Visits

If you would like to be informed automatically of ALL FUTURE Ordnance Society visits, then please click on the “Follow the Ordnance Society” button under “FOLLOW THE ORDNANCE SOCIETY BY E-MAIL” in the right-hand column. This ensures that all “NEWS” items will be e-mailed to you as soon as they appear on the web-site and these will include brief notes about future visits as well as all the other “NEWS” items.

Our Visits Secretary, Neil Grant also organises visits for Friends of the Tank Museum and other groups, so the number and variation of trips has increased considerably. The numbers for a visit will often have a maximum, so please ensure that you use the automatic notification method outlined above in order to apply in good time.

Please note that Ordnance Society reserves the right to refuse any visit applications, particularly where access to or within the visit site are restricted.

OS & FOTM VISITS 2024

The usual list of our visits and activities for the year are below. As always, friends and family are welcome on visits. Spaces on some of the events are limited, so if you are interested in attending any of these events, please contact:

Neil Grant. (neilgrant2@yahoo.co.uk)

There are a couple of events which we hope will happen this year, but where the dates are still being finalised. If you are interested in any of these, please let us know, and we’ll update you once we have a date.

JANUARY

Flint Knapping & Stone Tool Making (21 Jan, Near Swindon, £80)

A day with an experimental archaeologist, learning the oldest craft in the world – knapping flint to make a variety of prehistoric stone tools that you can take home at the end of the day

FEBRUARY

An Evening with Jasper Fforde (5 feb, Swindon, £15)

The author of the “Thursday Next” series, set in a fictionalised and rather surreal version of Swindon, will be at the Swindon Arts Centre

Introduction to prehistoric textiles (10 Feb, near Swindon, £80)

A discussion of the evidence for reconstructing prehistoric textiles then a practical session looking at and practising the techniques for the rest of the day, including making an antler needle to take home

RAF Museum Cosford (18 Feb, Nr Wolverhampton, parking charge)

Little brother of the main RAF museum at Hendon, and with a focus on Cold War aircraft and missiles

VR combat arena (22 Feb (evening), Reading, £30)

Put on VR goggles and pick up your gun, and move through a combat area full of VR threats and special effects – zombies, demons, tax inspectors, that sort of thing. The gear is all wireless, so you can move freely around the environment. Multiple different game scenarios are available, so we’ll choose depending on what those coming fancy)

MARCH

Axe & Knife Throwing (3 Mar, nr Bath, £45)

A half-day session learning to throw tomahawks, axes and throwing knives. No previous experience is necessary, and the session will be tailored to the people attending, so if you want you can concentrate on axes or whatever

Cirque – The Greatest Show (15 Mar (evening), Swindon, £40)

Big hits from broadway and West End musicals plus circus acts

Candle Making Workshop (23 March, nr Bath, £49)

A two hour session learning to make your own scented candles with soya wax and essential oils at a scenic location in the Cotswolds. You will take away the candle you will make during the workshop, and all materials plus tea and coffee are included.

British Museum Exhibition “Legion – Life in the Roman Army” (24 Mar, London, £17)

This is the British Museum’s big annual exhibition for 2024, looking at…well, the clue is in the title. Based on previous exhibitions, assume it’ll take 2-3 hours

APRIL

Army Small Arms School 11 Apr, Warminster, suggested donation)

A guided tour around the army’s own gun collection, which contains examples of pretty much every weapon the army has issued, tested or captured since the 1870s. Even better, it’s a working collection, not a museum, so there will also be a handling session with some of the weapons.

Vickers Machine Gun Collection (20 April, Nr Swindon, £10)

A definite must for anyone with an interest in the Great War, this gives us an afternoon of hands-on access to a very extensive collection of…well, pretty much everything to do with these iconic weapons. The visit will include a talk and handling, as well as setting up a Vickers and firing it with blank ammunition.

International Living History Festival (21 April, Worcs, pay at the gate)

Lots of historic re-enactment groups and trade stands selling equipment for re-enactors. The festival is held at the Avoncroft museum of historic buildings in Worcestershire, which includes more than 30 historic buildings rescued from destruction and re-built on the site.

Stonehenge Stone Circle Special Access I (28April, Stonehenge, £15)

This is one of two special stone circle access trips that allows a limited number of people inside the rope barriers around the monument, and into the circle itself. We get an hour inside the circle for photography etc, and there will be a short, optional talk pointing out some features not normally visible from outside the circle. Note that this trip is in the early morning before the circle opens to the public and will allow you to visit the exhibition at the visitor centre afterwards, which the evening trip in September won’t.

MAY

Wartime Britain event at the REME museum (12 May, Lyneham, £8)

This includes a tour of the regular REME museum (which holds a number of specialist armoured vehicles and recovery vehicles) but also vehicles from the reserve collection, which is not normally open to the public and guest vehicles owned by private collectors. There will also be several 1940s re-enactment groups, talks etc.

Wells cathedral – chained libraries & mad attics (15 May, Wells, £30)

A guided tour of one of the last medieval chained libraries in the morning, then a guided tour of normally inaccessible “behind the scenes” areas of the cathedral, including the roof spaces to see surviving medieval mason’s drafting floors and the singing gallery. You also have the opportunity to see the cathedral itself, and Vicar’s Close, dating from the 14th century and the oldest inhabited street in Europe still with its original buildings largely intact.

Crofton Beam Engines (TBA May, Wiltshire, £10.75)

A visit to the Victorian static steam engines near Marlborough, which pumped water for the Kennet & Avon canal on a day when the engines are in steam. Date to be finalised once Crofton confirm their steaming days

Knife making course (18/19 May, Swindon, £195 / £395)

Forge and sharpen your own knife from scratch and take it home with you at the end of the course. The one day courses teaches the basics, while the two day course allows more kinds of handles making a sheath etc

JUNE

Uffington White Horse & Wayland’s Smithy (2 June, Nr Swindon, Free)

A guided walk covering the Uffington White Horse (probably iron age), Uffington Castle hill fort (definitely iron age) and Wayland’s Smithy long barrow (Neolithic). Note that this visit will involve a certain amount of walking.

Fresh Air Sculpture Festival (21 Jun, Oxfordshire, £10)

A temporary outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture, typically with 100+ pieces in addition to a permanent collection, plus a church with two extremely striking Norman doors.

(Note – this is a Friday, so we dodge the crowds, but weekend slots are also available)

Vulcan Bomber Experience (22 June, Coventry, £10)

A chance to get on board one of the most iconic British cold war aircraft. We get a walk around the aircraft with the ground crew, who will talk us through how to arm, fuel and maintain the aircraft. We will then see the aircraft being powered up from ground power, so we can see control surfaces move, open the bomb bay doors etc. Finally, we get into the cockpit for a talk from former air crew about flying the aircraft operationally.

Hands-on Falconry (TBA June, Northants, £70)

A half-day session with a falconry school at a historic property in Northamptonshire. A half day hands on session with a number of birds, focused mainly on a variety of owls and Harris Hawks. Definitely one to take the camera for! Note that this activity is weather dependent – basically, the birds don’t fly in heavy rain. Spectators are allowed, but there is an additional charge. (Note – As these are very small groups, we’ll arrange the exact date for this once we know who wants to go and what dates work for them. Note that the dates will always be a weekday)

JULY

Western-style Carbine shooting (7 July, Birmingham, £40)

A chance to shoot full bore western style lever action carbines at an indoor range in Birmingham. The session starts on. .22 semi-automatics to teach the basics, before switching to the full bore (.357 & .44) carbines. Ammunition is included; you will get around 40-50 shots, with a variety of weapons.

Castles & Steam Trains (14 July, Nr Swanage, £25 train / £12 castle)

The morning is spent on the Swanage Steam Railway, which will have at least one running steam train plus preserved rolling stock and four preserved or restored stations. The £25 ticket lets you ride on the steam-drawn train for as much of the day as you like. The afternoon is spent exploring Corfe Castle and the pretty associated village. Castle admission is free to NT members. You are welcome to only do part of the day, if that’s what interests you.

Horse Archery Day (TBA July, Hertfordshire, £185)

It starts with a short ground session teaching the special horse archer’s draw before mounting up and learning to apply the knowledge on horseback. Note that being able to ride to at least a basic level is a requirement for this session, though at beginner level the targets are in a straight line, and the horses are well trained to run straight. (Note – we’ll arrange the exact date for this, once we know who wants to go and what dates work for them)

Aerospace Bristol (28 July, Bristol, £23)

A museum dedicated to Bristol’s aviation heritage, including the last Concorde and the Red Arrows simulator ride as well as other aviation-related exhibits.

AUGUST

Horse Riding on the Beach (TBA Aug, Penzance, £120)

Exactly what it says on the tin – a two hour beach ride. Hack to the beach along quiet roads, then about 45 minutes on the beach, including a couple of long canters before hacking back to the yard. You do need to be able to ride for this, though the horses are calm and well schooled. (Note – we’ll arrange the exact date for this depending on tides, once we know who wants to go and what date work for them)

Vintage Bus to Imber Restricted Village (Date TBC, but probably 17 August, Warminster, Pay on day)

In 1943, the village of Imber was requisitioned for military training. The civilian population was never able to return after the war, and the village continued to be used for urban combat training. As it is in the middle of a restricted military area, it is not normally accessible except for one day a year, when a special service runs trips out to it in vintage red routemaster double decker buses.

Avebury, Silbury & West Kennet (18 Aug, Nr Devizes, Free)

A guided tour of these related Neolithic monuments in Wiltshire – the stone circle at Avebury, Silbury Hill and the Neolithic long barrow at West Kennet. Note that this visit will involve a certain amount of walking, and that we may cut it short and skip West Kennet if the weather is bad (probably by being too hot, given the date)

Gifford’s Circus (22 Aug, Marlborough, £20 – £35)

Probably the UK’s most beloved circus. Prices depend on seat, and there are lower prices for child tickets.

SEPTEMBER

Tank Driving Day (7 Sept nr Winchester, £250)

You get to drive four different military vehicles on this half day session – a Chieftain tank, Abbott self-propelled gun, Stormer load carrier and FV432 APC. No prior experience necessary

Fort Nelson (8 Sept, nr Portsmouth, Parking charge only)

Fort Nelson is one of the Victorian forts built to protect the vital Portsmouth dockyards from the landward side, and now holds the artillery collections of the Royal Armouries – everything from medieval cannon to railway guns. The event includes tours of both the fort and the collection.

Stonehenge Stone Circle Special Access II (21 September, Stonehenge, £15)

This is the second of two special stone circle access trip that allows a limited number of people inside the rope barriers around the monument, and into the circle itself. We get an hour inside the circle for photography etc, and there will be a short, optional talk pointing out some features not normally visible from outside the circle. Note that this trip is in the early evening after the circle is closed to the public, which may work better for people coming a long way, but means you won’t be able to visit the exhibition at the visitor centre afterwards as you can with the April trip.

Axe & Knife Throwing (22 Sept, nr Bath £45)

OCTOBER

Army Small Arms School (10 Oct, Warminster, suggested donation)

A guided tour around the army’s own gun collection, which contains examples of pretty much every weapon the army has issued, tested or captured since the 1870s. Even better, it’s a working collection, not a museum, so there unless something goes wrong, there will also be a handling session with some of the weapons.

Vickers Machine Gun Collection (13 Oct, Nr Swindon, £10)

NOVEMBER

Indoor Skydiving (9 Nov, Basingstoke, £80)

This basically uses a wind tunnel standing on its end, with fans powerful enough to suspend you in the air as if you are flying. You start by learning to hold a stable position, then you will be shown how to manoeuvre yourself within the air column and even do aerobatic manoeuvres. The package includes 4 sessions in the tube, each roughly as long as a free-fall from 18,000 feet

VR combat arena (12 Nov, Reading, £30)

Escape Room (23 Nov, Swindon, £30)

Can your team use their analytical and deductive skills to escape from the locked room before the time limit elapses? Note that there are multiple escape room set ups at the site, so you can pick the game that most appeals to you.

PAST ORDNANCE SOCIETY VISITS (Pre-2018)

The relevant Newsletter which contains a description of these visits can be found in the Subject Index under ‘Society Meetings and Visit Reports’

A.W.E. Aldermaston	2015
BAE Systems, Barrow-in-Furness	2001
Birmingham Gun-Barrel Proof House	2007
Boscombe Down	2002
Bovington and Holton Heath	1996
(I) Calais, Todt Battery & V3 Site	1998
(II) Calais, V2 Sites	2000
Day In Essex (Coalhouse Fort and Tilbury Fort)	2002
Dover & Dover Turret	1994
Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright	1997
Fort Amherst & R.E.M.E. Museum, Chatham	2009
Fort Halstead	1992
Fort Nelson, Portsmouth	2003
Helicopter Museum, Weston Super Mare	2017
Kineton, B.O.D.	1993
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Museum	2016
Mary Rose, Behind the Scenes, Portsmouth	2015
Naval Ordnance Museum, Priddy’s Hard (now ‘EXPLOSION‘)	1991
Ordnance Disposal School & Museum, Chattenden	1990
P & EE, Lavington	1994
P & EE, Pendine	1994
Pattern Room, Nottingham	1991
(I) P.E.E. Shoeburyness	1990
(II) P.E.E. Shoeburyness	1992
Portsmouth Dockyard	1995
Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst	2016
(I) Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham	1991
(II) Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham	1992
(III) Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham	1996
Rotunda, Museum of Artillery	1989
Thames Forts boat trip	1998
Waltham Abbey, Royal Gunpowder Mills	1999
Warminster and Larkhill	1992
Warminster Small Arms School Corps Weapons Collection	2008
Western Rifle Shooting	2017
Whale Island, Portsmouth	2003
Whitechapel Bell Foundry	2017
Woolwich Experience, Arsenal, Rotunda, RA Barracks, RA Academy	1999