship of Wilde’s Complete Works and speak on ‘Editing Oscar Wilde: Tales of the Oral Tales.’ Wilde’s oral stories pose particular editorial challenges and their varied publications involve a curious cast of characters. \nIn addition to scholarship on Oscar Wilde\, Rebecca has published widely on Victorian realism\, print culture\, and fashion. Her most recent books include Fashioning the Victorians\, (Bloomsbury\, forthcoming)\, Drawing on the Victorians: The Palimpsest of Victorian and Neo-Victorian Graphic Texts (co-edited with Anna Maria Jones\, Ohio UP\, 2016) and Oscar Wilde’s Chatterton: Literary History\, Romanticism\, and the Art of Forgery (co-authored with Joseph Bristow\, Yale UP\, 2015). \nFuller details of the Birthday Dinner will be included in the next Intentions. However\, if Members would wish to place an early deposit to safeguard a place at this wonderful evening\, a payment of £15 would suffice. Payment if preferred by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk\, OR by cheque (made to The Oscar Wilde Society) to Geoff Dibb at 29 Oxford Road\, St John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB. If you make a payment\, please make it clear that it is for the Birthday Dinner. \nAny questions\, please contact Geoff at gdibb@oscarwildesociety.co.uk URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/birthday-dinner-at-the-national-liberal-club-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20170912T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20170912T210000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142110Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132904Z UID:3398-1505242800-1505250000@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:OSCAR WILDE SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING DESCRIPTION:This will take place at the CAA in Bedford Street. \nFurther details to follow in 2017. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/oscar-wilde-society-annual-general-meeting/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20170722T121500 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20170722T150000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142054Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3397-1500725700-1500735600@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Summer Lunch at Magdalen College (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:We will start at 12:15 pm with Pimms or fruit juice in The Chaplain’s Quad followed by lunch at 13:00 in the New Room at Magdalen College\, Oxford OX1 4AU. \nThe private dining room has limited space\, so places will be allocated strictly in order of payment. In order to finalise details with Magdalen the last date to book a place is 22 June. \nPayment if preferred by PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk\, or by cheque (made to The Oscar Wilde Society) to Geoff Dibb at 29 Oxford Road\, St John’s\, Wakefield\, West Yorkshire WF1 3LB. \nPlease make the payment of £76 or £66 (depending on your meal option)\, and book your place by filling the form. [Some Members have already paid a £15 per person deposit for this event\, so their pricings would be £61 and £51 respectively.] \n\n← Back Thank you for your response. ✨\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nName(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nEmail(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nTelephone(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nMeal Option (Please note: drinks are not available to buy on the day at Magdalen) \n £66 per person with fruit juice in the Quad and no wine with the meal £76 per person with Pimms in the Quad and wine with the meal\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nDo you require a vegetarian meal?\n Yes No\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nPayment Made by (Please fill this section after you have made your payment)(required)\n PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk cheque\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n Submit \n \n \n \n\n\nFollowing our lunch\, we will have guest speaker: Clare Barlow\, Tate Gallery\, Curator of Tate Britain’s Queer British Art 1861-1967 exhibition. \nClare will speak about the framework of the exhibition\, particularly touching upon the issues faced by Wilde and his circle and the telling of their stories in the show. \nPortrait of Oscar Wilde by Harper Pennington (AP photo)\nThe full length portrait of Oscar Wilde by Harper Pennington\, owned by Wilde himself\, is exhibited in the UK for the first time as part of this exhibition. Wilde was declared bankrupt whilst awaiting trial for ‘gross indecency’ and was forced to sell the work to pay his legal fees. It has since been held in an American collection for almost a century. Tate Britain’s exhibition will show the painting alongside the prison cell door behind which Wilde was incarcerated in Reading Gaol. \nAlex Farquharson\, Director\, Tate Britain\, said: ‘It’s wonderful to be displaying this important portrait of Oscar Wilde for the first time in Britain. It’s an extraordinary image of Wilde on the brink of fame\, before imprisonment destroyed his health and reputation. Viewing it next to the door of his gaol cell will be a powerful experience that captures the triumph and tragedy of his career.’ \nThe curator of the exhibition\, Clare Barlow\, said: ‘The six foot oil painting depicts him as a slender 27-yearold on the cusp of success. His stance is confident\, holding a pair of gloves in one hand while the other clasps a silver-topped cane. It presents a different\, more sombre image to the one we are more familiar with’. \nAny questions\, please contact Geoff. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/summer-lunch-at-magdalen-college-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20161007T190000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20161007T223000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142029Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3384-1475866800-1475879400@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Birthday Dinner (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:OUR annual Birthday Dinners have always been particularly popular and considered to be one of the highlights of the Society year. They are held on an evening near Oscar Wilde’s Birthday (16 October) at the National Liberal Club. \nAt the most recent Dinner\, on 16 October 2015\, the Chairman\, Don Mead\, announced the appointment of Gyles Brandreth as Hon President. We commemorated our twenty-fifth anniversary and published Don’s lavishly illustrated Anniversary Booklet which gives a short history of the Society and describes some of its most memorable events. \nMemorable occasions in previous years have included include Anthony Holden speaking on The Portrait of Mr W.H. in 1996; inimitable talks by Sir Donald Sinden recalling his experience of playing Wilde in Diversions and Delights and speaking of his affectionate memories of Bosie Douglas; Sir John Mortimer on Wilde’s Socialism; and an evening with Stephen Fry playing gracefully with ideas at the Garrick Club in 2006. \nMerlin Holland was our speaker at the Dinner at the National Liberal Club in October 2012. He gave us something of a preview of his forthcoming book After Oscar which will tell the story of Wilde’s ‘afterlife’ and the reverberations of the scandal for decades since his death. \nAt the 2014 Birthday Dinner Matthew Sturgis\, whose subject was ‘On Being Wilde’s Biographer’\, sprang a surprise on us. By searching the autobiographies of minor characters of the period he had found a variety of anecdotes about Wilde of varying degrees of plausibility. He asked us to vote on each of them: true or fiction? The scores were duly noted and may or may not have helped Matthew determine their value. \nThis year our speaker will be Dr Rebecca N. Mitchell\, Senior Lecturer of Victorian Literature and Culture at the University of Bergminham. Rebecca is currently co-editing Wilde’s Unpublished\, Incomplete\, and Miscallaneous Works for the Oxford English Text edition of The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. \nRebecca will outline the issues which arise in the editorship of Wilde’s Complete Works and speak on ‘Editing Oscar Wilde: Tales of the Oral Tales’. Wilde’s oral stories pose particular editorial challenges and their varied publications involve a curious cast of characters. \n  URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/birthday-dinner-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160924T093000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160924T163000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142053Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T140314Z UID:3393-1474709400-1474734600@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Visit to Ellen Terry's House\, Smallhythe Place (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:As Eleanor Fitzsimons wrote in her book Wilde’s Women: how Oscar Wilde was shaped by the women he knew: ‘Irving’s leading lady\, the magnificent Ellen Terry\, was described by Oscar as ‘the kindest-hearted\, sweetest\, loveliest of women’. The house she lived in for 29 years\, and which she loved\, was turned by her daughter Edy into a museum where her theatrical treasures and relics would be kept on display.\nThe Oscar Wilde Society is proud to organise an exciting visit to Ellen Terry’s house for its members. \nHere is the program for the day:\n09.30 am Depart London by bus from Temple Underground station\n10.45 am Arrive at Ellen Terry’s House\, Smallhythe Place\n10:50 am Welcome and Guide Talk by a member of National Trust\n11:15 am Talk on Ellen Terry and Oscar Wilde by Eleanor Fitzsimons\n11:40 am – 1:15 pm Visit the Ellen Terry House\n2.00 pm Visit the Tudor Church\n2.45 pm Visit with tour – Chapel Down Winery\n4.30 pm Bus departs for London Temple Underground station \nThe final cost will depend on the numbers attending but will certainly not be more than £40 per person. This covers the bus journey there and back\, entry to the house\, a sandwich lunch with a tea or coffee\, talk by Eleanor Fitzsimons\, and visits to the Tudor Church and the Chapel Down Winery. \n \nWe encourage members and their guests to reserve their places as soon as possible. We ask for a deposit of £15.00. There will be deductions for those members who are already National Trust members\, and/or for those who do not wish to have the sandwich lunch there. Places will be allocated on a first come first served and are limited to thirty. \nPlease book your place by paying the deposit requested per person via PayPal to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk\, then by filling the booking form below. \n\n← Back Thank you for your response. ✨\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\nName(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nEmail(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nAddress(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nTelephone (mobile preferable)(required)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nGuests' names (if applicable)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nDeposit of £15 per person is paid by (select)(required)\n PayPal to membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk Cheque Payable to Oscar Wilde Society posted to (Silvia Melchior: 36 Hamilton Road - Cockfosters EN4 9HE)\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nNote (Please select)(required)\n I should like to have the sandwich lunch I should like to have the vegetarian option I am a National Trust member\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nMy guest/guests meal preference is (if applicable\, please write the meal preference for each of your guests).\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\nMy National Trust Membership No. (if Applicable)\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n Submit \n \n \n \n\n\nThe closing date for Members’ bookings is 30 June 2016. \n  URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/visit-ellen-terrys-house-smallhythe-place/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160723T120000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160723T170000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142030Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3385-1469275200-1469293200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Summer lunch at Magdalen College with tour of the Old Library and the Archives (Members Only) DESCRIPTION:This ever-popular event in the Society’s calendar will start\, as usual\, with Pimm’s served in Chaplain’s Quadrangle and a recital of ‘Magdalen Walks’. Our guest at lunch will be Ben Taylor\, who will conduct a tour. It is many years since we visited the Archives and the last time we visited the Old Library was in 2011. Ben tells us that the exhibits will include the window from Oscar’s rooms on which he scratched a drawing of ‘Little Mr Bouncer’ (his friend William ‘Bouncer’ Ward) with a diamond. For many years this was thought to have been smashed in the course of some college festivities and lost but the jagged broken pane with the drawing was rediscovered in 2003 in a mouldering package in Magdalen’s Works Department. \nWe shall also see the Oxford Diary of Florence Ward\, ‘Bouncer’ Ward’s seventeen year-old sister. With a sharp eye for social comedy she kept a detailed record\, illustrated with her sketches\, of the visit she made in June 1876 for Commemoration Week. \nThe cost per head for members and guests (one guest per member) is £72 which covers a glass of Pimm’s followed by a three course meal. \nWe have a limited number of places so\, as ever\, it will be ‘first come\, first served’. \nPlease pay by PayPal to: membership@oscarwildesociety.co.uk noting ‘Magdalen lunch’ in the message box. \nOr send a cheque\, payable to the Oscar Wilde Society\, to Silvia Melchior\, Events Secretary. \nPlease indicate whether you would like to have the vegetarian option. \n  URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/summer-lunch-at-magdalen-college-with-tour-of-the-old-library-and-the-archives-members-only/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20160529T150000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20160529T170000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3390-1464534000-1464541200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Unveiling of OSCANCE Memorial DESCRIPTION:OSCANCE memorial will be unveiled by Merlin Holland at St. James’s Church\, Paddington on the exact 132nd anniversary of the wedding of Oscar and Constance on Sunday 29 May 1884. \nOscar Wilde Society members and their guests will all be most welcome. Christopher Cook will first interview Thomas Sargeant (letter-cutter) about his work on the Memorial. He will then discuss with Franny Moyle the period before and immediately after the wedding from Constance’s point of view\, and ask Merlin Holland about Oscar and the wedding. \nNext\, he will invite Merlin Holland to unveil the memorial plaque\, after which there will be a reception\, with wine and nibbles\, and the traditional OSCANCE Toast\, ‘Oscar and Constance’\, proposed by Jonathan Fryer. \nThe OSCANCE memorial plaque\, designed by Tom Sargeant\, is a Welsh slate roundel with Portland stone surround\, with incised and gilded lettering. The cost of executing of the design was met from a fund established by the Supporters – The Church of St James\, Paddington\, The Oscar Wilde Society\, and The Hyde Park Ward Budget – and by the generosity of individual sponsors including Patrons and a number of individual members of the Oscar Wilde Society. \nHere is a full report of the event. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/unveiling-of-oscance-memorial/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20151114T120000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20151114T150000 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142032Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3386-1447502400-1447513200@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Author's lunch DESCRIPTION:THE author’s lunch is a feature of our programme of events. Members have been treated to post-prandial talks by the authors of many of the important books about Wilde and his milieu when they are first published. \nThe most recent lunch to mark the publication of a new book was on 14 November 2015 to celebrate the publication of Eleanor Fitzsimons’ new book on the women in Wilde’s life: Wilde’s Women. This enthralling and sympathetic biography illuminates extremely well the circles of artistic and literary women of the time. Oscar may have achieved notoriety for ‘living for sin’\, but the women in his life knew another man. more considerate\, more thoughtful\, perhaps less decadent one than we are used to. \nThe scope and variety of these lunches is shown by this summary taken from the Society’s Anniversary Booklet. \nOur first author’s lunch\, at the Chelsea Arts Club\, was for Julie Speedie when her biography of Ada Leverson\, Wonderful Sphinx\, was published in 1993. \nAt the next author’s lunch\, in July 1994\, also at the Chelsea Arts Club\, Joy Melville spoke with infectious enthusiasm about the subject of her book Mother of Oscar – The Life of Jane Francesca Wilde. Subsequently she and the Irish actress and director Gerardine McDermottroe presented a dramatised reading developed from her talk at a number of venues including the Pavilion Theatre\, Worthing. \nJonathan Fryer talked entertainingly and informatively about André & Oscar – Gide\, Wilde and the gay art of living at his author’s lunch in June 1997. The title was too much for his publishers in America and there it became André and Oscar: The Literary Friendship of André Gide and Oscar Wilde. \nIn March 1998 Matthew Sturgis introduced his comprehensive and authoritative biography Aubrey Beardsley. Douglas Murray at a dinner at Kettner’s in 2000 spoke on Bosie: A Biography of Lord Alfred Douglas which won the Lambda Award for Gay Biography that year. \nJonathan Fryer’s next subject was Robbie Ross – Oscar Wilde’s True Love in 2001. In 2002 Matthew Sweet gave an amusing account of his reassessment of the Victorians\, Inventing the Victorians\, and Neil Titley gave us just a taste of his feast of comic pen-portraits of Wilde’s friends and enemies: The Oscar Wilde World of Gossip. \nIn 2003 Trevor Fisher talked on his book Oscar and Bosie – A Fatal Passion\, Toni Bentley on Sisters of Salomé\, and at a crowded author’s dinner at the Garrick Club Merlin Holland introduced his important\, definitive account of Regina (Wilde) v. Queensberry\, Oscar’s first trial: Irish Peacock & Scarlet Marquess – The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde. \nIn the following year Neil McKenna spoke about The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde followed\, as is usual with these events\, by a wide-ranging question and answer session. James Nelson after the AGM that year talked on Publisher to the Decadents – Leonard Smithers. Anya Clayworth shared her understanding of the importance of Wilde’s essays and reviews in her talk on Oscar Wilde: Selected Journalism. \nIn 2006\, Antony Clayton introduced Decadent London\, and the next year Tony Stokes\, Prison Officer and archivist at Reading Prison spoke on his book Pit of Shame – The Real Ballad of Reading Gaol. \nIn May 2008 Gyles Brandreth gave us a dazzling talk on the influences which had brought him to start writing his series of Oscar Wilde murder mysteries. Then in December\, with readings by Simon Scardifield\, Thomas Wright talked on his exploration of Wilde’s personality through his reading – Oscar’s Books and\, with Don Mead\, on the Society’s first book publication Oscar Wilde – The Women of Homer. \nIn June 2011 at her author’s lunch at Greig’s Grill\, Franny Moyle read extracts from her new book Constance – The Tragic and Scandalous Life of Mrs Oscar Wilde and described how she had discovered a woman who was adventurous\, shy\, very left wing\, enquiring\, and talented\, devoted to Oscar and blind and naïve about his homosexuality. \nIn May 2013 Linda Stratmann\, introducing her new book The Marquess of Queensberry – Wilde’s Nemesis\, went some way to convincing a doubtful audience that he was a well-meaning man\, emotionally damaged by a series of tragedies and deserving our compassion. \nIn February 2014 we celebrated the launch of Geoff Dibb’s masterly and thoroughly enjoyable book Oscar Wilde\, A Vagabond With a Mission. The Story of Oscar Wilde’s Lecture Tours of Britain and Ireland published by the Society\, at a lunch at Greig’s Grill. \nThe Society has established a Memorial Fund to provide\, or assist in providing\, memorials to Oscar Wilde. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/authors-lunch/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20100319 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20100320 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142033Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3387-1268956800-1269043199@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Plaque at Langham Hotel DESCRIPTION:On Friday 19 March 2010 Gyles Brandreth and the Deputy Mayor of Westminster unveiled a plaque on the wall of the Langham Hotel\, London. The plaque commemorates the dinner hosted by the editor of Lippincott’s Magazine\, J M Stoddart on 30 August 1889. At that dinner Stoddart commissioned The Picture of Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde and The Sign of Four from Arthur Conan Doyle. The plaque was a joint initiative of the Oscar Wilde Society\, the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and Westminster Council. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/plaque-at-langham-hotel/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:19950214 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:19950215 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142037Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3389-792720000-792806399@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Poets' Corner DESCRIPTION:In 1995\, on 14 February\, a stained glass roundel in his memory was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey\, again with a contribution from the Society. On 13 November 1995 Anne Clark Amor laid flowers – a bouquet of lilies and green carnations – below the Memorial Window to mark the centenary of Wilde’s transfer from Wandsworth Prison to Reading Gaol. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/poets-corner/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:19950101 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:19950102 DTSTAMP:20260509T110254 CREATED:20251029T142035Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T132903Z UID:3388-788918400-789004799@oscarwildesociety.co.uk SUMMARY:Plaque at Theatre Royal\, Haymarket DESCRIPTION:In January 1995\, Sir John Gielgud and Merlin Holland unveiled a plaque beside the stage door of the Theatre Royal\, Haymarket to mark the centenary of the first night of An Ideal Husband. This was supported by the Society and by Westminster City Council. URL:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/event/plaque-at-theatre-royal-haymarket/ CATEGORIES:Our Events ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://oscarwildesociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Oscar-wilde-society-events.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR