Enchanted Woodland

[squirmelia]

Anyone fancy going to the Enchanted Woodland at Syon House, Brentford? Perhaps on Monday or Tuesday night?

Comments

[fluffymark]

Sounds pretty! I'm up for that. Could do either Monday or Tuesday. Let's say Tuesday, maybe? :)

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

How was the tubewalk?

[olulabelle.livejournal.com]

I would love to come but am sadly not in London.

However, you should definitely go, The Botanical Gardens did it here in Birmingham last year and it was astonishing. Beautiful. Like being in fairyland. Plus there was mulled wine and that is always a boon.

[fluffymark]

Tubewalk good but long and exhausting! There were too many narrow paths with large fences on both sides we had to navigate. But we did find a Masonic School for Girls, so it wasn't all bad! And there were more horses!

If I leave work at 6 on Tuesday I could get to Syon Park by 6:45 (train to Kew Bridge, then bus?), which should give enough time to see it properly, I think. :)

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

Masonic School for Girls? Odd!

Am a bit confused about how to get to Syon Park. Maybe I'll get a train from Vauxhall to Syon Lane and then walk for 15 minutes? I have doubts that I'll be able to figure out where to get off a bus in the dark. :(

[tlrmx.org (from livejournal.com)]

Prior to universal education it would have been a school to provide education to children of Masons. Churches, labour Unions and other charitable organisations often ran such schools, available exclusively to their members.

The confusing name "public school" happened because at first England had only "private schools" which were exclusive like a country club, you couldn't get in just by paying. The Masonic School would have been like this, non-Masons wouldn't be able to get their girls into the school. Meanwhile other schools were set up which didn't care what sort of person you were, so long as you paid their fees, these are "public" schools because anyone could attend them and so they were actually more egalitarian in a sense than private schools.

Once universal education was the standard, many private schools became state schools, no longer dependent on funding from a local church, masonic lodge or similar for their day-to-day operating costs. However they usually retain some ties because such organisations can be a good source of funds for a new minibus, or a new piano or whatever isn't in the government budget. The secondary school I went to had a masonic lodge which provided such donations, as well as being connected with royalty and various famous people. As kids it didn't really affect us, although I think our leaving paperwork included an invitation to join the lodge.

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

There's other definitions: the widely-accepted one dates from Henry VIII, who really wanted to break the power of the Church over the state. Among other things, he resented his (and his nobles') dependence on the Church for a cadre of administrators, and founded 'public' schools: independent of the church, and less likely to indoctrinate and ordain the brightest and most able young men.

[randalf.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're *almost* in my neck of the woods! (You need Syon Park station - staying on that train for one more stop takes you to Isleworth where we are.)

15 minute walk after getting off it about right - about 10 minutes of it will be the walk up the Syon House driveway!

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to head there straight after uni. My lectures are supposed to end at 5, so I should get there at about 6.30?

[kake]

I might be up for it too. Tuesday works for me.

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to head there straight after uni. My lectures are supposed to end at 5, so I should get there at about 6.30?

[kake]

Cool, I can manage 6:30 — where are we meeting? I'm not at all clear where the walk starts (the only bit of Syon Park I've been to before is the butterfly house).

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I think I am probably going to walk from Syon Lane and end up on Park Road, but I don't think I've been to Syon Park before, so am a bit confused also! Oh, the map has a "pedestrian entrance" marked, so I guess we should meet there?

My phone number is in this post: http://squirmelia.livejournal.com/112658.html

[kake]

Yep, meeting at the pedestrian entrance sounds like a good plan. I'll aim for 6:30pm at that entrance, but if I get there early, I'll pop into O'Brien's for a drink.

My phone number's here.

[kake]

Also, is it OK to spread this plan to other people? I was thinking I could post it to my "London short notice" filter group; you can see who's on it here.

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

Yep, sure! It's a public post anyway. :)

[kake]

OK, am heading off now — will be in O'Brien's (2 minutes' walk from Syon Park pedestrian entrance) until 6:25pm, come and join me if you're early too :)

[kekhmet.livejournal.com]

possibly. let me check what else I have planned those nights (I've this vague feeling there might be something? or perhaps the something was glorious nothing...)

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to head there straight after uni. My lectures are supposed to end at 5, so I should get there at about 6.30?

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

Tuesday works for me. So do enchanted forests.

I couldn't see the times on the web page.

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

5-8pm.

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to head there straight after uni. My lectures are supposed to end at 5, so I should get there at about 6.30?

[hairyears.livejournal.com]

I'll try to get there for 6:30 to 6:45. It's a bit of a lottery, with the way work is at the moment.

[suzylou.livejournal.com]

I'm up for it if it's Tuesday and will try to drag the ginger one along with me. Let me know what's happening!

[squirmelia.livejournal.com]

I'm going to head there straight after uni. My lectures are supposed to end at 5, so I should get there at about 6.30?

[twisted-times.livejournal.com]

I'd love to go but I'm already booked for tomorrow night. :(