Michael Harris: Mdina Glass & Isle of Wight Studio Glass by Mark Hill – 5th June 2025
Michael Harris was one of the innovators of the international studio glass movement and transformed 20thC glass and its[…]
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Category: Past Lectures
Art Deco: Celebrating the Centenary of the 1925 Paris Expo by Pamela Campbell-Johnston – 1st May 2025
In 1925, 16 million visitors witnessed PARIS’S EXPO – The International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. What would[…]
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160 Years of the London Underground, Design and Architecture by Mark Ovenden – 3rd April 2025
Even in the 1860s and 70s, the expansion of the Underground created a need to have some cohesion between the[…]
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The History of the Royal Parks by Paul Rabbitts – 9th January 2025
Londons’ Royal Parks are beautiful spaces with a grand history, some royally owned as far back as the Norman Conquest,[…]
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The Art of Courtship in Renaissance Italy by Lydia Goodson – 6th February 2025
“I give you this, my beautiful one, as a token of my love” These words featured on a decorated cup[…]
Read moreCopies, Curtains and Ways of Looking by Chantal Brotherton – Ratcliffe – Thursday November 7 2024
How does our experience of living with and looking at works of art today compare to the viewing experience of[…]
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Dingley Dell to ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Vicky Bailey – Thursday December 5 2024
Ideal for Christmas time!This talk ranges from Dickensian Christmas stories to traditional Victorian Christmas activities and the inspiration for ghost[…]
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The Green man in English Churches by Imogen Corrigan – Thursday 3 October 2024
More correctly called ‘foliate heads’, there was a proliferation of Green Man images around the year 1400. The lecture discusses[…]
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London Bridged: 3,500 Years of Crossing the Thames by Charlie Forman – Thursday 5 September 2024
People were bridging the Thames in the Bronze Age – 1,500 years before the Romans built London Bridge. In the[…]
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Women Artists in Britain – by Amy Lim – Thursday 6 June 2024
Women have worked as artists for hundreds of years, often struggling against societal expectations and institutional barriers. An exhibition to[…]
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The World’s Greatest Paintings: 200 Years of The National Gallery by Simon Whitehouse – Thursday 7 March 2024
2024 marks the bicentenary of the founding of the National Gallery. This lecture tells the story of the establishment of[…]
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Wealth Adornment Art : A Study of Jewellery in 17th -19th Century England by Amanda Herries – Thursday 4 April 2024
Jewellery has been worn by humans for thousands of years. It not only adorns and decorates, it is a useful[…]
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Grace Darling and the Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea – by James Taylor – Thursday 2 May 2024
Darling’s daring rescue of steamship passengers off the Northumberland coast in 1838 brought her international fame. Discover more about her[…]
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The Art of Trickery: How Magicians are Seen in Paintings, Prints and Cartoons by Ian Keable – Thursday 1 February 2024
This talk is on how magicians have appeared in art throughout the centuries, whether in paintings, satirical prints or cartoons.[…]
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Monopoly by Roger Mendham – Thursday 4 January 2024
Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life. It is one of the world’s most popular[…]
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The History of Opera by Jamie Hayes – Thursday 7 September
A fascinating lecture of how opera began, developed and spread worldwide; from 1600 to the present day. Illustrated with musical[…]
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Ways to Look at Painting by Alice White – Thursday 2nd March 2023
Alice provides a painter’s perspective on famous artworks from the 17th to the 21st centuries. Rembrandt and Turner are revealed[…]
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The Culture of Ukraine by Rosamund Bartlett- Thursday 2nd November 2023
This lecture tells Ukraine’s story through the shared culture which binds its proud people together. We will explore the sacred[…]
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The World’s Most Expensive Art – Where Leonardo Meets Picasso by Ian Swankie – Thursday 6th April 2023
In the last few years the top end of the art market has flourished and collectors have been prepared to[…]
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Britain as Workshop of the World. The Founding of the Victoria and Albert Museum by Anna Warrillow – Thursday March 6 2025
This lecture focuses on the design impact of the Great Exhibition and the need for a ‘legacy institution’ in the[…]
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