Private Members Club for Artists and Hobbysts

Bristol Savages “Oilies” trip to Chavenage House

Photos of the Bristol Savages’ Oily Feathers Group (the ‘Oilies’) recent annual lunch outing to the historic Chavenage House, in Tetbury Glos., an Elizabethan manor house set in the Cotswolds.

The Oilies are one of the many Interest Groups of the Bristol Savages, for those afficionados of the vintage classic car- meaning cars over 40 years of age. Hence the oily connotation.

The classic car drive and lunch to Chavenage is just one of several events on the Oilies annual fixture list and even includes an annual Oily Holiday to typically Normandy, Brittany or the Loire.

Chavenage House as many will know is the film location of the BBC’s very popular remake of “Poldark”, the romanic saga set in the 18th century Cornwall, now heading for its fourth series.

The earliest recorded owner of Chavenage was Princess Goda, the sister of Edward the Confessor. More recently on purchasing Chavenage, Edward Stephens started the massive project of a major reconstruction of the site. He gutted the medieval building he found and created a manor house of the classic Elizabethan style. The panelling of the Oak Room (pictured) is dated 1627.

While Bristol Savages has not been around that long, Chavenage, for the Oilies has for a long time become a very firm annual tradition!