James Wright FSA is a buildings archaeologist, based in Nottingham. With over twenty years of professional experience, he has published a number of books and articles concentrating on mediaeval and early modern architecture. His latest book - Historic Building Mythbusting - investigates and debunks commonly believed and repeated stories about ancient buildings. 

James is interested in how we can use the evidence of physical structures to understand the realities of the everyday existence of ordinary people living in elite buildings. He was part of a team which won Best Project in the British Archaeological Awards for his work at Knole in Kent. 

He has spoken to a wide variety of organisations including Historic Royal Palaces, the National Trust, Gresham College, Shakespeare400 and the Museum of London. Lecturing is his favourite part of his job as he firmly believes that there is simply no point in carrying out research unless you actually tell folk what you have been doing!

Haute Couture is an art form, inseparable from fashion, that achieved some of its finest moments during the years following World War II. During this period, Paris reaffirmed its position as the Capital of Fashion and its reputation for producing the most luxurious and creative clothes money could buy. Three names became synonymous with luxury, glamour and elegance during haute couture's most exclusive and fertile period - Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga and Jacques Fath.

Biography

Scott William Schiavone is a Fashion Historian and Curator. Scott is both University of Glasgow and London College of Fashion alumni having graduated from the MA (Hons) History of Art and MA Fashion Curation in 2004 and 2010 respectively. Scott has worked with fashion and textile collections across the UK, including Glasgow Museums, National Museums Scotland and The Harris Museum in Preston where he is currently the Decorative Art Curator. Scott has his own YouTube channel, Fashion &…which now has over 6,000 subscribers. His areas of expertise are nineteenth and twentieth century French, British and American womenswear, luxury fashion accessories and marginalised social histories of fashion. 

The world of opera is full of remarkable contributors, great game changers who leave the stage in a completely different place from the one they found. In the 19th century three such men revolutionised the art form; in three very different ways; Verdi, Wagner and Puccini. From the romantic heart-breakers of La Traviata and Rigoletto via the mystery and magic of the The Ring Cycle to the breath-taking melodramatic tear jerkers of Tosca and La Bohème. Enjoy their remarkable journeys and innovative, dynamic and thrilling theatricality which highlights so much of their work. This illustrated lecture will highlight the great opera productions which have graced the worlds opera houses.

Biography

After training at RADA Jamie graduated as a Stage Manager and subsequently worked for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Bristol Old Vic and the BBC. He became an Assistant Director with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Kent Opera and English National Opera and soon began directing productions of his own. He has directed many new opera productions in the UK whilst other new opera productions overseas include Reykjavik, Malta and Melbourne. Jamie was Associate Director on the original production of the hit musical Miss Saigon in the West End and on Broadway. He has directed productions in all the major UK conservatoires and was Director of Productions for British Youth Opera for over a decade, a company devoted to promoting the talents of our finest young opera singers in the UK. Jamie is a regular enrichment programme lecturer for various leading cruise ship companies. He is married to the mezzo-soprano Jean Rigby and they have three sons. 

Learn how one company came to control the world's flow of diamonds into the marketplace for over a century.  The De Beers Diamond Cartel convinced diamond miners & traders to only buy or sell via their single market channel, forming a bond so tight it was impossible to move diamonds without them.  At one time, De Beers held 40,000,000 carats of rough diamonds in a 3 story basement vault in London- a 20 year supply of gemstones.  De Beers took the jewellery market by storm with the slogan "A Diamond is Forever" voted the advertising slogan of the century.  Come learn how De Beers really did "Romance the Stone".

Biography

With over 35 years in the diamond industry, diamond expert Laurie Wickwire represents the industry across all sectors: mining, sorting, grading and  brokering some of the world’s key rough stones.  

A leader in the industry, Laurie is the On-Air Diamond Expert for the international television shopping channel QVC where her opinion is regularly sought by over a million viewers each week.  

Whether presenting diamond shows on national channels the BBC, ITV and QVC, hosting diamond master classes, filming jubilee specials, or creating the historical jewellery range for both Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle gift shops, Laurie’s love of the diamond industry is apparent.  

A graduate of GIA London, IGI Antwerp, and DeBeers Institute of Diamonds, Laurie is both a certified diamond grader and certified pearl grader. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in International Business & Finance, and a Bachelor of Arts in French.   

Laurie’s industry knowledge has seen her interviewing celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival, publishing articles on Ocean Mining or the British Coronation, guest on numerous internationally streamed podcasts, enrichment lecturer on luxury cruise lines and creating bespoke commissions for the Royal Family. 

This lecture is illustrated by a selection of original photographs of Ypres as it was before the outbreak of World War I. Further original photographs illustrate the same buildings after their destruction. These are finally compared with photographs taken very recently, including the lecturer’s own photographs.

Biography: 

Christopher Chanter has led lectures, study days and workshops. He is the author of articles on restoration and a consultant on restoration to the Georgian Group. He is Chairman of Historic Buildings Committee, Somerset Archaeology and Natural History Society 1999-2004. and a Correspondent to the Council of British Archaeology.

Country houses are often full of historic portraits, but for today’s visitor it is not always clear who the sitters are, why they are there, or why they mattered. Visitors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, however, would have been immediately known how to ‘read’ the portraits and understand their visual cues. Focusing on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century portraits, in this lecture we will look closely at clothes, poses and accessories, and learn how to decode them. Through this, we can understand the how they were used to communicate status, networks and identities.

Biography: 

Dr Amy Lim is an art historian and curator, specialising in British fine and decorative arts from the seventeenth to twentieth centuries. She is curator of the Faringdon Collection at Buscot Park, Oxfordshire, and of the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham, and a tutor at the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. She was recently an exhibition researcher at Tate, contributing to British Baroque: Power and Illusion (2020) and 'Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain, 1520-1920' (2024). Amy has degrees in History and Literature & Arts from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. She runs an online art dealership, and has published articles and essays on a variety of art-related topics from gothic garden monuments to female patronage.

Claude Monet once said that his only two interests in life were painting and gardening. In cultivating his garden at Giverny in Normandy (famous for the water lilies series of paintings) from the mid 1880s, he felt he had created “his most beautiful work of art”. Monet’s love for gardening began much earlier in the 1860s and was shared by his artist friends and fellow Impressionists, Frédéric Bazille, Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and, in particular, Gustave Caillebotte. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, growing and enjoying flowers in a decorative garden intended for leisure purposes became a favourite pastime for the city dwelling middle classes in France. For the Impressionists, gardens private and public became a subject in their own right, not simply a convenient backdrop and setting. The planting of new and unusual varieties of flowers and shrubs provided the artists with exciting juxtapositions of colour combined with the variations of outdoor light effects. The same private gardens feature in the paintings of the Impressionists. The paintings often record the relationships of artists and their families and those of their friends, giving us an intimate view of how their private and working lives interacted. The lecture covers the cultural historic context of flower painting and the ‘garden girl’ subject from eighteenth and nineteenth century French painting. The two gardens that Monet maintained in Argenteuil on the River Seine are then examined in detail. Argenteuil was arguably the creative ‘crucible’ of Impressionism during the 1870s. It was here that Renoir, Manet, and Sisley painted numerous local scenes and subjects. Caillebotte’s extensive garden at Gennevillers, where he developed specialised horticultural interests, is also reviewed. The final section looks at Monet’s move to Vertheil and then Giverny.

Biography: 

After studying History of Art at Manchester University I spent three years in the editorial department of a fine art publishing company. My later career took a detour into the world of information technology, during which time I had the opportunity to live and work for several years in both continental Europe and North America. Having 'retired' from this field of endeavour I now devote my time to researching mainly: English and French eighteenth, and late nineteenth century art and architecture; and European garden history from the medieval period to that of the great landscape gardeners, Capability Brown and Humphry Repton.

The Christmas tree is arguably the most iconic aspect of our midwinter celebrations, yet how much do we actually know about its origins and history. Peter Medhurst delves into the past – as far back as the Book of Genesis – in order to tell the story of this remarkable ‘German toy’, as Dickens described it. Music performed includes: Adam lay ybounden, Jesus Christ the Apple Tree – Elizabeth Postern, O Tannenbaum, O Little Town of Bethlehem, O Holy Night – Adolphe Adam.

Biography: 

Peter appears in the UK and abroad as a musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts. He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

Follow in the footsteps of the millions who have crossed the Thames over the last three millennia. People built a Thames crossing at Westminster in the Bronze Age—1,500 years before the Romans constructed London Bridge. In the 1,700 year wait for the next bridge, other crossings relied on watermen and horse ferries, as traffic got jammed up on London Bridge. The last 200 years have seen more than 50 new crossings over and under the river. Some are great feats of engineering; some are architecturally elegant. Every crossover changes the city’s genetic code.  Even now newly designed bridges await their start on site. This lecture explores the way we have connected up across the Thames and what that tells us about the culture of the capital through time.

Biography: 

As a London walking tour guide and lecturer, I highlight the social, architectural and artistic history of my home city. It is a city I am passionate about, not least because it has a historic core larger and richer than any other world city. A member of the City of Westminster Guide Lecturers Association, my talks focus on the forces that have shaped and changed this multi-faceted metropolis and the artistic and cultural heritage that this has given us. After many hundreds of walks and a four-decade long career in housing and regeneration I have absorbed a deep understanding and appreciation of the capital. I’ve had some fascinating vantage points like the seven years build-up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games where I played a role in channelling potential long-term benefits into surrounding East London communities. My publications include Spitalfields: A battle for land.

From the wax seal to the microchip, man has exploited the skill of the artist and artisan in his attempt to manufacture a forgery-proof document. Taking you through three centuries of passport design, this lecture explains the overt and uncovers the covert to illustrate the defences built in to the passport and the tricks the forger uses to defeat them. You will never see your passport in the same light again! 

Biography: 

Martin has been lecturing to various groups, including U3A, National Trust, historical societies, Gresham College and business groups since 2008. Previously worked for HM Immigration Service, and has broadcast on local and national television and radio.

The international art market is today dominated by four British auction houses, all founded in the 18th century, their record prices sensationally reported by the world's media. But what is it like behind the canvas? How do auction houses function? What goes on behind the scenes and what is required for a successful sale to take place? With an overview of the rise of two of the leading international salerooms, based in London and globally, this interactive lecture, given by an auctioneer and specialist with almost forty years' experience in both houses, reveals all.

Biography: 

Leading international specialist, author, auctioneer and lecturer in British and European Glass, now retired. Formerly Managing Director (Bonhams Europe) and Director of European Ceramics and Glass at Bonhams Auctioneers, London (2007-2023). Formerly Head of European Ceramics and Glass at Sotheby's, where he was also a Director and auctioneer (1990 to 2007). He is responsible for numerous landmark auctions of European Glass both at Sotheby's and Bonhams. After studying History at University College Cardiff and the University of Washington and holding a postgraduate diploma in Museum and Art Gallery Studies from Manchester University, he began his career as a senior curator of ceramics, glass and silver at museums in London, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Glasgow (1979-1990). He is Hon. President of the Glass Society, Fellow of the Guild of Glass Engravers and a Fellow of the Corning Museum of Glass, New York.

Born in 1632, Vermeer was a generation younger than Rembrandt and nearly two generations younger than Frans Hals. Scarcely more than thirty-five paintings survive from his short career and almost all concentrate upon one or two figures carefully placed in tranquil, light-filled interiors, intent upon their tasks, from pouring milk to the reading and writing of letters. The lecture will explore Vermeer’s career, the influences of other artists upon his work and the impact of the light and character of the town of Delft in which he lived. As a result of recent research,  there have been new insights concerning the influences from Pieter de Hooch, Gerard Ter Borch and, particularly, Carel Fabritius  upon Vermeer's work.  Notable also was Jacobus Vrel, who was the subject of an exhibition in The Hague which took place at the same time, who far from being a follower of Vermeer, was rediscovered to have been a forerunner. Vermeer was not only an artist but also a dealer and valuer and therefore would have been aware of his contemporaries' work.

Biography: 

Honours degree in History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London. Regular commitments include Centre for Lifelong Learning, London University, National Gallery, V&A Museum, WEA, Morley College, the City Literary Institute, the Art Fund and National Trust. Study tours abroad.

The UK provides some of the biggest Ceremonial Events in the world and arguably the best in the world but why is that? How do the military prepare for major events such as State Opening of Parliament, State Visits, National day of Remembrance, Royal Weddings or even a State Funeral?

Biography: 

Dr Graham Jones started his professional life as a musician in the British Army and over a glittering career spanning nearly forty years he retired as the Senior Director of Music, Household Division and Director of Music, Coldstream Guards a position unequalled throughout military music in Great Britain. During his illustrious career he has recorded over 40 albums and been responsible for the largest commissioning programme of wind band music in recent history commissioning over 30 new works for wind band. He pioneered a music education programme with the University of Salford for military musicians resulting in a new Master of Music in performance degree. Graham was made a Member of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace for outstanding service to military music in 1993. Having retired, at the start of 2012, from military service Graham is enjoying a second career as a guest conductor, adjudicator, guest speaker, lecturer, clinician, recording consultant and educator. He is also the Artist Director of London International Band Week, music consultant to Henley Music Festival, resident conductor of the British Imperial Orchestra, visiting conductor in residence at Troy University, Alabama, USA and guest lecturer on cruise ships.  Graham’s charitable work includes event planning in support of the Royal British Legion and sitting on the London fundraising committee of the Army Benevolent Fund - the Soldiers Charity. Graham is married to Susan and resides in Worcester Park, Surrey.

This lecture will display paintings as well as many other forms of art which celebrate our boatbuilding heritage.  The east coast of Britain benefits from natural harbours on the North Sea and patronage from the Royal Navy, the East India Company and C21st billionaires alike have led to the flourishing of shipbuilding.   Some traditional yards survive where shipwrights train apprentices in traditional craftsmanship required for these staggering vessels, and an interesting connection with modern art and film-making thrives.   My talk will also include images of stained glass, ceramics, tapestries, antiquarian book covers, advertising posters, weather-vanes, chandeliers, pub signs and even topiary all inspired by the traditions of these boatyards from medieval times to the present day.  

Biography: 

I studied history of art at UEA and worked in London galleries for fifteen years; since then I have been organising exhibitions, researching paintings and writing articles, particularly on C19th/20th women artists. A contributor to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and to BBC Woman's Hour, I also work with charities that help ex-offenders through art and education.  My book, 'Utmost Fidelity' is on Marianne Stokes and her English landscape painter husband Adrian Stokes RA and I have also lectured recently for the Art Fund, National Portrait Gallery, Pre-Raphaelite Society and Art Workers' Guild as well as to the Art Society of Budapest. I am a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and have lectured for them at the Old Bailey in 2024 on the subject of Elizabeth Fry and her contribution over the past 200 years to prison reform through creativity since the passing of the 1823 Gaol's Act.

The lecture will trace the story of Banksy’s humble beginnings as a tagger on the streets of Bristol in the 1980’s to one of the most recognisable names in the art world.  We will examine the reasons behind his incredible rise, looking at some of his famous stunts and discuss what his influence has been on the art market today and look at what his legacy, if any, might be. 

Biography: 

Pepe qualified as a London blue badge tourist guide in 2011, graduating at the top of his class. Since qualifying as a guide he has  specialised in the graffiti and street art of East London. Prior to becoming a London blue badge, he was a tour manager for 15 years, travelling extensively, all over the world. 

Calcutta was the second city of the British Empire and a hub of cultural and artistic production throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This lecture provides an overview of the arts (poetry, theatre, literature, song) and architecture of this extraordinary city, which was India’s capital until 1911. At the epicentre of the ‘Bengal renaissance’, Calcutta played a central role in shaping the arts and culture of modern India, as a huge variety of artists sought to interpret India’s classical heritage in new ways, and to combine this heritage with Western cultural forms. This lecture examines how Calcutta’s arts and architecture were affected by British rule, and explores the fascinating ways in which Indian artists viewed the British in India.

Dr John Stevens gained his PhD in History from UCL, before going on to teach British Imperial History, Indian History and Bengali Language at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, University of London). His biography of the Indian guru Keshab Chandra Sen – Keshab: Bengal’s Forgotten Prophet - was published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2018. He is a regular visitor to India and Bangladesh and has lectured at numerous Indian universities. He also works as a consultant on Indian affairs and teaches the Bengali language to private students. He has appeared many times in the Indian media, and was a guest on BBC Radio Four’s In Our Time, discussing the poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore. 

The speaker has devoted a lifetime to deciphering ancient Mesopotamian inscriptions in cuneiform written on tablets of clay. This close-up look pursues the those long-dead people who have bequeathed such marvellous materials to us, from the first steps at school as recorded in comic stories in Sumerian to supplying King Ashurbanipal in the royal library at Nineveh with calligraphic masterpieces

Irving Finkel is a British philologist and Assyriologist. He is currently the Assistant Keeper of Ancient Mesopotamian script, languages and cultures in the Department of the Middle East in the British Museum, where he specialises in cuneiform inscriptions on tablets of clay from ancient Mesopotamia. Irving is the author of several academic articles and books on ancient Babylon. He also studies the history of board games, and is on the Editorial Board of Board Game Studies. Among his breakthrough works is the determination of the rules of the Royal Game of Ur. Irving founded the Great Diary Project, a project to preserve the diaries of ordinary people. In association with the Bishopsgate Institute, he has helped to archive over 2,000 personal diaries. In 2014, the V&A Museum of Childhood held an exhibition of the diaries of children written between 1813 and 1996. Irving has written a number of works of fiction for children, including The Princess Who Wouldn't Come Home and Swizzle de Brax and the Blungaphone.

Join Margaret for a seasonal hour of Christmas bygones and entertainment as she brings to life the joy of music through the ages at this time of year. Keeping to a brief history of the harp, she concentrates more on the incredible pedal mechanism invented for the harp and demonstrates on her own instrument through a variety of music. Exploring some of the old Christmas Carols and their origins, Margaret will play a selection of festive favourites to get you in the mood for Christmas. 

Margaret studied harp under the late Sidonie Goossens OBE and Sussex harpist Helen Arnold. She holds a Diploma in Music Performance on the harp and is also a Fellow of The Guild of Musicians and Singers.

Now one of the busiest harpists in the Southeast, Margaret has played for Royalty, given concerts at National Trust properties, played at City Guildhall, Clarence House, The Garrick Club, The Savoy, Ritz, Dorchester and Hilton Langham Hotels in London, Glyndebourne Opera House, Covent Garden and for many weddings, private parties, group meetings, receptions, launches, corporate, civic and charity functions.

Margaret is a very active member of the charity ‘Music in Hospitals and Care’ and gives bedside concerts for patients and mentally or physically disabled people in hospitals, hospices, and specialist care centres and nursing homes.

With her very varied repertoire and often resplendent costumes, she has delighted numerous audiences throughout the UK.

The extraordinary story of the rebuilding of the Cathedral as a symbol of peace and reconciliation and its inspiring commitment to the modern. Experience the work of a number of the world-class artists associated with its many artistic treasures including Jacob Epstein, Elisabeth Frink, John Piper, Graham Sutherland and more. 

Alexandra is an Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Guildhall Art Gallery. Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering walks, talks and tours about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015). Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years. BA Saint Martins School of Art, MA London College of Printing.

This lecture examines a series of iconic photographs that are embedded in our collective memory. They range from records of historic events, to fabulous portraits and scenes of emotional release and joy. The talk analyses the power of these images, traces the fascinating stories of how they came to be produced, and places them in the context of our appreciation of art.

Brian Stater lectured at University College London for 25 years, retiring in 2021 as a Senior Teaching Fellow. His principal academic interest lay in the appreciation of architecture and he has a lifelong enthusiasm for photography. He therefore offers lectures to The Arts Society on each of these subjects. He has written on architecture for a wide range of publications and an exhibition of his own photographs was held at UCL. Brian is a former member of the Association of Historical and Fine Art Photography. He works with a range of cameras, including a pre-War Leica as used by his great hero, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many others. Brian is an engaging and amusing speaker who seeks to entertain as well as inform his audience.

The last time St Paul’s Cathedral was deprived of music for a long period was after the devastating Fire of London in 1666. But in 1697 Christopher Wren was able to triumphantly declare RESURGAM as the phoenix rose from the ashes. Patrick will look at music from either side of this momentous event. He will also guide us through the finest repertoire from across the Cathedral’s liturgical year. Escorted by a selection of his favourite photographs, music and videos he will aim to convey the glories of twenty-five years of singing in this extraordinary building. 

Patrick Craig is a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral. For twenty years he combined this with an international career singing over a thousand concerts with the world-renowned early music consort The Tallis Scholars. He also sings with the award-winning group The Cardinall’s Musick. He founded and conducts this country’s leading all-female professional choir, Aurora Nova. He has conducted concerts for the BBC Proms, the Brighton, Lichfield and Aldeburgh Festivals, and with the City of London Sinfonia. As a Cambridge history graduate with a lifelong interest in the arts, he has gone on to lead choral workshops for amateur singers across the world, where he places music in its historical and cultural context. He regularly lectures for the St Paul’s Adult Education programme and for John Hall’s Venice Courses, which have allowed him to incorporate his interests in theology, art and poetry.  In 2020, when his singing and conducting work disappeared overnight as a result of the Covid pandemic, Patrick poured all his experience into online presentations which have raised vital funds for the Help Musicians Charity.

Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life.  It is one of the world’s most popular and enduring board games.  But, how well do you really know it? This talk starts with the original Landlord’s Game of 1903 and its evolution into the game as we know it today.  Based on the classic 1936 London version we then take a photographic journey around the locations on that Monopoly board.   Expect some surprises as we explore the relationships between the various properties, look at the ones that don’t actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well - or do we?

A keen and accomplished photographer Roger has gained Distinctions from the Royal Photographic Society and is currently the President of the Surrey Photographic Association. His artistic taste is predominantly 20th century and he is particularly interested in the visual aspects of art. He has studied the evolution of photography from its earliest days in the early 1800s to becoming a major art form in the late 20th and now 21st centuries. An experienced public speaker, his talks are all richly illustrated with both his own and images from some of the leading photographers in history.

This lecture tells the story of the making of the Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs: both the artistry and creativity that they embody, and how their designs link to the history of the last two Romanov Tsars

Between 1885 and 1916, Carl Fabergé made fifty jewelled eggs – Easter presents from Russia’s last two emperors to their wives. They have become the most famous surviving symbols of the Romanov Empire: both supreme examples of the jeweller’s art and the vulgar playthings of a decadent court. Given almost total artistic freedom, Fabergé and his designers had to conform to only three rules: that each year’s Easter present should be egg-shaped, that it should contain some surprise to amuse or delight its recipient, and that it should be different from any predecessor. The result was a series of creations demonstrating ingenuity and creativity for which there are few parallels in any other field. Their styles range from traditional Russian to Art Nouveau, and their materials from carved hardstone to exquisite enamelled gold. Their maker’s relentless search for novelty also means that they provide a fabulously quirky illustrated history of the decline of the Romanovs. 

Toby Faber wrote Fabergé’s Eggs: One Man’s Masterpieces and the End of an Empire, described by P.D. James as a ‘fascinating story which combines unique decorative art, contemporary culture, history and the murder of the Romanovs with the excitement of a crime novel’. The lecture is illustrated with pictures of the Romanovs and their palaces, and, of course, with photographs of the eggs themselves.

Toby is an experienced lecturer and public speaker who has been accredited by The Arts Society since 2012. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and has been through investment banking, management consulting and five years as managing director of the publishing company founded by his grandfather, Faber and Faber, where he remains on the board. He is also non-executive Chairman of its sister company, Faber Music and a director of Liverpool University Press. Toby has written three narrative histories: Stradivarius – Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius; Faberge’s Eggs; and Faber & Faber – The Untold Story, as well as a novel, Close to the Edge. Of these, only the obvious one is published by the family firm. 

Worshipped by Aesthetes and cultivated by Impressionists the sunflower casts its golden rays across art and culture. A personification of the divine and the regal, we trace its history from classical myth to twentieth century painting via Van Dyck and Van Gogh, Clytie and Klimt, Monet, Rivera, Wilde and Watts. Green and gold, human and divine, the adoring and the adored, the Sunflower.

Twigs Way is a professional researcher, writer and speaker, fascinated by the past and intrigued by the role of flowers, gardens and landscape in art and culture of all kinds.  Her work explores themes of symbolism and meaning, class and gender, and the crossover between plants, gardens, art and literature. Twigs' original research  was on the history of women in the garden and she retains an active interest in this topic focussing on female botanic artists and gardeners including Marianne North and Mary Delany, as well as inspiring her talk on Female Botanical Artists . Recent publications include the portrayal of specific flowers in art and culture and her book on the Chrysanthemum in Art and Culture was published October 2020 by Reaktion Press. This theme led to  her popular talk on the Divine Sunflower in Art and Culture. Twigs is currently working on the life of Frances, Viscountess Wolseley, the founder of Gylnde School of Gardening for Ladies in 1902.  Twigs originally trained as an archaeologist and brings a wealth of knowledghe from the various disciplines of history, art and horticulture together. 

This lecture explores the fascinating story of how dyes were discovered, made and used, focusing on some of the social implications of colour at different times in history. The lecture takes us from pre-historic man to the middle of the 19th century and geographically from Europe to the Middle East, India, Turkey, north America, Mexico and Peru. It is a story of exploration, invention, war, the church, money, power and sex.

Our lecturer, Susan Kay-Williams is the Chief Executive of the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Chartered Institute of Marketing and in 2015 was made a Fellow of the Society of Dyers and Colourists in recognition of her work on the history of dyes. Susan has a longstanding interest in textiles, especially colour, and published her first book, The Story of Colour in Textiles (Bloomsbury) in 2013. She has extensive lecturing experience and has been invited to lecture in the USA, Canada, China, Japan and Taiwan as well as for the V&A and across the UK. 

Like almost everyone else, I have felt deeply shocked but also helpless in the face of recent events in Ukraine. But as an art historian with a long-standing interest in the relationship between art and war, art and displacement, art and adversity, one thing I CAN do is to alert people to the huge contribution refugees from conflict zones around the world, past and present, make to the culture of the country that takes them in.

I’d like therefore to offer you a brand new lecture, entitled Island Sanctuary: Refugee Artists in Britain from the Huguenots to the Present Day, which will celebrate the achievements against the odds of artists as diverse as miniaturist Isaac Oliver in the sixteenth century, painters James Tissot in the nineteenth and David Bomberg and Lucian Freud in the twentieth - and many more as we move into the later twentieth century and beyond.

And as a small gesture, I’ll donate a portion of my fee for each lecture to a charity which supports refugees fleeing Ukraine right now.

Monica Bohm-Duchen 

London-based freelance lecturer, writer and exhibition organizer. Has lectured for Tate, the National Gallery, the Royal Academy of Arts, the Open University, Sotheby's Institute of Art and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck College since 2005, and has led many tours. Publications include Understanding Modern Art (1991), Chagall (1998/2001), The Private Life of a Masterpiece (2001),The Art and Life of Josef Herman (2009) and Art and the Second World War (2013). She is the initiator and Creative Director of the nationwide Insiders/Outsiders arts festival (see https://insidersoutsidersfestival.org/), and contributing editor of the companion volume, Insiders/Outsiders: Refugees from Nazi Europe and their Contribution to British Visual Culture (2019).

Harry Venning has been a professional cartoonist for thirty years, during which time he has provided cartoons for several high profile UK publications (The Guardian, Radio Times) as well as for countless more obscure titles (British Journal Of Wound Care).

He was awarded UK Strip Cartoonist Of The Year for his Guardian strip Clare In The Community, which he adapted into a Radio 4 sitcom.

In 'The Art Of The Cartoonist' Harry will be tracing the history of his profession with examples from early practitioners like Cruickshank and Hogarth, to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz, bringing events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page that day!

Yes, Harry will be drawing live. Prepare to hear some tricks of his trade, learn where to put eyebrows for maximum effect and discover exactly what the eskimo brothers said in The Funniest Joke Ever (possibly).

Harry Venning

I graduated from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth with a BA in history, formed a touring theatre company bringing new plays to audiences in rural Wales, was then employed for a year as an actor/writer with the Channel Theatre Company in Ramsgate, Kent, before giving up acting and becoming a cartoonist instead.

I have had work published in the UK and abroad, including the strip Clare in the Community which has been a weekly feature in The Guardian since 1996. In 2016 I was awarded Strip Cartoonist of the Year by the UK Cartoon Trust.

I am also a Sony Award winning writer of radio comedy, including the shows Coach Karen’s Half Time Team Talk and Clare in the Community starring Sally Phillips, currently recording its twelfth series.

For the last ten years I have been performing my cartoon workshop Release Your Inner Cartoonist in its many different guises, to audiences as diverse as schoolchildren, business executives and festival goers.

I can’t draw hands or horses.

Theydon Bois Village Hall

Wednesday November 22 

10.30a.m. - 1.00pm

Ticket £20 including coffee

Available from Diana Meteyard:  01992 812465

diana.meteyard@btinternet.com

This lecture examines the life and times of Oscar Wilde from his Irish roots to his days as a student at Oxford and his meteoric rise to the heights of celebrity. We travel with him to the United States and examine his starring role within the artistic & theatrical worlds of late 19th century London. We visit his home in bohemian Chelsea and some of his favourite West End haunts. Finally, we learn how ‘tired of being in the heights, he plunged into the depths’ and became famous for being INfamous...

Simon Whitehouse

Simon is a (recovering) actor, lecturer, presenter, Alexander Technique and voice teacher and award winning London Blue Badge guide.

He has worked as a guide lecturer in house at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Royal Opera House, the BBC and the National Gallery guiding both public and private tours. He is on the faculty of Ithaca College and also lectures for the Blue Badge Guide training course on the performing arts and English literature.

Simon’s specialisms and passions are theatre, literature, fashion and art history but whatever the subject, Simon will weave a wonderful story from it.

This lecture will focus on the Queen herself and the jewels she owned, whether inherited or acquired as gifts, and those she gave to others, her family, her household, and her Highland servant John Brown. On State occasions she exploited her diamonds for political purposes, yet the sentimental jewels from Albert that she describes so touchingly in her journals, alongside keepsakes exchanged with her children and grandchildren, and the gifts to her bridesmaids and ladies in waiting, reveal an increasingly lonely person, for whom these gifts were an expression of love, sorrow and feelings she could not put into words. 

Since 1974 Judy Rudoe has been curator at the BM, specialising in jewellery, and in 19th-20th century decorative arts. Author of Cartier 1900-1939 (BM 1997) and organiser of the Cartier exhibition at the BM, co-author of the Catalogue of the Hull Grundy Gift of Jewellery (BM 1984), contributor to the Catalogue of Micromosaics in the Gilbert Collection (2000). Her latest book, Jewellery in the Age of Victoria, co-authored with Charlotte Gere, was published in 2010 and won the 2011 William Berger Prize for British Art History. She is a Freeman of the Goldsmiths' Company and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

The flower paintings of Cedric Morris (1889-1982) capturing plants around the Mediterranean, the Canaries and beyond reveal him as a consummate botanist. After a fire in 1940, Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines were forced to relocate their East Anglia School of Painting and Drawing to Benton End near Hadleigh, in Suffolk. Not just a School but a vibrant eclectic artistic hub in a setting of Morris’s horticultural genius. He lived at Benton End until his death, enjoying national stature as artist and plantsman whose legacy included over 90 new irises.

Caroline Holmes, our lecturer for today, has lectured in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe and Japan as well as for cruises crossing the Baltic, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Red Seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In 2017 she returned to The Arts Society in New Zealand. University of Cambridge ICE Academic Tutor and Course Director; lectures for the Royal Horticultural Society, museums and online for The Gardens Trust and organisations worldwide. Author of 12 books including Monet at Giverny, Water Lilies and Bory Latour-Marliac, the genius behind Monet’s water lilies; Impressionists in their Gardens; Follies of Europe: Architectural Extravaganzas; and in 2020 Where the wildness pleases – the English Garden celebrated. 2017 recipient of the Herb Society of America ‘Elizabeth Crisp Rea Award’. Consultant designer specialising in evoking historic, artistic and symbolic references. Contributions to Viking TV include Monet’s Garden at Giverny https://viking.tv/live/monday/explore-claude-monets-life-in-giverny-with... 

Drawing on his own experiences as both a child and adult actor, Tyler reveals the pains and the pleasures of a career in the theatre, and takes us through the various intricate processes of putting on a play from the actor’s perspective, from the casting session to the curtain call, and all stops in between.

On the way, he reveals how props can let you down at crucial moments, how actors survive when out of work, and how to deal with stage nudity.

Tyler Butterworth grew up in a theatrical family and spent twenty five years as an actor working extensively in film, television, theatre and radio. He then worked as a development producer in television documentaries and was closely involved with NASA on a landmark commemorative tv series. Now, he works as a voice actor, recording audiobooks, documentaries and voiceovers, and he produces walking audio guides to cities across Europe for private clients on whatever subject he’s commissioned to do. They’re just like the audio guides you get in art galleries and museums but they’re out on the street. He lives in Sussex where he walks on the South Downs and the South Coast.

This lecture provides a colourful introduction to the secret world of our 2000-mile inland waterway network and looks at all aspects of their exceptional artistic, architectural and engineering vernacular. Features range from sweeping aqueducts to tiny bollards; from colourful historic narrowboats to 'Roses and Castles' artwork; from grand World Heritage Sites to quirky listed buildings. A well-known architectural historian once described our canals as a 'poor man's art gallery'.

Roger Butler is a landscape architect and an experienced writer, photographer and lecturer. He has a particular interest in the unique history, architecture and traditions of our canal network and worked on some of the UK’s major canal restoration projects. He has also acted as a consultant to bodies such as Waterways Ireland, Natural England and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.

He regularly contributes to waterway and heritage magazines and writes and provides images for a range of countryside and outdoor titles. Roger is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society and a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute. He lives near Stratford upon Avon and lectures to groups such as the National Trust, RSPB, U3A, history societies, etc. across the Midlands and further afield.

Elizabeth I is one of our greatest monarchs. By the time of her death, in 1603, few in England could remember a time when they were not Elizabethans. Her very long reign provided peace and stability, allowing the arts to flourish so that her era would prove to be a Golden Age. The cult of ‘Gloriana’ revered her as a virgin goddess, while her image increasingly relied on glittering jewels, gowns, and accessories. In this lecture we will view Elizabeth’s queenship through paintings by artists including Hans Eworth, Lucas de Heere, Nicholas Hilliard and Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger. Art was a powerful device for royal magnificence and propaganda and Elizabeth knew how to use it.  

Our lecturer, Siobhan Clarke BA, has worked for Historic Royal Palaces for 20 years delivering tours and lectures on Hampton Court, Kensington, the Tower of London and the Banqueting House, Whitehall Palace. Her experience includes education sessions and tours for schools, universities, corporate and private clients.  

She has lectured for the British Museum, National Trust, U3A, Arts Society and Smithsonian and featured on BBC Radio Women's Hour and Television's Secrets of Henry VIII's Palace. Her published work includes: A Tudor Christmas, in collaboration with Alison Weir, (2018), The Tudors: The Crown, The Dynasty, The Golden Age with Linda Collins (2019), King and Collector: Henry VIII and the Art of Kingship (2021) and she is currently working on Gloriana: Elizabeth I and the Art of Queenship.

This lecture describes the immense variety of the Norman, Gothic, Wren and post-Wren churches in the City of London. In addition to their architectural merit, these churches contain hidden treasures – the monuments, paintings and woodcarvings of great craftsmen of the time. The lecture also includes stories of the many people connected with the churches - medieval kings and queens, religious leaders, great statesmen and explorers, poets, playwrights and novelists, and modern film-stars and personalities. 

Tony Tucker has MA in Modern History from Oriel College, Oxford, is a qualified City Guide and former Chairman of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association, and Trustee of the Friends of the City Churches (FCC). He lectures to various City institutions, the FCC, U3A, and various historical associations.  Tony leads regular guided walks for the City of London Corporation, the Friends of the City Churches and numerous private groups. Publications include The Visitor’s Guide to the City of London Churches  (2006) and regular contributions to Cityguide magazine and the FCC Newsletter.

For all the things that have been written about the great Sun King, Louis XIV, he is best remembered for the creation of Versailles; the immense chateau which he built on the site of his father’s old hunting lodge and which became the seat of French government, the setting for all grand court ceremonial and the envy of every other European monarch. This lecture will be an introduction to the sumptuous state apartments, the vast gardens and pleasure pavilions, the spectacular entertainments which took place both inside and out, the collections of the King and the whole etiquette of life at one of the greatest courts in Europe.

Jane Gardiner 

MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there. Was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's, UK. Has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.

Stone to Stone; The Men who Built Cathedrals

Standing in the nave of Ely cathedral when I was 14, I stopped listening to the guide saying how long and how high and started wondering how on earth ordinary human beings created sky-scraping, dizzyingly high buildings on which even the top-most parts were delicately decorated. How, why and for whom were my questions. For God, for personal redemption and to make a living are the answers to the last two of those, but the "how" was harder to fathom.

In this lecture we meet the Master Masons who both designed the buildings and ran the site. They commanded everything whether it was sourcing the vast quantities of wood and stone, recruiting the workforce or knowing enough about their various trades to be able to create heaven on earth out the cacophony of thousands of chisels and hammers. These men were charismatic leaders, but they were continually checked by their fellow Master Masons in the interests of making a building as strong as possible - we only see their successes, after all. They were real people who got into trouble with the law, who occasionally cheated on contracts, who liked to start a job but not to finish it. On the other hand, their creations remain to this day, some breathtakingly beautiful in their exquisite detail causing us, centuries later, to stand in a nave and wonder.

Imogen Corrigan

After nearly 20 years in the British army, went to the University of Kent to study Anglo-Saxon & Medieval History and Art, graduating with 1st class honours, followed by an MPhil from the University of Birmingham. Works as a freelance lecturer across Britain and Europe as well as lecturing on small cruise ships and running study tours and courses on land. Has written Stone on Stone: the Men Who Built the Cathedrals, published 2019. A Freeman of the City of London, being a Member of the Company of Communicators.

Coventry Cathedral

The extraordinary story of the rebuilding of the Cathedral as a symbol of peace and reconciliation and its inspiring commitment to the modern. Experience the work of many of the world - class artists associated with its treasures including Epstein, Frink, Piper and Sutherland. 

For more information about the history of Coventry Cathedral: Click Here

Alexandra Epps

Official Guide and Lecturer at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and Guildhall Art Gallery. Qualified Guide to the City of London, offering lectures and walks about many aspects of the arts for societies, corporations and private individuals. Member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Co-author of the book Lord Mayor's Portraits 1983-2014 (2015). Alexandra’s background is in design having practised as a graphic designer running her own design consultancy for many years. BA Saint Martins School of Art, MA London College of Printing.

Faber & Faber;
Ninety Years of Excellence in Cover Design

Since its foundation in 1925, Faber and Faber has built a reputation as one of London’s most important literary publishing houses. Part of that relates to the editorial team that Geoffrey Faber and his successors built around them - TS Eliot was famously an early recruit - but a large part is also due to the firm’s insistence on good design and illustration. This lecture traces the history of Faber and Faber through its illustrations, covers and designs. Early years brought innovations like the Ariel Poems – single poems, beautifully illustrated, sold in their own envelopes. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was an emphasis on typography, led by the firm’s art director Berthold Wolpe; his Albertus font is still used on City of London road signs. In the 1980s, the firm started its association with Pentagram, responsible for the ff logo. Along the way, it has employed some of our most celebrated artists as cover illustrators – from Rex Whistler and Barnett Freedman to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst. Slides will range from book covers, advertisements and photos of key individuals, to illustrations of the concepts behind the designs. The talk will also be peppered with personal insight and anecdote. Faber and Faber is the last of the great publishing houses to remain independent. As the grandson of its founder, I grew up steeped in its books. I was managing director for four years and I remain on the board. I am passionate about the firm’s success, and intensely proud of my association with it. 

Toby Faber

Toby is an experienced lecturer and public speaker who has been accredited by The Arts Society since 2012. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and has been through investment banking, management consulting and five years as managing director of the publishing company founded by his grandfather, Faber and Faber, where he remains on the board. He is also non-executive Chairman of its sister company, Faber Music and a director of Liverpool University Press.

Toby has written three narrative histories: Stradivarius – Five Violins, One Cello and a Genius; Faberge’s Eggs; and Faber & Faber – The Untold Story, as well as a novel, Close to the Edge. Of these, only the obvious one is published by the family firm.

The Stirling Prize has celebrated the very best contemporary buildings since 1996. Some winners, such as Norman Foster’s Gherkin, of 2004, have become enormously successful and appreciated by the wider public. Others have proved harder to love. This entertaining lecture looks at some of the hits, some of the misses, and several buildings that arguably should have won, but didn’t.

If you would like to read more about the Stirling Prize, Click Here

Brian Stater

Brian Stater lectured at University College London for 25 years, retiring in 2021 as a Senior Teaching Fellow. His principal academic interest lay in the appreciation of architecture and he has a lifelong enthusiasm for photography. He therefore offers lectures to The Arts Society on each of these subjects.

He has written on architecture for a wide range of publications and an exhibition of his own photographs was held at UCL. He is a member of the Association of Historical and Fine Art Photography and he works with a pre-War Leica camera, as used by his great hero, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many others.

Brian is an engaging and amusing speaker who seeks to entertain as well as inform his audience.

Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge has been described as “one of the country’s most intimate and spellbinding museums, the collection of one man and his unerring eye; restorative, homely yet life-changing”. This man was H.S. ‘Jim’ Ede, curator, writer, collector and friend to artists. In1957, he opened his Cambridge home to university students as “a living place where works of art could be enjoyed… unhampered by the greater austerity of the museum or public art gallery.” His collection included works by Ben and Winifred Nicholson, Christopher Wood, Alfred Wallis and Henri Gaudier-Brzeska which were carefully placed alongside pieces of furniture, ceramics and natural objects. His curated home remains, by and large as he left it, characterised by its unique atmosphere, fascinating juxtapositions and personal connections. This lecture will discuss the life of Jim Ede, his collecting, his vision for Kettles Yard and its enduring legacy.

Sarah Burles

Sarah Burles studied History of Art at Cambridge University before doing a master’s degree at University College London. She went on to have a career in museum and gallery education, establishing new services in three different museums before working at the Fitzwilliam Museum for many years.  

Sarah is the founder of Cambridge Art Tours, which runs tours and courses in and around East Anglia. She is also a Tour Director for a travel company and has led tours to Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and America. At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Sarah moved her work online, offering art history courses to audiences all over the world. 

The pictures on gallery walls look so well-behaved, but there can be Bedlam behind the scenes. Based on my own and colleagues’ experiences, we relive the highs and lows of curatorial life. We find out what’s involved in a gallery make-over, dine (disastrously) with a Duke, discover a masterpiece - and are questioned by Chelsea CID as suspects in a massive art fraud. At the end of the day, the reward should be a gallery full of engaged visitors, and it does often happen - but not always. The incidents of daily curatorial life can be colourful, but in this talk they add up to a solid theme. What are the big issues that art curators face, and where should the whole business be going? 

David Phillips 

Studied History at Oxford, and from 1968-82 worked for Nottingham Castle Museum. From 1982-98, Lecturer in Museum Studies and Art History at University of Manchester. Published a book about museum practice with Manchester University Press, Exhibiting Authenticity (1997). 

If you would like to read more about this group of artists, Click Here

Jo Walton 

Has combined teaching and lecturing with a career in art bookselling and has been a volunteer guide at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Now a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society, the Art Fund, and Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery and local art societies.

In 1936 Dame Laura Knight became the first woman to be elected as a full member of the Royal Academy in London, 168 years after its establishment. In her extraordinary career she painted landscapes, portraits and seascapes, as well as scenes from the circus, the ballet and the theatre. She was the only woman to be given War Commissions in both the First and Second World Wars and the only British artist to cover the Nuremberg Trials of 1946. This lecture provides an overview of her fascinating career and some of the remarkable achievements of her long life. 

Rosalind Whyte

BA and MA from Goldsmith’s College, and an MA (distinction) from Birkbeck College. Experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. Lectures at Tate, to independent art societies and on cruises. Leads art appreciation holidays.

Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the world’s greatest crime writer, her books sell over four million copies worldwide every year and there is a continual demand for new adaptations to be made of her work. She led a sheltered and privileged life in her native Torquay which was not dissimilar to the characters she invented. She was brought up in the comfort of upper middle class society and she too had mystery in her life. To find out more about this remarkable author who created Poirot and Miss Marple book this biographical talk. It will surprise and enlighten you about how she developed her talent for writing having never attended a proper school.

Jane Tapley

Currently Special Events Organiser, Theatre Royal Bath. Interviews visiting actors, writers, directors. Lectures regularly to theatre going societies, NT and history and fine arts groups. West Country Tourist Board Registered Blue Badge Guide and Lecturer. Author and researcher of theatre programme notes on Hamlet, Sheridan's The Rivals and Jane Austen's Emma. Theatrical landlady! Home Economist. Consultant to various TV productions of Jane Austen adaptations on food in the 18th and 19th centuries. Hosts and cooks period meals in her Regency house in Bath for the Jane Austen Festival and other literary groups.

In the last few years the top end of the art market has flourished, and collectors have been prepared to pay astonishing amounts to own a modern masterpiece. This lecture is about the works that have sold for over $100 million and is an excuse to examine some beautiful and varied art. These works would not achieve such sky-high prices if they were no good. So, we’ll see some wonderful paintings including those by Picasso, Cézanne, Leonardo, Rembrandt, Modigliani, Klimt, Bacon and Pollock, all held together by the common thread of their extraordinary commercial value. But we will also look at the buyers and sellers, the stories behind the works, the reasons for changing hands and I will try to answer the question “Are they really worth hundreds of millions of pounds?”

Ian Swankie

A Londoner with a passion for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral, and gives tours around each venue. He is also a qualified and active freelance London guide and leads regular tours for various corporations and organisations. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his home town of Richmond in West London. He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies.

The lecture will start at 11am preceded by the AGM which starts at 10.15. Coffee is served from 9.45  LIVE in the hall (not on Zoom)

The lecture will be live at Little Baddow Memorial Hall only. We will no longer  be using Zoom following the relaxation of the government's Covid rules.

Grace Higgens joined the unconventional Bell household aged 15 – and, for the next fifty years, propped up the ‘Bloomsbury Set’ in London and at Charleston. Vanessa Bell couldn’t live without her housekeeper’s cooking – or her regular posing as an artist's model. Virginia Woolf tried to poach her for her baking. Grace’s candid diaries paint a picture of bohemia rather different to the official narrative.

Tessa is a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society along with other organisations such as the V&A, English Heritage and the National Trust. She’s the author of two books of social history: The Housekeeper’s Tale – The Women Who Really Ran the English Country House, and Mrs Pankhurst’s Purple Feather – Fashion, Fury and Feminism, Women’s Fight for Change. Her interest lies in uncovering stories of invisible women of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, revealing how they drove industry, propped up high society and manipulated politics. Tessa has an MA in English Literature from Oxford University, a diploma in Art History from the British Institute of Florence, and has enjoyed a long career in journalism for national newspapers and magazines. 

Hybrid Lectures proved to be extremely unreliable, stressful and frustrating for all and would require more equipment so we are relieved that we can now all meet in person.

Live in the Hall Doors open 10.30 and on Zoom No coffee before but mulled wine and mince pies after the lecture

The foods we eat at Christmas have a long, curious and visually spectacular history. This lecture narrates and illustrates that history from Medieval boar’s head and brawn, by way of highly decorated seventeenth century mince pies to the almost forgotten Twelfth Night Cake. Medieval illuminated manuscripts, paintings and prints from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries, and illustrations from cookery books provide us with images of some of the lost glories of the British Christmas feast.

Peter has a History of Art degree, an MA in London history, a PhD in the cultural history of an English Criminal, and qualifications in the teaching of adults. Currently Principal Librarian at Guildhall Library, he has for 20 years lectured on a broad range of topics including the history of English books, portraiture, and London history. Peter has appeared on TV and radio as a consultant on the 18th century criminal Jack Sheppard and on the history of English food. 

His most recent publication, The Curious Cookbook, was published by the British Library.

From an Indian river bed thousands of years ago to the Tower of London – the fascinating story of the ‘Mountain of Light’. The story of this celebrated diamond is not only intriguing but also full of surprises; it has been the subject of desire, jealousy, intrigue, passion and political chicanery. This lecture follows the journey of this fabulous diamond from the depths of early Indian history through the bloody history of the Mughals to the power and politics of the British Empire, illustrated by extraordinary artists who were committed to describing the events and emotions of their time. 

Georgina is an art historian specialising in South Asian art who has lived and worked in the UK, USA and Singapore. Consultant Art Historian at the Oriental Club in London and an official tour guide at Tate Modern.

She has been a visiting lecturer at UK universities, presents talks at leading art institutions including Christie’s Education New York and the Museum of Modern Art, Moscow and speaks at international art conferences, most recently in New York, Paris, London and Lisbon.

Georgina holds a BA in Art History from Southampton University, an MA in Arts Management and Policy from City, University of London and an MA in Art History from SOAS, University of London. Georgina is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal Asiatic Society

HYBRID lecture - limited places in the Hall (must prebook) or Zoom at home.

Please book to attend live lecture or use Zoom at home. 

This talk provides an overview of the Church of England's magnificent 42 cathedrals, jewels in the crown of England's built heritage, some recognised as World Heritage Sites. Beautifully illustrated by Country Life photographer, Paul Barker, in addition to looking at their history and stories, evolving architecture and treasures, the talk considers the role of cathedrals over the centuries and specifically their role today.

In this talk Andrew shows how the Great Depression and the Second World war had such an extraordinary impact on fashion and jewellery design with the rise of cinema and Hollywood.

From the likes of Marlene Dietrich to Grace Kelly, he guides you through the various screen goddesses, how they were portrayed and what they gave to such dazzling effect.

He also shows that with the development of advertising, labour saving devices and leisure time, people had more opportunities to enjoy themselves and spend money on the finer things in life, as well as how the political events of the time influenced design and what was worn.

He also shows how the Belle Epoque and Art Deco styles did not end at the outbreak of the Second World War, but combined, to flower again with Christian Dior’s 'New Look'.

Charlie Forman is a London walking tour guide and lecturer  and he highlights the social, architectural and artistic history of his home city. It is a city he is passionate about, not least because it has a historic core larger and richer than any other world city. His talks focus on the forces that have shaped and changed this multi-faceted metropolis and the artistic and cultural heritage that this has given us.

 In this lecture he follows the struggles to clear Victorian London of its most notorious slums like the Devil’s Acre. Sitting on land mostly owned by nearby Westminster Abbey Charles Dickens fulminated that this slum ‘rolled its filthy wavelets up to the very walls’. The lecture tracks its formation, its conditions, and its people – hawkers and beggars who had been drawn to the city from the impoverished countryside. What was the solution? Smashing a road through it didn’t work, nor did vociferous campaigning or the charity of wealthy philanthropists. The eventual demolition and rebuilding of the area in the 1880s is a fascinating story – housing built then by the Peabody Trust’s renowned architect Henry Derbyshire still stands today. But those beggars and hawkers were replaced by ‘deserving’ tenants. The reformer Octavia Hill championed an alternative approach to the poor which this talk also covers.

David Wright, with 30 years in the world of wine as a retailer and importer, will take us through 7,000 years of wine making in the shape of decorated vessels, paintings, buildings and literature.

He has been a wine retailer, importer and distributor for 30 years. In that time, I have publicly presented tastings and talks on wine to trade and private audiences. These have taken the form of wine ‘tastings’ or charity events where a particular subject is presented and wines tasted. I have developed a talk, A Brief Story of Wine, a great subject, and full of rich evidence, going back 7,000 years, in the form of paintings, decorated drinking vessels, buildings and literature that contribute to the story.

Zara is an independent art consultant, lecturer, tour guide and exhibition curator with specialist knowledge of Buddhist art; focusing on the art and culture of Tibet and the Himalayas. 

The aim of this lecture is to explore Asia’s holistic approach to medicine, which advocates a balanced relationship between body, mind and spirit. If there is disharmony in any aspect of life, then there is disease. The great medical traditions of Asia (Indian, Chinese and Tibetan) have been practised over thousands of years and are still very much in use today. These will be explored through a rich diversity of artistic treasures (both historical and contemporary) – including exquisite Indian paintings, rare Chinese acupuncture charts, Tibetan tangkhas and Japanese woodblock prints. Diet, exercise, astrology and spiritual practise are also crucial for health and wellbeing.

This lecture explores the way in which artists over the centuries have included transparent glass objects in their paintings, taking huge delight in capturing the shadows and reflections seen within the glass as well as displaying their skill in portraying what lies behind and beyond. It will include the remarkable depiction of glass objects in Roman wall-paintings, works by artists such as Titian, Veronese and Caravaggio - where both the Gods of Olympus and the disciples are seen drinking out of fragile Venetian cristallo - and the proliferation of glass drinking vessels in Dutch still-life paintings.

Jane Gardiner has an MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there. She was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's. She has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.

David is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Sculptors, and was Vice President in 2010-13.

It is likely that the first architects were the stonemasons who built the temples and cathedrals. So sculptors were the architects. In the ancient world the building was a plinth for a sculpture such as the golden Athena on the Parthenon. Over time sculpture became decoration before being stripped by the less is more credo. However, the two arts remain closely intertwined with both inspired by & observing each other closely. A sculpture has its architecture and good architecture is sculptural. This lecture will trace this inter-relationship showing how in an age of Computer Aided Design an understanding of sculpture is more important than ever for architecture.

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What a wonderful lecture today by Simon Inglis. There are currently over 316,000 listed buildings in England, and thousands more in Scotland and Wales. But only a tiny proportion of those are related to sports or recreation. After 35 years of research in the field, Simon Inglis introduces us to some of the most interesting examples, from a 15th century tennis court in Scotland to a 1970s skatepark in Essex. Why are these buildings – among them grandstands, pavilions, squash courts and scoreboards – so important? What do they tell us about our sporting heritage and social history? And why has it taken so long for recreational buildings to achieve the same level of protection afforded to buildings in other sectors? 

Please join us on Zoom for a virtual coffee morning - see your friends and have a chat. A link will be sent to members before the meeting!

Please let us know if you have any problems logging in.

Dr Helen Rufus-Ward is a published art historian and university lecturer with a BA, MA and an AHRC funded doctorate (DPhil) from the University of Sussex.  Helen lectured at the University of Sussex for eight years on all aspects of art history but with a specialism in early Christian and Byzantine art. Helen is a very experienced speaker with a relaxed and friendly style.  Since 2016 Helen has worked as an accredited speaker for the Arts Society (NADFAS) 

Helen’s lectures open up a world of wonderful treasures. Helen has a Higher Education Academy teaching qualification, is a member of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies, a member of the Society of Jewellery Historians, and Chairman of the Eastbourne Arts Society supporting the Towner Art Gallery.

Oh Come All Ye Faithful - The  Nativity in Art

The Nativity, with the Adoration of the Magi and the Shepherds, is one of the most popular subjects in Christian art. Starting with the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, this lecture will explore the surprising idiosyncrasies of this much contested site, including a rift between the Catholics and the Greek Orthodox clergy over the marker of the actual birth spot of Christ that might have been a cause of the Crimea War! This will be followed by an examination of a number of key paintings from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods in order to see how the Nativity imagery has developed and changed over the centuries. Early depictions favoured the portrayal of a ‘real’ birth, whilst later imagery represented a totally ‘miraculous’ birth!

This is our Christmas meeting and in other(normal years) we would celebrate the festive season with mulled wine and mince pies after the lecture. As we are not able to do that this year, we are suggesting those that wish might dress in the festive spirit and join after the lecture with their own coffee, mulled wine and mince pies.

This meeting will be held by Zoom, due to Covid restrictions and the hall closure. Details will be sent by email to all members nearer the time and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us from your home.

Deborah Devonshire, the youngest of the Mitford sisters and wife of the 11th Duke of Devonshire, was hefted by marriage to one of Europe’s greatest treasure houses, Chatsworth. In the second half of the 20th century, in partnership with her husband, she imbued it with a spirit, elegance and sense of welcome that transformed it from being the worn-out survivor of decades of taxation, war and social change into one of the best-loved, most-emulated and popular historic houses, gardens and estates in the country. With responsibility for Lismore Castle and Bolton Abbey as well, no wonder her passport stated her profession as ‘housewife’.

Along the way, she became a best-selling author and sell-out speaker, champion of the countryside, its skills, traditions, livelihoods and food, trustee and patron of numerous charities, businesses and good causes, and the most famous poultry keeper in the country. She met Hitler and Churchill, was a trusted confidant of the Prince of Wales, played her part as the steady heart of the Mitford sisters’ melodrama and was friends with a dazzling array of some of the brightest and most fascinating of her contemporaries, including President Kennedy, Evelyn Waugh, Oscar de la Renta, John Betjeman, Lucian Freud, Tom Stoppard, Neil MacGregor, Patrick Leigh Fermor and Alan Bennett.

She said herself that charm was the hardest quality to describe in another person; hers lived in her unique turn of phrase, her stoic Mitfordian perspective on life’s challenges, her curiosity about everyone she met, her stylish beauty, quick wit and delight in all that life offered her. Debo had a lasting impact not just on Chatsworth but on everything she touched and everyone she met; I was lucky enough to work for and with her over more than 20 years and in this lecture, I pay tribute to an astonishing life.

Simon Seligman

This meeting will be held by Zoom, due to Covid restrictions and the hall closure. Details will be sent by email to all members nearer the time and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us from your home.

An Overview of the Life & Work of William Morris

William Morris (1834–1896) was the single most influential designer of the nineteenth century. Morris was a political theorist, scholar, translator and publisher, environmental campaigner, writer and poet as well as an outstanding designer. When he was dying, his physician said, ‘he is dying of being William Morris, of having lived the life of ten men in the body of one’. This illustrated talk includes an overview of his early life, marriage, family, homes, and the work of his firm Morris & Co. & The Kelmscott Press. This lecture takes a look at not just the business man but the man.

This meeting will be held on Zoom, due to Covid restrictions and the hall closure. Link details will be sent by email to all members 24 hours before the lecture on 8th September and we hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us from your home. A practice log in will be held on Thursday 3 September. Please see your membership card for contact details.

John Osborne said, “Mr Coward is his own invention and contribution to this century. Anyone who cannot see that should keep well away from the theatre.” From fairly humble beginnings Noël Coward went on to establish himself as the most astonishing theatre animal of the 20th century. Playwright and composer, performer and director Noël Coward created some of the most memorable songs and plays in theatre history and some very witty quotes along the way.

In this talk Andrew shows how the rise of Cinema and Hollywood had such an important impact on fashion and jewellery design.

From Dietrich to Grace Kelly, he guides us through the Screen Goddesses and how they were portrayed.

He discusses that with the development of advertising, labour saving machines and leisure time, people had more opportunities to enjoy themselves and spend money on the finer things in life and later how political events influenced what was worn. He also shows how the Edwardian and Art Deco styles did not in fact end with the outbreak of the Second World War, rather, they slowly combined to finally flower again in the late 1940s and 1950s with Christian Dior’s 'New Look'.

Andrew Prince has had a passion for jewellery since he was a small child. In fact his enthusiasm can be traced back to the time when, at the age of three, he swallowed his one of his mother’s pearl earrings having found her jewel box hidden from him in a cupboard. The very first piece of jewellery he created was a ring made of copper wire pulled from the back of a television.

In 1980, Andrew's mother took him to the V&A, exhibiting Renaissance jewels dating from 1500 to 1630. It proved a revelation. Dazzled by the splendour and opulence of the jewels on show, Andrew decided then and there that creating jewellery was what he wanted to devote his life to. 

Andrew started work in London’s Bond Street, working for The Antiques Roadshow expert Ian Harris. Andrew's taste for fine 'costume jewellery' can be traced back to an antique market, where he came across a late Victorian brooch set with what he initially thought were emeralds and diamonds. They were, in fact, crystal and green glass set in silver and gold. He realised that beautiful jewellery didn't require expensive stones, and that it was the elegance of the design and the quality of the workmanship that truly mattered.

In 2002, the V&A commissioned a collection of jewels to accompany the resplendent Tiaras, Past and Present exhibition which became one of their most popular exhibits. The exposure gained by the show then led to Andrew's jewellery appearing in film.

In 2005, he was asked to make tiaras and jewellery for Mrs Henderson Presents starring Judy Dench. In 2009, pieces were commissioned for The Young Victoria starring Emily Blunt and Miranda Richardson. In 2012, he was chosen by the creators of Downton Abbey to supply a large collection of jewellery for the third series. The characters played by Maggie Smith, Shirley Maclaine, Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery were all adorned with elegant tiaras, combs, earrings and necklaces designed and created by Andrew Prince.

This lecture gives a general introduction to the history, art and culture of this extraordinary land, lying deep in the heart of Central Asia surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the world. Despite its geographical inaccessibility, it developed a rich and vibrant Buddhist culture and artistic tradition. This lecture gives a brief overview of Tibetan history from the time of the great Tibetan Empire (6th – 9th century) up to the present day; explores the fascinating art and culture inspired by Buddhism, introduced from India in the 7th century, and gives an insight into the current political situation. 

Zara Fleming is a freelance lecturer, art consultant and exhibition curator specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. She initially was based at the V&A, but also worked with the Central Asian Department of Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and Asia House. In addition to lecturing for The Arts Society, she lectures for museums, universities, Asian art societies, and private associations. She is a guest lecturer and tour guide on numerous trips to the Himalayas.

This talk provides an overview of the Church of England's magnificent 42 cathedrals, jewels in the crown of England's built heritage, some recognised as World Heritage Sites. The talk considers the role of cathedrals over the centuries and specifically their role today. 

Janet's favourite is St Peter's on the Wall at Bradwell, built with recycled from a Roman fort.

Janet was for eight years the Church of England’s Director of Church Buildings and Secretary of the Church Buildings Council and Cathedrals Fabric Commission. Janet has written two illustrated paperbacks to encourage greater enjoyment of these amazing buildings. She is a Cambridge graduate in History and History of Art, worked at Sotheby’s for nine years, was a trustee at the Churches Conservation Trust, the Museum of Fulham Palace and the Friends of the V&A and guided and lectured at the V&A. Janet set up and ran an architectural history course around visits to significant buildings. She is currently a trustee of the Priory of St John (Hospitallers) and a commissioning editor for Scala Heritage Publishers, Janet received an OBE for services to heritage in January 2017.

Janet is happy to speak and develop talks on a whole range of matters relating to England's ecclesiastical heritage.

LECTURE CANCELLED

This lecture explores the way in which artists over the centuries have included transparent glass objects in their paintings, taking huge delight in capturing the shadows and reflections seen within the glass as well as displaying their skill in portraying what lies behind and beyond. It will include the remarkable depiction of glass objects in Roman wall-paintings, works by artists such as Titian, Veronese and Caravaggio - where both the Gods of Olympus and the disciples are seen drinking out of fragile Venetian cristallo - and the proliferation of glass drinking vessels in Dutch still-life paintings.

Jane Gardiner has an MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there. She was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's, UK. She has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.

Pat Clark was a teacher of history and politics for over 30 years and latterly, ISI Inspector and Headteacher of Secondary school. The lecture will give a comprehensive survey of the life of Charles H Mackie and the development of his art, from his early struggles as an artist up to his final recognition as RSA, RSW. The people he met - Gauguin, Vuillard, Hornel- and the places he painted - Kirkcudbright, Normandy, Venice - form the core of the talk.

The illustrations cover all aspects of his oeuvre - watercolour, oil, tooled leatherwork woodblock prints and sculpture. A journey with this 'forgotten man' of Scottish art will provide evidence of his skill as a colourist and reclaim his place in art's pantheon.

The AGM will be held at 10.15am, immediately prior to the lecture.

Coffee will be served from 9.45am

The Maya created one of the most sophisticated civilizations in the ancient world.  Their achievements in the arts and sciences, along with their complex social, political and economic systems, make them one of the most remarkable culture groups in the Precolumbian Americas. These people brought us an intricate calendar system, complex hieroglyphic writing, some of the largest pyramids in the world, a form of ballgame that was like no other and most importantly chocolate! This lecture will discuss the major achievements of the Maya as well as pointing out the common misunderstandings we have of this remarkable civilization.

Diana Davies is a Maya archaeologist and honorary research associate at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. She lectures to a variety of organisations, including the Historical Association, and is an educational consultant giving workshops to both teachers and students. She is Chair of Coke Education, a charity supporting the education of Maya children.

To be followed by mince pies and mulled wine and a raffle!

Click here for more information

The lecture..........................The urban population exploded in the 19th century and demanded to be entertained . The music halls grew out of the pubs and out of song and supper clubs and was a truly working class entertainment. The songs reflected the lives of their audience and the stars were the celebrities of the day. In the 20th century Music Hall developed into Variety theatre and served to the population it’s wonderfully eclectic mixture of acts from singers to magicians, eccentric dancers and comedians. The stars also began to use film and radio as a way to reach a wider audience.

The lecturer.....................Malcolm Jones studied at University of London and King’s College, London & RADA. He has worked as an actor, director and teacher and even backstage at the Royal Opera House. He was Workshop and Events Manager at the V&A Theatre Museum for 10 years. Since 2009 he has lectured on the V&A Short Course and Year Course Programme on Theatre and has worked on the Art and Expression Programme. He has taught at Rose Bruford College, Mountview Theatre School, The Actors Centre and RADA. He has written material for The National Theatre Education Department and contributed as a speaker on theatre to many television programmes while working at the Theatre Museum.

The London Christmas season was invented at Covent Garden. The first theatre on the site was the home of Harlequin and Columbine and 300 years on Harlequin and Columbine are still dancing in The Nutcracker. Most of what we now consider to be quintessential Pantomime – principal boy, fairy tales, transformation scenes and the dame, can be traced back to the operas and ballets put on at Covent Garden during its first 200 years.

Panto has moved on to the Palladium, but you can still see its basic components in the seasonal operas and ballets the Royal Opera House puts on every year: Rossini’s Cenerentola (Cinderella), for example, or Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty or Ashton’s Cinderella.

Sarah Lenton has spent her working life in the theatre, principally at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and English National Opera. She writes programme articles and websites, she gives lectures on the operas and ballets in the rep. and does live opera broadcasts and podcasts for BBC Radios 3 and 4. She has written and directed many shows, including more than 20 for the Royal Opera House Linbury Studio Theatre and for Glyndebourne Touring Opera. She is also a cartoonist.

This lecture takes a look at life backstage at London's Royal Opera House and the tribulations and triumphs of working with The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet companies. We look at the way artistic inspirations, the people involved and the very special Victorian building all function together to create world-class opera and ballet in a unique environment.  Includes several performance video clips

Nigel Bates is the Music Administrator of The Royal Ballet and has been a performer for nearly forty years in and out of the Royal Opera House, including seventeen years as Principal Percussionist with the Orchestra. He has worked with many of the leading figures in the classical music industry and was also a producer for both the BBC's Maestro at the Opera and Pappano's Classical Voices documentary series. He is a regular contributor to the printed and online content of the ROH.

He has given lectures for over twenty years, including arts societies and conservatoires in the UK and across Australia.

A light-hearted look at seaside entertainment over the years, from Bathing Machines to End of the Pier Shows and “What the Butler Saw” machines. The British seaside began with the fashion for sea bathing in the 18th century, but expanded enormously in the 19th century with the arrival of the railways and the era of mass travel.

We look at the specialist buildings which proliferated at the seaside in the 19th century, such as piers, towers and aquaria, that provided entertainment for the masses – not to mention that famous breed, the seaside landlady!

Please note that the next lecture has been changed from the original on our programme - it should be a very interesting lecture!

Sorolla (1863-1923) was a highly successful artist of international renown in his lifetime, but outside Spain and the United States he is largely forgotten today. While Sorolla admired the great Spanish traditions of Velázquez and Goya, his delightful paintings of women and children at the seaside, landscapes and the great series depicting the regions of Spain, are full of sunlight and optimism.

Indeed it was an amazing lecture on a wonderful Spanish artist who painted sunlight and natural people and scenery. Unfortunately the exhibition at the National Gallery had closed the previous weekend but Gail Turner introduced the works of Sorolla to many in the audience who thoroughly enjoyed this little known Spanish artist.

Tasha Marks is an award-winning food historian and artist, who explores the relationship between food, art and history. Her practice, AVM Curiosities, champions the use of food as an artistic medium, with projects ranging from museum-style exhibitions and sculptural installations, to interactive lectures and limited-edition confectionery. Recent academic achievements include publication in the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, where Marks authored the entry on Mrs Beeton, one of the Victorian era’s most influential cooks. She studied art history at university as well as the history of food. This included the history of ice cream, sugar and salt which sparked her interest.

Food and Art through the Ages

Food and Art Through the Ages is a whistle-stop tour of the history of food as artistic medium; starting with 16th century sugar sculpture and venturing all the way up to 3D dessert printing and beyond. By Food Historian Tasha Marks, this lecture is a treat for those with a sweet tooth, as Marks feels the subject of food and art through the ages is most exciting in the realms of the dessert. Topics covered include; the origins of dessert, the crossover between sugar and art, architecture and dessert (including Renaissance banqueting houses), sugar and spectacle, food as artistic medium, and the future of food. This exploration into the realms of dessert as spectacle includes an accompanying display to illustrate and enhance the historic subject.

Yasha Beresiner was born in Turkey in 1940 to a Greek mother and Russian father. He moved to Israel when he was ten and spent his time between Italy, Israel and England. He completed a law degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and continued his studies in England where he remains. He has been an active Freemason in England, Italy and Israel since 1975 and is a Past Master of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, the Lodge of Research of the United Grand Lodge of London. After an extended career as a legal consultant he was appointed a Director of Stanley Gibbons Ltd, the stamp magnates. He is a qualified City of London Guide and a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards, founded in 1628. 

What a fantastic lecture we had today from Chris Aslan Alexander on 15th century carpet designs from illuminated manuscripts in Khiva, a desert oasis in Uzbekistan. Textiles from this era – flourished, despite the Islamic prohibition on representative art.  The lecture examined the traditional role of carpet weaving and embroidery in the social lives of Central Asian women and how social and political influences led to the decline of textile production. He also spoke about silk production and natural dyes. Plus he gave us an insight into the politics of the region.

Click here to view poster

What a fantastic lecture by John Erikson on Tuesday 12th March Wind in the Willows through its illustrators.  It's a book well worth another read even if you are an adult!

The riverbank adventures of Mole, Ratty, Badger and the incorrigible Mr Toad have now taken their place among the earliest memories of at least four generations of children.

The beauty of Kenneth Grahame’s prose is widely acknowledged but the story is so full of wonderful imagery that it almost demands to be illustrated – despite this, when first published in 1908 it was without pictures. The book has been in print ever since but what is less well known is that it has now been illustrated by more than ninety artists – making it the most widely illustrated book in the English language!

AGM will be held at 10:15am followed by the lecture
Coffee will be served from 9:45

Richard Box is a freelance artist, lecturer, teacher and author since 1985.  He was previously Head of Art at Avery Hill College of Education.  He has taught in schools from nursery to secondary and presently teaches and lectures to adults at Education Centres .  He exhibits his work regularly at various galleries throughout the country.  His lecture of Christmas customs and traditions - origins, stories, legends, truths and untruths about what we do at Christmas time.

His lecture takes the form of a quiz.  It is a light-hearted presentation of many serious, but also amusing beliefs, subjects and activities, concerning this 'Yule-tide' season.

Guy Rooker is a recently retired consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Cheltenham and will talk on The Hands of Leonardo da Vinci

His passion for Leonardo grew from studying his anatomical drawings and relating these to his own surgical career. Leonardo received little or no formal education and used nature as his guide. He used his facility for draughtsmanship and astute sense of observation in his scientific drawings, making an incredible contribution to our understanding of aeronautics, cartography, water engineering, and warfare, among many areas.   

His scientific ideas were amazing, and it is only recently that so many of them have been made possible to achieve now that newer sources of power are available, particularly with the nineteenth century invention of the combustion engine; whereas in his day man- or horse-power were the only options for driving his inventions. The accuracy of his anatomical drawings has become the basis for modern medical practice.  He had a sense of a brilliant mind, full of curiosity, restlessly moving on to a new project, a new idea, a new technique: an incredible genius in any age, but particularly so for his time, the early sixteenth century. A true ‘Renaissance man’. 

This lecture starts with an examination of evolving attitudes in India (as well as in the UK) towards the British Empire, and towards the buildings which survive as testament to its achievements. 

A whistle stop tour is then made of the very best colonial buildings in Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi and elsewhere. 

In the final third of the lecture there is a focus in on Bombay. Bombay’s economic boom of the 1860s coincided with the high point of the Gothic Revival:  Nowhere else in the world can claim to have as magnificent an assemblage of Gothic Revival buildings.

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This lecture will be about the world class art, architecture and design of the London Underground including ingenious design, powerful advertising posters and unique calligraphy. We will also learn about the modern Tube of the Jubilee Line and glimpse at the forthcoming Crossrail stations.