| |
| Wednesday, 02 September 2026 |
| A Potted History of Britain |
| Julian Richards |
 |
The first pots appeared in Britain 6,000 years ago and this lecture charts the evolution of
ceramic production and distribution from this time to the present day. We will see the hand-
formed and bonfire-fired pots of our prehistoric ancestors and the products of both modern
industry and individual craft potters. Julian will examine major changes in pottery, such as
Roman industrialisation, the introduction of the potter’s wheel and kiln, the effects of the
industrial revolution and the rise of the art potteries of the 19th century…a veritable ‘potted
history’! Photo by Julian Richards |
|
| Wednesday, 07 October 2026 |
| Tales from Vienna |
| Emma Johnson |
 |
The world-famous clarinettist will bring to life Vienna in its heyday. It’s location at the heart of
the Habsburg Empire enabled its cultural blossoming…not only music from Mozart through
Beethoven and Schubert to Mahler and Schoenberg, but also art and architecture, science
and politics. Emma Johnson will discuss this unparalleled explosion of genius and why it
ended so abruptly with the First World War. Image credit: Johann Strauss II and his orchestra, Public Domain |
|
| Wednesday, 04 November 2026 |
| The Rebuilding of the Town of Ypres |
| Christopher Chanter |
 |
At the end of WW1 the small medieval city of Ypres was just a vast area of rubble. With the support of King Albert of the Belgians, the architect Jan van Coomens and lobbying by Field Marshal Sir John French it was rebuilt, not as an imitation but a faithful reconstruction. We will view pre- WWI old photographs, we will see the same buildings after the destruction of the War, then the reconstructed city. Our speaker will present a large range of original photographs. Image: Ruins of the Cloth Hall (Lakenhalle) in Ypres, 23 January 1916 Credit: Imperial War Museum Non-Commercial Licence (IWM Q29057) |
|
| Wednesday, 02 December 2026 |
| The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy - the Story of Tchaikovsky and The Nutcracker |
| Dr Rosamund Bartlett |
 |
Before The Nutcracker became everybody's favourite Christmas ballet, it was staged in Tsarist Russia. With the backdrop of the glorious history of the Imperial Ballet company in St. Petersburg, this lecture discusses how Tchaikovsky came to write his magical score and Petipa created its choreography. It also tells the story of the dancers who created the
leading roles and explores Tchaikovsky's role in transforming classical ballet into the vibrant
art form it is today. Photo credit: Image from the original 1892 staging of The Nutcracker, Public Domain |
|