Tuesday Mornings10.15am to 12.15pm Community Arts Centre Roaring Meg Stevenage. Starts Tuesday 14th January 2025 10 weeks. Cost £40 Fees to be paid on the first week please. Half term February 18th THE RISE OF ISLAM Speaker: Michael Williams The rise of Islam is among the most momentous episodes in history. More permanently than the barbarian invasions it marked an end to the classical civilization of the Greeks and Romans by dividing the Mediterranean world. It destroyed the empire of Persia. The lecture begins with the ancient world before the rise of Islam. It seeks to explain the speed of the Arab conquests and the division between Sunni and Shia. It tells the story of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs and the role of Persians and Turks in shaping the Muslim world. It concludes by considering the parallel emergence of Western European civilization in the era of Charlemagne and by comparing Caliphs and Carolingians. 21st January THE DEVELOPMENT OF LONDON’S SILVER HALLMARKS Speaker: Martin Attridge This talk looks at how our silver hallmarking system developed from 1300 until today. It has been called the first form of consumer protection in England. Please bring along any items of your own which have hallmarks 28TH January TIME FLIES AT OLD WARDEN Speaker Debbie Land The life of Richard Shuttleworth, the Shuttleworth family, the heritage of Old Warden and its legacy today including some video footage of the Shuttleworth aircraft. 4th February GREAT SCOTTISH RAIL DISASTERS Speaker: Rudi Newman The birthplace of the railways, Britain has witnessed many challenges in their development. Two of its most notable accidents occurred in Scotland: one world famous, the other obscure. Opening with a history of the Tay Bridge Disaster from construction to destruction, a brand new theory for the cause of the tragedy is unveiled that changes its very history. Moving forwards, Quintinshill presents the horrors of Britain’s worst railway disaster – an event so terrible that it massacred half an army battalion and was considered ‘worse than the trenches’ of World War One. Both would offer lessons for safety in the future… 11th February UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS LIFE AT KNEBWORTH HOUSE Speaker: Jill Campbell Jill Campbell, Knebworth House Archivist will be talking about the interesting lives of members of the Lytton family and their servants. 25th February – 25th March (5 sessions) THE APOLLO MOON LANDINGS Speaker Tim Parrott In the Sixties, the richest nation on the planet devoted itself to a peace-time goal never equalled in scope, before or since: to land a human on the Moon. You were too young or too busy (or both) to pay much attention at the time, but it's not too late to put that right. The 5 sessions will not neglect the human story and will include much archival video. |
Thursday MorningsStarts Thursday 16th January 2025 10 weeks. Cost £40 Fees to be paid on the first week please. Half term February 20th REMEMBERING 1963 Speaker –Stephen Barnard An in depth look at a pivotal year in modern history, with all angles covered. A mix of cultural, political and social history, with film & tv too. Think Profumo Scandal, Beatles, Kennedy, Dr Who, freezing winter, James Bond, That Was The Week That Was, Hillman Imps and the UK government desperate to join the Common Market! |
