Inspired by the Bodleian Libraries’ new exhibition, this lecture delves into the rich history of prediction and forecasting, from the Magi who followed a star to Bethlehem to medieval Europe’s fascination with divination.

For millennia, people have sought to understand the present and prepa...

We are pleased to welcome you to a recording of our 2024 Annual Lecture, titled Use them or lose them. Church Buildings in Crisis - What Can We Do? During this lecture, you will hear the personal views of renowned broadcaster, journalist, and former Chair of the National Trust Sir Simon Jenkins, ...

Extraordinary women have held positions of power throughout history. But, aside from the select few, why do we not hear about them? The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, Saints and Kings: a patriarchal society that oppressed and excluded women. But by digging a little deeper...

From the bombings of churches during the Second World War, the terrorist targeting of religious buildings, and the recent strikes on sacred sites in Ukraine, the deliberate targeting of religious structures in war has had lasting cultural and symbolic impacts. This talk, 'Sacred Sites: Targeting ...

Evidence suggests that Old Sarum, a vast Iron Age hillfort in the south of England was specially chosen by King William the Conqueror to be a centre of Norman power in the newly conquered kingdom of Wessex. With its vast outer Bailey, new cathedral complex and imposing motte and keep it was desig...

Although it may come as a surprise, given the ubiquity of aisles in Late Antique basilicas and early medieval monastic churches, there is little evidence for aisles in English parish churches before the middle of 12th century. One of the earliest and most accomplished examples is the CCT church o...

Michael Carter is a historian and art historian who specialises in monasticism, especially in the late Middle Ages. His primary areas of interest are monastic art and architecture, relics and their veneration, and monastic books and libraries. Michael has lectured and published widely and since j...

Much research now suggests that in 4th-century Byzantine, in the Eastern Roman empire, they chose court eunuchs as their models. Many eunuchs became priests, as they were often seen as in some way more ‘holy’ than others. It was also very common for them to become palace officials and they were h...

Janet Gough works on strategic projects to conserve and develop historic church buildings for wider enjoyment and writes and lectures regularly on ecclesiastical subjects. Formerly Director of Cathedrals and Church Buildings for the Church of England, Janet was awarded an OBE in 2017
for servic...

From Eve's fig leaf to Joan of Arc's armour, the way we choose to clothe our bodies can carry layer upon layer of meaning. Across cultures and throughout history people have used clothing to signify power and status, to adorn and beautify, even to prop up or dismantle regimes.

This talk is taken...

Coronations follow deep and meaningful ancient traditions, join Historian Helen Carr to explore their origins in this special lecture celebrating a year since the King's Coronation.

Helen Carr is an award nominated historian specialising in English medieval history. Described by Dan Jones as ‘o...

Beccy Speight is Chief Executive Officer of the RSPB, the largest nature conservation organisation in the UK, with 1.2 million members, more than 2,000 employees and around 12,000 volunteers.

The RSPB has more than 200 nature reserves across the UK; wild havens where everyone can get closer to ...

What if walls could talk? For historian Madeleine Pelling, they can - if you know where to look. A brilliant new cultural history of the long eighteenth century, Writing on the Wall is told through the marks its citizens left behind, bringing into focus lost voices from the highest to the lowest ...

Son of Edward III, brother to the Black Prince, father to Henry IV and sire of all the Tudors, John of Gaunt was always close to the English crown. But was he too rich and too powerful and did he have his eye on his nephew’s throne? Why was he such a focus of hate in the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381?...

St Mary’s church in Thame houses a series of brass memorials to the Quatermain family, local gentry who came to prominence in the later medieval period. Four generations of the family are depicted, showcasing their steady lordship across the fifteenth century. Yet all is not as it seems. This tal...

We all know about gift-giving: it can nurture our friendships and help to mark the most important moments in our lives. But gifts can also be a source of anxiety, or a reminder of unequal relationships. Writing has always existed alongside the dynamics of giving and exchanging, and in this lectur...

Churches have been home to bats for hundreds of years, but having these fascinating species make a home in your church isn’t always a blessing…

For the past five years the Bats In Churches Project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has been working with architects, ecologists, ch...

Most things you ‘know’ about science and religion are myths or half-truths that grew up in the last years of the nineteenth century and remain widespread today.

The true history of science and religion is a human one. It’s about the role of religion in inspiring, and strangling, science before t...

On 10/11 June 323 BC, King Alexander III of Macedon, better known as Alexander ‘the Great’, died in Babylon aged 32. In his lifetime, he had forged one of the largest empires the world had yet seen, theoretically stretching from Greece to the Punjab, from Egypt to Samarkand. What followed his dea...

The Hollywood story version of the clash between Christians and pagans is simple: in this story, nasty, brutish Romans throw gentle, uncomplaining Christians to the lions. The truth was more complicated - and Christianity was much less meek. When Christians came to power in the Roman world, they ...

Join us as we hear all about iconic church stories. Writer and broadcaster Peter Stanford, inveterate “church crawler” and author of ‘If These Stones Could Talk: A History of Christianity in Britain and Ireland’, published in paperback last year by Hodder, will share some favourite churches from ...

Although many new houses were constructed in a broadly classical style, others were inspired by the Scottish tradition of castellated architecture. In this talk, Emma Baillie will present her research into the history of three prominent Scottish country houses – Blair Castle, Inveraray (Inverer-r...

The name Crusoe is eternally linked with Daniel Defoe's castaway Robinson Crusoe. The Crusos were, however, a real-life family who took refuge in England during the Dutch Revolt. Dr. Christopher Joby has published a book on the life and work of one of the more illustrious members of this family, ...

DaeWha Kang will speak about his full regeneration of St Andrew Holborn, a Grade 1 listed church built by Wren and damaged in the war. In addition to a deep dive into architectural design and virtuoso craftsmanship, DaeWha will reflect on broader considerations of the design profession. In partic...