Previous Meetings

150 Years of the Warrington Lit & Phil

The very idea of Literary and Philosophical Societies providing a sounding-board for the interested public is one of Warrington's gifts to the world. The first two Lit & Phil societies were set up by former students of the Warrington Academy. Since its establishment in 1870 the Warrington Lit & Phil has met almost 900 times, with a wide range of speakers talking on pretty much every subject imaginable, and some that aren't. Most of the innovations in science and philosophy, literature, politics and the arts, have been discussed at some point or other. Nobel Prizewinners, senior politicians, academics with worldwide reputations, and one or two rogues, have spoken to the Warrington Lit & Phil. On the occasion of the society's 150th anniversary Bill Cooke has analysed the changing emphases of subjects covered over the century and a half. What emerges is a moving picture of the issues that have vexed us all since Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Let’s go fly a kite: exploring the enigma of creativity

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back” (Anais Nin) What is creativity? Are we all creative? Do we need to be more creative? What stops us being creative? For many, creativity and the creative process is “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma” (Churchill). Creativity is certainly a complex, paradoxical and difficult notion to understand, as evidenced by the many theories and models that attempt to explain it. In this presentation the education consultant and researcher Paul Kleiman explores creativity through his experiences as a kite-maker and stories from the history of kite-making.

Philosophy in Pubs and the role of the public intellectual today.

Paul Doran is one of the founders of Philosophy in Pubs (PIPs), which is the biggest network of community philosophy groups in the UK, with around 40 PIPs across the UK, including 14 in Merseyside, where PIPs began. He will talk about how PIPs started, how they work, and how he sees community philosophy developing in the future, followed by a discussion, Have a glass of you favourite drink handy.

Meeting postponed until further notice due to coronavirus pandemic

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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..

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.