Sculpture and Architecture.

It is likely that the first architects were stonemasons who built the  temples and cathedrals so sculptors were the first architects.

In the ancient world the building was the plinth for the sculpture but over time the sculpture became the decoration. This lecture will trace the inter-relationship showing how in an age of Computer Aided Design the understanding of sculpture is more important than ever for architecture.  

A blast from the past- The horn and strings of the Middle Ages.

Jonathan brings his love of medieval music and his large collection of  musical instruments to a lecture which celebrates The Dart Music Festival. He is a proficient musician and will demonstrate eight examples of the horn family as well as an extensive selection of stringed and percussion instruments.

David Hockney – The old master of the new world.

From the early 60s when he left the Royal College of Art more famous than his teachers, Hockney’s paintings have demonstrated a charm and humour that sets him apart from his contemporaries. His love of ingenious and visual devices led him to experiment with a whole range of techniques from stage design to coloured paper making. This lecture follows the career of an artist whose wit and imagination has never faltered      

The Shakespeare of Dogs- The life and work of Sir Edwin Landseer

In his heyday Edwin Landseer was hugely celebrated and loved for his paintings of dogs and highland stags …and for his lions in Trafalgar Square. He was a child prodigy who later became known for his vivid and varied textures of fur, skin and hair which he achieved with specially designed brushes. He was much in demand with the aristocracy and with Royalty. He taught Queen Victoria how to etch. But he became exhausted and demoralised and retreated to the wilds of Scotland where he became a recluse.   

The loose and airy lightness of flowers- The carving of Grinling Gibbons.

The best sculptor in  wood ever to lift a chisel…Grinling Gibbons rose from obscure apprenticeship in Rotterdam to reach the height of his profession in England …collaborating with Wren and Vanburgh to become The King’s Carver. Much of his work survives in country houses , large churches and state apartments. This lecture covers his life and career and the techniques he used to create convincing illusions of reality making a case for identifying Gibbons as a major artist.

The frozen breath of the polar night- an introduction to Art Nouveau glass.

 Glass is a marvellous material in the hands of an ingenious artist.

The 19C  saw the beginnings of a shift in glassmaking from craft to art …and Art Nouveau glass remains some of the most spectacular ever produced. This lecture explores the achievements of the masters – Emile Galle, Louis Comfort Tiffany and Rene Lalique and their outstanding contributions to the most important movements of the last century.  

A look at some of opera’s greatest rivalries , spats and tiffs from the throwaway remark to full on public fighting – making spicy history. Which individual or voice category might be the worst example and are they an intrinsic part of opera? We hear and see examples of great singers from the past and present.

Adventures among the nomadic tribes of Iran and Afghanistan searching for the woven art of the nomad.

Brian MacDonald spent time in Iran and Afghanistan in the 1970s living and travelling with the nomadic tribes where he developed a passion for the wonderful woven art produced on  basic ground looms. His lecture provides an insight into their way of life through examples of  19C rugs and utilitarian weaving with unforgettable stories of his experiences and adventures.

The  subtle science and exact art of colour in English Garden Design….why gardening can rank as fine art.

In 1882 Gertrude Jekyll wrote an article in which she urged readers ‘ to remember that in a garden we are painting a picture ‘. As a watercolour artist she was familiar with the principles of using colour but she felt that these were sadly neglected in the garden. This lecture looks at the principles of designing a garden and examines the work of Jekyll's contemporary artists Turner and Monet ,  and up to date with Rothko and Jackson Pollack and their ideas about what a garden should look like .

Mahler & Klimt

The foundations of fashion - how male and female underwear contributed to body shape!

Performative Science & Quackery

William Byrd and worship under wraps

(with live music)

A character assasination through art

The Beatles and their Artists

Fairy Tales, myths and legends in art

Pottery from Neolithic times to the present day

The Astors, the Rothschilds and the Sackville-Wests: their family histories and the gardens they have created, despite their very different backgrounds, here in the English countryside

Music was a constant theme in Manet's life.  His wife was a gifted painist so frequent soirees were held in the family home and his paintings show his passion. This lecture brings together his art and the music that inspired him.

 What does jewellery mean to different societies across time and across the world?

This  lecture, based on collections from the British Museum, takes us on a journey from ancient burial ornaments to the big names of the modern world.

Our Country Houses - their evolution and changing role in society - explains their origins in British history and illustrates examples of their grandeur and beauty and considers the impact they had on society and its development

A look at the history of these exquisite treasurers ... from diplomatic gifts to tokens of love.  

Between the 16th and 17th Centuries small portraits were commissioned to be held in the hand or placed in lockets creating an intimate relationship between the owner and the sitter.

Kahlo and Rivera have iconic status in Mexico - from Frida's small format images reflecting her experiences and dreams to Diego's vast Mayan and Aztec inspired murals which adorn the walls of public buildings ... this lecture surveys their work, their turbulent marriage and Mexico's history after 1910

Features key figures during the interwar jazz age and the creative practice of artists including Aaron Douglas, Archibald Motely, James Van de Lee and others, many of whom explored racial themes in a USA that was still in the grip of Jim Crow Law.

From 1919 - 1929 Harlem was 'in vogue'.

How Germany commemorates WWII ... instead of recognising their own losses.  German artists created art forms that responded to the questions of apology and atonement.  How does a nation of former persecutors mourn it's victims? How do you rember what you would rather forget?

A look at changing dining customs since the Middle Ages and some of the wonderful silver, glass and ceramics that have been made for the dining table

This is the rise and fall of the Roman Empire depicted through the mosaics they created 

We see how the Romans built on earlier Greek traditions showing how their remarkable mosaics reflected the cities in which they lived , the gods and myths they believed and the exotic lives they lived

This lecture explores what Pevsner said about the public and private buildings in Devon during his one man survey of all architecturally significant buildings in the Country  

This largely 18th c phenomenon, akin to a Gap Year today<, reached its heights of popularity between 1715 and 1789 and in its heyday scores of young men and a sprinkling of women took to Europe to acquire a veneer of culture. This lecture follows the progress of the grand tourist through Europe

Ian Caskie is a tour guide from the SS Great Britain Museum in a dry dock in Bristol and will trace the fascinating history of the vessel from its launch in 1843 to its return from the Falkland Islands 

Sir Clough Williams-Ellis created Portmeirion, this delightful fantasy village in N wales, as his personal defiance against the advance of modernism and, later, his daughter Susan , created Portmeirion Pottery in the 60's and 70's 

A thought provoking talk will examine insights into the destructive and costly cycle of crime and a deeper understanding into the minds , lives and challenges of the offenderand show that through art there are opportunities for offenders to confront issues and develop life skills which are key to a more postitive and productive life

Opening with a short introduction to the historical and economic background to The Netherlands and the patronage which led to the development of painting during the 15th and 16th centuries the work of the major painters such as Van der Weyden, Van Eyck and Bruegel will be discussed

In this amusing Lecture , Christopher Chanter will take us on a journey through the Poet's favourite places

This Lecture will examine some of the more bizarre,amusing and often realistic depictions of medicine in art through the ages

This lecture will examine how the peculiar geniuses of these two very different men, W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, came together under the guiding hand of the impresario, Richard D’Oyly Carte, to create one of the most individual and enduring forms of theatrical entertainment. The Savoy operas, with their gentle satire, celebrate the quirks and foibles of the British nation, and are as alive today as in the 1880s. The lecture is fully illustrated with musical examples. 

Roger Askew

Roger was a chorister at Wells Cathedral School and a choral scholar at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated with an honours degree in English.  He combined a teaching career with professional singing in London, and after obtaining a further degree in Music became Director of Music at Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College in Edinburgh.

After retiring in 2003 he returned to the south of England.  He is President Emeritus of The Stoke Poges Society and Chairman of Windsor and Maidenhead Decorative and Fine Arts Society.

The Bayeux Tapestry, “one of the most enchanting pieces of narrative art in existence” (Talbot Rice), is a unique and magnificent survival from a time when wall-hangings of all kinds were common among the wealthy and powerful. Like a Viking Saga, it narrates the heroic tale of William’s invasion and battle at Hastings in graphic detail, real energy and on a grand scale. The style and quality of the needlework place it, by general consent, as English – a product of a long tradition of high quality needlework known throughout Europe as Opus Anglicanum. The aim of the lecture is twofold: firstly, to demonstrate the artistic achievement of a magnificent work of art and secondly, to place it in the context of its time – who created it? How and where was it created? Who commissioned it and why? 

Mark Cottle

Born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School, Cornwall, and Birmingham University. His career has been spent in education and training at home and abroad. He has lectured at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor history, St Mark's & St John's University College, Plymouth, and at Bath University on Anglo Saxon and medieval England. Currently runs two small companies providing training and study breaks.

Lady Margaret Beaufort was mother to King Henry VII. A Lancastrian by birth, Margaret survived a tumultuous childhood and four marriages to emerge after 1485 as the most powerful woman in England. She was a great patroness of art and letters and was the foundress of Christ’s and St John’s Colleges in Cambridge. This lecture presents a survey of her life and discussion of the various building projects with which she was involved and art that she commissioned. 

Angela Smith

PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. Author of numerous articles and several books including A Timeline of Art History (2013). experienced lecturer who has taught for several universities. Catalogued paintings in galleries for the National Inventory Research Project. Has led a number of cultural tours on the continent and has lectured for several cruise lines including Fred Olsen. Regularly runs courses of study days for the Arts Society on subjects including ‘Women artists down the centuries’ and English church art and architecture. Has contributed to television programmes, most recently an episode of ‘Digging up Britain’s Past’.

The importance of the small Cornish seaside town of St Ives in the history of British art is well-known. Less well-known is the vibrant community of craftsman that grew and thrived alongside them. This talk will explore this community and its place alongside the artists. They worked, lived and exhibited together this talk will consider a number of these men and women.  

The most numerous and influential group of crafts workers were the potters, led by Bernard Leach, less well-known is the crafts based furniture workshop run by Robin and Dicon Nance where fine crafts based furniture was made and then retailed in the Nance crafts shop in Fore Street and then on the Wharf in St Ives. Guido Morris, a ‘fine printer’ worked nearby, Alice Moore was the best known of a number of needleworkers. All these makers were closely involved with the artistic community and active in the formation of the hugely influential Penwith Society of Arts. The society that formed a focus for the progressive ‘moderns’ that St Ives has become so closely linked with.

Matthew Denney

I have worked with the fine and decorative arts all my life. I have worked as an auctioneer and valuer with a number of firms. I am currently a senior valuer and head of department at Lawrences in Crewkerne, one of the countries leading provincial auctioneers. I have also worked in Higher Education as Course Leader and a Senior Lecturer on the no longer extant Fine Arts Valuation Degree at Southampton Solent University. I taught on a range of subjects including furniture, silver art and design history. I completed a PhD in the Arts and Crafts Movement and have written on design history for a number of publications. I have current research interests in ‘Great Exhibitions’, ‘Post War Design and Architecture’ and ‘The Crafts in Post War Britain’. 

A fully illustrated talk with in excess of 60 images exploring the relationship between the making of an image and the way in which it is perceived by the viewer. Further discussion around the eye and the brain being an extraordinary double act made up of visual references and intellectual interpretation. 

Charlie Waite 

One of the world's leading landscape photographers, he has lectured for 25 years throughout the UK, Europe and the US. Has held numerous one-man exhibitions in London, exhibited twice in Tokyo, and was awarded the prestigious honorary Fellowship of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, as well as a Direct Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society. In 2007, he launched LPOTY - UK Landscape Photographer of the Year. Amongst many publications, the most recent includes Landscape; the Story of 50 Photographs (2005), and Arc & Line (2011). He was invited by the Royal Academy to exhibit in 2015's summer exhibition.

THIS LECTURE IS ALSO AVAILABLE VIA ZOOM

Originally created for Shakespeare’s 450th birthday celebrations at the V&A, this lecture centres on what the bard himself would have eaten in his lifetime. Shakespeare had an exceptional gastronomic experience, eating at the tavern like many of his contemporaries, but also regularly at the Royal Court - meaning a journey into his edible life-story is a microcosm of the Elizabethan Era, and an exploration of the 16th century and beyond.

Tasha Marks

Tasha Marks is an award-winning food historian and artist, who explores the relationship between food, art and history. Her practice, AVM Curiosities, champions the use of food as an artistic medium, with projects ranging from museum-style exhibitions and sculptural installations, to interactive lectures and limited-edition confectionery. Recent academic achievements include publication in the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, where Marks authored the entry on Mrs Beeton, one of the Victorian era’s most influential cooks.

THIS LECTURE HAS BEEN POSTPONED IN RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT 

ADVICE CONCERNING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

From early 15c, Clare explains the kinds of patronage over 150 years which led to developments in painting and the work of painters of religious art, portraiture and landscape to new 16c developments 

Clare Ford-Wille: Honours degree in History of Art, Birkbeck College, University of London. Regular commitments include Centre for Lifelong Learning, London University, National Gallery, V&A Museum, WEA, Morley College, the City Literary Institute, the Art Fund and National Trust. Study tours abroad.

THIS LECTURE HAS BEEN CANCELLED IN RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT

ADVICE CONCERNING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

For more than 5000 years artists have been attempting to depict illness and healing in their art.  From Egyptian wall paintings, medieval manuscripts, Renaissance masterpieces, and 19th and 20th century realism, the mysteries of medicine have inspired artworks around the world.  In this lecture we will look at some of the bizarre, amusing and often startling realistic depictions of medicine in art throughout the ages.

Geri Parlby: Geri is a former Fleet Street journalist and film publicist. She has a first class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University in London. She has been lecturing for the past eleven years both in the UK and internationally. She is also principal lecturer on the The Arts Society South West Area’s History of Art course and is an Honorary Research Fellow at Roehampton University.

For many people, Kashmir conjures up a beautiful valley surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, for others it is a land of conflict. But what is less well known is that it has been of historic artistic importance for nearly 2000 years. This lecture introduces the astonishing diversity of arts and crafts produced in this tiny area, influenced by Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic cultures.  It explores Buddhist sculptures, Hindu temples, great Islamic gardens, paintings, calligraphy, Moghul carpets and Kashmir shawls. Despite its troubled history, Kashmir has fostered a unique environment of artistic diversity and religious co-existence.

Zara Fleming: Freelance lecturer, art consultant and exhibition curator specialising in the art and culture of Tibet, the Himalayan areas and Mongolia. Initially based at the V&A, but also worked with the Central Asian Department of Bonn University, the Orient Foundation, the Royal Academy, Tibet House, the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside and Asia House. In addition to lecturing for The Arts Society, she lectures for museums, universities, Asian art societies, and private associations. Guest lecturer and tour guide on numerous trips to the Himalayas. Edited Masterpieces of Mongolian Art: Vol 1 and has published many articles in the field of Buddhist art and culture.

Playing cards date back to 1377.  This lecture traces their history, tradition. use in communication, propaganda or education, depicting the art and beauty of the engravers and well established artists

The Wallace Collection, a national museum containing an outstanding array of paintings, furniture, porcelain, arms and armour, and other works of art, was brought together by five generations of one family between about 1780 and 1880. All the Founders were remarkable – and sometimes rather strange - men in their own right, but the greatest collectors were the 4th Marquess of Hertford and his illegitimate son, Sir Richard Wallace, who lived most of their lives in Paris. It is their French upbringing which largely explains the strong, but by no means overwhelming, French emphasis to much of the Collection. This lecture tells the fascinating story of the Wallace Collection’s formation, and also presents many of its finest treasures. 

Stephen Duffy: Educated at New College, Oxford, and formerly Senior Curator of the Wallace Collection where he had particular responsibility for exhibitions and nineteenth-century paintings. He has given countless tours of the Collection for visiting groups and many lectures on its art and other related subjects. His latest publication, The Discovery of Paris, is a book on early nineteenth-century watercolour views of Paris by major British artists.

On Ernest Shackleton’s third Antarctic expedition in 1914, his ship, the Endurance, was trapped and eventually crushed in the pack ice. After camping for five months on the ice, Shackleton’s men rowed to the remote Elephant Island. From there, Shackleton sailed for help to South Georgia over 800 miles away. Over three months later he returned to rescue the crew of the Endurance. Frank Hurley, one of the great photographers of the 20th century, was the expedition’s official photographer. His photographs are a visual narrative of an epic journey which capture with great artistry new and amazing landscapes within which a remarkable human drama is played out. The aim of the lecture is to capture Hurley’s achievements as a photographer of the Antarctic in the first flush of human contact when it was still essentially terra incognita.

Mark Cottle: Born on the Isles of Scilly and educated at Truro School, Cornwall, and Birmingham University. His career has been spent in education and training at home and abroad. He has lectured at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor history, St Mark's & St John's University College, Plymouth, and at Bath University on Anglo Saxon and medieval England. Currently runs two small companies providing training and study breaks.

Since its foundation in 1925, Faber and Faber has built a reputation as one of London’s most important literary publishing houses. Part of that relates to the editorial team that Geoffrey Faber and his successors built around them - TS Eliot was famously an early recruit - but a large part is also due to the firm’s insistence on good design and illustration. This lecture traces the history of Faber and Faber through its illustrations, covers and designs. Early years brought innovations like the Ariel Poems – single poems, beautifully illustrated, sold in their own envelopes. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was an emphasis on typography, led by the firm’s art director Berthold Wolpe; his Albertus font is still used on City of London road signs. In the 1980s, the firm started its association with Pentagram, responsible for the ff logo. Along the way, it has employed some of our most celebrated artists as cover illustrators – from Rex Whistler and Barnett Freedman to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst. Slides will range from book covers, advertisements and photos of key individuals, to illustrations of the concepts behind the designs. The talk will also be peppered with personal insight and anecdote. Faber and Faber is the last of the great publishing houses to remain independent. As the grandson of its founder, I grew up steeped in its books. I was managing director for four years and I remain on the board. I am passionate about the firm’s success, and intensely proud of my association with it. 

Tony Faber: Has written two works of narrative history, Stradivarius and Faberge’s Eggs, published by Macmillan in the UK and Random House in the US, and given lectures associated with these two subjects at venues including The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Library of Congress and the Huntington Library, as well as a number of literary festivals. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and has been through investment banking, management consulting and five years as managing director of the publishing company founded by his grandfather, Faber and Faber, where he remains on the board. He is also non-executive Chairman of its sister company, Faber Music and a director of Liverpool University Press and the Copyright Licensing Agency.

When Augustus John died in 1961 he was described in The New York Times as ‘the grand old man of British painting and one of the greatest in British history.’ He was only in his mid twenties when, in the early 1900s, he was widely acknowledged as one of the most talented and promising young British artists – a Welsh rival, perhaps, to Gauguin or Picasso. This lecture explores John’s extraordinary life, including his early achievements, his position as one of the most exciting and outrageous young British artists before the Great War, his slow decline after it, and his troubled status as ‘the last Bohemian’.

Dr David Boyd Haycock: Read Modern History at the University of Oxford, and has an MA in the History of Art and a PhD in British History. He is the author of a number of books, including Paul Nash (2002), A Crisis of Brilliance: Five Young British Artists and the Great War (2009) and Augustus John: Drawn from Life (2018); he has lectured widely at galleries and museums in the UK, including Tate Britain, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Watercolour Society and Pallant House. He was formerly a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford, and at UCLA, and was Curator of Maritime and Imperial History at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. He is now a freelance writer and lecturer.

The pictures on gallery walls look so well-behaved, but there can be Bedlam behind the scenes. Based on my own and colleagues’ experiences, we relive the highs and lows of curatorial life. We find out what’s involved in a gallery make-over, dine (disastrously) with a Duke, discover a masterpiece - and are questioned by Chelsea CID as suspects in a massive art fraud. At the end of the day, the reward should be a gallery full of engaged visitors, and it does often happen - but not always. The incidents of daily curatorial life can be colourful, but in this talk they add up to a solid theme. What are the big issues that art curators face, and where should the whole business be going? 

David Phillips:Studied History at Oxford, and from 1968-82 worked for Nottingham Castle Museum. From 1982-98, Lecturer in Museum Studies and Art History at University of Manchester. Published a book about museum practice with Manchester University Press, Exhibiting Authenticity 1997. 

A study of the unique contribution made to English architecture by Robert and James Adam. Robert Adam undertook the Grand Tour, taking in most of the great Roman sites in the Mediterranean region. The lecture looks at how he sued the wealth of Roman material from his notebooks to create some of the most splendid interiors to have graced the English country house. The lecture dwells especially on Kedleston, Harewood Osterley, Syon, and Newby. 

Christopher Rogers: Read Geography at Oxford and taught Geography. Formerly Head of Geography, Downe House School Newbury. Became interested in country house architecture whilst at Oxford and has lectured on the subject ever since. Regular 5 day summer school courses for Marlborough College Summer School. Lectures for the National Trust.

Artists have long been attracted by the roving life, and in this wide-ranging lecture we explore the relationship between painters, Romany people and the circus. While Augustus John caused scandal when he travelled round England in a caravan in the early 20th century, Laura Knight, Alfred Munnings and Edward Seago all went behind the scenes of the travelling circus in its last years. As well as looking at fine art, this lecture also draws attention to the folk art of caravan and fairground, bringing a colourful world back to life. 

James Russell: Studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, but was galvanized into writing about art by a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A passionate advocate of 20th century painting and design, he writes and lectures widely. His books include the popular 4-volume series Ravilious in Pictures, about British watercolourist and designer Eric Ravilious (1903-42), and other titles devoted to Paul Nash, Peggy Angus, Edward Bawden and Edward Seago. He curated the 2015 exhibition Ravilious at Dulwich Picture Gallery and has lectured all over the country, from Rye to Glasgow and from the V&A to the Royal West of England Academy. 

This lecture explores the fashion for porcelain figure sculpture in the eighteenth century, beginning as a form of table decoration and subsequently moving to the mantelshelf and china-cabinet; and how these figures reflect eighteenth century society in miniature.During the lecture you will meet characters from the Commedia del’Arte and the English stage, beggars and pedlars, exotic figures from distant lands, lovers and musicians, shepherds and shepherdesses, the gods of Olympus – even the odd monkey!

Jane Gardiner:MA History of Art, University of London. Trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there. Was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art for 17 years, becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's, UK. Has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and interior design conferences in America.

Iran has a sophisticated cultural heritage ignored in the headlines. The main part of the lecture illustrates the development of the spectacular architecture in the mosques and palaces of Persia through the Islamic period, with an emphasis on their brilliant tilework and painting, including the splendid buildings of Shah Abbas' early 17th century Isfahan. Persia’s classic gardens are mentioned, and beautiful examples of manuscript illustration (‘miniatures’) are included. The lecture explains how the Shi'a form of Islam originated and became the ruling creed in the late 20th century Iran of Ayatollah Khomeini. This puts the contemporary politics in the context of the country's fascinating cultural history. 

John Osborne:Graduated in Classics at Cambridge University. Taught Classics at Marlborough College for over thirty years. Worked for the British Council in Iran and Turkey, and lectures in Islamic Civilisation. Tutor, Marlborough College Summer School. Lecturer, Department of Continuing Education, University of Bath. Guide at Salisbury Cathedral. Lecturer on cruises and leader of numerous study tours to Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, and Turkey and other countries in S.E. Europe and the Mediterranean. Lecture tours of Australia (twice) and New Zealand.

Using illustrations from carvings, wall paintings, pottery, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, and 18th and 19th century paintings, Sarah traces the history of one of the world’s most ancient and beloved musical instruments from thousands of years BC, to it’s arrival in northern Europe, including the huge developments and improvements during the renaissance and 19th centuries that created the highly mechanised and beautiful instrument we see played in orchestras and as solo instruments today. Performing on her own reproduction and antique instruments, Sarah will demonstrate the development and evolving sound and repertoire of the harp throughout its history. 

Sarah Deere-Jones: Sarah is a graduate and prize-winner from the Royal Academy of Music and in 2015 was elected an Associate. She performs, writes and lectures about the harp regularly in America, Australia, Europe and UK. All lectures are presented digitally and include live music and songs on harps and other instruments depending on subject matter.

Jo Banham is a freelance curator, lecturer and writer. From 2006-2016 she was Head of Adult Learning at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and before that Head of Learning and Access at the National Portrait Gallery, and Head of Public Programmes at Tate Britain. She has also been Curator of Leighton House and Assistant Keeper at the Whitworth Art Gallery. She has published on many aspects of Victorian and early 20th century decoration and interiors. She is currently curating an exhibition on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement for the Juan March Fundacion in Madrid and the Museu Nacional d’Art Catalunya in Barcelona. She is also Director of the Victorian Society Summer School.

William Morris was a man of prodigious energy, talent, and versatility. He was a designer, a craftsman, a writer, a lecturer, a conservationist and a revolutionary socialist. He is best-known today for his wallpapers and textiles but he also designed embroideries, stained glass, mural decoration, books and tapestries. And his firm, Morris & Co., was the foremost decorating company of his day. His over-arching passions were a love of art and making, and a hatred for what he perceived as the greed and inequality that characterised contemporary society. This lecture reviews Morris’s life, ideas and achievements, exploring not only the highlights of his career but also his relationships with his wife Jane, and other artists and designers with whom he worked, and the reasons why he is still so important and influential today.

Britain has over 60,000 war memorials, each with their own sad and emotional story to tell.  They also represent our largest collection of public art - more than 1,300 are listed.

We will explore the story of our war memorials, including such masterpieces as Sir Edwin Lutyens' Cenotaph and monumental Thiepval Gate and CS Jaggers' Royal Artillery memorial at Hyde Park Corner.

Especially memorable is the work of the Commonwealth (Imperial) War Graves Commission and the new National Arboretum in Staffordshire.  We will look too at the Scottish War Memorial on Edinburgh.

Andrew Davies:  Extra-Mural Tutor for London, Essex and The Open University; Author of 9 books, including The East End Nobody Knows; frequent contributor to radio and television; has lectured all over the world; organises walks to complement his lectures.

This lecture traces British marine painting back to the Van de Veldes, father and son, who were invited to England in 1672 and shows how they influenced British marine painters. After a brief look at the 18th century marine painters that followed, 19th century marine painters are divided into four categories, painters of naval battles, ships’ portrait painters, pure sea painters and landscape artists who turned to the sea for inspiration. Artists featured include, JMW Turner, J T Serres, George Chambers, Clarkson Stanfield, Thomas Luny, Philip de Loutherbourg, Richard Parkes Bonington and E W Cooke. 

Felicity Herring:  MA degree in Fine Art Valuation and BA in History and Economics. Experienced cruise lecturer and lecturer to National Trust, Rotary, yacht clubs, public school sixth forms and retirement groups such as U3A and ProBus. Member of the Nelson Society and 1805 Club. Programme Secretary of Blackmore Vale DFAS for four years and formerly committee member of Wimborne DFAS.

A mixture of art-historical analysis and scandalous anecdote, this lecture takes a generally light-hearted look at changing attitudes to sexual morality down the ages, by examining the portraits and careers of some of history’s most notorious mistresses and courtesans. It also charts the rather complex and ambiguous attitudes of art and society towards the numerous anonymous working girls at the lower end of the scale, by investigating how they have been represented in art at different times and places from the 17th to the 20th century.

The British Royal Collection remains unsurpassed in its extensive holding of early 19th century silver and gold ware. The enormous breadth and richness of this silver and gold collection today is primarily due to the concentrated efforts of George IV and the royal goldsmiths and jewellers, Rundell, Bridge & Rundell. From 1804, the future King George IV started collecting his Grand Service of Banqueting Plate which, by the time he died in 1830, comprised of over 4000 pieces. The talk illustrates highlights from this remarkable collection; describes the grand palatial settings which George IV created as Prince of Wales, Prince Regent and King, to display his collection; and shows other significant pieces of Royal gold and silverware.

Why were foreigner painters preferred by the aristocracy in London to native-born English painters, why did foreigners come in the first place, what was their motivation, and what was the impact of foreigners in London on English art and art practise? The lecture will look at the various formats and uses of art, tracing foreign artists from the Tudor period through to the Renaissance and Baroque, looking at their origins and how they came to work in England. It will examine the contributions of artists such as Holbein, Gerrit van Honthorst, Marcus Gheeraerts the younger, Lucas and Susanna Horenbout, Isaac Oliver, Paulus van Somer, van Dyck, Peter Lely, and Rubens. This lecture will look at how these artists influenced the British School of painting and assess their legacy.

Frank Matcham (1854-1920) was the architect of many of Britain’s best-known theatres, including the Hackney Empire, Buxton Opera House, Belfast Grand Opera House, Bristol Hippodrome, The Gaiety Theatre in Douglas, Isle of Man, and the London Coliseum. Simon Rees has worked in many of these theatres, and gives an insider’s view of Matcham’s architectural legacy. The lecture is illustrated by present-day and period photographs, postcards from the turn of the century, and Matcham’s own fascinatingly detailed architectural drawings. The lecture can be tailored to include detailed references to Matcham’s theatres in the neighbourhood of the lecture venue. 

The vibrant coloured jazzy designs of Clarice Cliff, reflect the character of this extraordinary woman, who began work at 13 and ended up marrying the boss. The superbly balanced and more delicately coloured work of Susie Cooper, often using the latest factory techniques, totally sums up the serious designer who continued to work into her 80s. The Ruskin Pottery, named after the great 19th century critic, specialized in outstanding high fired Chinese glazes which earned Howson Taylor a gold medal at the Paris 1925 Exhibition.

The last two decades of the nineteenth century reverberated with the row amongst gardeners and architects. At a stroke, the problem was solved by the partnership between Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens, so that a house by Lutyens with a garden by Jekyll became an Edwardian ideal. Together they designed gardens with a strong architectural background, softened by luxuriant planting in the natural style advocated by Robinson. Their partnership thrived in the brash, new-moneyed Edwardian era, but the First World War ended that golden afternoon and as Lutyens became distracted by the creation of New Delhi and Miss Jekyll, almost blind, became more and more reluctant to leave Munstead Wood, so the gardens they designed together were fewer and further between. 

Pubs and their signs are a fundamental part of our history and cultural heritage. In this colourful and entertaining lecture John shows some of the most interesting and distinctive signs before exploring the fascinating stories behind the origin of some of their peculiar names. Who could fail to be intrigued by ‘The Bucket of Blood’, the ‘Cow and Snuffers’ or even the ‘Eager Poet’ – and who on earth was ‘Blind Jack’? 

A look behind the senes at the trendsetting Imperial Couple learning hidden truths.

What is it that makes English furniture of this golden age so distinctive and recognisable?

An art historian and a professional artist specialising in painting, sculpture and performance. Her lectures combine art historical knowledge with personal expertise in aesthetics and artistic techniques. Art from all periods, including examples of her own work, is examined from an artist's point of view. This entails a perceptive analysis of a painting's structure, its meaning, and its relationship to the history of art. She puts a particular emphasis on studying the symbolic language of the imagination. BA (Hons) Fine Art from Chelsea School of Art and an MFA from Cambridge School of Art.

Journey of the River from the Source to the Sea, in the company of artists:  We will flow with the current of the river from its beginnings as a muddy puddle to its magnificent merging with the sea. Paintings by artists past and present will open our eyes to the beauty of the river. What is it that makes us go down to the river? It is our need to reflect on how we feel about our lives. As the river snakes its way towards the sea, the movement of the water and the shape of the landscape change. Individual artists are attracted to particular parts of the river because that place reflects a fundamental dream that they have about life. Constable is an obvious example of this but so are Stanley Spencer, Whistler and Michael Andrews. Some artists paint imaginary rivers inspired by English literature such as Millais and Waterhouse. Others are inspired by Greek myths in which Gods chase after river nymphs. Cecil Collins and Peter Doig are modern artists who imbue the river with a deep spirituality. Where the river meets the sea our destiny is fulfilled. We pass from life to death and our personal dreams become universal ones. Flow with the current of the river from its source to the sea. 

The Lecture explores the history of jade from the Neolithic tomb to the magnificent carved items of 18c Emperors and its importance of the Stone of Heaven to the culture of China.

Degrees in Decorative Arts & Historic Interiors and Fine Art Valuation; also holds a DPhil in Art History. Forty years' lecturing experience, including to the Art Fund in Jersey and Guernsey, the Ringwood Antiques Club Hampshire, the Jersey College for Adult Education, and various after-dinner engagements. Has given talks on local radio, and held antique road shows for various organisations. Interests include eighteenth century fine & decorative art, the Grand Tour, Oriental decorative arts, and silver and jewellery. Is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Lee Miller photographed Picasso more than 1,000 times.  He painted her portrait six times. This is their story.

From antiquity to renaissance Venice, the lecture introduces the art and craft of glass making from 1500BC to 1600.

Design and Decorative Arts journalist and author. London Blue Badge Guide, specialising in themed tours for American Museums and Art Galleries. Specialist subjects: history of glass and London's history, galleries, museums and architecture. Freelance lecturer for Adult Education Groups. Delighted to devise tours, lecturing and study days based in and around London.

How the St Ives colony developed as an international community of artists and later became recognised world-wide as a centre for both the practice and teaching of marine and landscape painting.

David Tovey read law at Oxford and practised as a solicitor for 20 years. He returned to University in 1996 to read History of Art and now specialises in Cornish Art. His particular interest in St Ives art derives from the fact that his great-grandfather, William Titcomb, was one of the early settlers in the colony. Since 2000, David has curated various exhibitions on Cornish art for Tate St Ives, Penlee House Gallery and Museum, Penzance, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, Nottingham Castle Museum, Cheltenham Art Gallery and various other art galleries around the country. He has also published eight books, of which five have been major, ground-breaking surveys of St Ives art, namely "St Ives Art pre-1890 - The Dawn of the Colony"," Pioneers of St Ives Art at Home and Abroad 1889-1914", "Sea Change - Fine and Decorative Art in St Ives 1914-1930", "Creating A Splash - The St Ives Society of Artists 1927-1952" and the unique social history "St Ives (1860-1930) - The Artists and the Community".

An exploration of some of the finest stained glass in Cornwall and Devon from the Middle Ages to 21c.  Discover how this amazing art-form developed over six centuries and how our stained glass windows are unique in England.

Michael is stained glass adviser to the Diocese of Truro and to Truro Cathedral.  He is well-known as a lecturer throughout the Southwest of England as a tutor in adult education, and has written a book and numerous articles on stained glass.

Stories of 15c banking, piracy and paintings have exciting parallels with our own times,and places artists like Van Eyck and Memling in their turbulent context.

Dr Christopher Herbert - Has lectured at the National Gallery, the Courtauld Institute, King’s College, London, Westminster Abbey, and the University of Rikkyo in Japan, and at churches and cathedrals throughout England and in Italy. Was until recently Bishop of St Albans and a member of the House of Lords. He has an MPhil and PhD in Art History from the University of Leicester. Has also been awarded two honorary doctorates and is an honorary citizen of Fano, Italy.

The lecture examines his life and work, explains his achievements and why his pioneering career caused such bitter controversy.

Linda Smith - Holds two first-class degrees in Art History. Experienced guide and lecturer at Tate Britain, Tate Modern and the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Lectures to secondary school audiences and independent arts societies.

The lecture examines how time was told down the ages from the perspective of the sundial and its competitors (clocks, sand glasses, water clocks etc).

Kevin Karney - studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University, VSO teacher in Borneo, and worked across the world as an underground engineer. Now a magistrate in Gwent. Has had a life-long interest in the history of timekeeping and cosmology, and in sundials in particular, as objects of art, craft and science. His specialist topic is the Equation of Time. Lectured on various aspects of sundials in UK and USA, including to the British Sundial and North American Sundial Societies. Publications include articles in the journals of both these societies.

During the difficult times of rationing it was the ingenuity of the display manager, the forward looking instincts of the buyers and the young and dynamic Chairman that put the company back on the map of modern design. By the 1960s they were able to provide fashion designers of the exploding youth movement with the right materials to lead several fashion trends.

The Huguenots came to England in huge numbers in the late 17th century bringing with them a wide variety of skills - as silk weavers, silversmiths, clock makers, opticians, bankers, gilders, ironworkers, horticulturalists etc. Names such as Paul de Lamerie, Samuel Courtauld and Jean Tijou spring to mind.  In virtually all areas they were innovators and more advanced than the English who were forced to improve their own skills or go out of business. Although the majority settled in London, others found their way to East Anglia, Macclesfield and Canterbury.  This talk examines their lasting legacy.

A look at the work of key figures in the field of contemporary jewellery and how new techniques have led artists to work in ways which differ from traditional jewellery in both materials and concepts.

Water features have been a key ingredient of garden layouts since the earliest records. Despite the practical difficulties, the idea of glittering movement is powerfully appealing to the human mind. A review of the progress of water through the historic garden in Britain and continental Europe.

A look at the defining features of Decorated Gothic at Exeter, described as England’s most beautiful decorated Gothic cathedral.  Exeter marks a high point in medieval cathedral building and we look more closely at the cathedral as a product of its own time revealing insights into the spirit of the age of great cathedrals.

Born in 1869, Samuel John Birch made the Lamorna Valley his adopted home and name. His subject was landscape, particularly Cornish landscape, and this lecture presents the diverse range of materials and styles used by Birch to capture this remote and unspoilt land.

About Catherine Wallace

Catherine Wallace was brought up in Otley, West Yorkshire. She studied fine art at Leeds and Canterbury before completing a master’s degree in art history and museum studies at St Andrews University. Having focused her studies on Wyndham Lewis, she researched and organized a major loan exhibition on this important British artist at London’s Imperial War Museum in 1992.

 Moving to Cornwall in 1993, she was responsible for Falmouth Art Gallery for eight years, curating both contemporary and historic art exhibitions as well as overseeing the redevelopment of the gallery. Thereafter she ran her own arts agency promoting Cornish contemporary art for four years.

She is now a freelance art writer, curator and lecturer as well as fundraiser. She has worked with arts charities including the Borlase Smart – John Wells Trust and the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. She currently works with commercial galleries, London auction houses and public museums. She also runs her own courses in Cornish Art History.

Catherine has over 24 years experience of organising exhibitions. Since becoming freelance she has curated two major exhibitions held simultaneously at Falmouth Art Gallery and the Royal Cornwall Museum on the artist Henry Scott Tuke in 2008. She co-ordinated the exhibition Sir Joshua Reynolds: The Acquisition of Genius at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery in 2009 and she devised and implemented thematic exhibitions from the art collection for Torre Abbey in Torquay from 2010 to 2013.

Catherine is also the author of several books on historic Cornish Art  including ‘Under the Open Sky: The Paintings of the Newlyn and Lamorna Artists 1880 – 1940’  and ‘Catching the Light: The Art and life of Henry Scott Tuke 1858 – 1929’.  She became a NADFAS lecturer in 2009 and has considerable experience in giving lectures on aspects of historic and contemporary Cornish Art.

Christmas trees, crackers, Christmas pudding and mince pies – the ingredients of a traditional Christmas. A look at the characters and personalities who began these traditions or introduced them to this country.

Alan Read holds a masters and a first class honours degree in History of Art from Birkbeck College. Is a gallery guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain and National Portrait Gallery, and has lectured at the NPG, Penlee House (Penzance), Plymouth City Art Gallery, Croydon Clocktower and the Bridewell Institute. He is also a London Blue Badge Guide and City of London Guide and has conducted walking tours for the Twentieth Century Society, the National Trust and team London Bridge.

The impact on Scandinavian designers of the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Modernism will be appraised bringing us up to the 1950s when it can be said Scandinavian design came of age.   Founded on principles of economy and self-reliance (Do-It-Yourself), IKEA has globalised Scandinavian Modern and many have embraced its founder’s ethos as it suits our busy lifestyles. 

Technical innovation, creative genius and remarkable craftsmanship enabled the poster to become the world’s first effective method of mass communication. Learn how an effective poster is designed and how it plays on the mind; and why most posters today go unnoticed.

From Wren's St Pauls and Victorian Tower Bridge to the Shard. A fascinating story of an ever changing skyline.

Walnut groves in the Perigord, vineyards and the Dordogne are the settings for beautiful gardens and chateaux.

List of Houses and Gardens to visit can be found in the 'Documents' section.

In addition to his well recognised talents, on Winston Churchill's advise, Coward took up painting.

The new face of an old friend - it's collections, controversies, scandals, and modern re-development.

A local boy, with South Devon connections, who made good and became a fashionable London artist. John Opie RA was the eighteenth century artist, the carpenter’s boy touched by genius, who was buried next to Reynolds in St Paul’s. Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy, his legacy of paintings can be found across the world. He is in the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Collection, in reference books, encyclopedias, lists of important portraits, of great artists, of great Cornishmen, even of quotations - yet most people have never heard of him

The lecture follows the Nile from North to South and covers its culture and history.

The lecture unwraps some of the many layers of history, culture and myths that make up Christmas and all associated with it.

The history of textiles is not just a matter of fashion but is also a story of politics, money, war, trade, the church,and even serendipity.

Malcolm Kenwood is an experienced, retired, specialist police and private detective, investigating art and antique crime. He was formerly the Recoveries Director for the Art Loss Register, which operates an international commercial database of stolen cultural property. He formed his own company and developed training programmes designed to educate law enforcement officers in all aspects of this area of criminal activity, undertaken in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Art and Antiques Unit at New Scotland Yard, London. He has lectured to police conferences, customs officers, auction house staff, museum employees, Interpol and FBI. The question of fake decorative art has been in vogue for hundreds of years, however increasingly sophisticated methods are being used by criminals to generate vast profits. This lecture reveals actual case studies, demonstrating the lengths forgers will go to in passing off works as legitimate. Skilled forgers capable of imitating well known artists have provided the ability to dupe many at the highest level within the art market. Experts have estimated that a high percentage of all works within the art market are fake. These scams ultimately inflict considerable damage to collectors and the trade.

Susie Harries is a writer, editor and lecturer, specialising in 20th century culture and the arts. Has published eight books on subjects including official war art, opera and the composer Elisabeth Lutyens. The most recent is the biography of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, published in August 2011. Lectured to a range of audiences, from the Imperial War Museum and British Museum to the Twentieth Century Society and the RSA, most recently at the Cheltenham and Bridport Literary Festivals and the Victorian Society.

Diana Lloyd is a freelance Lecturer in Ceramic, Glass and the History of Interior Decoration in Europe, North and South America. Lectures at the Inchbald School of Design, The Interior Design School and for American University Groups, NT and Antiques Societies and Christie's Education. Guides groups through Museum Collections and Country Houses. Collects Ceramics and Glass. Diploma with Distinction in the Fine and Decorative Arts, Inchbald School of Design.

Toby Faber Has written two works of narrative history, Stradivarius and Fabergé's Eggs, published by Macmillan in the UK and Random House in the US, and given lectures associated with these two subjects at venues including The Victoria and Albert Museum, Bath Theatre, The Library of Congress and the Huntington Library, as well as a number of literary festivals. His career began with Natural Sciences at Cambridge and has been through investment banking, management consulting and five years as managing director of the publishing company founded by his grandfather, Faber and Faber, where he remains on the board. Is also non-executive Chairman of its sister company, Faber Music, a trustee of Yale University Press (UK) and a director of the Authors Licensing and Collecting Society.

John has recently retired from the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education. He is now a freelance lecturer drawing upon his eclectic range of interests and enthusiasms.

Freeman of the Goldsmiths' Company, Freeman of the City of London. Lecturer University of London, University of Surrey, V&A, National Trust, The Art Fund. Broadcasts on both television and radio. Author. Editor 'Jackson's Silver & Gold Marks'. Visits available to collections of silver throughout the UK - in museums, livery companies, colleges, cathedrals and corporate collections. Titles can be combined and Ian is happy to discuss putting a lecture together on any aspect of silver

Dr Parlby is a former Fleet Street journalist and film PR. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and has a first class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University.

John Iddon is a lecturer and guide at both Tate Britian and Tate Modern. He ran an MA course in Heritage Interpretation at St Mary's University College. He has lectured freelance to numerous societies, the National Trust and the Peggy Guggenheim Galley in Vence. He also lectures on art on cruises.

Peter Medhurst appears in the UK and abroad as musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts. He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg

Demonstrating great levels of artistic achievement, and to interpret ideas and assumptions to recreate something of the energy, spirit and confidence of this Golden Age.

Elizabeth Gordon graduated at the Guildhall School of Music (Piano & Flute). She lived in Italy for 17 years. Now divides her time lecturing at home and abroad, and leads tours to Europe and lectures on cruises.

Tony Tucker is Chairman of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. He lectures to the Friends of the City Churches, WEA and various historical associations. He leads regular walks for the City of London Corporation, Friends of the City Churches and other private groups.

Laura de Beden is a Doctor in Humanities (Bocconi University, Milan), Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture (University of Central England). Chartered landscape and garden architect, international lecturer and writer on landscape issues. Course leader in Garden Design at Kingston University, lecturer for the National Trust, the English Gardening School, the Chelsea Physic Garden. Study tours abroad.

Extra-Mural Tutor for London, Essex and The Open University; Author of 9 books, and a frequent contributor to radio and television. He has lectured all over the world, and organises walks to complement his lectures.

Having grown up in Berlin, Eveline Eaton moved to England and, whilst her children were at school, studied art-history in London, receiving her BA from the Courtauld Institute. Accepted by NADFAS in 1990 as a lecturer, she has toured the world as lecturer and tour guide. In 2012 she was elected as Vice-Chairman of The Dresden Trust.

Maggie Campbell Pedersen is a Fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain, and an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

Clive Barham Carter studied Egyptology at Cambridge. Has for thirty years been a teacher in secondary education. He is a member of the Egypt Exploration Society, being awarded an EES Scholarship to the Saqqara Expedition of 1964-5.

Caroline Knight is a lecturer and tutor on the V&A year course. High Renaissance to Baroque, the Visual Arts 1500 - 1720. She is an Architectural historian trained at the Courtauld and specialising in 16th to 18th century English and Scottish architectural history and patronage. She has researeched the history of Kensington Palace and published on the Cecil family,

Dr Lucy Worsley is Chief Curator at Histroric Royal Palaces such as The Tower of London and Hampton Court, and presents her own television programmes.

Tom Errington has been a practising artist, gilder and painter of TROMPE L'OEIL murals for over twenty years. Previously Ihe was a lecturer at The Central School of Speech and Drama in London, worked in theatre on the technical side - Production Manager at Nottingham Playhouse - and was a Producer and Director of Independent Films. He is adviser on Art, Art History and Stained Glass to the Diocese of Southwell and Adviser on Stained Glass to the Diocese of Coventry.

Terry has an MA in English. She was an Open University Lecturer tutoring courses on the Renaissance and Reformation period. She now pursues interests in Medieval subjects, especially the history of the Mermaid.

Jane Tapley is currently the Special Events Organiser at the Theatre Royal in Bath and has lectured extensively on the History of theatre, Pantomime, Jane Austen and Georgian Bath.

Leslie Primo is a graduate with two degrees in Art History from Birkbeck, University College, London, specialising in early Medieval and Renaissance studies. Leslie Primo has not only worked at the National Gallery in London for 10 years, but has also taught a variety of art history course at Reading University. Leslie Primo currently lectures at the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, and teaches a variety of art history courses at the City Literary in London and has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld Institute

Oliver Everett, was educated at Cambridge, Tufts, USA and at the London School of Economics. Following service in the Foreign Office with postings in India and Spain, he was Assistant private Secretary to the Prince of Wales and then Private Secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales. He was Librarian in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle and is now Librarian Emeritus following his retirement.

Dr Anne Anderson is a former Senior Lecturer at Southampton Solent University, and a research Fellow at Exeter University. She specialises in Art Nouveau, Arts & Crafts. An author and Broadcaster