Lectures & Speakers 2019 – 2020
Our lecture season runs from October to April, with lectures being held in the Anna McDowell Garden Room at Gold Hill Museum on the first Tuesday afternoon of each month. The exception is the Teulon Porter Memorial Lecture, which starts the season and is held in the evening at Shaftesbury Town Hall. Noel Teulon Porter was a notable Cambridge archaeologist and instrumental in founding The Shaftesbury & District Historical Society in 1946.
The 2019 Teulon Porter Lecturer was Professor Steven Gunn of Merton College, Oxford. He gave a superb illustrated talk on ‘Everyday Life and Accidental Death in Tudor Dorset and Wiltshire’, at 7.30p.m. on Tuesday 24 September in Shaftesbury Town Hall.
Lectures are free to members, while visitors may pay £3 at the door (£5 for the Teulon Porter). To reserve a seat, non-members are advised to contact enquiries@goldhillmuseum.org.uk
Proposals for lectures to the Society on suitable historical subjects are welcome, and may also be made via enquiries@goldhillmuseum.org.uk
| Date / Time | Topic | Speaker | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, 05 November 2019 – 2.30pm – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | The Brilliant Burneys: stars of the 18th century | Dr Deborah Jones | Deborah Jones is Secretary of the Burney Society UK and writes novels featuring a Burney scholar. She recently moved to Shaftesbury |
| Tuesday, 03 December 2019 – 2.30pm – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | Stonehenge, Old Rocks and New Theories – and perhaps an update on the SAVED Project | Julian Richards | Julian’s enthusiasm and talent for explaining archaeological discoveries have been harnessed on many television programmes. He may be persuaded to say something about recent findings at Shaftesbury Abbey |
| Tuesday, 07 January 2020 – 2.30p.m. – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | “Fancy liquors and sky-high kickers”: Can-Can and the Invention of Gay Paree, 1867-1914 | Dr Jonathan Conlin | Dr Jonathan Conlin FRHistS FHA is Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Southampton. Among his books is ‘Tales of Two Cities – Paris, London and the Birth of the Modern City’ |
| Tuesday, 04 February 2020 – 2.30p.m. – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | Thomas Hardy: the novels, the novelist and North Dorset | Alban O’Brien | Alban O’Brien is a retired English teacher and lifelong student of literature who now leads literary and discovery holidays. His connections with Hardy include volunteering at Hardy’s Cottage, acting with the New Hardy Players and giving talks about one of his favourite writers |
| Tuesday, 03 March 2020 – 2.30p.m. – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | The Grotto Makers: Joseph and Josiah Lane of Tisbury | Christina Richard | Tina Richard is Chairperson of Tisbury History Society. Her book about The Grotto Makers was published by Hobnob Press in 2018. Examples of the Lanes’ work can be seen locally at Old Wardour Castle, Stourhead and St Giles House Wimborne |
| Tuesday, 07 April 2020 – 2.30p.m. – The Garden Room, Gold Hill Museum | Tea and Talks | A series of short presentations by Society members on the fruits of their recent researches into aspects of local history |
