Hogarth’s work was widely distributed in print and served as the News of the World of its day. Its bawdy scenes and dissolute characters have influenced political cartoons and even pub signs! Stella explores his moral series A Harlot’s Progress and his famous prints Beer Street and Gin Lane.

About the Speaker

Stella has lectured in many countries and has a vast range of specialist subjects. She has her own online lecture course which attracts listeners from five continents. She has published several articles and is a popular lecturer for travel companies and private clubs such as the RAC club. She spent many years modelling for the Welsh based artist, Harry Holland.

Wealthy Venetians shopping on the Rialto had access to goods from as far afield as the Islamic East and Northern Europe. Antonia explores the goods on offer and how Venetians displayed them after purchase.

About the Speaker

Antonia specialises in Italian Renaissance and Ottoman art. Her publications focus on cultural and diplomatic exchanges between Italian City states and the Ottomans. She has lectured in many places abroad as well as at the V and A and Courtauld’s and The National Gallery. She has also been a professional tour guide for Tate Britain and Tate Modern.

This lecture takes place on a Wednesday

Alison will explore a Tudor Christmas through four key aspects, namely Feasts, Frivolity, Fantasy and Faith. She references art of the period to illustrate the culture of the time and looks at recipes, dancing, music and drama to recreate the atmosphere of a Tudor Christmas.

About the Speaker

Alison has taught Art History for over 20 years and is currently working at The University of Essex. She has led guided tours at The British Museum and The National Gallery. She has presented papers for the Renaissance Society of America in Boston and Dublin. Her book entitled “The Dissemination of Saint George in Early Modern Art” has been recently published.

John Benjamin from The Antiques Road Show will guide us through the life, designs and inspirations of a relation of his, Harry Murphy, who was apprenticed to Henry Wilson, probably Britain’s greatest goldsmith designer of the Arts and Crafts era.

About the Speaker

John is a jewellery historian, lecturer, author and broadcaster. He is well known after appearing on The Antiques Roadshow for over 30 years. After holding the post of International Director of Jewellery at Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers he has been an independent jewellery consultant for private clients.  Amongst the honorary positions he holds are Freeman of The Goldsmith’s Company and Founder liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars. He is also Honorary Jewellery Advisor to The National Trust.

Annalie will explore the surge of artistic interest in Winter during the Romantic period. Poets such as William Cowper, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Casper David Friedrich were inspired by the winter landscape, whilst Wordsworth and Henry Raeburn created iconic ice-skating scenes in verse and painting.

About the Speaker

A former teacher, Annalie has worked on education programmes at museums such as The Wordsworth Trust and Jane Austen’s house. She has also worked at various libraries such as The British Library and Chawton House Library. Her lectures focus on Romantic and Victorian Literature.

Mark will look at the architecture of Leslie Green and Charles Holden, as well as the typeface of Frank Pick and Edward Johnston. Links with the Arts and Crafts movement and the Streamline Moderne/Art Deco movement are explored, as well as post war austerity in design. Recent schemes such as the Elizabeth Line are also considered.

About the Speaker

Mark Ovenden has sold a quarter of a million books and is a broadcaster who has appeared on many TV and radio programmes. His first bestselling book was a guide to the maps of Transit systems across the world. His other publications include   books about the Paris Metro, the New York subway, Manchester’s Metro Link and Airline maps. He has produced programmes for the BBC and for commercial radio as a journalist and newsreader. He has also worked in television as a researcher as well as a music programmer and produced a documentary on architecture.

If you feel baffled or fascinated by the fact that a work of art, which doesn’t exist in any tangible way, can make millions on the art market, then this is the lecture for you. Vivienne explores the history of high-risk speculation on the art market,driven by potential profits made from investment in contemporary art.

About the Speaker

Vivienne is an art historian, curator, author and journalist who has spent over 25 years in the art world. Since 2011 she has been Senior UK Consultant to Singapore gallery One East Asia which has resulted in her co -curating many exhibitions of Southeast Asian art. She teaches at various Higher Education institutions including Sotheby’s, Imperial College and SOAS. She has also written many articles, essays and reports.

Kathleen Scott was the most significant woman sculptor before Barbara Hepworth, yet she is relatively unknown today. She was the widow of the Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott and had a local connection with the village of Binton. This lecture explores why her legacy faded and reclaims her reputation.

About the Speaker

Katherine is a popular public speaker on polar history around the world. She started researching it when her husband climbed Everest in 2006. She was inspired by the invisible women-the mothers, wives and widows throughout exploration history. She has published several books including “Snow Widows-Scott’s Fatal Antarctic Expedition Through the Eyes of the Women They Left Behind”. She has been shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker Mountain Literature Award after publishing “Behind Everest: Ruth Mallory’s Story”, under the name Kate Nicholson.

Morning lecture only followed by our AGM

Emma Johnson, Musician of the Year in 1984, will explore amusing snippets from the classical canon, ranging from Mozart’s A Musical Joke to The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. She will go on to talk about modern musicians such as Charlie Chaplin, Dudley Moore and Victor Borge and considers what they did to make us laugh.

About the Speaker

Emma has made 30 CD’s and is one of the few clarinettists to perform worldwide as a soloist. Her musical talks “Woodwind Wizardry” and “The Poet John Milton” were broadcast by the BBC and she has lectured on composers Gerald Finzi and Malcolm Arnold for the internet. She also regularly  gives talks for Martin Randall Travel. She was the first woman to be made an Honorary Fellow at Cambridge and was awarded an M.B.E by the late Queen in 1996.