Previous Meetings
Some topics in our previous meetings have included:
Is sport more valuable than music in today's society.....? Nick Cox
Charlotte Bronte explained how the eye both sought the truth in mundane experiences and the visionary experience of dreams..... Professor Dinah Birch
Technology has revolutionised our access to news, knowledge and opinions, yet quality political journalism is in the doldrums..... Jim Hancock
Apr
Wall paintings in Pickering Church
In 1852, a series of remarkably well-preserved wall paintings were discovered during restoration work in St. Peter's church, Pickering. Despite interest from local and national experts, the vicar, the Rev. John Ponsonby was horrified by the discovery and attempted to destroy the scheme. When they were re-uncovered by Rev. George Herbert Lightfoot in the 1880s, they underwent a controversial restoration, which coloured perceptions of their significance and informed radical approaches to their conservation in the twentieth century. Kate will reflect on how Pickering's story adds new layers of understanding to the story of wall paintings in the parish church, and how her research has revealed the hidden medieval meanings of the paintings, the subject of her forthcoming book.
Mar
Stories of the morality of mass migration to Australia
Gill is a Warrington author “The Sinking of RMS Tayleur: The Lost Story of the ‘Victorian Titanic’” The morality behind mass immigration to Australia, as the mid-Victorians saw it, and how it contributed to the deaths of so many. She has also written: ”The Lost Story of the William & Mary: The Cowardice of Captain Stinson', and 'The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch: Fire, Family, and Fidelity”.
Feb
Approaches to ageing, vitality and beauty
He has done research on the Christian body-building movement in 19thC also current research which focuses on the history of rejuvenation and anti-ageing in the twentieth century, exploring in particular the links between biomedical and socio-cultural approaches to ageing, vitality and beauty. This has culminated in “The Cult of Youth” due for publication early 2021.
Mar
The Wordsworths at Dove Cottage
Melissa will introduce William Wordsworth, his sister Dorothy, and their life at Dove Cottage in Grasmere, where they lived from 1799-1808. It was here that Wordsworth wrote a great deal of his best-loved poetry, and where Dorothy kept her famous Grasmere journal. Through studying their own manuscripts, we’ll explore the lives of this remarkable family, and how some of the UKs greatest literature came to be, in the year of Wordsworth’s 250th birthday.
Feb
Design: Then, Now and the Future. Reflections on design, as a process, from the 14th century onwards'
David has worked as a theatre designer and artist since 1964 when he started at art school. He was lucky to benefit from a course that focused on both design for the theatre and fine art. This was an especially useful combination for the following 47 years work as a theatre designer, artist and educationist - and then the following five years as an artist. What is design? When did it start? How does it work, or not? What do designers do all day? How has it changed and what may happen in the future, which we are designing now? What did Karl Marx, Edward de Bono, Anton Chekhov, Samuel Johnson, James Thurber and Jean Cocteau write that relate to design? - even if they didn't realise it at the time.
Dec
The Black Prince and the Capture of a King: Poitiers, 1356
Less well-known than Agincourt or Crecy, the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 was one of the most hard-fought and dramatic battles of the Hundred Years War. This talk will tell the story of that remarkable day of battle and the events leading up to it, beginning with the Battle of Crecy ten years earlier.
Nov
Are We (Just) Beasts?
It is often assumed by humanist thinkers that, if we are not supernatural beings, we must be parts of nature. Raymond will argue, against popular misreading of the significance of brain science and evolutionary theory, that persons are not merely organisms to be understood in biological terms, and that there is a huge gap between humans and our nearest primate kin.
Oct
Warrington and the Slave Trade
Warrington and the Slave Trade Warrington’s role in the slave trade is the elephant in the room which has been avoided by most historians. The talk will explore the nature and range of the trade in slaves by citizens of Warrington. The level of involvement of the main players will be discussed, as will the role played by the Warrington Academy. Some thoughts as to an appropriate response will be offered.
Apr
The Hubble Space Telescope
Along with our own Joddrel Bank Radio Telescope, The Hubble Space Telescope has been one of the most successful and informative developments in the exploration of Space. John will look at its concept and design, early problems and how these were overcome, along with remarkable images obtained over more than 25 years of operation.
Mar
A Brief History of Penguin Books
Arguably the most influential and well-known publisher of the 20th Century, Penguin Books have made an impact on all our lives. Mike takes a look at Allen Lane’s ‘Damascus Moment’, the invention of paperback books, and the opening of London Zoo, through mergers and take-overs, and from Lady Chatterley to Lady Luck. The surprising life of Penguin Books, and its emerging nemesis!
Feb
A Romp Through 40,000 Years of Sculpture
Dr Helen Pheby will take us on an illustrated journey through the history of sculpture since prehistoric times, to Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and on to the present day. There will be a focus on the radical changes in sculpture since Auguste Rodin, and looking at the growth and impact of the more abstract sculpture that we see today.
Dec
Traditional and contemporary songs 'They don't write them like that any more'
Performers of traditional and contemporary songs 'They don't write them like that any more' Based on being born and bred in the North West, Garry and Vera will sing and talk us through a number of their songs, looking at life in the raw throughout the region in their own well-researched, incisive, poignant way, laced with a delightful sprinkling of pragmatism and of course , humour. www.garyandveraaspey.com
Nov
A Millennium Of Monasticism
The rise in the number and power of the monasteries during the early part of the 2nd millennium was remarkable, and threatening. Father Michael looks at their influence and in particular at the Premonstratensians, and Mother Kate of Warburton (and Chester) against the wider background of monastic life and development.
Oct
Technological dead ends: ideas that have gone nowhere
So many mind-blowing ideas and inventions have never been widely embraced by Society! Perhaps we might have enjoyed more of the magic of Man’s inventive prowess had at least some of these logic-defying ideas been more fervently pursued. Dr Southall takes a sideways look at the wonders of the improbable.
Apr
Industrialisation, Population Change and Public Health in Lancashire
The fact that Great Britain was the world's pioneering industrial nation from around 1750 to 1850 is firmly established, but historians continue to dispute the pace, the extent and the impact of the Revolution. So, what can research tell us about the ways in which population growth, urbanisation and the public health consequences affected our local forebears?
Mar
Slow Boat Cargo
Liz McIvor, the well-known historian of Britain's canal development, will examine the ways cargoes were moved by land and water before the canal boom and the 18th Century 'Amazon effect.' She will explain the large-scale engineering projects in the industrial period for long distance haulage by waterways, and comment on the post-industrial use of this heritage..
Feb
The Golden Age of Murder
The speaker is a locally-based lawyer who has earned distinction in every field of crime fiction. He is currently Chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association and President of the Detection Club. He will discuss the crime fiction of the golden age between the wars, not cosy escapist cliché as some claim, but a substantial body of literature, a transmutation of real criminal cases, of the stresses in the authors’ lives and an urge to come to terms with the senseless carnage of the trenches.
Dec
Excavating Engels
The speaker will use recently uncovered archaeological evidence about Manchester’s historical slums to see if it can throw useful light on what Victorian social commentators said about problems of over-crowding, immigration, poor construction, poor ventilation, disease and sanitation.