Talks Archive
Programme 2019 - 2020
Why didn’t Britain go either Fascist or Communist between the two world wars?
by Professor Lawrence Goldman
Date: Tuesday 24 September 2024
A talk that compares British historical experience with that on the continent of Europe between 1918 and 1939
The Diet of Worms 1521
by Professor Elaine Fulton
Date: Tuesday 8 October 2024
This talk will explore the significance of the Diet of Worms, when Martin Luther defied Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Cottages Ornés: The Charms of the Simple Life
by Roger White
Date: Tuesday 22 October 2024
The cottage orné, or ornamental cottage, is an English invention of the mid-18th century and is the only architectural genre to cover the entire social spectrum.
The Royal Hospital Chelsea: a brief history
by John Rochester
Date: Tuesday 5 November 2024
The Royal Hospital Chelsea; over three centuries of service to old soldiers, the Army and the nation.
The content of John Rochester's talk is included below.
Lawrence of Arabia’s War
by Dr Neil Faulkner FSA
Date: Tuesday 19 November 2024
An analysis of the war in Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, and Syria between 1914 and 1918, with particular focus on the character, role, and achievements of T E Lawrence.
Dutch Courage & Mothers’ Ruin: The Gin Craze
by Dr Richard Barnett
Date: Tuesday 3 December 2024
We’ll take a walk down Hogarth’s ‘Gin Lane’, exploring the realities behind this notorious episode of Enlightenment history.
Britain and Meiji Japan
by Mr Adrian Thorpe CMG FRSA
Date: Tuesday 9 January 2024
British involvement in the modernisation of Japan, the end of the Shogunate and its replacement by rule by the Emperor
The content of Adrian Thorpe's talk is included below
The reputation of William Rufus: the (in)famous king and his critics
by Dr Benjamin Pohl
Date: Tuesday 23 January 2024
Was William Rufus a ‘bad king’ by medieval standards?
History of rope, hemp, twine and sail in the South West
by Ross Aitken
Date: Tuesday 6 February 2024
Its place in world trade and importance in national and local history
CHANGE OF PROGRAMME - Simon de Montfort (c 1208-1265) Champion of England? Martyr?
by Dr Huw Ridgeway
Date: Tuesday 20 February 2024
The meteoric career of an icon of English History re-assessed. Simon de Montfort became Earl of Leicester and brother-in-law of Henry III (1216-1272); Crusader, international celebrity, he ultimately perished in civil war, challenging royal rule in the name of Reform.
The Reign of Æthelred the Unready: A View from Sherborne
by Dr Levi Roach
Date: Tuesday 5 March 2024
An exciting revisionist perspective on the reign of one of England’s most notorious kings, emphasising the important role of Sherborne and its abbey in these years
Early Modern Queens on Screen: Victors, Victims, Villains, Virgins and Viragoes - POSTPONED UNTIL A FUTURE DATE
by Dr Elena (Ellie) Woodacre
Date: Tuesday 19 March 2024
This talk highlights the range of typologies or stereotypes employed to depict the lives of early modern queens on film
