Apothecary 2020

on making a return visit next year for a more structured
tour and supper. Keep your eye on the website for
details. Having mentioning the stained glass, I am
grateful to Mike Spencer, the Immediate Past Chairman,
for continuing to lead on this project on behalf of the
committee. He has written an interesting article in The
Apothecary which I encourage you to read.
Kent was also the location for our second postlockdown
outing. On a very windy August Saturday 19
Apothecaries and their guests met at Chapel Down
Vineyard. After coffee in the restaurant the group
made their way outside to meet Tom, our enthusiastic
and knowledgeable guide, for a tour of the vineyards
and winery. They learnt about how the Bacchus,
Chardonnay and other vines are grown on the more
than 25 acres of land, hand-picked by largely locallybased
seasonal workers, then pressed, fermented and
bottled to produce award-winning wines. A sociallydistanced
wine-tasting in the herb garden followed
where Tom told the group more about the individual
wines and they got to taste whether the wines lived up
to their descriptions.
As the rain started to fall Apothecaries retreated to
The Swan, Chapel Down’s on-site restaurant, for a
delicious and leisurely lunch overlooking the vines. All
attending enjoyed the opportunity to socialise again and
several made their way home with boxes of wine
purchased from the winery shop.
Having personally visited two other vineyards in the
south east this summer, we have further ideas for 2021.
As you may realise wine is becoming a theme in our
outings! We are obviously not encouraging you to sit at
home and drink all day however we do have plans for
two virtual wine tastings in November and December
2020. The latter will follow the 2020 Livery Committee
AGM which is to be held on Zoom.
In September, Dilip Joshi arranged a fascinating trip
to St. Mary's Catholic Church in Clapham, South
London, the attached monastery and Ace-of-Clubs (a
charity for the socially deprived and homeless),
followed by lunch in the monastery dining hall. Like
one of the other attendees, former Mistress Apothecary,
Victoria Moore-Gillon, I had walked past this church
many times when I lived in London and had no idea
what was behind the gates. Fr. Casper, the parish
Rector, Fr. Richard, Provincial Superior, and Bro. Mike
were in attendance. Fr. Richard gave a guided tour of
the church and monastery including a room archiving
many old and valuable books and a private chapel in
which the priests celebrate mass. We saw many original
features of the monastery built in 1895 with a highlight
being the chapel’s ceiling which remains in pristine
condition. We also visited a balcony connected to the
church where we could see the congregation below and
the roof terrace with excellent views across London.
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