This is the second talk given by Will Rathouse on Thames Archaeology, the first one in March covered the Thames foreshore between London Bridge and Gabriel’s Wharf, The Southwark virtual guided walk begins at London Bridge and travels upstream past the Globe Theatre, Bankside Power Station Tate Modern, and the Oxo tower.It takes in features… Read more

The talk at September’s monthly meeting by David Staples will look at theatre buildings including opera houses and concert halls and how they have evolved and changed over the last 70 years. It will start with a Greek amphitheatre and finish with a 20 seat amphitheatre in Slovenia. It will embrace many of the most… Read more

This year is the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Barnet, which was a game-changer for monarchy, England and future warfare – a drama that inspired Shakespeare and took place right on the doorstep. Our speaker, Lester Hillman, will explore all this and more in a lavishly illustrated presentation. Lester has written extensively on this… Read more

With an outstanding collection of 5500 works of art including paintings, sculpture, furniture, armour and porcelain, there is something for everyone at the Wallace Collection. In this talk, Julie Barlow will explore both the most famous highlights and some of the lesser known treasures to tell the story of this wonderful collection and the family… Read more

Paul Robbins returns to the East End of his childhood to talk about the world’s greatest criminal “who done it” in history. In doing so, he paints a vivid and moving picture of the East End of London in the late summer and autumn of 1888 as he reviews the crimes and main suspects, and… Read more

Nowadays we tend to dismiss fables – short moral tales peopled by animals – as children’s stories. In fact, they are possibly some of the oldest literature in the world, still full of life and humour and wit, and a tonic for us all. Human nature never seems to change – or learn! Our speaker,… Read more

The American lyricist Ira Gershwin and his composer brother George created some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. They are remembered as the song-writing team synonymous with the sounds and style of the jazz age. In this talk by Howard Slater, we will hear musical clips from recordings from all over the… Read more

In this lecture, the distinguished art historian, writer and print collector Dr Peter Webb will use original film and sound recordings to investigate the work of Toulouse Lautrec and Paris of the 1890s. We will look at Lautrec’s posters of the Moulin Rouge singers and dancers, as well as works by his friends Manet, Degas… Read more

This talk explores the rich tradition of lore and legend in the tidal reaches of London’s river, including pagan gods, riverside taverns, ghosts, ceremonials, frost fairs, and tales of smuggling and pirates.  Mark Lewis is a freelance artist, designer-silversmith and retired university lecturer. He has published a book on folklore and popular customs of the… Read more

In October 2021 the new Holocaust Galleries were opened at the Imperial War Museum. The new galleries’ Head of Content, James Bulgin, will take us through their development from inception to opening. James will discuss the central ideas behind the galleries and how the team sought to achieve them, sharing some of the challenges faced… Read more