Anglo-Swedish Society
Encyclopedia
A bridge in the English and Swedish calendars, the Anglo-Swedish Society in London
, has celebrated the strong bond between the two nations since 1918.
. Its first patrons were HRH the Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, the Duke of Connaught, HE Count H Wrangel, Sir Esme Howard and Baron E. Palmstierna.
The Anglo-Swedish Society was one of several Anglo-European Societies established immediately after the First World War to promote greater understanding and friendship between nations. The impulse was clear: never again!
The Society’s first chairman, Sir Henry Penson, explained that it had been formed “to promote intellectual intercourse between the peoples of the British Empire and Sweden, assistance in arranging an interchange in educational facilities and the encouragement of reciprocal travel “. From an early stage, successful applicants were awarded travel stipends to undertake “a definite course of study”. These applicants tended to be from the Universities of Oxford
or Cambridge
.
In the two years after the establishment of the Anglo-Swedish Society in London
, sister organisations were set up in Sweden: the British-Swedish Society in Stockholm
in 1919 and the Anglo-Swedish Society in Gothenburg
in 1920. The three worked closely together, and helped each other set up lending libraries. Summer holiday courses were soon organised in Sweden
, comprising the “Swedish language, physical culture and gymnastics
”. The courses received support from members of the Swedish Royal family and business enterprises in Sweden
, who placed their houses and hospitality at the disposal of the Society.
A the Society provided an information service for Swedish visitors to London
was also provided. By the 1930s, a thriving exchange programme between British and Swedish school children had been established.
In 1922, the Swedish Travel Association (also founded 1918) was amalgamated with the Anglo-Swedish Society. Its aims were to “afford opportunities for Swedish journalists to visit the United Kingdom”.
In 1924, an exhibition of Swedish art principally of the 1880s and 90s was exhibited at Burlington House. The exhibition was a collaboration of the Royal Academy of Art and the Anglo-Swedish Society. Some 400 paintings and sculptures were shown. Artists included Prince Eugen, Anders Zorn, Bruno Liljefors and Carl Larsson.
In 1931, Sir Harold Wernher, president of the Anglo-Swedish Society, presided over the Swedish Exhibition of Industrial Arts and Crafts at Dorland House, Lower Regent Street. It was inspired by the internationally renowned Stockholm Exhibition of 1930. The Anglo-Swedish Society was joint co-ordinator.
In April 1933, the Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén
conducted the New Symphony Orchestra
playing his own works at the Palladium
. This was the composer’s first visit to the UK. The event was presided over by Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
, the Swedish Minister and the Anglo-Swedish Society.
In 1933 Prince George (later George VI) was present at an Anglo-Swedish Society reception in honour of the Nobel Prize
winners of Great Britain
and Ireland. Among the many famous names were Rudyard Kipling
, George Bernard Shaw
and W B Yeats.
The annual dinners of the Anglo-Swedish Society were generally held in the late autumn, and it was common for members of the British and Swedish Royal families to be present. Crown Prince Gustav Adolf (later King Gustav VI Adolf) and Crown Princess Louise attended frequently. Crown Princess Louise was formerly Lady Louise Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten’s sister. Prince Philip, Queen Louise’s nephew and Patron of the Society, has been a keen supporter of the Society’s events for several decades. In November 1934, Anthony Eden
(then under-secretary for foreign affairs, 1955-57 Prime Minister) spoke about trade relations between Britain and Sweden at the Society’s annual dinner.
In addition to its own annual dinners, joint events were held most years from the 1920s to the 1960s with the Swedish BV Society (“Sällskapet Bärsärkar & Vikingar”). The most regular were the ones in honour of the birthday of King Gustav V and later of King Gustav VI Adolf. The president (“Jarl”) of BV generally presided while the chairman of the Anglo-Swedish Society and his wife received the guests. In June 1951, Vice-Admiral Earl Mountbatten of Burma
and Countess Mountbatten attended a ball at the May Fair
Hotel held by the Anglo-Swedish Society and the BV Society in honour of the officers and mid-shipmen of the Swedish Home Fleet then visiting the UK.
In March 1953, the Society held a reception in honour of Dag Hammarskiöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In 1954 and 2004, the Society held balls at the Dorchester Hotel
to celebrate the Treaty of Friendship between England and Sweden, probably the oldest trade treaty in Britain’s history. At the former event, the principal speaker was none other than the Misister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Profumo
(the cause of the Profumo affair of 1963). At the latter, the King and Queen of Sweden, HRH Prince Philip, Archbishop KG Hammar and no fewer than 350 members of the Swedish colony in the UK attended.
In June 1969, the Society held its fiftieth anniversary dinner at the Dorchester Hotel
. The guests of honour were the Ambassadors of Sweden
, Denmark
and Finland
, Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma
, Archbishop Emeritus Hultgren, the First Sea Lord and Lady Fanu and other dignitaries. This anniversary was mistakenly celebrated a year late, and the confusion is likely to have arisen from the fact that the Swedish-British Society was established in Stockholm in 1919.
The chronological anachronism was perpetuated as late as May 2009, when the HE the Swedish Ambassador, Mr Staffan Carlsson held an elegant dinner for members and benefactors of the Society at his Residence. The Society's musical Scholars provided entertainment.
. The Society pays for a glass and ceramics exchange programme between the Royal College of Art
and Konstfack
and an award for a student from the Restaurant School at Nyköping
to spend time at Heston Blumenthal
's world famous Fat Duck in Bray
. Ad-hoc funding has gone to a team of English youngsters to compete in the world's largest under-14s ice-hockey tournament and towards sending 135 English Scouts and Guides to Kalix
in Northern Sweden
.
Funds are raised from individual and corporate donations, and the Society is a registered charity (number 289688) in the United Kingdom
.
and the Swedish Ambassador to the Court of St. James's
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, has celebrated the strong bond between the two nations since 1918.
History
The Society was founded in 1918, and set up an office with club room and library at 10 Staple Inn, High HolbornHigh Holborn
High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. It starts in the west near St Giles Circus, then goes east, past the Kingsway and Southampton Row, and continues east. The road becomes Holborn at the junction with Gray's Inn Road....
. Its first patrons were HRH the Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden, the Duke of Connaught, HE Count H Wrangel, Sir Esme Howard and Baron E. Palmstierna.
The Anglo-Swedish Society was one of several Anglo-European Societies established immediately after the First World War to promote greater understanding and friendship between nations. The impulse was clear: never again!
The Society’s first chairman, Sir Henry Penson, explained that it had been formed “to promote intellectual intercourse between the peoples of the British Empire and Sweden, assistance in arranging an interchange in educational facilities and the encouragement of reciprocal travel “. From an early stage, successful applicants were awarded travel stipends to undertake “a definite course of study”. These applicants tended to be from the Universities of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
or Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
.
In the two years after the establishment of the Anglo-Swedish Society in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, sister organisations were set up in Sweden: the British-Swedish Society in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1919 and the Anglo-Swedish Society in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
in 1920. The three worked closely together, and helped each other set up lending libraries. Summer holiday courses were soon organised in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, comprising the “Swedish language, physical culture and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
”. The courses received support from members of the Swedish Royal family and business enterprises in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, who placed their houses and hospitality at the disposal of the Society.
A the Society provided an information service for Swedish visitors to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was also provided. By the 1930s, a thriving exchange programme between British and Swedish school children had been established.
In 1922, the Swedish Travel Association (also founded 1918) was amalgamated with the Anglo-Swedish Society. Its aims were to “afford opportunities for Swedish journalists to visit the United Kingdom”.
In 1924, an exhibition of Swedish art principally of the 1880s and 90s was exhibited at Burlington House. The exhibition was a collaboration of the Royal Academy of Art and the Anglo-Swedish Society. Some 400 paintings and sculptures were shown. Artists included Prince Eugen, Anders Zorn, Bruno Liljefors and Carl Larsson.
In 1931, Sir Harold Wernher, president of the Anglo-Swedish Society, presided over the Swedish Exhibition of Industrial Arts and Crafts at Dorland House, Lower Regent Street. It was inspired by the internationally renowned Stockholm Exhibition of 1930. The Anglo-Swedish Society was joint co-ordinator.
In April 1933, the Swedish composer Hugo Alfvén
Hugo Alfvén
was a Swedish composer, conductor, violinist, and painter.- Violinist :Alfvén was born in Stockholm and studied at the Music Conservatory there from 1887 to 1891 with the violin as his main instrument, receiving lessons from Lars Zetterquist. He also took private composition lessons from Johan...
conducted the New Symphony Orchestra
New Symphony Orchestra
-History:The New Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1991 in Sofia, Bulgaria by the music critic Julia Hristova as an alternative to the existing Bulgarian musical institutions...
playing his own works at the Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
. This was the composer’s first visit to the UK. The event was presided over by Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein
-Titles:*1870–1917: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein*1917–1948: Her Highness Princess Helena Victoria-Honours:British honours*VA: Lady of the Order of Victoria and Albert...
, the Swedish Minister and the Anglo-Swedish Society.
In 1933 Prince George (later George VI) was present at an Anglo-Swedish Society reception in honour of the Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winners of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Ireland. Among the many famous names were Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
and W B Yeats.
The annual dinners of the Anglo-Swedish Society were generally held in the late autumn, and it was common for members of the British and Swedish Royal families to be present. Crown Prince Gustav Adolf (later King Gustav VI Adolf) and Crown Princess Louise attended frequently. Crown Princess Louise was formerly Lady Louise Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten’s sister. Prince Philip, Queen Louise’s nephew and Patron of the Society, has been a keen supporter of the Society’s events for several decades. In November 1934, Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden
Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC was a British Conservative politician, who was Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957...
(then under-secretary for foreign affairs, 1955-57 Prime Minister) spoke about trade relations between Britain and Sweden at the Society’s annual dinner.
In addition to its own annual dinners, joint events were held most years from the 1920s to the 1960s with the Swedish BV Society (“Sällskapet Bärsärkar & Vikingar”). The most regular were the ones in honour of the birthday of King Gustav V and later of King Gustav VI Adolf. The president (“Jarl”) of BV generally presided while the chairman of the Anglo-Swedish Society and his wife received the guests. In June 1951, Vice-Admiral Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Earl Mountbatten of Burma
The title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
and Countess Mountbatten attended a ball at the May Fair
The May Fair
The May Fair is a historic hotel with a modern design, set in the heart of Mayfair, London. It is located on Stratton Street, within close proximity of Piccadilly, Bond Street, Knightsbridge, Green Park and Buckingham Palace....
Hotel held by the Anglo-Swedish Society and the BV Society in honour of the officers and mid-shipmen of the Swedish Home Fleet then visiting the UK.
In March 1953, the Society held a reception in honour of Dag Hammarskiöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In 1954 and 2004, the Society held balls at the Dorchester Hotel
Dorchester Hotel
The Dorchester is a luxury hotel in London, opened on 18 April 1931. It is situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park.The Dorchester was created by the famous builder Sir Robert McAlpine and the managing director of Gordon Hotels Ltd, Sir Frances Towle, who shared a vision of creating...
to celebrate the Treaty of Friendship between England and Sweden, probably the oldest trade treaty in Britain’s history. At the former event, the principal speaker was none other than the Misister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Profumo
Profumo
Profumo may refer to* Alessandro Profumo , Italian banker, the CEO of the Gruppo Unicredito* Francesco Profumo , Dean of the Engineering Faculty of the Politecnico di Torino* Baron Profumo of the Kingdom of Sardinia...
(the cause of the Profumo affair of 1963). At the latter, the King and Queen of Sweden, HRH Prince Philip, Archbishop KG Hammar and no fewer than 350 members of the Swedish colony in the UK attended.
In June 1969, the Society held its fiftieth anniversary dinner at the Dorchester Hotel
Dorchester Hotel
The Dorchester is a luxury hotel in London, opened on 18 April 1931. It is situated on Park Lane in Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park.The Dorchester was created by the famous builder Sir Robert McAlpine and the managing director of Gordon Hotels Ltd, Sir Frances Towle, who shared a vision of creating...
. The guests of honour were the Ambassadors of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Admiral of the Fleet Earl Mountbatten of Burma
Earl Mountbatten of Burma
The title Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1947 for Rear Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Viscount Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India....
, Archbishop Emeritus Hultgren, the First Sea Lord and Lady Fanu and other dignitaries. This anniversary was mistakenly celebrated a year late, and the confusion is likely to have arisen from the fact that the Swedish-British Society was established in Stockholm in 1919.
The chronological anachronism was perpetuated as late as May 2009, when the HE the Swedish Ambassador, Mr Staffan Carlsson held an elegant dinner for members and benefactors of the Society at his Residence. The Society's musical Scholars provided entertainment.
Charitable Activities
The Society funds Swedish post-graduate students to attend the Guildhall School of Music and DramaGuildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. The Society pays for a glass and ceramics exchange programme between the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
and Konstfack
Konstfack
Konstfack or University College of Arts, Crafts and Design is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden.- History :...
and an award for a student from the Restaurant School at Nyköping
Nyköping
Nyköping is a locality and the seat of Nyköping Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 32,427 inhabitants in 2005. The city is also the capital of Södermanland County.- History :...
to spend time at Heston Blumenthal
Heston Blumenthal
Heston Marc Blumenthal OBE is an English chef and owner of The Fat Duck, a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Bray, Berkshire voted Best Restaurant in the UK by The Good Food Guide 2007 and 2009, and voted best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine in 2005...
's world famous Fat Duck in Bray
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
. Ad-hoc funding has gone to a team of English youngsters to compete in the world's largest under-14s ice-hockey tournament and towards sending 135 English Scouts and Guides to Kalix
Kalix
Kalix is a locality and the seat of the Kalix Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The name Kalix is believed to have come from nomadic tribes, possibly of Sapmí origin, and is derived from the word "Kalasätno", meaning "The cold river"...
in Northern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Funds are raised from individual and corporate donations, and the Society is a registered charity (number 289688) in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Events Programme
Some 15 events per year are organised for members and guests. These are mostly of a social and educational nature, with some major fund-raising events.Patrons
The Society's Patrons are King Carl XVI Gustaf, the Duke of EdinburghDuke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
and the Swedish Ambassador to the Court of St. James's
Court of St. James's
The Court of St James's is the royal court of the United Kingdom. It previously had the same function in the Kingdom of England and in the Kingdom of Great Britain .-Overview:...
.