ANS CENTENARY DINNER AT BRISTOL
Our belated Centenary Celebrations took place in the form of a lovely dinner at Hotel Bristol on 29th November 2022. With Hotel Bristol all prepared for the Christmas festivities, we enjoyed a lovely three-course dinner with wine, a few speeches, recollections and history. We were also treated to entertainment by the brilliant harpsichordist Nikolai Dahl.
OCTOBER VISIT TO POLHØGDA
We had a guided tour to Polhøgda in October and what a wonderful experience! The guided tour and talk on Nansen lasted 2 hours.
About the photos: One is of the balcony where he suddenly keeled over and died. One is of his “secret” room in the Tower, where apparently no one was allowed to enter or ring directly to his phone – only HE could ring out. The room is exactly as it was during his lifetime. Another picture is of his resting place in the garden where his urn is buried under his favourite tree. The last photo is of his Ambassador uniform. We ended the evening at the Radisson SAS near to- drinks and hot coffee were more than welcome.
AGM and WINE & CHEESE – 7th SEPTEMBER 2021
WINE & CHEESE – 8th SEPTEMBER 2020
Due to the Covid-19 regulations we could only host a limited number of guests, and hence, this event was a sign-up event. Covid-19 or not – the evening was great fun as usual!
On the 8th of September, the ANS held its popular Wine and Cheese evening, complete with the Chairman’s quiz. If you could not make it DON’T DESPAIR! You now have an opportunity to pit your wits against the Chairman and take the Quiz Challenge.
A prize awaits the member who sends in the most correct answers to the Quiz to the Chairman at mbrooks@nordisk.no by Friday 18 September. Get going and have fun! The link to the Quiz: ANS Quiz Qs 20
AGM AND TALK ON ERIK BYE – 3rd MARCH 2020
Ellen Wilhelmsen gave us a warm intimate talk about the Norwegian Icon Eric Bye, journalist, poet, singer and NRK personality. Ellen was a personal friend and NRK colleague of Eric.
SCANDINAVIAN SCIENTISTS – 4th FEBRUARY 2020
It was a pleasure to welcome this evening’s speaker IORI ROBERTS – a Welshman of incredible knowledge in many fields gave us an inspiring talk on SCANDINAVIAN SCIENTIST’s and their great contribution to the world. Iori has taught physics in 6 different countries all over the world and is President of The International Welsh Organization.
CHRISTMAS PARTY – 3rd DECEMBER 2019
Our annual Christmas Party at the British Embassy was, as always, a great success with around 100 guests! This year we had a very special Guest of Honour – Lady Carnarvon, whose home, Highclere Castle is better known to most as “Downton Abbey”. Her Ladyship gave a short presentation of Highclere. Our entertainer this year was one of Norway’s well known celebrities Per Husby, composer, jazz pianist, orchestra leader and winner of the prestigious “Spellemann” prize. Per, who is an avid Anglophile gave us some rare stories from his long career as well as entertained us with his brilliant piano playing. The evening was rounded off with carol singing and with Inger E. Solem playing the piano.
AN EXPLOSIVE EVENING!-and BANG ON – 5th NOVEMBER 2019
Bon Fire Night. A talk by Geir Uthaug, (Honorary member of the ANS) on the topic of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot on November 5th in 1605, a highly dramatic story which still poises questions.
MIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS – 1st October 2019
A very interesting talk by the Russian born Maria Amlie on “Upstart Migrants”- who works as Manager for a Global team based in Berlin who follow the flow of immigrants who start their own businesses in their new country and document the differences and difficulties they meet. She has written many prize books on the subject. Lots of lively discussion afterwards!
WINE & CHEESE – 3rd September 2019
The start of the Autumn/Winter Season is always heralded by this very popular event, where we serve Cheese & Wine, share our Chairman’s wickedly difficult quiz and round off with a bumper raffle.
BYGDØY KONGSGÅRD – 18th June 2019
A very large crown turned up for our guide tour through the new gardens and green houses at Bygdøy kongsgård.
FROGNER CHURCH – 8th May 2019
Almost 30 members joined up for the sightseeing of Frogner Church. Frogner Church was designed by the architect Ivar Næss in 1907. A chapel associated with the church was built in 1937-39 by the architect Johan Meyer.
Up in the gallery, we were treated to several pieces played by organist Bjørn Kleppe on the beautifully restored organ which was built by Harrison & Harrison in Durham in 2017 (the same organ makers who made the magnificent organ in Westminster Abbey). The organ has a total of 3217 pipes of which 827 are new.
Minister Margunn Sandal proceeded with a guided tour of the church itself, giving the background and history of the glass paintings, sculptures and other artwork. The event taking place on the 8th of May – Norway’s WWII liberation day – also prompted the minister to tell us more about the resistance work being conducted inside the church during WWII.
THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF MERMAIDS – 9th April 2019
Professor Axel Bernd Müller held a very interesting lecture on “The Cultural History of Mermaids”. A fascinating title for a fascinating subject which actually started out as a joint research project between the Natural History Museums of London and Oslo. Our speaker is a professor in Geology at UiO, and a Scientific Associate of the NHM in the UK. His passion and knowledge of these aquatic creatures is formidable. Their history goes back to Assyrian times and even Christopher Colombus was convinced of their existence and made an official report in 1493 declaring he had seen three of them!
The ANS-AGM followed by Tore Gautneb “The History of the Harding Fiddle“- 5th March 2019
We had the pleasure of having Tore Gautneb demonstrating his skills as a master fiddler and to enlighten us on the history of this special instrument whose origin can be traced back to Hardanger as early as 1651. Tore has performed together with Anne Marit Jacobsen and Toralf Maurstad during the Ibsen Festival.
WALES AND THE VIKINGS 5th February 2019
We had a brilliant talk on Wales and the Vikings with Iori Roberts. Full house and
great ambiance!
CHRISTMAS PARTY 4th December 2018
We enjoyed a wonderful party in the company of our new Ambassador Richard Wood! Pianist Jonas Aune played some wonderful pieces for us and we had plenty of canapés and drinks while we mingled around the lovely rooms in this stately home!
THE ANGLO-NORSE CENTENARY CELEBRATION – 15th November 2018
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II joined forces with His Majesty King Harald V of Norway at the Naval and Military Club in London to mark the centenary of the Anglo-Norse Society. Their majesties are joint patrons of the ANS and the respective countries’ ambassadors are honorary presidents.
Photos: Phil McCarthy (philphotography@mac.com)
REMEMBRANCE DAY – 11th November 2018
This year is very special as we remember the WW1 Armistice on November 11th 1918 which was signed on the 11th hour on the 11th day on the 11th month.
THE HISTORY OF ANCIENT MEDICINE AND ART – 6th November 2018
Einar Berle gave a superlative talk on “The History of Ancient Medicine and Art”. A crowd of 34 was present.
WINE & CHEESE – 4th September 2018
As always, our wine & cheese evening was a great success with a crowd of 40+! Our Chairman Michael had prepared a good quiz with challenging questions in a variety of categories. We received lots of donations for our raffle which made it a lengthy, but rewarding (for some) affair!
SUMMER OUTING – 5th June 2018
Well known historian and editor of the Oslo City Encyclopedia Knut Are Tvedt guided us around “Beste vestkant”- around Embassies, Swiss style villas, old and new buildings in the Frogner area. The outing ended at Schafteløkken at which we were treated to sparkling wine and strawberries!
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 17th April 2018
Great turn out at the Anglo-Norse AGM (generalforsamling) on April 17th, where Chairman Michael Brooks briefed about a flourishing society in Oslo and of ANS London’s Centenary celebrations on November 13th this year, to be held in the magnificent Drapers’ Hall in the heart of London. Our Patrons, Queen Elizabeth II and King Harald V, are both members of the Drapers’ Company. Members and friends are welcome to join in on this special occasion to celebrate in the words of our first President Fridtjof Nansen in 1921 “a Society established to build a bridge between Great Britain and Norway”.
We in Oslo look forward to OUR celebrations in 2021 when we celebrate the Norwegian joining of the Anglo-Norse Society.
It was most regrettable that our speaker at the AGM, former Norwegian Foreign Minister Thorvald Stoltenberg, who many had looked very much forward to have heard his talk tonight, had to unfortunately cancel at the very last minute.
WENCHE IN THE DAYLIGHT AND LIMELIGHT – 27th March 2018
The well known film maker Jannike M. Falk has woven video cuts from the NRK archives into an intimate, personal story on the life of Wenche Foss. “Wenche in the Daylight and the Limelight” is a film documentary about the legendary Norwegian actress and diva Wenche Foss. We enjoyed glimpses from her life both on stage and off, with all its drama, comedy, grief and glorious moments!
TALK ON RICHARD HERRMANN – 6th February 2018
We enjoyed a wonderful talk on Richard Herrmann by our speakers Bratberg and Heger. Øivind Bratberg is a historian and political expert while Anders Heger is a journalist and publisher. Heger knew Richard Herrmann personally.
CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY – 5th December 2017
This year’s Christmas Party was a great success with over 100 guests who mingled, sang Christmas carols and enjoyed the entertainment by our very own Sybil Richardson accompanied by Bill Spade on piano. They presented their critic appraised programme “We’ll Meet Again” with stories from Vera Lynn’s life and her unforgettable songs.
WINE & CHEESE – 5th September 2017
Our Wine, Cheese & Quiz event is very popular and we had a full house in the newly refurbished Frogner kirkestue.
HISTORY OF THE CUNARD LINE – 13th June 2017
What a wonderful way to round off our summer recess with a visit to Cunard Lines Office at the foot of Akershus Castle where 30 ANS members were met with a very warm welcome and an admirable talk by Cunard’s representative directly from Southampton who gave us a wonderful pictorial talk on Cunard’s fascinating history and a look into their present activities. Scrumptious canapees and champagne were served prior to the talk and a special information package for all to take home to read and digest. We think many of our members are in the cruise mode already!
Thank you Cunard!
GALE BRITISKE GENERALER – 23rd May 2017
Over 30 members came, offering a balmy May evening to hear Eirik Brazier’s most interesting talk on “Mad British Generals”.
Eirik Brazier is a Norwegian/ English historian, author and public speaker is also advisor to The Norwegian Ministry of Defence. Eirik gave an illustrated talk on his book “Gale Britiske Generaler” – Mad British Generals. The British Empire had its own military “super stars” who were not only interested in being the heroes of the day on battle fields, but also very keen on keeping up appearances through the media, who so often did not mention all their failures and total lack of judgement.
TOUR OF GAMLEBYEN – 18th April 2017
We had a 2 hour Grand tour of Gamlebyen. 11 ANS members met up to follow our enthusiastic, humouristic and extremely well read Oslo Guide: Iori Roberts. Perfect weather on this Spring day in the sun. Everyone agreed that Iori must come back and give us another tour or one of his talks.
AGM AND “FROM ENGLISC TO ENGLISH” – 14th March 2017
Our AGM was followed by a very inspiring talk on the history of the English language. Kristin Bech, Associate Professor at the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo, published a book on the subject last year: “Fra Englisc til English – et språk blir til”.
CHRISTMAS PARTY AT THE BRITISH AMBASSADOR’S RESIDENCE – 6th December 2016
This year we were back in the British Ambassador’s residence for our Christmas Party. It was a great turnout – almost 100 guests – and the atmosphere was fantastic.We had a memorable evening with exciting Chairman’s presents, top entertainment, excellent food and last but not least great company!
WINE & CHEESE – 4th October 2016
A very good turnout for the Wine & Cheese evening, as always!
TALK BY DR. LIONEL CARLEY – “GRIEG IN ENGLAND” – 6th September 2016
Memorable event with the talk on “Grieg in England” on 6/9 and truly magical evening on
7/9.
GUIDED TOUR OF KVADRATUREN AND THE AKERSHUS AREA – 14th June 2016
We had an excellent guided tour around Kvadraturen and Akershus area with Oslo Guide Jane Ennis. Perfect weather with 22 plus. Even the band turned out! After the tour, we enjoyed the traditional strawberries and sparkling wine on the top of the Akershus Fortress with a splendid view of the Oslo Fjord where 32 enthusiastic ANS members gathered. What could be a better way to welcome the summer and share our friendship!
“LANGS KYSTEN” (Along the Coast) – 3rd May 2016
A guided tour by Frode Haverkamp, Senior Curator at the The National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. After a period of national romanticism that had celebrated the nature and culture of Norway’s mountainous regions, poets and painters turned their attention to landscapes and ways of life along the country’s southern coast. In the late 19th century, coastal scenes became highly popular. This exhibition explores how realistic maritime painting was established in Norwegian art. Hans Gude and his Norwegian students at the art academy in Karlsruhe played a major role in this development. The maritime paintings of this period reflect Norway becoming one of the world’s great maritime nations, with activity focused on its southern and eastern seaboard.
Photos by Børge and Marit Johnsen (thank you so much!)
“A NEW LOOK AT ART” – 19th April 2016
A talk by Professor Ian Damerell who works at The Norwegian Institute for Technology, Art and Design. Ian, educated from the Royal College of Art in London is a cosmopolitan artist and teacher who works in Norway, England and Lithuania. His works are on display in museums and galleries in England, Norway, Sweden, Japan and Wales. He gave a talk on “ A new look at art” about his ideas around how to educate artists. Ian is in great demand as a lecturer and is known for his inspiring fresh approach to the world of art.
“THOR VERSUS CHRIST – THE BATTLEFIELD OF SCANDINAVIA” – 8th March 2016
We were very happy to be able to welcome Associate Professor John McNicol from the Dept.of Archaeology, Conservation and History at the University of Oslo. John is an authority on Viking and Medieval history.He was awarded the Oslo University prize for outstanding teaching in 2014.
“STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND” – 9th February 2016
“Stranger in a Strange Land-the move to Norway”. The remarkable storyteller, Georgiana Keable, who has been a pioneer for the renaissance of storytelling in England and Norway told some wonderful stories during this evening and gave us interesting insight into the art of storytelling.
OUR ANNUAL AND VERY POPULAR CHRISTMAS PARTY – 8th December 2015
Our annual Christmas Party was a great success as always and this year we were very fortunate to have Tor Espen Aspaas entertain us. Aspaas played pieces by Edvard Grieg and gave us the stories and anecdotes associated with the different pieces of music. Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway, Her Excellency Ms Sarah Gillett, honoured us with her presence.
CELEBRATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II’S RECORD REIGN – 13th October 2015
To mark the occasion of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning monarch on the British throne (she beats Queen Victoria). We showed the film “A Monarch for All Seasons” . A very good turnout and a wonderful atmosphere with very British decorations at Frogner kirkestue!
WINE & CHEESE PARTY – 8TH SEPTEMBER 2015
Our annual Wine & Cheese Party with Michael’s challenging quiz and a raffle with lots of nice prizes to be won was a great success!
GUIDED TOUR OF FROGNERPARKEN – SUMMER OUTING 16th June 2015
We were treated to a truly inspirational tour around Frognerparken by our own Lise Høst. She gave a brief introduction to the life and works of Gustav Vigeland as well as the stories behind some of the many sculptures. The tour was followed by our annual Sparkling Wine and Strawberry feast in lovely sunshine!
TOUR OF THE BOTANICAL GARDENS AT TØYEN, 26th May 2015
BEETHOVEN SONATAS AT ST. EDMUND’S CHURCH, 29th April 2015
The first 3 sonatas for piano forte and violin , performed on original instruments by two renowned Norwegian Baroque musicians: Knut Johannessen and Tor Johan Bøen at St. Edmund’s Church on April 29th, not only impressed the large audience by their brilliant rendering of the first Beethoven’s Sonatas , but the musicians also took time to explain the mechanism of the old instruments and their sound in comparison to modern day instruments. The remaining sonatas will be performed at St. Edmund’s Church on May 6th, October 21st and November 4th at 7 pm. Wonderful acoustics, wonderful musicians and a wonderful opportunity to visit the lovely Anglican Church of St. Edmund’s, frequented by Queen Maud in days of yore, which you will find tucked away at the top of Møllergata, a stone’s throw from Youngstorget.
UNVEILING OF ROSS KOLBY’S PAINTINGS OF THE THREE “LIBERATION KINGS”, 26th March 2015
Michael Brooks, Chairman of the Anglo-Norse Society in Norway, was invited to the unveiling of Ross Kolby’s paintings of the three “Liberation Kings”; King Haakon VII, King Olav V and King Harald V. Around 200 persons were present, including Defense Minister Ina Eriksen Søreide, Mayor of Oslo Fabian Stang, and other dignitaries. The three portraits will be exhibited at Norway Resistance Museum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Anglo-Norse A G M was followed by a talk by the well-known historian Bård Frydenlund, his topic being: “ Timber and Spies “. The Anglo-Norwegian connection in 1814 and onwards from the lumber trade up to the British spy Charles Gordon. Bård covered important events during the period when Britain was Great and Norway struggling to emerge as an independent country.
ESTUARY ENGLISH
Our first ANS Event of 2015: A great talk by Gjertrud F. Stenbrenden on “Estuary English” and who speaks it (Tuesday 10th February 2015). Stenbrenden is Associate Professor of English Language at the University of Oslo.
A copy of her presentation can be downloaded here: Estuary English.
DRAPER’S HALL, LONDON
Committee members from the Anglo-Norse Society in Oslo were invited to London for the first time to participate in a get-together with other Anglo- Societies ( Anglo-Finnish, Anglo-Swedish, Anglo-Danish, etc.). An important event ot get a chance to get to know each other and pick up ideas. The memorable evening was spent with a dinner and concert at the historical “Draper’s Hall “, which goes back to Henry VIII ‘s time. A most inspiring trip!
CHRISTMAS PARTY 2014
Anglo-Norse Society’s Christmas Party, 11th December 2014, Den Gamle Krigsskolen, Tollbugata 10
REMEMBRANCE DAY
Remembrance Day, 9th November 2014
WINE & CHEESE PARTY
Wine & Cheese Party, 2 September 2014. Another successful Anglo-Norse Event!
QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY
British Embassy, 18th June 2014
HOVEDØYA – SUMMER OUTING
From the Summer Outing at Hovedøya, 27 May 2014
The Anglo-Norse Society Oslo 