Talks Archive
Programme 2015 - 2016
The Modern History of the Castle
by Christopher Moule
Date: Sunday 22 September 2024
This illustrated lecture will explore the uses (and abuses) of castles from the close of the medieval period until modern times.
The History of Gunpowder
by Dr Brenda Buchanan
Date: Sunday 13 October 2024
A wide-ranging illustrated talk from the editor of the two-volume collection of articles Gunpowder: The History of an International Technology
Dorset Heroines
by David Beaton
Date: Sunday 27 October 2024
An illustrated talk about the women living in Dorset who contributed to the county’s history, culture and folklore down the ages
The Story of Tea
by Nick Berthoud
Date: Sunday 10 November 2024
This illustrated talk covers the social history of tea, the practices surrounding its use and, through this, the history of British society as a whole.
Social Realism in Victorian Painting
by Julian Halsby
Date: Sunday 24 November 2024
Dickens lays bare Victorian Society, warts and all, but what about Victorian artists? This lecture will debate how far and for what reasons artists went in search of ‘realism’ and how realistic their paintings actually were.
Medieval Music and Instruments
by Jonathan Weeks
Date: Sunday 8 December 2024
Delightful sounds together with fascinating cultural and social insights are guaranteed for this Members’ Christmas Entertainment evening.
Sherborne and the First World War
by Patrick Francis
Date: Sunday 21 January 2024
The author of Vivat Shirburnia traces the surprisingly wide-ranging, often tragic, impact of the Great War on the local communities of Sherborne Town and Sherborne School.
Magna Carta
by Professor Nicholas Vincent
Date: Sunday 4 February 2024
The ‘Great Charter of Liberties’ sealed by King John at Runnymede in 1215 is seen as laying the foundations of British democracy. What led to this concession by John and why did a medieval political crisis plant the seeds of today’s freedoms?
Henry III and the Building of Westminster Abbey
by Professor David Carpenter
Date: Sunday 18 February 2024
The leading authority on Henry III explains in this illustrated talk why the art-loving king rebuilt Westminster in such spectacular style as a coronation church and royal mausoleum.
A Chronicle of Country Life – the Photographs of James Ravilious
by Robin Ravilious
Date: Sunday 3 March 2024
The widow of artist James Ravilious shares with us her husband’s legacy of exquisite photographs of North Devon farming communities in the 1960s and 1970s. Taken to preserve a vanishing world, these are poignant and memorable images.
History in Our Town’s Schools
by Six Students
Date: Sunday 17 March 2024
In a repeat of a successful event first held two years ago, sixth formers from our local senior schools will speak about their favourite historical personalities and themes.
The Earls of Pembroke and the Ladies Who Made a Difference!
by Ros Liddington
Date: Sunday 31 March 2024
The ladies are so often the movers and shakers in aristocratic families. Starting with Ann Parr, wife of the first Earl of Pembroke and sister of Catherine Parr, a steady succession of wives and daughters influenced the history of the family and its home in many different ways.
