It was in the Tudor and early Stuart periods that ordinary people really got involved in politics. It was a world of political gossip, rumour, news and satire. It gave us the first newspapers and the rise of the political petition. It was an age of rebellion and riot when the power of the great […]
Abingdon County Hall Museum is proud to have an exquisitely carved frame probably by Grinling Gibbons, now containing a mirror, on permanent display. Gibbons was the premier woodcarver of his age, and his artistic achievements and craftsmanship are still held in high esteem today. His work adorns many of the great houses of this country […]
On the first floor of the Ashmolean Museum in the Asian Crossroads gallery the visitor is greeted by a large, Chinese, pottery camel on a plinth. The Tang Dynasty camel serves as a symbol of the Silk Roads linking East to West, but there is much more to it than initially meets the eye. Little […]
An illustrated talk by Dr. Rosalind Rawnsley (co-author of a new biography of Canon Rawnsley). Canon Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley was a co-founder of the National Trust and the talk will look at various aspects of his extraordinary life, including the influence of John Ruskin, which bore fruit in the work of the School which Rawnsley […]
This will be a romp through the pleasures and perils of life in this turbulent era, featuring bawdy frolics, alehouse revels, highway robberies, Civil War, fire and plague. Hugely entertaining, the talk also gives important insight into evolving customs – of courtship, celebration, faith and burial – at the dawn of the modern age. Tim […]
The Bayeux Tapestry is an 11th century embroidery which tells the story of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and graphically illustrates the battle itself. Most popular perceptions of the Norman Conquest of England are based on illustrations taken from the Tapestry. In this talk Trevor will describe this extraordinary artefact, how, […]
Sue Black is the UK's leading forensic anthropologist. Her work has ranged from war crimes investigations in Kosovo to single suspicious deaths in the UK and everything in between, some of which have been the subject of a series of TV programmes. She will talk about how her upbringing and an academic career in human […]
The Rothschild family is renowned for their extensive and diverse collections of art, antiques and artifacts. Their passion for collecting has been a family tradition with each generation contributing to collections including everything from traditional and contemporary art to furniture, textiles, porcelain and objets d’art of all kinds. In September 2019, the late Lord Rothschild […]
René Olivieri is the Chairman of the National Trust. He will be giving an overview of its new strategy and talking around the increasing access and inspiring others agenda - why it’s necessary and how this fits with what the organisation has always done. This is a wonderful opportunity to come and hear first hand […]
Avebury, its ancient stones and burial mounds have been the subject of speculation and exploration for centuries. In this talk Nick will reveal the story of a landscape that almost four hundred years after the antiquary John Aubrey first encountered and is still giving up its secrets. She is the National Trust archaeologist for the […]
