Overview
Join us for an afternoon of six lectures followed by a drinks reception on Saturday, 23rd November 2019 at One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA.
From Brunel as an architect to how music changes minds, and from early American portraiture to Virgil’s ‘Troy in miniature’ in Albania, the 2019 London lecture afternoon promises a broad range of talks from MRT’s distinguished pool of speakers.
This year’s venue is One Great George Street, a magnificent Edwardian building and home of the Institute of Civil Engineers. Our talks are held in the Telford Theatre with drinks in the Great Hall, one of the finest halls in London.
The talks
Stephen Johnson – How Music Changes Minds.
Mary Lynn Riley – 'Tis the gift to be simple: Early American Portraiture.
Professor Lloyd Llewellyn Jones – Shahnameh: Persian past and Iranian present in the Epic of Kings.
Carolyn Perry – Butrint: Albania’s archaeological gem and Virgil’s ‘Troy in miniature’.
Dr Steven Brindle – Brunel as an Architect.
Anthony Peers – The Buildings of the British in India: The Long Quest for an Appropriate Style.
Optional walk & lunch to precede our Lecture Afternoon
Around St James’s – a London morning
Lecturer: Martin Randall
Price: £95. This includes morning refreshments and lunch.
If it were necessary to identify the centre of the centre of London, a convincing candidate would be St James’s Park. Several royal palaces have abutted the perimeter over the last five hundred years – three still do – and for a millennium the government of England was increasingly based in Westminster Palace and Whitehall, which are only a stone’s throw away.
Yet it was marshy wasteland when Henry VIII bought the park as part of a great hunting forest, and the late 17th-century predecessor to Buckingham Palace was effectively a country house. It was not until the nineteenth century that there was any significant building further west.
In terms of urban planning, the park is fascinating: no front door faces it. Perhaps the finest Picturesque park of the Romantic era, the green space itself is beautifully designed and planted. This morning walk explores the development of the area and the surrounding architecture.
London Lecture Afternoon
Start
The first lecture begins at 2.00pm, with the drinks reception commencing at 5.30pm.
Finish
The event ends between 7pm and 7.30pm.
Optional walk & lunch to precede our Lecture Afternoon
Around St James’s – a London morning
Start
9.30am St James’s Park Underground Station.
Finish
Close to and shortly before the commencement of the lecture afternoon.
Price
£75 per person. This includes a tea break and drinks and canapé reception.
Cancellation
We will return the full amount if you notify us 22 or more days before the event. We will retain 50% if cancellation is made within three weeks and 100% if within three days. Please put your cancellation in writing to info@martinrandall.co.uk. We advise taking out insurance in case of cancellation and recommend that overseas clients are also covered for possible medical and repatriation costs.
Tour combinations
Combine with our London Days; The Genius of Titian, 21 November 2019 and Ancient Egypt at the British Museum, 22 November 2019.
Optional walk & lunch to precede our Lecture Afternoon
Around St James's – a London morning
Price
£95 per person. This includes morning refreshments and lunch.
Group size
Maximum 18 participants.
Fitness
Apart from the refreshment break, the morning is spent entirely on foot.
'A splendidly varied and interesting programme of speakers.'
'Very good mix of speakers and subjects - makes one want to know more.'
'Martin Randall Travel deserves the accolades they receive as the staff are always professional and dedicated.'
'Mary Lynn Riley was interesting, engaging and so very knowledgeable.'
'Stephen Johnson was amazing; very easy to listen to and made you think about the music in ways you would never consider.'