The discovery of the science behind electricity by the humble Michael Faraday laid the basis for the electrical age in the 19th and 20th century, We will see where he worked with Humphrey Davy in the Royal Institution. Burlington House is were in the Linnean Society Darwin’s; theory of evolution was first presented to the world. We end at The Royal Society the foremost scientific society in the world established in the 17th century with Isaac Newton one of its first Presidents.
There is no need to book for the Doctor’s London Plague, Quacks and Leeches. This walk is offered as part of London Walks. You can check their website for times and dates by clicking here. Or email Barry and he will reply with the information.
Uccello’s The Battle of San Romano and Botticelli’s Mars and Venus are among the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance in the Sainsbury Wing. Religious works by Raphael and Michelangelo are in good company with the drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of the Virgin and St Anne. Holbein’s magisterial ‘Ambassadors’ and the enigmatic Van Eycks ‘Arnolfini Marriage’ represent the Northern Renaissance.
There is no need to book for this guided tour. This walk is offered as part of London Walks. You can check their website for times and dates by clicking here. Or email Barry and he will reply with the information.
The art of the 18th century Rococco art with paintings by Boucher and Fragonard’s famous ‘The Swing’. Set in a magnificent town house in Manchester Square owned by Richard Wallace. The collection includes superb Sevres Porcelain, furniture owned by Marie Antoinette. The Great Gallery boasts a great collection of Old Masters including Titian, Gainsborough and Frans Hal’s famous Laughing Cavalier.
There is no need to book for this guided tour. This walk is offered as part of London Walks. You can check their website for times and dates by clicking here. Or email Barry and he will reply with the information.
This one hour illustrated talk covers the War of the Roses, biography of the king and how he was portrayed in history. The recent astounding discovery of the body of Richard III in Leicester and how the scientists and archaeoplogists were able to piece together the evidence proving this is undoubtedly his boy.
Explore the delightful Thames riverscape in this extended walk beginning with the exotic tented tomb of the explorer Sir Richard Burton. The site of the famous Mortlake Tapestries and the site of the Elisabethan mystic and astrologer Dr John Dee. We make our way along the river path up to Barnes Bridge. Hear how the Royal Ballet was founded by Ninette de Valois and how Gustav Holst came to live on the 18th Century Georgian Terrace. Past the village duck pond, the Lion Houses to the St Mary’s Church with links to Magna Carta and the famous former recording Olympic Studios near Castelnau.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
Mortlake Mainline Station near Ticket Office
First stop (for any latecomers)
St Mary Magdalene Church, 61 N Worple Way, SW14 8PR
Ends at
Red Lion Pub, 2 Castelnau, Barnes SW13 9RU (short bus ride to Barnes Mainline Station)
Come and experience the glories of Asian Art in London’s ‘Treasure House’ Beginning with Gandharan Buddhist sculptures. The tour encompasses Islamic art in all its glory. Islamic design in calligraphy, ceramics, and metalwork. The famous Ardabil carpet from Persia is a highlight. Iznik ceramics show the evolution of floral design and colour in the Ottoman world, The Indian gallery has Mughal jewels and evocative miniatures as well as the famous Tipoo’s Tiger automaton. The Chinese collection extends from ancient bronzes to exquisite Qing jade carvings. From Japan magnificently embroidered kimonos, long sleeved for maidens and short sleeved for married Japanese ladies. Netsuke –delightful carvings designed as toggles for formal wear mensware in the Japanese Galleries. Beautiful lacquer Inro’s for carrying seals and medicines.Exquisite and lethally sharp Japanese swords, among the best in the world were used by the Samurai warriors. All this and more highlighting the different styles cultures of Asia.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
South Kensington Underground Station (main concourse)
This one hour lecture covers the history of the NHS and how it evolved over 7 decades. The talk brings it right up to date with the latest revised structures of health delivery. It details some of the fascinating facts about the NHS and the amazing service it provides. Comparisons are done with health systems in other countries and how it continually evolves to meet the expectations and needs of the population.
Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Health, on the first day of the National Health Service, 5 July 1948 at Park Hospital, Davyhulme, near Manchester (image credited to the University of Liverpool Faculty of Health & Life Sciences and licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license).
This one hour illustrated talk includes the history of anatomy, mental health and infectious diseases depicted in Western art. It covers the history of pandemics and the Great Plague.
A one hour lecture about the health and illnesses of Kings and Queens of England down the centuries. Provides a fascinating insight into the History of Medicine in England from Medieval times to the 21st Century. This illustrated talk covers the history of surgery, anaesthetics and obstetrics over the centuries.
These are 2 one hour lectures on the Industrial revolution in Great Britain and the establishment of science with the Royal Society in the 17th Century. It takes us through the steam age, the electrical age and the computer age.
