The Wigmore lectures programme

All remaining dates for the 2022 to 2023 Wigmore Lectures season are fully booked

The Wigmore lectures are returning and the 2022 to 2023 season promises an entertaining mix of history, storytelling and illusions.

We look forward to seeing old faces and meeting new ones. Select the names of the lectures below to find out more:

• The Art of the Magic Lantern - Frog Morris and Nicole Mollett
• Kent’s Ancient Sacred Landscape - Suzanne Corbie
• British Discovery and Invention, 1770 to 1901 - Colin Harvey
• Tales of the Riverbank - David Burton.

The Art of the Magic Lantern

By Morris and Mollett

Wednesday 14 December 2022 at 8pm (rescheduled for Wednesday 19 April 2023)

Long before the invention of cinema, travelling entertainers would use devices known as Magic Lanterns to captivate audiences with projected illusions.

Frog Morris and Nicole Mollett will use this ancient wizardry to conjure up fantastical tales using hand-painted illustrations, Victorian-era photographs and live storytelling.

Kent’s Ancient Sacred Landscape

By Suzanne Corbie

Wednesday 18 January 2023 at 8pm

This talk will explore the pre-Christian landscape of Kent, including the Medway Megaliths, ancient trackways, Roman remains and our very own ‘Stonehenge’.

As well as revealing their historical use, Suzanne will consider how together, they form a window into a sacred landscape. One that offers a glimpse into the influences of sacred beliefs and practices in our country from the Neolithic to the Roman and early Anglo Saxons.

British Discovery and Invention, 1770 to 1901

By Colin Harvey

Wednesday 15 February 2023 at 8pm

A talk and screening exploring Captain Cook's discoveries from India and Australia, including cotton and over 3,000 plant species.

With the introduction of machine-powered factories, the rapid expansion of the cotton industry created both wealth and discontent. In particular with the rebellious Luddite cotton spinners, who were sometimes imprisoned or hanged.

The period coincided with the development of a national rail network, the invention of elastic rubber and the first refrigerated sailing ships bringing new products into the country.

Tales of the Riverbank

By David Burton

Wednesday 15 March 2023 at 8pm

A journey from Rochester to the estuary, describing the various industries that grew up along the river from the 16th to 20th centuries. This includes flying boats, steamrollers, buses, shipbuilding, brewing, tide mills, the dockyard, cement works, torpedo factories and more. 

The talk is fully illustrated and includes an opportunity to see and handle models and artifacts, including tools used by the Short Brothers in the 1920s.

David Burton’s family have been living and working in the Medway towns since the 17th century.