In 2014, NLU3A member Peter Cox embarked on an extraordinary project. Convinced that people born between the wars were a forgotten generation, he decided to interview over 120 members of London U3As who were born in this period, focusing on their childhoods and adolescence. He and his editor Sheelagh Neuling then transcribed the interviews and sorted Read more

What do three murderers, Karl Marx’s daughter, a kleptomaniac and a vegetarian vicar have in common? In fact they all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary. While the OED has long been associated with elite institutions, it has also relied on contributions from a surprising and diverse group of people – from astronomers to naturists, Read more

There was once said to be a ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK; now, we sometimes feel more like the 51st state, at least in terms of popular culture. From ‘cookies’ to psychobabble, have we handed over more than we realise? In this lively and lightly provocative talk, Steven Fogel examines the reach of American Read more

During World War II, British double agent and career criminal Eddie Chapman, known as ‘Zigzag’, was highly regarded by both the Germans and the British. Trained in spycraft and sabotage by the Third Reich, he was sent to Britain on a deadly mission to derail British aircraft manufacturing. However, as we will hear in this talk, Read more

Note: This talk replaces the previously listed talk on the Silk Road. This is an irreverent account of the history of public toilet provision in London from Roman times to the present day, including the philanthropic deeds of Dick Whittington and the rise of subterranean public lavatories at the end of the 19th century. We Read more

The far-reaching economic and social changes that took place in Britain during the first phase of the Industrial Revolution also influenced the art that was produced. In this talk, Angela Cox discusses the impact of science and technology on artistic techniques, and on what artists painted – portraits of key individuals, advances in technology, and the Read more

Venice is eternally fascinating. But how did a desperate refugee shanty town built on a swamp turn into the massive trading empire whose billions nourished the creativity of Titian and Veronese, Vivaldi and Monteverdi? In this talk, we’ll hear the fairytale story of why Venice was established in the swamps between the deltas of the Read more

Hendon has long-standing links with aviation, from the days of aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White, through the Hendon air shows of the 1920s and 1930s, to RAF Hendon’s role in both World Wars, and finally the development of the RAF Museum. Our speaker, David Keen, has always been fascinated by aeroplanes and by the people who Read more

Why are the works of works of two Victorians, WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, still so popular? In this talk, speaker Bernard Lockett reviews the world-wide popularity of Gilbert and Sullivan in the 21st century, and takes a look at the vast amount of social and political satire within the shows, together with their historical Read more

As a poor cousin to neighbouring Hampstead and Highgate, Kentish Town is under-appreciated, and suffers from a widespread myth that here there is little of value here. In this talk, London guide and Kentish Town resident Colin Davey will attempt to debunk this myth, covering amongst other things architecture, transport, public buildings, retail, and notable people. With material Read more