A pre-season lecture by our outgoing President, Professor Nigel Wood to mark the loan of the iconic portrait of Richard III by the National Portrait Gallery as part of their … Continue reading Richard III on Stage and on Screen
Natural History Section meeting
"1919, 1969, 1994: New Beginnings and Key Influences" To be presented by Mrs Gillian Johnston. This is an open evening followed by a social gathering. The Lord Mayor of Leicester … Continue reading President’s Address
Note the earlier than usual start time and different venue. To be presented by Dr Todd Longstaffe-GowanLandscape Designer and Historian. Gardens Advisor to Historic Royal Palaces Dr Longstaffe-Gowan is the … Continue reading Urbs in Rure: The “Trifling” Pursuit of Town Gardening in Georgian England
Dr Richard Gornall, Director, Botanic Gardens, University of Leicester A meeting of the Natural History Section
To be presented by Professor Kate RetfordProfessor of History of Art, Birkbeck, University of London Earlier this year, the New Walk Museum and Art Gallery was able to purchase William Hogarth’s … Continue reading “At least 18 or 20 persons. setting at Cards & Tea”: William Hogarth’s Wollaston Family and the British Conversation Piece
To be presented by Professor Martin Barstow.Space Park Leicester Project Director School of Physics & Astronomy , University of Leicester Sponsored by British Science Association Space programmes are often viewed … Continue reading What has Space done for us?
The forty-seventh Sowter Memorial Lecture to be presented by Dr Alan Cann A meeting of the Natural History Section
To be presented by Dr Nicholas CambridgeHonorary Research Fellow in Humanities and Medical History, University of Buckingham Sponsored by the University of Leicester Charles Dickens' broad interest in medicine is … Continue reading From Mr. Pickwick to Tiny Tim: Charles Dickens and Medicine
To be presented by Professor Greg Walker FRHS FEA FSA FRSE Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature, University of Edinburgh. Sponsored by Loughborough University. What did Tudor audiences find … Continue reading Arrested Development: Bruegel’s Children, Clowns and Fooling Around on the Tudor Stage
Neil Pilcher, Senior Conservation Officer, LRWT A meeting of the Natural History Section
To be presented by Professor David Howarth, Professor of Law and Public Policy, University of CambridgeFellow of Clare College Cambridge. David Howarth graduated from Cambridge and then won a Mellon … Continue reading The British Constitution is in Transition, but from What to What?
Jim Graham, President, Leics. and Rutland Ornithological Society A meeting of the Natural History Section
To be given by Professor Bob White FRS Professor of Geophysics, Bullard Laboratories, Cambridge Joint lecture with the Geology Section Volcanic eruptions in Iceland have fascinated writers for centuries. In … Continue reading Fire and Fury in Iceland: Tracking Molten Rock from Deep in the Earth to Eruption at the Surface
This year’s Schools’ lecture was held at South Wigston High School together with other high attainers from Babington and Lancaster Academies. Chris Jackson, Equinor Professor of Basin Analysis at Imperial … Continue reading Schools’ Lecture
The Leicester Mercury Media Lecture To be given by Mr Mike Sassi, Editor of Nottingham Post The lecture will highlight the fact that although local newspaper circulations may have diminished, … Continue reading Who is Tom Crawford? Why Did He Stop Paying His Mortgage? And What Does His Story Tell Us About the Future Role of Local Media?
Gianpiero Ferrari F.R.P.S. A meeting of the Natural History Section
Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff CBE FRSResearch Professor in ChemistryUniversity of Nottingham Sponsored by Royal Society of Chemistry Professor Poliakoff is known for his Periodic Table of Videos project, an outreach … Continue reading Mendeleev’s Gift to Education (and to me)
To be given by Mr Brian EvershamCEO, Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Joint lecture with the Natural History Section Brian Eversham who is also visiting Professor at the … Continue reading Wildlife Recording in a Changing Environment
CANCELLED Unfortunately, this lecture has been cancelled due to the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus The lecture was to have been given by Professor Raanan Gillon, Professor Emeritus of Ethics … Continue reading CANCELLED: An approach to the Principles of Medical Ethics
A meeting of the Natural History Section
A general meeting for members is to be held by Zoom. Information about this meeting is being sent to all members by post or by e-mail. To join the meeting … Continue reading General Meeting for Members
A story of British entrepreneurialism in the Victorian era, the first transatlantic telegraph cable, and the connecting of the world. Awaiting the Reply by Robert Charles Dudley, ca. 1866 … Continue reading Messages under the Sea
A talk by Prof. Nigel Wood, a past president of the Leicester Lit&Phil, and a Professor of Literature at Loughborough University. By now, Jane Austen has been claimed by costume … Continue reading The Unfashionable Jane Austen
To be given by the incoming President, Dr. Bridget Towle, CBE The lecture will cover 400 years of the history of the hosiery and knitwear industry. It will try to … Continue reading The President’s Address: “The Rise and Fall of an Industry – Hosiery in Leicestershire”
Mike Wilson PhD FRSA FHEAProfessor of Drama, Head of Creative Arts and Director of the Storytelling Academy Loughborough University We tell stories not only as a way of conveying experiences, … Continue reading Storytelling with a social purpose, or how we are trying to change the world, one story at a time
Geology Section lecture: Charnwood's Canadian Cousins: Recent Geological Discoveries from Newfoundland and How They Inform Our Knowledge of England's Oldest Fossil Members are invited to the following Zoom webinar (note … Continue reading Geology Section lecture: Charnwood’s Canadian Cousins
Professor Sarah Hainsworth, OBE, Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Aston University will give the Lit and Phil on line lecture, Micrographia … Continue reading Micrographia Updated: From Materials to Richard III
The Peach Lecture organised jointly with the University of Leicester. Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife TrustsHonorary Professor of Sustainability and Innovation Alliance Manchester Business School and Policy Fellow … Continue reading Why the 2020s Could and Should Be the Decade for Nature’s Recovery
Mr John Clarkson, Head of Conservation, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (This is a change to the orginal programme.) The species with which we share the planet are under pressure … Continue reading Nature Recovery Network
The F.L. Attenborough Lectureto be given byThe Hon. Michael Attenborough CBE. D Litt. The inaugural annual F.L. Attenborough Lecture named after Frederick Levi Attenborough (1887-1973) President of the Leicester Literary and … Continue reading Do the Arts Have Any Role in Education?
by Dr Ian Bastow BSc MRes PhDSenior Lecturer in Seismology Imperial College London Joint Lecture with the Geology Section To an Earth Scientist, Ethiopia is a truly remarkable place. Its … Continue reading Ethiopia from top to bottom: Using seismology to understand how tectonic plates rise, split, then fall
Professor Clare Willsdon, Professor of the History of Western Art, University of Glasgow From Monet’s roses and waterlilies at Giverny to the peasant vegetable gardens painted by Pissarro, horticulture was … Continue reading Roses, Leeks, and Water Lilies: Impressionist Painters in the Garden
The members' meeting will be followed by a recital by The Bardi Clarinet Quartet hosted by Mr David Calow. Wine will be served in the interval. Accessing the lecture Members … Continue reading MEMBERS’ MEETING (NB 6:45 PM start)
Martin Clayton LVO FSA Head of Prints and Drawings for Royal Collection Trust at Windsor Castle The Head of Prints and Drawings for the Royal Collections Trust at Windsor Castle, … Continue reading Raphael and the Reinvention of Drawing
Professor Raanan Gillon FRCP is Professor Emeritus of Medical Ethics Imperial College London and past President of the British Medical Association Professor Raanan Gillon argues that the four prima facie … Continue reading An Approach to the Principles Of Medical Ethics
Professor Pete Hollingsworth FRSE Director of Science and Deputy Keeper Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) was founded in 1670 and is a world-leading scientific botanic … Continue reading Science and Conservation at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani FRCP FMedSci DL BHF Chair of Cardiology at the University of Leicester and Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation I will describe some of the … Continue reading A Cardiologist’s Journey
Alexander Johnston BSc (Econ) Dip TP MRTPI (rtd) Former Chief Planner Leicestershire County Council Synopsis The talk is titled “the Planners say NO and an Inspector calls: Public Inquiries and … Continue reading The Planners Say “No” and an Inspector Calls: Public Inquiries and the Implementation of Planning Policy
Dr Prashant Kidambi Associate Professor in Colonial Urban History, University of Leicester. My lecture is about the story of the first Indian cricket team, which travelled to Britain in the … Continue reading Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in The Age of Empire
Rear Admiral Nick Lambert Cofounder and Director NLA International Ltd. At 70 miles, the Ordnance Survey defines Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire as the UK’s furthest settlement from the sea. … Continue reading The Wellbeing of the Citizens of Leicester and Loughborough Depends on the Blue Economy
Professor Nishan Canagarajah President and Vice-Chancellor University of Leicester The F. L. Attenborough Lecture In 1921 the University of Leicester welcomed the first students. The university had been founded in … Continue reading Celebrating The University of Leicester’s Centenary
Professor Ian Newton OBE FRS FRSE Ornithologist. This talk will discuss the major changes in agriculture that have occurred in Britain since the mid-20th century, and the effects of these … Continue reading Impacts of Modern Agriculture on Birds
Professor Jane Clarke FRS FRSC FMedSci President Wolfson College University of Cambridge and Emeritus Professor of Molecular Biophysics Proteins are, perhaps, the most important of all biological molecules. Our genes, … Continue reading Exploring Protein Folding Landscapes – How Do Proteins Fold And Why Do They Need To?
Professor Dame Jane Francis DCMG FRS Director, British Antarctic Survey. Antarctica is a frozen white world of ice and snow in a remote region of our planet. Despite its remoteness, … Continue reading From Greenhouse to Icehouse, From Forests to Frost: Antarctica’s Climate History
Professor Nigel Leask FBA FRSE FEA Regius Professor of English Language and Literature, School of Critical Studies/ Sgoil an Oilein Sgrùdaich, University of Glasgow/Oilthigh Ghlaschu. Despite the scepticism of Dr … Continue reading ‘The Voice of the North’ Ossianic Tourism and the Discovery of the Highlands, 1773-1820
Members Annual General Meeting (NB 6.45pm start) followed by a recital by an ensemble from the Bardi Wind Orchestra, conducted by Mr David Calow. Wine will be served in the … Continue reading Members Annual General Meeting and Recital (6:45 PM start)
To be given by Professor Sir Kent Woods: Epidemics of smallpox in the mid-19th century prompted legislation making smallpox vaccination of infants compulsory. Leicester became a focus of national protest and the law was later amended to allow conscientious objection. Ninety years later, smallpox became the first infectious disease ever to be eradicated globally by vaccination yet the questions raised by the Leicester Anti-Vaccination League must be rigorously answered for every new vaccine.
To be given by Andrew Ellis, Director Art UK. The talk will explore the benefits and challenges of bringing together the UK’s national collection of art on one digital platform. Art UK shows art by 50,000 artists, including approaching 10,000 living artists. Over 3,300 UK institutions are represented, making it one of the largest arts partnerships in Britain.
To be given by Professor Caroline Kennedy Pipe: The lecture is an analysis of how a warming Arctic has affected the geopolitics of that region. Although Ukraine may seem a world away from the North Pole, the war in Europe has had many ramifications for Arctic states and the relationship with Russia in the High North.
To be given by Professor Mary Fowler: Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), father of nuclear physics, has much to teach us today, both in his extraordinary scientific insights, in his skills in reaching out to the wider community, in administration, and in his international outlook. Awarded a Nobel Prize in 1908, he dominated early 20th century experimental physics. Throughout his career he created an extraordinary team of students and colleagues, and his last great work, with Einstein as his deputy, successfully rescued over a thousand, scientists, mainly Jewish, from Nazi Germany.
To be given by Professor Fiona Stafford, FBA, FRSE: Trees are a perennial source of inspiration for poets, artists, and storytellers. The lecture will range through some of the trees that feature in poems and paintings, exploring their roots in the lived experience of their creators.
To be given by Professor Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. Achieving Net Zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 requires an economy-wide transformation. The talk will explore the basis for Net Zero and challenges for both science and policy in framing a sustainable and resilient pathway to it. It will show that a systems of systems approach is required to deliver Net Zero in a timely and cost-effective manner.
To be given by Professor Nick Jennings: In our increasingly connected world, computation is everywhere. This talk will explore how humans and artificial intelligence (AI) systems can work together. In such partnerships, the humans and the AI systems complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, leading to a rise in the humans, as well as in the machines. The limitations of current AI systems are discussed, as well as the associated ethical and societal implications of their widespread adoption.
To be given by Professor Kamlesh Khunti: The risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is two to four-fold higher in ethnic minority populations compared to white populations and is also associated with increased risk of certain macrovascular and microvascular complications. Diabetes is also a major risk factor for severe COVID-19 and the combination of ethnic disparities in diabetes care has been a significant contributor to the disparities in COVID-19 outcomes for ethnic minority populations.
To be given by Dr Dean Lomax: In January 2022, news broke of one of the greatest finds in British palaeontological history, a 10-metre-long giant ichthyosaur found in Rutland. Dubbed the ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’, this remarkable fossil is the largest skeleton of an ichthyosaur, or any prehistoric reptile ever found in the UK. Excavation leader and world ichthyosaur expert, Dr Dean Lomax, will take us on a Jurassic journey and talk about the discovery and excavation of this exceptional Jurassic giant.
To be given by Professor Katie Normington: The late medieval and early Tudor world was one where entertainment played a key role. This was also the case in Leicester where the Guildhall hosted visits by over 56 acting companies in the 16th century, including one which was associated with Shakespeare, meaning it was likely he visited Leicester. This talk will outline the range of performances that occurred in late medieval Leicester and the function that it served for citizens.
To be given by Dr Wei Yang, FAcSS, FRTPI: The talk will introduce the concept of 21st Century Garden City model which captures the essence of the original Garden City ideas, but adapts them to a more complex, promoting sustainability, tackling climate change and utilising smart technologies. The talk will explore how to modernise the planning profession by forging a common sense of purpose with wider society and create a balanced system for people, nature and society to co-exist in harmony.
To be given by Dr Felicity Crotty: This lecture will aim to provide an overview of the fascinating life found within the soil, how soil management changes the structure, chemistry, and biology of the soil, and overall what this means to “soil health”. This talk will also include how changing land use and climate change will have an impact on healthy soils, maintaining food security and improving biodiversity within the soil habitat.
To be given by Professor Lynne Frostick: Climate change is already impacting the rivers and coasts of our country. River flow records are exceeded on a regular basis and sea level rise is accelerating. Even if the world population agreed to stop emitting carbon dioxide today there is at least a hundred years of embedded change already in progress. This lecture will outline past and present trends in flood risk and then suggest ways society can adapt become resilient to the threat of flooding.
To be given by Professor John Butt: The two greatest composers of the early eighteenth century often engender their own devotees, but very little attention is given to what actually divides them. Given that the two come from very similar backgrounds, their careers went down radically different paths. At a technical level they inevitably share many characteristics, but the differences in mindset, musical hearing and narrative musical consciousness might well reveal much about the sheer breadth of early eighteenth-century thought – right on the cusp of the modern world.
The Members AGM will be followed by a concert given by the Chamber ensemble from the Bardi Wind Orchestra conducted by Mr David Calow. Non-members may also attend the concert. … Continue reading Members’ Annual General Meeting followed by a Concert
The President’s Address, to be given by Mr Michael Taylor, BA, DipTP, MA, MRTPI, IHBC. Town planner and conservation specialist The lecture will trace the origins of British conservation philosophy … Continue reading When Ruskin meets Thunberg: historic buildings in the age of climate crisis
A lecture to be given by Professor Rosemary Sweet, FSA, FRHistS. Professor of Urban History, University of Leicester The ‘discovery’ of the Alhambra in Granada, and by extension the architecture … Continue reading British Travellers and the Discovery of the Alhambra, 1750-1830
A lecture to be given by Professor Charalambos P Kyriacou, FMedSci. Professor of Behavioural Genetics, University of Leicester The lecture will outline how working in a very esoteric and rather … Continue reading From fruitfly biorhythms to a weekend in Stockholm
A lecture iven by Dr Bernard Greaves LLD, DipArch, BA A transcript of this lecture is available by clicking here. The lecture will present a brief outline of the extent … Continue reading Responding to David Attenborough’s Challenge – a new view of economics
The Arthur and Jean Humphreys Lecture to be given by Professor Christine van Ruymbeke, Ali Reza and Mohamed Soudavar Professor of Persian Studies, University of Cambridge This talk examines how … Continue reading Persian Tales of Love and Friendship
A lecture to be given by Sir Nicholas Green the Rt Hon Lord Justice Green, Former Chairman of the Law Commission for England & Wales (2018 – 2023); Lord Justice … Continue reading Judges, Politics, and the Public: A Judge’s View from Inside Westminster
Sponsored by Loughborough University Dr Afzal Ashraf QCVS, CEng. Visiting Fellow in International Relations and Security, Loughborough University For most living in western societies, extremism is assumed to be an … Continue reading Extremism among us
Sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry Professor Saiful Islam FRSC, FIMMM. Professor of Materials Science, University of Oxford The supply of low carbon energy is one of the … Continue reading Green Energy Materials in 3D – Crystal Gazing on the Atomic Scale
Sponsored by De Montfort University Professor Gabriel Egan, Professor of Shakespeare Studies, De Montfort University Shakespeare is often credited with coining many of the familiar words and phrases now … Continue reading Is Shakespeare’s language unlike that of his contemporaries?
Natural History Section Joint Lecture Professor Rosemary Collier, FRES. School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick Synthetic pesticides have been available to farmers and growers since the 1940s and their … Continue reading Managing pest insects without pesticides
Dr Philip Bird PhD, Senior Science Officer DESCYCLE, Research Associate in Mineral Processing Centre for Sustainable Resource Extraction University of Leicester The Geology Section Joint Lecture More information about this … Continue reading Critical Technology Metals and Mining for the Green Transition
The F. L. Attenborough Lecture Dr Mike Rands, BSc, DPhil, DSc. Master Darwin College, and Founding Director, Cambridge Conservation Initiative, University of Cambridge Nature has never been under great … Continue reading Collaborating to conserve the natural world
Joint Lecture with the Museum and Art Gallery Professor Jenny Powell, Director and Barber Professor, The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham In 1930 a reviewer of an … Continue reading Sculpture and Geology: Modernism, Interdisciplinarity and the Museum Today