Alumni and guests are invited to join the Suffolk Cambridge Society at the Buzzard Hall, Sudbury, (The Secret Garden Restaurant) for a talk by Richard Humphries on how Sudbury became the centre of the silk industry in the country and the founding of his weaving business which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022.

Richard started the specialist silk weaving company - Humphries Weaving - which is celebrating 50 years in business this year. Humphries Weaving has earnt an international reputation for designing and weaving custom Jacquard fabrics. Richard has been responsible for weaving fine silk fabrics for Buckingham Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Osborne House, the National Trust – and the State Gold Carriage. We are delighted that Richard has agreed to give a talk to the Society. He is an acknowledged expert on silk weaving and is also an excellent and entertaining speaker. Richard will bring along a collection of some of the company’s fabrics which record the history of his company and some of the major commissions. Please note – we will be able to look at the fabrics but not touch. The Secret Garden restaurant is at Buzzards Hall which is an historic 15th century building. The talk and lunch will be on the first floor of the Hall which dates from the reign of Henry VIII and was used over the centuries for weaving and spinning. A very appropriate venue for the talk.

The programme for the visit is;

• 10.30am: Meet for tea/coffee 
• 11.15am: Talk by Richard Humphries in the upstairs restaurant (please note – there is no lift).
• 12.30pm: Your two course lunch menu can be found here. Drinks can be purchased separately.