Art & History

Speaker: Gary Johnson Gary Johnson aims to show you how a little known Arabian Princess was to blame for the downfall of Edward VIII and how this happened.

Lecturer: John Hopwood Frank Winfield Woolworth was the son of a farmer recently returned from the American Civil War and in 1879 at the age of twenty-one he founded the 5 & 10 cents stores which, according to the Guinness Book of Records, became the largest retail business and department store chain in the world […]

Speaker: Angela Chantry Over two thousand years ago one of the greatest military leaders in history almost destroyed Rome.Hannibal, a daring African general from the city of Carthage, led an army of warriors and battle elephants over the snowy Alps to invade the very heart of Rome’s growing empire. But what kind of person would […]

Speaker: Ally O Brian What are the stories behind some of the famous products?  Birds Custard and Royal Baking Powder were both invented because Alfred Bird’s wife was allergic to yeast and eggs.  “Marriage is a lot more harmonious when one’s wife can satisfy her sweet tooth”!!!  Why is there no sugar or flavouring in […]

Speaker: Angela Chantry César Manrique Cabrera (1919-1992): described as the man “building paradise in the ruins of hell”.César Manrique Cabrera was a Spanish painter, sculptor and artist, best known for his architectural projects as artistic director. He was one of the foremost exponents of contemporary art in the Canary Islands, and a reference in the […]

Because we are increasingly finding it more difficult to find good speakers willing to spend hours researching their subject and then presenting it to our members we must, very occasionally, repeat and old talk. This time it is one which was presented eight years ago – although it is considerable modified from the original. So, […]

Speaker: Angela Chantry In the early 16th century Hernán Cortés and his conquistadors defeated the great Aztec Empire, built a new city for colonists from Spain and took control of vast lands stretching from today’s south-western U.S. down through most of Central America. A story not often told, however, is that one of the reasons […]

Speaker: Rosalind Miranda Naïve Art is usually is usually defined as art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes, & is characterized by childlike simplicity & frankness of execution and vision. It is simple, unaffected, and unsophisticated. In the right hands, however, this does not make […]

Spèaker: John Hopwood To Understand The Background And Emergence Of The Samurai We Must Look At Japan’s Early History, Mainly From Around The Year 800ad. Everyone Knows Something About The Samurai. The Literal Translation Means One Who Serves. For Many Years, They Were The Warrior Class In Japan And Whilst They Had A Tradition Of […]

Speaker: lan Brown Ian Brown will give us a presentation on the 1,000 year History of Freemasonry, from its Origins via its Ritual and Tradition to the Structure of Freemasonry today and a particular reference to Freemasonry in Spain.Many of us think that the Masons are very secretive but most of us know several members […]

Speaker: Gary Johnson Anthony Blunt was arguably one of Britain’s most treacherous spies who caused misery and death. In this talk I want to convince you that he was able to hide in plain sight because he was clever, articulate, devious and the British establishment were involved in a massive cover up. You will learn […]

Speaker: Diana Jarvis Diana has recently travelled this famous route following the footsteps of the first Chinese Emperors, the conquering Mongol tribes, Alexander The Great, Timur (Tamburlaine the Great) and Marco Polo and brought  back photos that will have the travel group reaching for their maps and flight schedules! 

Speaker: David Ebsworth In a remarkable addition to his existing talks about the Spanish Civil War, David Ebsworth now takes us on one of Franco’s real-life 1938 battlefield tours. Join him – and 1930s Coventry school-teacher Mary Walker, an ardent supporter of General Franco – as we meet some of their actual fellow-travellers, hear from […]

Speaker: Rosalind Miranda Not surprisingly, this talk was inspired by the recent heist of the crown jewels from the Louvre last year. When I started looking into it, I learned that the FBI estimates that $4 to $6 billion worth of art is stolen each year! I will go into why this happens, & some of the […]

Speaker: Angela Chantry Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell, Adventurer, Adviser to Kings & Ally of Lawrence of Arabia Turning away from privileged Victorian Britain, Gertrude Bell explored and mapped the world of the Arabs, winning the trust of Arab sheikhs and chieftains along the way. When the First World War erupted and […]