Lecture Programme

2010 - 2011

Next Lecture

(Previous lectures) 

September 16th 2010

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Florence and the House of Medici

Lecturer: Jo Walton

From the 1300s to 1737 the Medici held sway in Florence. Their autocratic rule was largely responsible for the creation of one of the most exciting centres of the Renaissance. Literature, philosophy and science were cultivated and artists such as Donatello, Botticelli and Michaelangelo were supported and encouraged. This is a story of great characters and stirring historical events, beautiful images alongside assassinations.

After university Jo took up teaching and lecturing, as well as setting up and running Atrium Books in the heart of London’s art world. She has worked at Christie’s and is a guide at both Tate Museums.

October 21st 2010

CHARLES DARWIN – THE VOYAGE OF THE BEAGLE

Lecturer: James Taylor

One year after the bi-centenary of Charles Darwin’s birth, as well as the 150th anniversary of “The Origin of the Species, the talk focuses on the official artists, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martens who accompanied Darwin on his global voyage on HMS Beagle (1831-1836). A selection of additional artworks by Sir Joseph Hooker and Owen Stanley of people, places, flora and fauna will also be included with images from the Galapagos and South America. Also recounted is the story of Admiral Robert Fitzroy, who was captain of the Beagle and first Director of the Meteorological Office.

James Taylor is a maritime expert and former curator of paintings and drawings at the National Maritime Museum.

November 18th 2010

A HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Lecturer: Dr. Claire Walsh

Until the early 1800s Christmas was a simple, domestic affair, but a century later it involved shopping for presents, a tree, cards, decorations, not to mention food. The lecture will follow the progression of the simple celebration to the extravaganza of shopping it has now become, including the frenzy of post-Christmas sales.

Dr. Walsh is a graduate of the Camberwell College of Art, has worked at the V&A and is a lecturer for the Open University, the Art Fund and the Courtauld Institute.

January 13th 2011

HANDEL
His influence on 300 years of British Musical Culture

Lecturer: Peter Medhurst

Peter will illustrate his talk on the effect that Handel had on music in Britain over the last 300 years.

He studied singing, composition and keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music in London. He is especially well-known as a presenter and lecturer on music and the arts and is the creator of the highly successful study days sponsored by The Classical Music Company at the South Bank in London. Peter Medhurst is visiting lecturer to the University of Kent, The National Trust, The National Arts Collection Fund and NADFAS.

February 17th 2011

SLEEPING BEAUTIES: THE IRISH COUNTRY HOUSE

Lecturer: Tom Duncan

The lecture will recreate the Irish Country House and its often eccentrically arranged lifestyles in an entertaining comment on Ireland’s past. From the seventeenth century onwards there was the introduction of English and Scottish ideas which, fused with native traditions, created a truly fecund mix of styles and approaches to domesticity.

Tom Duncan was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, where he studied History of Art and Classical Archaeology. He then studied in the United States and moved to England in 1984 to complete his PhD. He taught at University level and now lectures widely to heritage and artistic organisations. He has now retired from University life to concentrate on lecturing to a wider public. He leads tours to his major areas of interest: the architecture and archaeology of Ireland, and the Mediterranean basin.

March 17th 2011

AGM @ 10:30 prompt

LONDON’S CHANGING SKYLINE

Lecturer: Anthea Streeter

Initially the lecture will sketch how the City has grown through the centuries The lecture will then concentrate on the 20th Century and how new buildings are set to change the skyline even further in the future.

Anthea Streeter studied the Fine & Decorative Arts in London and Harvard University. It was at Harvard, where there was great enthusiasm for American Design, that she became interested in 20th Century architecture. Since returning from America she has taught on courses in Oxford and London, lectured on the Country House Course in Sussex, and for several private groups around the country.

May 19th 2011

HAMPTON COURT’S RESTORATION AND GARDENS

Lecturer: Linda Collins

Henry VIII’s need to consider the balance of power in Europe led to the acquisition of tapestries and paintings which still grace his spectacular palace today. Using original slides taken during the restoration after the devastating fire in 1986 we can compare the before and after and consider the skill of the restorers. We look at how the laying out of the new King’s Privy garden was planned on the design of 1701.

Linda Collins is employed by the Royal Palaces as the Guide/Lecturer based principally at Hampton Court Palace. She lectures both home and abroad for NADFAS, National Trust, Tate Modern and National Gallery.

Previous Lectures

May 20th 2010

The British Army in India
A soldier’s life in the East – an unofficial view

Lecturer: Dr Patrick Conner

Thousands of British soldiers, and sometimes their wives, sailed out to India in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the era before photography, many sent back drawings and paintings intended generally for private consumption. These now offer us a vivid insight into the lives, often unglamorous, often amusing. We see their journey out, their social activities, their bungalows, their gardens, their cuisine, their means of coping with heat, insects and other maladies.

From 1975 to 1986 Patrick Conner was Keeper of Fine Art at the Royal Pavilion, Art Gallery and Museums, Brighton, and since 1986 has been Director of the Martyn Gregory Gallery, London, specialists in historical paintings related to the China Trade.

June 17th 2010

WHO WROTE SHAKESPEARE?

Lecturer: Charles de Vere Beauclerk

According to the lecturer the true writer of the plays was Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. He paints a picture of Court intrigue and treachery that led to the cover-up and demonstrates that the semi-literate Guglielmo Shaxpere lacked the education and experience to be the author. He would not have had the inside knowledge of court affairs and could not have lampooned the ruling elite in his plays without forfeiting his life.

A graduate of Oxford University and a past president of the Shakespeare Oxford Society, Charles Beauclerk is an engaging and erudite speaker. A descendent of Edward de Vere, he is an internationally well-known authority on the subject of the Shakespeare authorship.

July 15th 2010

“JOURNEY OF THE RIVER”

Lecturer: Alexandra Drysdale

The lecture follows a mythical journey of a river from its source to the sea in the company of artists past and present.

Alexandra Drysdale is a graduate of the Chelsea College of Arts, a painter and exhibitor, as well as a teacher and lecturer on art and art history. She is currently exploring the meaning of fundamental shapes and relates them to nature and spiritual evolution.