Some previous Social Events

social

Below are some reviews and pictures from a few of our many social events.

Wayzgoose at Bell House Dulwich

WAYZGOOSE - Saturday 4 July 2026 - Can you get involved?

SLLA have been invited to take part in a Wayzgoose at Bell House, College Road, Dulwich SE21. A Wayzgoose is a traditional gathering with roots in the printing trade, historically a summer celebration bringing together printers, makers, and craftspeople. In that same spirit, they’re planning a lively, creative day across Bell House, celebrating making, sharing skills, and welcoming in the wider community.We hope to be able to showcase work by members and give some demonstrations of calligraphy.

Show & Tell sketch books

For this very 'social' social event, we are inviting SLLA members to bring along their sketchbooks, working diaries, journals for a show and tell evening where we delve into how and why we work with sketchbooks. 

A group of our members, including calligraphers, journallers and illustrators will also talk to the group about their books, their own styles and show examples.

Please bring along any sketchbooks and/or journals that you would be happy to show and discuss with the group. 

City walk & St Barts Hospital archives

Join us to walk our West City Lettering trail which will include a special visit to the St Barts hospital Archives.

The walk will start at 10.00am on the 14th April at the entrance to Blackfriars underground station and you will have one of our trail booklets to use.

Finding the letters in alphabetical order on various plaques, notices and carvings we make our way along fleet Street up Chancery lane, through to Smithfields.  Then on to Charterhouse Square and St Bartholomew the Great church.

Pictogram exhibition at Japan House, London

 

A special guided tour of the Pictograms exhibition on Saturday, 25th October 2025 at 11 am at Japan House 101-111 Kensington High Street, London W8 5SA

From ancient Egyptian tomb carvings to navigating contemporary Japan, Pictogram traces the design, evolution, power and future potential of these universal signs.

This special tour provides a personalised and in-depth explanation of the exhibition led by a Visitor Experience Assistant who has thoroughly researched the exhibition content and can answer any questions about it.

 

Bloomsbury Walk with Robert Dunn

This summer's guided walk with Robert Dunn on 25 June continues our exploration of Bloomsbury. Last year's walk covered the university quarter; this year we'll move across to east Bloomsbury, defined by its medical and caring institutions. As before, we'll cover the history, buildings and people of this fascinating area.

Numbers are limited to 20 people for this walk starting at 6 pm on the evening of 25th of June. The walk will last about 90 minutes. 

Networks of Scribes at Syon Abbey, 1415-1539 by Dr Julia King

This talk focuses on the ways in which the study of scribal handwriting from Syon Abbey, England’s first and only Birgittine monastery, can shed light on the ways in which the sisters of Syon participated in broader late-medieval communities of reading. Focusing primarily on examples of women’s handwriting preserved in both printed books and medieval manuscripts, this talk will paint a picture of the ways in which scribal hands and inscriptions can illustrate the ways in which reading, writing, and community intersected in late-medieval London.

Christmas Social with talk by Tracey Trussell

Tracey Trussell is a leading professional graphologist, who analyses handwriting to reveal what it says about the writer.  From a few handwritten sentences Tracey can gain insight into how individuals behave, think and feel. Tracey has worked for many companies, including Montblanc and has appeared on BBC’s The One Show and ITV’s This Morning talking about what you can tell from people’s handwriting and doodles.  She is often called on by the media to analyse the handwriting of people in the news such as, in recent years, Lucy Letby, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

(not so) Silent Calligraphy 2024

On 19 October members of the South London Lettering Association again took part in the Bloomsbury Festival by demonstrating calligraphy inside St George’s Church. The scribes worked for an hour or two each on their own projects using different tools and styles of lettering, taking the theme of the 2024 Bloomsbury Festival – Human.Kind – to inspire them. Visitors were able to learn about calligraphy and talk to the calligraphers, both amateur and professional, and have a go themselves, guided by experienced calligraphers.

Bloomsbury walk with Robert Dunn

Around 20 people went on this fascinating walk around the squares and significant buildings of Bloomsbury, led by Robert Dunn on 26th June 2024. It was the hottest day of the year so we were all very grateful for the shade provided by the trees in the garden squares, as well as for the opportunity to learn from Rob about the history of the area and some of its notable residents. Among the buildings we studied, of different periods and styles, were the Hotel Russell (now the Kingston Fitzroy Hotel), the British Museum, Senate House, Birkbeck College, and the BMA building. We also walked around Russell, Torrington, Gordon and Tavistock Squares, examining their various memorials.