Future Trips Out
See the notice board at meetings for booking details.
Recent Trips
15 October 2021 – Lord Leycester Hospital Tour
Recently we had an excellent presentation and short video of the history of the Lord Leycester Hospital, Warwick by the Master, Heidi Meyer. The Lord Leycester Hospital sits on top of the list of the most important and intact medieval buildings in England. Its history can be charted back 700 years ago when the Guilds of Warwick built these half-timbered buildings as the centre of their activity – a Guildhall for meetings, a Great Hall for entertaining, and a kitchen – all built around the Chapel of St James.
As a result, we organised a group tour and fifteen members and guests of Coventry Probus Club enjoyed a wonderful day-out. During our visit we saw the changes brought in during the Elizabethan age, when the Queen’s close friend, the dashing Robert Dudley Earl of Leycester, was given the site by the Guildsmen to create a “Hospital” – a place of sanctuary, to take care of fallen and deserving warriors known as the Brethren and their appointed Master. Whilst maintaining this 450-year-old tradition, the Lord Leycester Hospital has evolved into a modern charity – Warwick’s answer to the Royal Hospital Chelsea except smaller and older, with the Brethren and Master still living within the walls.
Our visit was guided by Brother Ken, one of the 6 Brethren. It was very entertaining and included the exploration of medieval buildings, the five-hundred-year-old garden, Brethren’s Kitchen Café and a small gift shop. Following the tour we had an excellent set lunch for our group in Brethren’s Kitchen.
10 Sept 2019: Coach trip to Bristol Docks for a guided tour of SS Great Britain.
24 July 2019: Visit to Amazon fulfilment centre in Coventry. 27 Coventry Probus members, partners, friends and associated groups attended the Amazon Fulfilment Centre tour at Lions Park, Coventry (BHX4).
5 June 2019: Members shared with another group for a coach trip to Highgrove for a guided tour of the gardens, then a short visit to Corinium Roman Museum at Cirencester,
On 19th February 2019, members and guests visited the JCB factory at Uttoxeter. Keith Taylor submitted the following article to the Probus magazine:
Twenty five members and guests of Coventry Probus Club enjoyed a wonderful day-out visiting the world headquarters of JCB at Rocester, Staffordshire, near Uttoxeter.
Arriving mid-morning they were treated to coffee and biscuits followed by an introductory film: “The Story of JCB” and then a two hour escorted tour of the product display area and the production facilities –“ plates of steel turned into full blown JCB’s before our very eyes”! This was followed by a splendid lunch.
In 1945 JCB was started in a small lock-up garage (12ft X 15ft) by Joseph Cyril Bamford, manufacturing mechanical farm equipment – he sold a tipping trailer for £45 in October 1945. It was made from steel salvaged from air-raid shelters and can be seen in the product display area to this day. Three years later, he started making tipping trailers powered by a hydraulic piston and the business took off. Today, JCB owns 22 plants around the world yet continues to operate as a family business.
October 2018 – International Space Centre in Leicester, and the adjacent grand Victorian building, the Abbey Pumping Station with its massive decorated steam beam engines.
September 2018 – The WW2 Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool, from where the Allies conduct of the Atlantic war was controlled.
June 2018 – A cruise on the River Severn in Shrewsbury, including lunch at Ye Olde Punch Bowl near Bridgnorth.
May 2018 – An afternoon visit to the Guide Dogs National Breeding Centre near Bishops Tachbrook.
Past years
In previous years a number of day trips were organised to:
Cheltenham, Chester, Station X at Bletchley Park, Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope, Racing at Stratford and Brandon, the ”Mill at Sonning” Theatre Lunch, the Albert Hall Christmas Concert, with John Rutter, The National Indoor Arena Birmingham (Christmas Spectacular) and the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas near Lichfield.
All were considered to be a great success and were very much enjoyed by the members who participated.
Past Holiday Visits
In 2001 a short weekend visit was organised to Bruges, and this proved to be so popular that similar three or four day visits took place for many years afterwards. The locations visited include:
- 2002 – Paris including Versailles and Monet’s Garden
- 2003 – Dublin
- 2004 – Prague
- 2005 – Belgian Ardennes
- 2006 – Madeira
- 2006 – North East England including Lindisfarne & Alnwick Gardens
- 2007 – Killarney, Eire including the Ring of Kerry
- 2008 – Krakow, Poland
- 2009 – Amsterdam and the Kirkenhoff Gardens
- 2010 – North Yorkshire
- 2011 – Kent
- 2012 – Jersey
- 2013 – Norwich & Norfolk
- 2014 – Bournemouth
- 2015 – Scotland