Visits 2025

In February 2025 we visited the D-Day Story museum and the Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth 

In April, around forty Probus members, their partners and friends visited HiClere Castle where the Downton Abbey television series was filmed. No photography allowed within the house but you could see why it would be a good venue for filming - good light, space for the camera tracks and wonderful sets. Surrounded by large gardens. 

Probus Shelley members "joined the queue for Kew" in September 2025 as 45 of them, including guests, spent a morning at the National Archives and an afternoon at the Royal Botanic Gardens nearby.

The National Archives are a treasure house of the nation's most important documents, some of them dating back hundreds of years. The visit was an opportunity to look round the ground-breaking and award winning exhibition MI5 Official Secrets which, for the first time, puts MI5's history on public display. It gives a fascinating insight into the ever-changing world of espionage and security threats
through original case files, photographs and papers, alongside the real equipment used by spies and spy-catchers over MI5’s 115-year history.

There was also time to look at some of the other displays including the Cabinet Table laid out with brief histories of the past twenty Prime Ministers and a key classified document relating to each one's term of office.

A five minute drive took everyone to the magnificent Kew Gardens, home to probably the most diverse collection of trees, plants and flowers to be found anywhere in the world. A popular destination was the famous Palm House with the opportunity to experience the heat and humidity of a tropical rain forest. But for some it was sufficient just to enjoy a relaxing stroll amongst the trees and flowerbeds
before a quiet snooze on the homebound coach. Judging from the appreciative comments it was a very successful day.