You don’t expect members of the Hampstead Heath Decorative and Fine Arts Society to run riot during their meetings. But according to the Daily Telegraph, that’s exactly what happened at Kenwood House, north London, when the society convened for a study day called The Art of Venice, hosted by the art historian Douglas Skeggs. Tempers frayed when a buggy for assisting mobility-impaired attendees was said to be unavailable—and, unforgivably, the coffee was cold. In an email to members, Gordon Rickard, the society’s chairman, wrote: “It is alleged that some members expressed themselves rudely to staff in the shop; that two members, due to the unavailability of the buggy, remonstrated aggressively with staff when not permitted to leave their car at the front of the house; and that a member pulled at the lanyard carrying a staff member’s identification.” Another meeting venue is being sought.
